Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 23

How To Cheer Up Writer Friends #AmWriting

Writer friends are special human beings. You will not find anyone who understands your creative side as much as they do. You share a different kind of friendship bond with writer friends. These friendships are forged over stinky first drafts, lengthy emails/ texts/ messages about our quirky writing processes, thought-provoking GIFs, shared bestseller daydreams and hilarious tales of our not so perfect writing lives.

So, seeing them struggle with writing can be just as painful as your own writing battles.

You don’t want to see them feel glum about their writing because:

You admire their writing talent.You know that writing makes them goofy happy.You know that they have got themselves into a bit of a negative hole and just need to find a way of climbing out of it.They were there for you when you fell into the pit of writer gloom. They pulled you out and look at you now – full of writer joy. Writer gloom happens to all of us.

Once we let those pesky writing demons run riot in our minds it can result in ‘gloomy writer face’ for a period of time.

So it’s time to turn your sad writing friend’s frown upside down:

Here are some things to do when facing this painful situation:

Remind them of their last writing success. It can be big or small. Maybe they have got some great feedback on a blog post? Maybe they won an online competition? Maybe they got some fab reviews on Amazon for their latest book? I find copying, pasting and emailing them a sample of the lovely things people have said in reviews or blog comments about their writing works well. You need to show them that their writing has touched and made a difference to someone out there.

Remind them about how far they have come on their writing journey.

Ask them to think about why they started writing? What was it that made them start writing in the first place?

Suggest that they write something for fun. Sometimes we just need a break from big heavy writing projects. Flash fiction is perfect for this.

Suggest they have a break from writing for a couple of days.

Make them smile or laugh. It’s time to start hunting for those thought provoking and funny GIFs.

Remind them of the time they pulled you out of the pit of writer gloom.

Remind them that these phases come and go. When these negative phases leave us and we get back to enjoying our passion the sun does come out in writing land!

Writer friends are so special so don’t let them be glum!

Cheer them up – we all need to stick together on this creative journey

#bookReview Christmas in Cockleberry Bay #CICB @nicolamay1 #ChristmasReads

Christmas is all about coming home and Nicola May’s Christmas in Cockleberry Bay has certainly made me feel like I am back in my romcom home.

This book brought a smile to my face while my family wrestled with a stubborn Christmas tree and a box full of tangled tree lights. Ignoring my family’s tree drama I let Nicola May whisk me back to one of my favourite fictional settings; Cockleberry Bay, for some festive fun and laughter.

Here’s the blurb:

Meet old and new characters in the Bay for Christmas fun and frolics.

With both the Corner Shop and Cockleberry Café in safe hands, Rosa turns her attention to Ned’s Gift, the charity set up in memory of the great-grandfather whose legacy turned her life around.

Over at the Ship Hotel, Lucas has his work cut out with his devious new girlfriend and the mystery poisoning of an anonymous hotel inspector. Will the hotel still get its 3-star Seaside Rosette?

Will Mary find true love at last? Can Titch cope with the demands of the shop and being heavily pregnant. And can Rosa, with a baby of her own, pull off the Cockleberry Bay Charity Christmas Concert in time?

Christmas in Cockleberry Bay is a festive delight for fans of Rosa and her cheeky mini dachshund Hot, delivering a feast of unpredictable events and surprises.

Here’s my review

The first standout in this book is the humour. Nicola May knows how to make you laugh. She does this through funny dialogue, quirky characters and fabulous pieces of description. One of my favourite moments was when Rosa explained to Titch why the Cockleberry Bay pantomime had been banned; ‘It went down in Cockleberry Bay history…what happened was that the guy playing Joseph outed his wife for having an affair with the Angel Gabriel; in his hurry to escape the humilation, Gabriel got his wings caught in a wise man’s walking stick and fell off the stage, breaking his ankle.‘

The second standout is the feeling of community in this book. I love the way Nicola brings this small seaside town to life through the poisoning of a hotel inspector, Mary’s search for true love, a Christmas Charity Christmas concert and Rosa’s attemts to juggle motherhood and feed her desire to get back into organising things for the town.

