Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 7

Ep 8 Love at First Write – Rejections #writer #rejections

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-324vx-14d6524

In this episode we cover:

How to handle rejectionsHints and tips on how to survive rejections

Find out more about your hosts:

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out now. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

The podcast we mentioned is:

The Write or Die podcast – series S1 Ep 13 – 11 May 2018

You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

Ep 7 Love At First Write – Conflict in Romance

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-zwyhe-14c782b

In this episode we cover:

What is conflict in a romance story?Why add conflict to a romance novel?

Find out more about your hosts:

Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out now. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  

The books mentioned in this episode are:

Scarred Strings – A Fake Dating Rockstar Romance by Tania JoyceThe Queue by Alexandra Heminsley Ten Dates by Rachel Dove 

You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

How To Return To Writing If You Have Lost Your Confidence #MondayBlogs

I have lost and found my writing confidence hundreds of times.

Losing your writing confidence can feel like you’ve lost the key to your favourite world and over time you become haunted by the scary thought that you might never return.

It’s important to remember that it’s not your writing confidence which is lost – it’s actually YOU.

You are lost. This has helped me enormously at times. I have stopped searching externally and climbed inside myself to hunt out the issue.

The common issue for me and this is based on my personal experience is that my writing confidence disappears when I have created false expectations. In order to return to my writing I have to hunt down the false expectation I put on myself and stamp on it.

With writing there are a variety of false expectations to choose from and it really is a case of ‘pick your poison.’ You only have to look on social media and it won’t be too long before your mind will start building some false expectations like – ‘I will get picked up by a literary agent pretty quickly…as that writer got signed on her first query,’ and, ‘my book will fly up the book charts…just like that author’s book,’ and ‘it won’t take me long to write a book…I mean that writer over there is churning out a book every two months.’ Things get problematic when you and your writing don’t measure up to these expectations. You soon become lost in your head and stuck in a maze of negative thoughts. Your confidence vanishes and writing will seem like a distant memory. Hunt your false expectation! Get rid of it. Accept that writing growth is about the small wins and I mean SMALL. Alter your expectations. Celebrate small wins like, finishing a first draft, editing your book, sending out your book to query, receiving rejections (these are a sign you are out there) and being resilient.

The next on my list is to retrace your steps. This is hard when you are lost but try to think back to where things went astray. What happened to you before you became lost? What were you working on? This is helpful but it will bring up some uncomfortable feelings.

If you were in the middle of writing something / working on a project before you became lost – the answer is in that piece of writing. Now here’s something which has been a game changer for me. When I have been lost – it has actually been my writing intuition trying to get in contact with me to say something isn’t right. It could be with the first, second, third or fourth draft. There could also be a plot hole I have missed or a character not working. My writer intuition has failed to contact me on my mobile (lol) or on social media and has resorted to flooding my mind with creative fear. Ha! I have then gone into panic mode and given up / become lost. It would be helpful if my writer intuition could take down my number

If you were deluged with rejections or negative feedback – don’t panic. I have been lost here too. I am afraid rejection and negative feedback still happen when you are an established author so it’s best to accept that this is all part of the process. Put your project aside. Take the heat off your emotions and write something new. Give your mind a rest from thinking about why that project didn’t work or what you have to do to recalibrate. Put some distance between you and the project. You are a brave writer. You have been in battle which is something to be celebrated.

Fill your creative well. This is one of my favourite parts of the creative process. Read books, watch films, research things in history which interest you, go to museums, the theatre and art galleries. Paint, draw, sew, crochet or knit. Make things which make you smile. Go for long walks, dance to forgotten albums, people watch in cafes and tell yourself you are open to new ideas.

You will find your way back to writing. I know you will. I have been where you are now and I know how awful it feels. This will pass. Look inside yourself as the answers and the way out of your maze are waiting for you.

Start small. Even if it’s just opening up your laptop or notebook. Celebrate the fact you opened it for 2 minutes and then closed it again. Try again the next day. Small steps. Once you can withstand opening your laptop for 5 mins write something. Anything. Again keep small. A paragraph will do.

You are a writer

How To Return To Writing If You Have Lost Your Confidence #MondayBlogs

I have lost and found my writing confidence hundreds of times.

Losing your writing confidence can feel like you’ve lost the key to your favourite world and over time you become haunted by the scary thought that you might never return.

It’s important to remember that it’s not your writing confidence which is lost – it’s actually YOU.

You are lost. This has helped me enormously at times. I have stopped searching externally and climbed inside myself to hunt out the issue.

The common issue for me and this is based on my personal experience is that my writing confidence disappears when I have created false expectations. In order to return to my writing I have to hunt down the false expectation I put on myself and stamp on it.

