Done and Dusted

I thought I should pop in and let you know where I am and what I'm up to. My last draft of a manuscript is done and dusted. Yes, I've been quiet, but for a good reason.

Another almost close with a traditional publisher with emails back and forth is a learning and growing experience lately. My novels are now either not enough romance, or too much. Not enough suspense, or too much. I'm hovering around the target.




I'm almost ready to start another manuscript. A few plots have come to mind, and the setting is right there. My little home town of 1.200 people. It's an idyllic place in rural/outback Australia surrounded by eucalypt mountains with a large river running to one side. 

I'm excited about the prospects, and I'm going back for a few weeks soon to draw in the surrounds, and apart from memories, form new memories and undertake some research for my book. 

I'll leave you with this picture of Mia. She has been on my Face Book Page often. Isn't she cute?

On Writing-Let your manuscript sit for a while.

Don't be too eager to finish as there's value in the words, 'let your manuscript sit for a while.' 

After I had completed a manuscript, and having more sets of eyes take a look at it, I found that within the first three chapters there's a huge glaring mistake, and some other minor mistakes. Urgh! Pull my hair out. Why hadn't I seen this before? I let this manuscript sit for at least six weeks until I returned to do a final draft. Since then, I've printed it out again, and I'll give it another final read through. I still can't believe what I found hadn't been picked up. Amazing.                                                                                                   
I once sent a manuscript to an editor and found a typo on the first page. Talk about die of shock. lol. :) She was lovely, and said that's what editors are for. But I owe it to myself and to the editors to submit the best possible work I can, and this wasn't my best, as is the manuscript I've recently printed.  

I was almost on the verge of starting another manuscript, which will now have to wait but that doesn't mean I won't be taking notes about characters, plots, sub-plots and anything that comes to mind to help make it work during the breaks.


Fingers and toes crossed for me. Ta. :)

A Weekend Out and About

It's good to get back to my roots occasionally. I feel as though the blood of the land is pouring through my veins each time I go walkabout. :) It's also good to have the support of my husband, urging me to keep writing.

This photograph taken next to the Gwydir river, snaked by mountains, is where my grandmother's house once sat. 

It came as a shock a few years back when it was demolished. To the right of the cocoas palm sat a lovely front garden surrounded by orange trees, and pepper trees, which have a peppery smell. There was always a cosy corner in the shade, somewhere to have a bit of relief from the extreme temperatures, which often went well into the 40s.

Now all that remains is a May bush, and another shrub which I don't recall. Not much to hang a past on, but I often write about memories. There are loads of memories from this photograph alone.

My grandmother use to take us walkabout and teach us what grubs were the best ones to eat. We use to call it Mully Grubbing, as it's the same grub as a witchetty grub.  Yes, I've had a few witchetty grubs, but not lately. :) They are edible, either raw or lightly cooked and are high in protein. The raw witchetty grub tastes like an almond and when cooked the skin is like roast chicken.  lol  NO... I haven't eaten a raw one, thank heavens. :)

She also use to show us what sap to eat from the trees. I recall eating a pinkish sap that tasted like fairy floss. It was yum. lol. :)

The beautiful Gwydir River.

This brings to me to my characters in my novels. Memories. Memories are what makes a person the person they are today. It's their past that builds their particular character as in real life. So before writing, I also fill in Character sheets, so my characters will have a past, either good or bad, and most times there is something in their past that will have them act and behave as they do in the novel.

Most of us have good and bad memories, but let's cling to the good. My grandmother left me with some great memories, some funny, some sad, but stories that now mean so much to me than they ever did. :)

Hunter Romance Writers- Meeting for September

Busy studying Pinterest. 

Another great meeting yesterday with my writer's group, Hunter Romance Writers. 

One of the topics we covered was the structuring a novel. I'm sure most writers have heard or seen this. You use a corkboard and place all your post it notes (sticky notes) in various colours representing, Setting, Hero's POV, Heroine's POV, Overall Chapter, Secondary Characters, Turning Points, Black Moments, Back-story, Danger, and Love Scenes in a square marked out as chapters.

By doing this it helps with the structure, flow, and plot of the novel. Also by looking at the post it notes, you can see what is missing, or if something is in the wrong place in your novel. I should have taken a photograph.  There are many different procedures on 'how to.' Most writers use what they are comfortable with or what works for them.

We discussed our Christmas party, Pinterest, and spoke about what stage we are up to in our writing. It's a productive group, with most of our members finishing a manuscript, completing the first three chapters, currently plotting another, soon to be published, receiving offers, submitting, or completing edits.

It was great to see everyone again. :)