A Writer’s Notebook

My novel, to be published in 2016 by Allen & Unwin is ready for a final edit. It still doesn’t have a title but I’m sure the right one will magically appear if I sprinkle enough fairy-dust over the manuscript. I’ve started my new novel. I’m outlining and while I didn’t progress very far today my time was not wasted as I’ve  decided on a name for my protagonist. This  is a very important to me (not everyone needs or wants to do this at such an early stage) to get a feel for my characters and the place and era the novel is set in.  I also spent two hours in the garden enjoying the sun even though the air was cold. A few thoughts on writing you might find useful: Decide on a point of view before you start to write. Decide how long you want your book to be. It can be as long or short as you want it to be. We all have one story to tell, sometimes more. Something about your own story will be unique. Write that unique something down in one sentence. This is your fascination. it will tell you what your are going to write about. Only write about what interests you. When we first start to write our purpose is to find our story. We usually have general ideas and often decide to keep the words flowing on paper or keyboard. You hope eventually to discover your story. This will waste your time. Even memoir writers have to decide on a storyline. You have to know your book’s purpose. You have to know what your book is going to be about. It is essential. Your story has to be unique. Or why would anyone read it? It needs to appeal to a wide audience.

Have a good writing week

Elise x