I loved seeing this new Rosa, a mummy to little Ned. Her friend Titch was a superstar in terms of helping Rosa through first-time motherhood and sorting out her own pregnancy. My love for Josh increased during this book. He’s so sexy and I would say yes to having a football team of babies with him – *sigh*

My favourite quote from the book is this which gave me a fluttery feeling; ‘if the home is a body then the table is a heart.’

Fabulous read!

Purchase Links
Kindle – UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JHJKLQF/
Kindle – .com – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JHJKLQF/
Paperback – http://eye-books.com/books/christmas-in-cocklberry-bay

Author Bio –

Nicola May is a rom-com superstar. She is the author of eleven romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts. Two of them won awards at the Festival of Romance, and another was named ebook of the week in The Sun. The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019, and was Amazon’s third-bestselling novel in that year.

She lives near Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan.

Follow Nicola May
Website – http://www.nicolamay.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NicolaMayAuthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/nicolamay1
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/author_nicola/

A Job Description For The Writer’s Pet #amwriting

Sometimes, the best part about writing is that my dog is always snoring nearby, offering sleepy moral support as I sit at my desk, agonizing over my latest fictional romance.

Lots of well known writers have had pet sidekicks; Charles Dickens’ cherished animal companion was a raven named Grip, Edgar Allan Poe was a cat-person and his pet feline was named Catterina, John Steinbeck had a dog named Charley and Virginia Woolf had a dog who was called Pinka.

So, I have been thinking about what sort of qualities are needed for a writer’s pet. Here’s how I think a job description for a writer’s pet might look…

Vacancy For A Writer’s Pet.

About The Role:

Animal / bird / fish / reptile needed to provide long-term emotional and creative support to a writer.

Hours:

Can vary each week. Dependent upon a number of factors:

The writer’s feelings towards their writing.
The writer’s procrastination levels.
The amount of emotional support a writer gets from a human loved one. If they don’t get enough emotional support from a loved one, their pet, will have to step in and do overtime.

Location:

This is a live in role with the writer.

Key Duties / Responsibilities:

Must be able to look alert at the start and at the end of the writer’s 678th recital of their first chapter. Must be able to sense the writer is strugging with chapter twenty-two of their draft novel and allow the writer to sob hysterically into their fur or up against their cage / fishbowl. Must be able to silently listen and not give judgment on the dodgy mid section of their writer’s new draft novel which is as saggy as their pet bed. Must be able to break wind at key moments and distract the writer from their frantic typo search. Must be able to look ‘cute’ at short notice and willing to star in Instagram pics when the writer is busy procrastinating.Must be skilled at snoring gently while the writer is writing into the early hours. Must be willing to be named after one of the literary greats or one of the writer’s characters. If it’s the latter, they must accept that their pet name could be changed at the drop of a hat should the writer decide they hate their story.Must be willing to accept the writer will be constantly creating imaginary and elaborate lives for them. These imaginary lives can vary with each writer and will be dependent upon the writer’s preferred genre. The pet might find they spent many years travelling across magical lands, fought in a great battle and were a stowaway on a famous voyage before they came to live with the writer. It’s important the pet just plays along with this.Must be willing to sit and listen to the writer’s literary woes.Must be able to keep the writer’s keyboard warm when they are away from their desk.Must be willing to bark, mieow or hiss at the mention of the writer’s book title.Must be willing to feature in their writer’s stories and novels.Must get the urge to chew up the writer’s paper manuscript or walk muddy paws over it whilst the writer’s back is turned.Must be willing to perform amusing animal stunts or tricks for inclusion within the writer’s tweets, blog posts and author newsletters.Must accept that the writer will regularly ask them questions like, “what do you think about that chapter…my reviewers thought the start was a little weak…your thoughts?” and “what do you think about my foreshadowing?” and “do you think I will ever be an international best-selling author?”

About you:

You will be a loyal and patient animal / bird / fish / reptile. At times you will understand your writer owner better than their loved one. You will have known from a young age that you were destined for the literary world. Just like your writer you will also go wild around the kitchen and lose control of your bladder at the news of your writer’s unexpected literary success.

Salary

This role is paid in love, nibbles, cuddles, pet biscuits and a leading animal star role in one of your writer’s many stories.