With writing there are a variety of false expectations to choose from and it really is a case of ‘pick your poison.’ You only have to look on social media and it won’t be too long before your mind will start building some false expectations like – ‘I will get picked up by a literary agent pretty quickly…as that writer got signed on her first query,’ and, ‘my book will fly up the book charts…just like that author’s book,’ and ‘it won’t take me long to write a book…I mean that writer over there is churning out a book every two months.’ Things get problematic when you and your writing don’t measure up to these expectations. You soon become lost in your head and stuck in a maze of negative thoughts. Your confidence vanishes and writing will seem like a distant memory. Hunt your false expectation! Get rid of it. Accept that writing growth is about the small wins and I mean SMALL. Alter your expectations. Celebrate small wins like, finishing a first draft, editing your book, sending out your book to query, receiving rejections (these are a sign you are out there) and being resilient.

The next on my list is to retrace your steps. This is hard when you are lost but try to think back to where things went astray. What happened to you before you became lost? What were you working on? This is helpful but it will bring up some uncomfortable feelings.

If you were in the middle of writing something / working on a project before you became lost – the answer is in that piece of writing. Now here’s something which has been a game changer for me. When I have been lost – it has actually been my writing intuition trying to get in contact with me to say something isn’t right. It could be with the first, second, third or fourth draft. There could also be a plot hole I have missed or a character not working. My writer intuition has failed to contact me on my mobile (lol) or on social media and has resorted to flooding my mind with creative fear. Ha! I have then gone into panic mode and given up / become lost. It would be helpful if my writer intuition could take down my number

If you were deluged with rejections or negative feedback – don’t panic. I have been lost here too. I am afraid rejection and negative feedback still happen when you are an established author so it’s best to accept that this is all part of the process. Put your project aside. Take the heat off your emotions and write something new. Give your mind a rest from thinking about why that project didn’t work or what you have to do to recalibrate. Put some distance between you and the project. You are a brave writer. You have been in battle which is something to be celebrated.

Fill your creative well. This is one of my favourite parts of the creative process. Read books, watch films, research things in history which interest you, go to museums, the theatre and art galleries. Paint, draw, sew, crochet or knit. Make things which make you smile. Go for long walks, dance to forgotten albums, people watch in cafes and tell yourself you are open to new ideas.

You will find your way back to writing. I know you will. I have been where you are now and I know how awful it feels. This will pass. Look inside yourself as the answers and the way out of your maze are waiting for you.

Start small. Even if it’s just opening up your laptop or notebook. Celebrate the fact you opened it for 2 minutes and then closed it again. Try again the next day. Small steps. Once you can withstand opening your laptop for 5 mins write something. Anything. Again keep small. A paragraph will do.

You are a writer

Ep 6 Love At First Write -Talk About NaNoWriMo

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8dfwp-14c37cf

In this episode we cover:

 

NanoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month – November ) and explain what it is How you can prepare for it and how you can achieve the best out of the challenge

 

Find out more about your hosts:

 

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

 

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out now. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  

 

Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

The books mentioned in this episode are:

 

Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuistonMy Own Personal Rockstar – Kirsty McManusBad Men – Julie Mae CohenA Little in Love – Florence Keeling

You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

Ep 5. Love At First Write – Talking Tropes

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-54hfr-14b6b47

In this episode we cover:

What a trope is and how it works in romance.Different types of romance tropes

Find out more about your hosts:

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out now. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

The books mentioned in this episode are:

The Words by Ashley JadeThe Duchess Deal by Tessa DareStraight as a Jalebi by Ritu BhatalThe Hating Game by Sally Thorne

We also mentioned in this episode:

Lopt and Croft. https://www.loptandcroft.comTrope Bingo – Romance reading tropes and prompts Bingo Planner – Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1344687000/romance-reading-tropes-and-prompts-bingo

You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 4 Love At First Write – The Importance of Settings

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-zkiuq-14af455

In this episode we cover:

How important the setting is in a novelHow a setting can add to your story and drive the plotHow settings can help the author Our favourite settings

Find out more about your hosts:

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out now. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

The books mentioned in this episode are:

Stay a Spell series by Juliette Cross Hopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove by Kim NashTen Years by Pernille Hughes

Authors mentioned in this episode are:

Jaimie AdmansKiley DunbarLeonie MackSandy Barker You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

How I Beat Writer Cringe With My Old Writing #MondayBlogs

This post is for writers like me that write a lot and shelve a lot.

Underneath my writing desk I have boxes of notebooks filled with half finished, shelved stories and in my old computer files I have more of the same. If someone gave me a pound for every shelved story I have i would be very rich

I used to cringe when I read them and I used to beat myself up for not persisting with a story which didn’t work.

I am a changed writer now and I see things very differently.

Things you must never do with your old stories which didn’t work out:

Delete them.Throw them out if they’re stored in a notebook.Cringe or get embarrassed about them.

You need to view your old shelved finished or half finished stories differently. 

Start to view your shelved stories as jigsaw pieces which can be broken up.

These are special jigsaw pieces because you can break them up and re-fit them into your current project.

Now, before you start this I need you to make a copy of your shelved story. This is your insurance policy in case you wake up in ten years time and shriek, “I know how to fix that story I wrote which didn’t work!” Trust me – this happens to me a lot. Promise me – you will do this?

