My NaNoWriMo Word Count Widgets!

Thursday 31 May 2012

20,000 words and counting...

..well, I've broken the 20,000 word barrier with Agoraphobics Anonymous at long last!  Blame the gorgeous weather and even more gorgeous Lovely Boyfriend for the sloth-like speed! We've been making the most of the sunshine - taking Mad Mutt out for some lovely walks around the Angus countryside and turning my garden into a garden (rather than a place where wild bushes grow).  But it's now turned back to true Scottish weather and I can concentrate on writing again.  It's not raining in the traditional sense; it's just the air is full of water.....

So - where do I stand with the writing?  Hospital Corners has been rejected by all 15 agencies I sent it to, and I'm going to start preparing the next round of submissions next week (once Lovely Boyfriend has disappeared back to his oil rig).  Once I've been rejected by all the agencies, I'll turn to small publishers and then to self-publishing.  The publishing world is full of people like me - first time authors with a manuscript and social network connections.  Self publishing is taking off with the likes of Kindle offering free/cheap books....the days of advances and signing fees are over for Miss Joe Average.  So I'll offer my work to the big, bad world by myself and keep trying with the next book.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't accept a big, fat advance cheque and contract from an agent/publisher though!
 
Agoraphobics Anonymous - I've looked at all my research notes and now I need to start linking the sections together in a vaguely logical way, without tying myself down too much.  I've written a fun "Socratic Dialogue" chapter but now I want to move onto the relationship between Angie and David rather than Angie and Ryan....that's what the SP promises and that's what I shall deliver!  It's a fine line between walking the characters through the necessary therapy and over-egging the pudding and writing a self-help book.  That's not my intention so I shall be working hard over the next couple of weeks to get the characters talking to me again. 

That's if a new idea doesn't take over first.  I had a dream the other night which has definite possibilities as a story....possibly a longish short story or novella rather than a full length book, but it's a great little idea and I'm glad I wrote it down before it disappeared on me!  A lot of research will be needed, however.....watch this space!

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Apologies for my absence...

...it's been a few weeks since I last posted and it's all been down to the DWP.  I've been super-stressed about having to appeal their decision, and it doesn't help that other benefits have now been stopped because I'm not "entitled" to ESA.  So - no Income Support and, as a domino effect, no Housing or Council Tax benefit, which meant a letter from the Council demanding rent payments from this week....so I spent much of last week either in bed or curled up on the sofa.  I still don't have a solution to the problem, but I've done all I can (sent in an appeal - which means a tribunal in 2 to 6 months time.  But it also means I get placed onto an assessment rate and can re-start Income Support etc). 

Anyway - this is a writing blog so what have I been writing?  Not much.  My confidence took a mighty knock when BOTH books went crashing out of MAYhem in the first round.  However, I started reading Ag Anon again yesterday, re-writing bits here and there.  I also have another bit of the plot sewn up - the reason why David is paranoid about spiders.  It was one of those things I threw in out of nowhere, so I'm pleased I've managed to come up with a reason! 

I'm off to take a look at chapters 6 onwards before deciding what happens next.