Perks:

If the writer becomes famous you will be known as their pet. This may result in you getting your own blog, Instagram or Facebook following.You will get to hear the writer’s work before anyone else. You LUCKY animal!

Thanks for reading,

Have a great day.

If you want to read more about writers and their pets check out this article.

The Importance of Being Able To Find Your Way Back To Your Writing #AmWriting

After reading as much as I can about the literary journeys of different authors, I have come to the conclusion that writing success comes to those who have…mastered the art of finding their way back to their projects.

We leave our stories behind for a variety of reasons:

We need to distance ourselves from them at the end of drafting.
Beta reader criticism has started to sting.
Rejections have broken our heart.
We don’t think it is working as a story.
We have lost faith in our abilities.
For whatever reason we bid farewell to a writing project, finding our way back to it can be one of the hardest things we will ever have to do.

Returning to a first or second or tenth draft which you finished writing a few months ago can be tough, especially when all those fuzzy, warm feelings have vanished.

Trying to find your way back to something which came under heavy criticism from beta readers requires bags of bravery.

Going back to a story which didn’t work the first time but you know you have to try again is challenging.

Finding your way back to a project which got a lot of rejections is character building. There are a few projects of mine which have been rejected and are now burning holes in my writing folders.

I ADMIRE all the writers out there who find their way back to projects, which were rejected, criticised, hated, broken or faulty and either improve them or turn them into something better. You are my heroes.

So, how do you master the art of finding your way back to your writing?

You become a believer in the art of revision. The famous quote, ‘almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts,’ is on your desk.

You know you’ve been here before with a first draft. You know that after a couple of drafts your feelings will change.

You believe in your work and your abilities.

You are able to wrestle your ego to the floor when it starts telling you all sorts of unwanted stuff about rubbish your first draft sounded.

You know you can touch people with your stories.

You are willing to accept writing success is all about playing the long game. Your story might not work now, but in time when you have grown as a writer, distanced yourself from it AND found your way back, it might set the world on fire!

Have you ever had to find your way back to a project?

Keep writing x

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself 😧 #AmWriting

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way

How To Come Terms With…Your Book Is Not Going To Write Itself

This is a tough one and can take some writers several years to come to terms with.

You have an unfinished draft novel, sat in a drawer or lounging on top of your writing desk or loitering in your writing file on your computer and the thought of finishing it gives you an uncomfortable gut sensation and you have to reach for another chocolate biscuit to make it go away.

Or, maybe you are like me and are taking part in NaNoWriMo2020 and book writing momentum has sadly left your writer body. After a day off you have fallen behind and the thought of putting in the effort to catch up makes you want to binge watch The Crown on Netflix while flipping oreo biscuits into the air and catching them in your mouth.

The thought of sitting down and ploughing on for another thirty thousand words will not be an appealing one.

It’s at this stage you start to consider the possibility of the following happening:

Magical elves scurrying in during the small hours and writing the rest of your book.Waking up one morning to find its all been a bad dream and your completed manuscript is lying on your bedside table.A famous best-selling author with time on their hands replying to your ‘my #unfinishednovel is making me sad’ tweet with ‘let’s meet for coffee over Zoom and I might be able to help you finish it!’Planting ‘magical book seeds’ in your vegetable patch with the belief you will be able to dig up your finished novel in a few weeks time.Being visited by your ‘writer fairy godmother’ in the night who waves a magical wand and transforms your unfinished manuscript into a completed one, edited and with no typos.A white book stork flying over your house with its own version of a new baby in its beak – a finished manuscript.Walking along a beach and finding a bottle washed up on the shore with the rest of your manuscript inside it.Your unfinished book writing itself.

So, how do you come to terms with your book is not going to write itself?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your unfinished novel will stay unfinished if you carry on spending time in fantasy land.

There are no literary elves, magical book seeds, book storks or writer fairy godmothers. Best selling authors have better things to do with their time.

Your book is not going to write itself.

It’s time to wake up and drag your lazy writer self over to your chair and write the rest of your novel.

Get to work writer – only you can make the literary dream happen.

Have a fabulous day!

PS: I have written this post in the hope it gives me a kick up the writer ass.

Psst…if anyone does know of some efficient and reliable literary elves, send them my way