Sarah Begg's Blog, page 2

Summer Roundup & the Query Chronicles

 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update about what I’m working on. I hope (assume?) I wasn’t alone when the end of 2020 came around and I looked back on the year and concluded that I hadn't achieved anything new. (Although I published Eat Pray Shag in May, that was already in the works before Covid-19 hit and productivity went up in smoke).

I’ve been finding it really hard to stay focussed on any one writing project for an extended period of time. I don’t know if the problem is my fragmenting concentration, newfound addiction to checking the news, or simply general lack of motivation caused by pandemic anxiety (possibly all three?). In any case, I’m slowly starting to make new roads with the projects that are important to me, so here’s an update on where each of my upcoming works are at:

Locations Behind the Book: the Laura the Explorer Guide to Manly Beach and Sydney

 

Who doesn’t love visiting places they’ve read about in books? My first novel, Laura the Explorer, is set in Sydney, Australia, though more specifically in and around Manly Beach area. While a lot of the locations are fictional, there are a few exceptions. (Plus certain real places that inspired fictional ones). So here they are – some of my favourite places in Sydney, which either feature in, or inspired, scenes from the book!

July Roundup

 

What a strange year this has been. First, thick, blanketing smoke forced us into our houses with the windows and doors shut tight. Then the super-scary COIVD-19 virus appeared, sending us scurrying inside once again. Here in Australia, we seem to have been extremely lucky and dodged the full-blown outbreaks the rest of the world seems to be suffering from. However, a new resurgence has just forced the state of Victoria into a harsh new lockdown, and I know everyone here in Sydney is now holding our breaths … what will the next few weeks bring for us?

As a writer, I already work from home every day as it is. However, lack of social contact is my biggest challenge. And where once, friends and family used to think I was ‘living the dream’ by getting to work from home every day, now I think many people will realise that working from home isn’t quite the dream lifestyle they thought it was. Who would have thought we’d all miss that ‘water-cooler chat’ quite so much? (or realise just how important it is to have contact with other humans every day!)

That being said, this isn’t a blog about how to work from home without going crazy (as a writer, I’m arguably already fairly up-there on the crazy scale). This is a blog about the exciting world of story-telling, making books and trying to convince people to read them! So, on to my writing updates!

May Roundup: Launching my Second Book in COVID Times

 

Well it’s official: I’ve now published two novels. Eat Pray Shag is out in the world, and the comments and reviews from readers so far have been so wonderful. Everyone who’s read it has loved this book—many even more so than Laura the Explorer—and I now have people waiting eagerly for book 3 in the series!

So, what has it been like publishing my second book? I’ve learnt a few new things, but also have learnt a few what-not-to-do things. Here’s my breakdown of the positives and negatives about publishing my second book:

Cover Reveal: Eat Pray Shag + Book Cover Design Process for Indie Authors

 

It’s time for the most exciting part of the book creation process… the cover design reveal! This is one of my favourite parts about being an indie author, because I’m the one who has full say over the cover design. So often I hear stories of authors with traditional publishing houses who have almost no say in their covers – and often hate the finished design – and I also often see books in bookstores and find myself questioning if that is the best cover for that book. But being independent means I’m the one creating the brief, choosing my designer, and requesting changes to the cover. I get to have full control, which is a great thing (although it comes with a range of warnings I’ll talk about later!)

Before I start breaking down the cover design process for Eat Pray Shag, let’s start by taking a look at the beautiful finished design:

February Roundup: Meeting new friends and EPS off to the copy editor

 

Summer is rapidly fading here in Sydney, and aside from a quick trip to Singapore with my Mum (no we didn’t get coronavirus there, but we did get our temperatures checked everywhere we went) it’s been back into the swing of author-life for me.

In early Feb I participated in a Romance Writers of Australia critique matchmakers night – basically speed-dating for writers looking for writerly friends! I was lucky enough to connect with two amazing authors, and am thoroughly enjoying being able to chat about writing-related things with them both (as opposed to attempting to talk about this with anyone else and watching their eyes glaze over in boredom). If anyone is a writer of a genre that could loosely be called romance, then these events are definitely worthwhile! Honestly, trying to make writer friends who are at a similar level professionally to you is almost impossible. But speed-dating for writers is a great starting point.

January Roundup & Finishing Eat Pray Shag

 

The end of January is nigh, and I can’t quite believe we’re 1/12 down on 2020 already. I was going to write a post at the end of 2019 reflecting on the year and talking about my 2020 goals, but that seems a bit late now! Plus I’ve struggled a bit this year with ‘goals’. I realised that towards the end of last year, all of my goals were writing related. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but since writing is not just my passion but also my job, that meant I had nothing but work goals. I hadn’t set myself any personal or fitness goals for the second half of the year – and I watched my fitness shoot right off out the window thanks to a repetitive strain injury I got in my knee after too much hiking and bike-riding in Canada back in July. 

So! This year I’ve set not just writing goals, but fitness and personal goals too. Now, on to the book updates!

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?

 

Recently when I’ve spoken to people about being an author, one of the first questions that comes up is “So how long does it actually take to write a book?”

This question sounds simple, but it seems to imply that an author will one day think “I’ll write a book about x topic” and then sit down at their computer and write it out, from start to finish, until (theoretically) a few months later they will type ‘the end’ and that’s that.

Ha! If ONLY!!

While every author is different, and will have a different writing process, here I’m going to break down some of the actual challenges and processes that it takes to turn an idea into a manuscript worthy of publishing.

Taking a Writer’s Research Trip: My Week in Byron Bay

 

There’s no denying that writing a book is really bloody hard. But occasionally you get the opportunity to do some really cool, fun things in the name of writing research, and a week ago I did exactly that. EAT PRAY SHAG (the second book in the Laura the Explorer series) has a huge chunk of the story set up in Byron Bay, a wonderful semi-famous beachside town up in the northern part of NSW (about a nine hour drive north of Sydney). I’d been to Byron Bay four years ago, which is where the inspiration to set this book there came from, however as I was writing the first draft I found my memory of the place a little sketchy. Plus, a lot can change in a town in four years!

Title Reveal: Eat, Pray, Shag

 

I’m so excited to share with everyone the title for book 2 in the LAURA THE EXPLORER series: EAT, PRAY, SHAG. And here’s the blurb for the story: