Victoria Walters's Blog, page 35

How to write 10,000 words in a day

This week, I started writing a new book. The idea has been brewing for a little bit and I was keen to start getting it down on paper. It turned out I was really keen as I’ve managed to write 20,000 words in two days – 10,000 each day. When I revealed my word count online, I was flooded with demands to know how I managed it. Especially as I don’t drink coffee!

  

I am not a planner. I wish I was actually because I think it would means less moments of sitting staring at my screen in mild panic that I have no idea what should happen next on the story. But I also enjoy that feeling. I like finding out where my characters will end up next as they lead me there. I always have a vague idea of the story – and I like to write a blurb for it to get me started – and I know the ending but not how I’m going to get there. I like to be surprised by how it all comes together. And cross everything that it actually will all come together! 

So the way I was able to get so many words onto the page was because I stuck myself in the chair and stayed there all day. I was so excited by my story the words just flowed. Plus I do just write. I don’t edit. I can’t type as fast as my brain works so when I look back at a page of writing, it’s full of underlined spelling mistakes and Word saying ‘WTF is this supposed to mean?’ So yes my draft needs a lot of spell checking and it will need careful editing but I just wanted to get the framework of the story down, and that’s how I was able to hit that’s word count. Writing is rewriting as they say. 

I love the butterflies I get when it feels as if I’m onto something. I felt that way writing my debut novel The Second Love Of My Life and I had 10,000 words a day moments on that book too. I get lost in a story and become a little bit addicted – thinking about it all the time and wishing I could just pull it straight from my brain to my laptop. Hopefully it means readers might be as absorbed in it too one day!

And the reason why I stick to 10,000 and don’t try to do even more? My brain feels like mush at the end of the day and my muscles ache from being hunched over my laptop. But it’s worth it to be closer to The End, when the rewriting will begin and hopefully it will start to become a polished story, and maybe even one day a book on the shelf you guys can read. 

So, how many words do you write a day? Do you like to plan your story first? What’s been your best daily word count?

Victoria

xoxo 

One month on

 Wow how has it been a month since my novel was published?! It’s all been a whirlwind and I’ve neglected to share some of the fab things that have happened on here.

Appearing in my local newspapers …

  

  

 A review in a national newspaper! The Daily Mail …

   

Magazine reviews … 

 

I also wrote a short story for The Express newspaper and you can read it online here: 

http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/658934/Short-story-by-Victoria-Walters

And I had my first book signing at Waterstones in Windsor …

  

But the best thing to happen this month has been receiving messages from readers to say that they’ve enjoyed reading my book. It means so much to me! 

Thank you so much everyone who has read and reviewed the book. So happy to see this on Amazon ….

  

And now I’m hoping that I’ll get to do all this all over again :) 

  

Victoria

xoxo 

 

On being published

The question I keep being asked is “how does it feel now that your book is published?” So I am going to attempt to put the feeling into words. 

It’s exciting and wonderful. It’s a dream come true. It’s terrifying. It’s nerve wracking. It’s surreal. It’s like pulling out your heart and sticking it on a book shelf for all to see. 

My book has been out for over two weeks. I’ve seen it in the shops. I’ve read reviews. I’ve served customers in the bookshop I work in buying it. I’ve obsessed over my Amazon ranking. I’ve signed copies. I’ve smiled. I’ve cried. I feel as if it’s all been a blur. As if I’m in a dream world. It’s so strange to have people talking about something I’ve written. 

I also feel loss. I have lost all control. I have no power over my book now. I can make no more changes to it. I can’t make people like it. They either will or they won’t. I am the author but it’s as though the book has become its own being now. It stands separately from me after being part of me for so long. It’s on its own now. 

I have had messages from people saying they loved reading it. I have had people saying they are proud of me. I feel proud. I have achieved something. I tried for a long time to get published, and here I am. A published author. The journey was long and hard but now I can say that it was all worthwhile. 

I feel grateful. I am grateful. To anyone that has bought it. Who has read my words. Who has told me how it made them feel. Who has reviewed it. Who has let it into their hearts. And for those who might still discover it. I hope too. Hope that it does well, of course. Hope that readers will embrace it, and me. 

I think the best part of being published is that my book is in the world with my name on it and that can never be taken away from me. 

And that is an amazing feeling. 

  

To celebrate the book being out for two weeks, I left a copy on the train for someone to find!

 

 Victoria

xoxo 

Top Five Writing Tips

  

Time for a new video on my YouTube channel! 

Today I’m taking about my writing tips. I keep being asked for them so I thought it would be fun to film me talking through my top five tips. 

1 – Write your way

2 – Read

3 – Keep going

4 – Get feedback

5 – Edit like a BOSS

Hope you enjoy the video (and my Star Wars t-shirt) and why not share your tips in the comments below?

