Samantha Tonge's Blog, page 12

Laugh in the Face of Writer’s Block!

Breakfast at Poldark’s is my sixth novel, out in July 2016, and by now I’ve had some experience of writer’s block – especially as I am lucky enough to work full-time as an author. I write from 8am to 5 or 6pm most days and so it is inevitable that, at some point, my creativity temporarily runs dry. At its worst, for me, writer’s block results in time spent prevaricating on social media, fooling myself that this counts as authorly work – like when I’m doing those addictive Facebook quizzes like “what is the theme song to your life” or “which of the Kardashians do you ressemble?”. However, I have found some solutions over the years that work for me and might for you. Here are my top five.

Firstly…plan each chapter in minute detail. This is working for my current project. I go to Costa Coffee in the morning with an old-fashioned notebook and pen and scribble down notes on the next chapter I am due to write. Not the dialogue or actual prose, but the gist of how it is going to flow, every single twist and turn. This then makes it SO much easier when I come to write the actual chapter on screen, in the afternoon. I find it sets the story in my mind so that I usually don’t need to use the notes I’ve made. It’s like going on a journey with SatNav, instead of a paper map that you have to keep stopping to consult. So take that time to plan, whether it is in your lunch hour at the office or whilst your toddler takes a nap.

Secondly, stubbornly force yourself to write through the block, even if the result is absolute rubbish. At least you are getting something down that can be rewritten (and thank goodness for rewrites!) Or jump ahead and write an exciting scene from your story – perhaps a romantic encounter or heated argument. In Breakfast at Poldark’s I could have jumped ahead to one of the grass-cutting scenes…

Them’s the Rules!

There are many so-called rules to do with writing which I diligently stuck to as an aspiring writer. However, when I started mixing on-line with experienced authors, their view was to learn the rules, yes – but not so that you necessarily stick to them, but so you can break them with confidence. And now, years later, I couldn’t agree more.

 

Here are a few of the more common rules writers talk about, and my view on them – other authors, of course, might disagree! This is simply my opinion of what I find works.

Show not Tell.

Yes. Very important. This involves the reader more in the story and makes them figure things our for themselves, which results in a far more satisfying experience. Don’t tell the reader Sarah is depressed. Show this by having her refuse to eat a slice of  her favourite cake or sit staring at a newspaper but not turn the page for half-an-hour. Don’t tell your reader how John is angry. Show this by him walking into the room fists curled, cheeks flushed and eyes flashing.

However… sometimes showing just doesn’t make sense. One emotion I always struggle to describe is “sheepish.” A character has done something wrong and is found out – they may not give eye contact or they may fiddle with their watch or clear their throat and start rambling or… I mean it really can, sometimes, be quite exhausting getting your character to do a whole manner of actions when you could just say: Megan looked sheepish.

So  use my common sense. My general rule is show where you can, as long as it doesn’t hinder the rhyme and flow of the sentence and story.

 

Write from the heart.

Hmm. Writers are told this again and again. And for the most part I agree. However I am first and foremost a commercial writer. I hope for an audience; aim to make a living from my writing. It is my career. So I keep an eye on the market as well and try to connect with the Zeitgeist when I choose a theme or title.

Only once have I not done this. Years ago with a novel that is firmly under my bed. It is chicklit set in Ancient Egypt. Many people I mention this book to say they would LOVE to read it – it even stars a young Tutankhamun! But it doesn’t fit the market. Didn’t back then. Still doesn’t now. An agent or publisher doesn’t know where to place it. So that was one year’s wasted work – not in terms of learning about writing, but in terms of pushing my career forwards and trying to get an agent and publishing deal.

Don’t over-use exclamation marks.

I do love a good exclamation mark! (Ha, see what I did there ) But again, they can produce lazy writing. And I recall one agent who said she doesn’t read a submission if there is an exclamation mark on the first page. An exclamation mark can show anger, surprise or humour…. any strong emotion, when often the words should be doing that. For example:

“I can’t believe you just did that!” said Paul

as opposed to

“I can’t believe you just did that.’ Paul’s jaw dropped.

So, once again, I try to be selective. If the sentence is really important or super emotional, an exclamation mark might just be what is needed. And I do think it depends on genre. I use them reasonably liberally in my romantic comedies – but I do carefully consider each one.

Avoid too much backstory in the opening chapters.

Oh yes. Please! I cannot bear this and my eye drops to the bottom of the page immediately if I start a new book and the opening is full of the main character’s history. The irony is, this is one of my own biggest faults when writing a first draft, and I always end up having to restructure my first chapters. Don’t do it! When you meet someone new in real life and start to get to know them, you don’t begin by sitting them down and pouring our your whole life story, do you?  So I take my time and try to thread the information in subtly so that the reader gets to know your character more slowly – this will make them emotionally connect with the character in a more natural way and getting a reader to care about your protagonist, or their story, is the key to getting them to read on.

