Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 18

Womankind

I have found, to my delight, a new magazine at my local bookstore; Womankind. I’ts packed with interesting articles, quotes and current affairs stories pertaining to women. It’ s for women, about women, and should be read by women !

A particular article drew my attention, and I had to share. It’s called Daydreaming and Creativity and has a fab quote as a tagline:

“It is the daydreamers of this world who will create something great”

This line resonated do much with me! As a child, I was told (by teachers and my parents alike) that my head was always ‘in the clouds,’ that I ‘never paid attention’ in class, and I was a ‘daydreamer.’

As a writer, my life is made of tales and stories in my head; of daydreaming at odd moments of the day, and of seemingly ‘vague and uninterested’ when an idea for my character/plot/ event in one of my books is formulating.

So, to all those who feel they are daydreamers, I say – dream on !

Have a lovely weekend, fellow bloggers

Why a bad protagonist is actually quite good #writing #amwriting

G.L. Cromarty

I am a big fan of protagonists with dubious character traits. There is something about a blurry line that adds flavour and depth. In fact, if the protagonist was to stop and consider themselves, they might think they were on the wrong side of that invisible virtuous line.

So in short, I like my protagonists…to be bad.

Why is a less than perfect protagonist good?

If you are the kind of person who goes to the gym 5 days a week, then going 5 days a week is no big thing. BUT, if you struggle to go once a week, then 5 days in a row is pretty impressive! And so with our protagonist. The more reluctant they are, and the more doing something good or heroic chafes, the more interesting it is when they are finally forced to comply.

As a reader, the more confused you are about the protagonists virtue, the more the…

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A Man Called Ove: A Review

Mary Clark, Writer

In A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman writes about people who are at odds with modern rules, and he does so by ignoring, even flaunting, modern rules of writing. And it was glorious! Wonderful! He portrays people who don’t fit into society as it is presently constructed, so it makes sense he tears up the rules when writing about them. In this way he can tell the story of the old-fashioned Ove, for whom the rules are an undue burden, and the immigrant Parveneh, who recognizes the rules but for whom reality is a very flexible thing.

What are these rules of writing? Let me name a few. First, there’s the prohibition against using similes and metaphors. How did this start? From what I can tell, George Orwell said, don’t use similes. Now this has become orthodoxy. Backman deals with this by exchanging the word “like” with “as…

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New book cover Elen A Celtic Trilogy

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In order to boost my new book The Tourmaline Bracelet,  the third book of A Celtic Trilogy, I’ve decided to change my book covers. This is due mainly to a writing seminar I attended recently,  that had heaps of self publishing tips (some of which I ‘ve shared here and will continue to do so!). 

I’ m really pleased with this cover of Elen as I think it adds to the mood of the time, set as it is during the British convict era. The book has themes of hardships, loss, death, poverty, hope and survival, particularly of my main character Elen Williams. 

It’s available on Amazon :

#books

5 tips to get you tweeting like a pro!

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I have recently discovered the Tweeting world (or Twitter, I should say). This form of social media has eluded me thus far, as I prefer Facebook and Instagram. However, in order to promote my books (now numbering 3 books on Amazon, and one to be released in August 2017), I thought I’d sign up.

I’m not sure if I have the complete angle on it yet, but I have put up a profile picture, done some tweeting and also retweeted other tweets. So far, I have 150+ followers; not bad going for a novice!

Anyway, I have read some advice on the art of tweeting, namely from a fellow blogger Nicholas Rossis, who has kindly shared his tips on promoting your books – and I’ll share them here.

Happy tweeting everyone!  

Book covers: Elen A Celtic Trilogy

 

 

 

[image error]Elen A Celtic Trilogy

 

Elen A Celtic Trilogy

In preparation for my new book, The Tourmaline Bracelet A Celtic Trilogy,  which is the third of the family saga that follows the same family, transcends time and deals with themes such as loss, love, hope, anxiety, and retribution. I am playing about (and enjoying!) new book covers. The image above is my chosen one for the first book Elen. It gives the story an extra edge, a feeling of loss and anxiety in my main character that I wanted to convey.

As an indie writer, a good book cover is as important as the story itself – for why would a reader pick up your book unless its cover captured you?

Along with the plot, characters, editing, proof reading and editing again, the book cover is essential. What better way to market your book?

What do other bloggers think?

#books

Book signing; Monica McInerney

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I took my friend along to a book signing on the weekend. Any chance to learn from an author and I’m there, first in the queue.

The event was held at my local library.

Book covers: Elen A Celtic Trilogy

 

 

 

[image error]Elen A Celtic Trilogy

 

Elen A Celtic Trilogy

In preparation for my new book, The Tourmaline Bracelet A Celtic Trilogy,  which is the third of the family saga that follows the same family, transcends time and deals with themes such as loss, love, hope, anxiety, and retribution. I am playing about (and enjoying!) new book covers. The image above is my chosen one for the first book Elen. It gives the story an extra edge, a feeling of loss and anxiety in my main character that I wanted to convey.

As an indie writer, a good book cover is as important as the story itself – for why would a reader pick up your book unless its cover captured you?

Along with the plot, characters, editing, proof reading and editing again, the book cover is essential. What better way to market your book?

What do other bloggers think?

#books

Book covers

[image error]

In preparation for my new book, The Tourmaline Bracelet A Celtic Trilogy,  which is the third of the trilogy, I am playing about (and enjoying!) new book covers. The image above is my favorite. It gives the story, set in rural Tasmania and moving to Melbourne during the Victorian era, an ‘edge’ which I’m happy with!

As an indie writer, a good book cover is as important as the story itself – for why would a reader pick up your book unless its cover captured you? 

Along with the plot, characters, editing, proof reading and editing again, the book cover is essential. What better way to market your book?

What do other bloggers think?

#books

6 Tips for anyone writing a Novel

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This blog post is inspired by the wealth of tips from Curtis Brown Creative, a writing school based in London. I subscribe to their newsletter and I’ve found valuable tips on writing, plus they provide writing workshops, writing courses (including online), one to one tutorials and interactions with top literary agents, amongst just a few of their skills.

These tips come courtesy of Jonny Geller, joint CEO of Curtis Brown, whose originally posted them onto Twitter, with mixed views! I’m sharing his insights anyway!

6 Tips for New Authors:

Start a story as though you’re in the middle, finish the novel as though it’s a new beginning
Plot is key – but not at the expense of your characters. Question every move, every plot line
How a story makes you feel is just as important as how it makes you think
Love writing your book, but don’t expect to love reading it
We need to learn, experience and feel something new. Complacency is anathema to a writer; readers can sense complacency in an instant!
Take your character to the limit. It’s easier to withdraw from the cliff’s edge than keep pushing up a hill

Valuable tips, every one. Happy writing!