Victoria

xoxo 

TSLOML book hunt

This weekend I hit London with my lovely booktuber friend George Lester. We searched for my book The Second Love Of My Life in all the bookshops and I signed all the copies I could find!

Waterstones Traflagar Square: 

  

It was so surreal and wonderful to see my book in Waterstones as a bookseller myself – which you can probably tell from my cheesy grin in the photos!

Here I am in WH Smith’s fresh talent at Victoria station:

 

And I was in the chart too!

    

I also left signed copies at Waterstones in Piccadily:

   

 So the last stop was at Waterstones in Covent Garden. Book hunting is an exhausting business, I was so tired after the hunt!

     

And you can follow the whole day with us as George filmed it all!

Hope you enjoy[image error]

Don’t forget to enter the competition to win one of four signed copies by taking a photo of the book in a shop and posting with the hashtag #TSLOMLbookhunt on Twitter or Instagram!!

Yesterday I found it in my local Tesco number five in the chart woo hoo!

  

Victoria

xoxo

 

The Second Love Of My Life Launch Party

  

It was wonderful to launch the publication of my debut novel The Second Love Of My Life at the Waterstones store I work in. 

The evening was a chance to thank all my family and friends for their support during my journey to get published and toast the book on its way out into the world.

  

  

I signed copies of the book for everyone and it was so surreal to see people buying something I had written. It was a real dream come true moment. 

   

 And here I am with the team who worked on the book at Headline, my  publishers:

  

The lovely George Lester filmed the speech by my editor Emily and mine, which turned me into an emotional wreck! Here it is:

It was a lovely evening and I was so grateful that so many came to celebrate the book with me. 

  

Victoria

xoxo 

The Second Love Of My Life release day!!!!

It’s the 7th April which means The Second Love Of My Life is officially released! In the UK and Australia anyway. Sorry to the rest of the world – maybe one day for you guys too if publishers want it. But for the rest of us we’re like:

I first sent a manuscript to an agent back in 2010and here we are six years later. I have been so grateful to the support you all on here have given me, it hasn’t felt like a lonely journey to publication at all!

I think we all know how hard it is for debut novels out there but it really is a dream come true for me to have a book published so whatever happens with my little book, I am going to be like this today:

This morning will be mostly checking the internet for mentions of the book and then this evening I will be having the launch party for the book at the Waterstones I work in! There will definitely be a post about the night soon. Don’t forget to look out for the book and snap a photo if you see it in the shops to be in with a chance of winning one of four signed copies – use #TSLOMLbookhunt to enter.

So, all there is left to say is a massive thank you to everyone who has bought the book – I really hope you enjoy it and you love reading it as much as I loved writing it!!

I feel a bit like this right now so I better stop talking:

Do let me know if you’ve read the book – reviews are super helpful to spread the word about the book! Right, I better have a cup of tea and calm down[image error]

Victoria

xoxo

 

The Second Love Of My Life playlist

Guys – the novel is out tomorrow!!! I can’t believe it. It has been such a long journey and now we’re finally here.

To celebrate I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share the playlist for the book with you all and then you can listen as you read along if you like.

The book mentions some artists and bands so they are included on the playlist along with other songs that I listened to as I wrote the story.

The songs follow the timeline of the book but hopefully the playlist will be enjoyable to listen to its own right as well!

I would love to hear what you think!

Victoria

xoxo

Release week competition!

I can’t believe The Second Love Of My Life is officially released this week in the UK!! To celebrate I’m kicking off a competition and I’d love you guys to enter too.

  

Share your photos on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TSLOMLbookhunt!!

The book is already being spotted although official pub date is Thursday. My editor saw it at Gatwick airport and snapped a photo: 

  

Looking forward to seeing your photos! Good luck

Journey to publication (part 7)

The Second Love Of My Life is released next week! I can’t believe how close we are to publication. I am excited and terrified and it feels surreal and a little it crazy that people can finally buy a book with my name on!

I have two exciting pieces of news to share. Firstly, I am thrilled that Amazon UK have chosen the book as their debut of the month for April yay!

WH Smith have picked the book to be part of their Fresh Talent promotion in their stores. Read more about it here:

Fresh Talent Spring 2016

I will be having a launch party on the official release day at the Waterstones where I work and I was so excited to see the window they create to promote it. My first bookshop window:

The book is starting to get reviews – cue nervous face!!! – in the press and I was delighted that Look magazine recommended it to their readers this week:

I am just hoping that people enjoy reading my book. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed my journey to publication so far. To mark one week to go I have made a new video talking through how I got my book deal and all the ups and downs of getting published. Hope you enjoy!!

I really appreciate all the support I’ve had from you guys!

Lots of love,

Victoria

xoxo