So there you have it. My view on just a few of the more well-known rules. And yes them’s the rules – but we aren’t in school now. My advice would be to learn them inside out and then trust your instincts and confidence to know when to break them.

 

 

All in the forearms…

Recently, the voice of my writing has shifted. To put it plainly, become a little… sexier. So – for research purposes only, of course! – I ran a thread on my Facebook page, asking female friends to say what they found most attractive about men, physically.

I was amazed to discover an overwhelming majority thought that…

One friend posted a photo of a gym-bunny, telling me to look at the arms. Um. No. My gaze first of all landed on the chest and shoulders! Never once, whilst admiring men in my real life or the celebrity world, have I ever thought ooh nice forearms. So I asked for an explanation – apparently it is to do with strength and hugs. Smooth skin. Just a smattering of hair. Sleeves rolled up. Hmm. Okay. Fair enough.

Other popular features? Eyes and a nice smile. And to my surprise shoulder-length hair and tattoos came up several times, both of those adding an element of danger. People liked large nose and thinking about it, well yes, a small nose does  nothing for me when it comes to the opposite sex. The biggest surprise was that NOT ONE SINGLE WOMAN, young or older  – and the post received many comments – mentioned a six-pack or V muscle.  I hope that’s a relief to some less energetic men reading this!

Hands also featured prominently – large and long-fingered. Personally, for me, no, I find the idea of that a little bit scary! Man buns and stubble got a small shout-out… so I guess the refreshing conclusion is that – apart from the common forearm factor – we are all turned on by different things, not the media-driven, stereotyped image of male perfection.

My female friends also deemed smell and a deep voice important. Apparently even sweat is appealing! And a good sense of humour came up time and time again. Indeed my personal top feature is intelligent, crinkly eyes that always seem to laugh at me.

So guys, if you are feeling the pressure to look a certain way, chill out. Us women love you all for an array of individual reasons. It’s the whole package that counts and not a lot to do with how many muscles show through your abdomen.

 

Give up or give in?

Over the years, I have sometimes wondered whether it would be kinder to tell aspiring authors to give up. It took me eight years to get my publishing deal with the amazing CarinaUK – six to get my first agent. During that time there were many tears and I’m not a cry baby. Somehow the rejection of writing that comes straight from our core hurts so much. I wrote novel after novel, giving in to the passion for my craft, but time and time again I felt like giving up.

Not one single published friend of mine ever advised that though. And I’m thankful now. Without their support and the encouragement of my family I might never now been enjoying the career of my dreams. It is so true what people say. You could be on the cusp of finding success, just when things get really tough.

 

 

I have four books under my bed that – quite rightly – will never see the light of day. However Mistletoe Mansion was written before my debut Doubting Abbey. My agent and I just couldn’t find a home for it – but it eventually found a publisher who believed in the story and was a Christmas bestseller. So each individual rejection is just that and doesn’t represent the view of everyone else.

It is hard, sending work out, receiving it back unenjoyed. My very first submission, years ago, was to the Darley Anderson Agency. It flew straight back, just before that Christmas, with a standard rejection letter. I can smile now at my dejection. Naively I thought the hard bit was writing the novel. How wrong I was. Trying to bag an agent or publisher is when the real graft starts. And last year I signed with one of their agents.

I can also smile at the times I would flounce off social media, announcing that I needed a break, telling myself that writing was not for me. But the passion gets a grip. It’s like a switch. Once it’s been turned on and you experience the joy of crafting a sentence, paragraph or chapter that you are pleased with, the light just can’t be switched off again.

So, in the end I gave in to my calling. And now I am so glad I did. The years of tears were worth it, despite the new set of challenges that publishing offers such as bad reviews and deadlines!

So I would say, listen to your heart. It will tell you if you really can abandon your dream. And if the answer is no, you are signing up to a writing life for better or for worse, just remember the wise words of the great Samuel Beckett:

“Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

 

Foodie Questions with Cathy Bramley!

I have just finished reading the first installment of Cathy Bramley’s latest book, The Plumberry School of Comfort Food. Wow. What a deliciously comforting story. As anyone who has read my books will know, I love writing about food – scones, cupcakes, donuts, you name it! I mean, what goes better with romance than a satisfying sugar rush?

 

So, I thought it would be fun to ask Cathy Bramley some quick foodie questions about her scrumptious book and its tasty heroes.

Hello Cathy! So, first things first… what is your favourite comfort food?

Scones with blackcurrant jam and clotted cream.

Great answer! Or perhaps… plumberry jam? How did you think of the name Plumberry, I love it!