Since I started viewing my shelved stories differently – magic has happened! 

I have said this a million times before but weird things happen when you become a writer. I have lost count of the odd things that have happened to me over the years. I strongly believe I have spent the last six years writing bits of stories for a future me to work out how they fit together.

When I am stuck on a part of a story I now think about what I have written in the past and shelved.

My shelved stories are like a box of broken up jigsaw pieces. I have character shaped pieces, setting pieces, fragments of good dialogue and story pieces.

Buried within my shelved stories are the missing pieces of a story I am working on. On my current project I have used:

– the setting from a story I wrote in 2016.

– a character from an old romcom I wrote in 2017.

– a story thread from a half finished story I wrote in 2018.

Lately all my jigsaw pieces from the past have fitted with ease into my current project. It really does feel like magic is at work. Or somehow I did write all of these bits for a future me *scratches head and looks confused*

So, stop cringing when you think of those old, shelved stories you can’t even bear to look at let alone read. Start seeing those stories as jigsaw pieces. All you need to do is work out which bits you are missing.

Ask yourself when you become stuck on a project – is the answer hidden within my old projects?  

Years ago did you stick that story in your shelved folder and think, ‘one day the future me will know what to do with that.”

I hoping that this post helps someone out there who is struggling with their story.

Have a good day.

Lucy x

Ep 3 – Love At First Write – Chat To Kim Nash

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-u7ekx-14a6956

In this episode:

We chat to Romance Author and Digital Publicity Director for Bookouture, Kim Nash. We talk about her writing journey, her books and the publishing side of romantic fiction. 

Find out more about your hosts:

 

Bettina Hunt – My latest romantic comedy novel, ‘A Girl Like Me’ is available now from Amazon. mybook.to/AGirlLikeMe 

Find out more about me – author.to/romanticcomedies

 

Lucy Keeling – Written the Just Friends series, with the final in the series, Just Friends for Now available from Amazon. https://bit.ly/3YEqich 

Find out more about me – I’m in all the usual places but most often found here:  https://instagram.com/lucy_k_author 

 

Lucy Mitchell – My debut romance novel, ‘I’ll Miss You This Christmas’ with Bloodhound books is out on 15 September 2023. https://geni.us/MissYouChristmas Find out more about me –  https://linktr.ee/LucyMitchAuth  

 

The books mentioned in this episode are:

 

Finding Family at the Cornish Cove by Kim NashHopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove by Kim NashSnowflakes over Muddleford Cove by Kim NashAmazing Grace by Kim Nash Escape to Giddywell Grange by Kim NashA Spring Affair, by Milly Johnson

Kim Nash is known as Kim the Bookworm on all social platforms.

You can email the podcast by using the following email: loveatfirstwritepodcast@gmail.com

Book Ideas Come Into Your Life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime. #MondayBlogs #AmWriting

Book ideas are strange things. Some turn into books, some disappear during the drafting stages and some act as a catalyst for something else in your life. I believe book ideas come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. The job for you, the writer or author, is to work out which one you are dealing with.

I can put all the book ideas I have had over the years into the following camps.

Book ideas that come into your life for a season.

This camp is full of the ideas I have had for books over the years which have not gone anywhere. Let me tell you this is a busy place. They all flew into my writer brain at high speed and left pretty much after I’d tried to get to know them. My writer relationship with them was frantic and passionate. However, they were simply creative flings.

Book ideas that come into your life for a lifetime.

This is a tough camp to get into. These are the ideas that became actual books. They are a hardy bunch who managed to stay with me through the months and years of painful drafting. There were times I wanted to delete them and run away but these ideas were persistent and never gave up.

Book Ideas that come into your life for a reason

Now, this is my favourite camp. This is where things get interesting. As this is a busy camp I have split it out into 3 sub groups.

The book idea that acts as the catalyst for a life change.

This is the book idea which comes into your life to spark some sort of life change. The act of writing the idea triggers something deep inside of you. These ideas are like inner keys to parts of you which have been locked up for years or have never been opened. In this camp we have book ideas which come into your life to help you become a writer and follow a new creative path. Book ideas which come into your life to signify a relationship or friendship wasn’t working. Book ideas which come into your life to show you that maybe your life is heading in the wrong direction. I have experienced a lot of these.

The book idea that teaches you something about writing.

Some ideas for books come to teach us something about our writing. A lot of the time these ideas don’t bring success. Failure is a great teacher. There are always lessons to be learned in failure and it’s because of these ideas. We now know who to blame. Ha ha! They were sent to teach us that our plot sagged, our characterisation could have been improved, there were no laugh out loud moments and our attempt sucked.

The book idea that morphs into a brilliant book idea

These ideas are the unsung heroes. They come into our writing lives, lead us down one path and then transform before our eyes. Suddenly you realise they are showing you something else. Something bigger and better.

If you are struggling with a book idea at the moment figure out the reason why it has come into your writing life.