I wanted something which had a foodie ring to it but without actually being food. I thought I’d invented it but it appears in the Urban Dictionary and means awesome!

Appropriate as this books is pretty awesome! What is your fail-safe comfort food recipe?

My own cottage pie which includes red lentils and cinnamon for extra flavour.

Sounds yummy! So, your new book has two tasty leading men – would you prefer to go out to dinner with gorgeous young dad Gabe or dashing Irish chef Tom?

I agonised over this one! But I think I’d like to go with Gabe. He deserves a night out and diner with Tom might be stressful if he’s pedantic about food!

Finally, your main character, Verity, loves a fish finger sandwich – what is your go-to fast food?

If I’m making it myself I spread pesto, a little bit of grated cheese and a handful of spinach on a wrap, fold it in 4 and toast it in the panini grill – gorgeous!

Gosh, my mouth is watering now. I’d better go get some comfort food for myself! Thanks for popping in, Cathy.

 

So, if you fancy a comforting read, for fans of food and romance, go treat yourself to The Plumberry School of Comfort Food!

Here is the blurb:

Verity Bloom hasn’t been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend is about to land her right back in the heart of the kitchen! The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and has rather gone off the boil. It needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up . . .

But as Verity tries to balance stirring up publicity, keeping their top chef sweet and soothing her aching heart, will her move to Plumberry prove to be a sheer delight . . . or a recipe for disaster?

 

 

 

 

Writing to live or living to write?

I have just come back from a two-week break, away from my writing life, after promoting my short story How to Get Hitched in Ten Days. Why? Because since I got published two and a half years ago, work has steadily taken over my life. The children are older teenagers so often busy doing their own thing at weekends… It hasn’t been unusual, for months, for me to work seven days a week.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE  my job, which is one of the reasons I’ve been writing, editing and promoting 24/7. But over the last few months I’ve felt increasingly drained. Stale. Tired. So I decided to take a couple of weeks off – very unusual for me.

What did I do? Ooh, let’s see… I bought a new coat.

 

 

 

 

I  baked – here are some cereal bars (dipped in chocolate of course!)

 

I read.

I detoxed and replaced my usual tipple with my  new obsession: Costa coffee hot chocolates.

 

I caught up with friends.

I kept on top of the ironing and cleaning for once.

I can’t believe it has only been 2 weeks as I feel like a completely new woman, up early, out on my bike, skin clearer, head not fuzzy and – most importantly – not worrying about so many small things that stressed me up when I was working all hours. Rejuvenated. Motivated. Fresh. Batteries charged, I am determined not to overdo it again.

And I don’t believe this resolution will affect my writing output as I feel a renewed but newly focussed energy to push on with my  next project. I’ve already started my new plan to fill my weekends with activities not linked to the writing world – apart from an author/blogger meet in a couple of weeks, but that doesn’t count as work! I’m talking the cinema. Shopping. Going for walks. All those things that have become rare events instead of much-needed breaks. That’s the trouble with working for yourself, whatever you do. It’s difficult not to get sucked into slaving all hours as you know that every extra minute spent at the computer might contribute to any success or, at least the next pay cheque.

So if you are a writer – or, in fact, anyone who is self-employed – take a moment to step back. Living to write had taken its toll. Now I think I’ll be a better author for writing to live.

Breakfast at Poldark’s!

I am thrilled to announce news of my summer 2016 novel. It is called Breakfast at Poldark’s and is for every woman searching for their very own Aidan Turner!

No, really it is! Kate Golightly heads off to Cornwall in search of her very own Aidan because… well why not read the blurb below! I can’t wait for you to meet the story’s two very hot heroes and lovely singer Kate!

DREAMING OF THE PERFECT MAN?

Kate Golightly needs to move forward and what better way to do that then with a trip to the Cornish coast with best friend and boss, Izzy.

The sea wind is just what Kate needs to finally relax and begin to let go of her past. Except she’s suddenly got one big reason to panic! She RSVP’d ‘yes’ to the Queen Bee of her high school’s wedding saying she’s bringing her boyfriend (she doesn’t have one) who looks just like Ross Poldark!

With only two weeks to find the Poldark look-alike of her dreams Kate is under a lot of pressure for the Cornish coast to deliver…

A hilarious and moving romantic novel from bestselling author, Samantha Tonge. A must-read this summer!

Five Best Things about Being a Romance Author

I love my job – and not only because it means I can spend the whole day, in my pyjamas, eating chocolate, instead of heading out early to commute to an office (although the latter has its benefits, namely the avoidance of writers’ bottom!)

During my life I have had a taste of many different occupations – translator, cleaner, tutor, shop assistant… I’ve worked in a German publishing house and spent a few months employed by Disneyland Paris. It took my until my late 30s to discover the career I really wanted to settle in – namely, being an author.

And now I have achieved that goal, what are the five best things about it?

Firstly, spending all day with impossibly romantic heroes. Take my latest book released last week, an e-novella How to Get Hitched in Ten Days. It stars two gorgeous men. Dave makes a disastrous proposal to his girlfriend, Jasmine, and Mikey tries to help him turn this around. Both men have different but equally appealing qualities. Dave is rugged, clumsy but does his best. Mikey is every girl’s best friend with his popcorn and DVD sleepovers. As one recent reviewer said:

“I fell for Dave big time, then Mikey, then Dave, then Mikey…”

And for several weeks, I got to spend my nine to five in their company!

 

Secondly… The romance community is one of the friendliest I know. I belong to the RNA, the Romantic Novelists Association, and they hold several Prosecco- and laughter-filled events during the year which always give me a huge buzz – and the opportunity to meet dear online romance friends in the flesh.

Thirdly… Being a romance author gives you the opportunity to connect with some of the most generous and friendly readers on the planet, many of whom share your love of a bit of escapism mixed up with a huge dollop of a happy ever after. Their support, feedback and kind words mean everything.

Fourthly, pink and red. Fluff. Fun. Girliness. Call it a midlife crisis if  you like but having been a tomboy all my life, since becoming a romance author, I have developed an interest in clothes, spa weekends and beauty treatments. I am loving every minute of this newfound chicklit lifestyle!

Finally, of course the romance genre is very diverse, from the frothy to deeper reads. It has given me enormous satisfaction to see my writing develop and whilst my writing is still light-hearted, I am now addressing more serious issues. In my #GetHitched book I consider the prejudice that people have shown against Mikey all his life and examine the effect it has had on Jasmine to have grown up with an alcoholic father. The diversity of the genre means that I can easily explore my own writing and take it into new directions, if that is the way it pulls me. So whilst “romance author” is a label, it is a very broad one.

 

 

Carina Authors’ Cracking Valentine Stories!

 

This week sees the release of my new short story, How to Get Hitched in Ten Days. It features a disastrous Valentine’s proposal, and it got me thinking… I wonder what fellow Carina authors have got to reveal – good or bad – about their past Valentine’s Days?!

 

Anabelle Bryant

Worst Valentine’s Day story: Many years ago I shopped in a store not realizing my then boyfriend was also shopping for Valentine gifts. From afar I saw him purchase a few things, candy, card, stuffed animal…but never received them when Valentine’s Day arrived. Needless to say he turned into an X shortly after.

Oh no, poor you Anabelle! You did the right thing!

 

Kathleen Mcgurl

Year 2000, first Valentine’s of the new millennium. I thought I knew what we were doing – had arranged for us to go to Cheshire the weekend before to visit some friends, then on V-Day itself (a Monday) I had a restaurant and babysitter booked. Not to mention several meetings at work. But behind my back, my husband had cancelled everything I’d booked, sorted me some time off work, and booked a long weekend in Athens. I knew nothing about it until about 3 hours before the flight when he asked me to go and pack – and I still didn’t know where we were going until we checked in at the airport! 

Oh wow, that is amazing!

When I first met the man who became my husband, before we even were going out together, I sent him an anonymous Valentine’s card which I sent first to my Granny in Newcastle and asked her to post it for me, so the postmark would be Newcastle. It was about 10 years later, when we were long since married, that I fessed up to that card being from me. It had puzzled him for years.

Ha ha! Good old Granny!

A year after moving into our current house, Valentine’s Day came round. We went out for dinner with our electrician and our builder and their wives. That said something about what our first year in the house had been like!

Oh dear!

 

Aurelia B Rowl

I got engaged on a Valentine’s Day and then married on the following Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s also plays a huge part in my YA novel Popping the Cherry 

Aw, that is romantic!

 

Kierney Scott

I had an emergency appendectomy on Valentines Day when I was 19. I got more flowers and chocolate that year than any other before or since.

Oh no! The gifts were some small recompense, I guess!

 

Raven McAllan

I got a very pretty card with roses on it. Oh, I said, I had one like that in my card box. Hubby grinned… Yeah he’d forgotten and our daughter had to remind him…

Oops!!

 

Jill Steeples

I opened a valentine’s card from a boyfriend to find that he’d recycled a card sent to him from a previous girlfriend, by sticking a blank piece of paper over her written message. His reason – he liked the picture and the sentiment of the card so much he thought I would too! Needless to say, he didn’t last much longer after that. Eejit!

Oh no Jill – what a loser!

 

A L Michael

I went to an all girls school so when we were teens we used to get together and have anti – Valentine’s Day – we watched girly movies (and judged the heck out of them) listened to angry girl rock and ate a lot of pizza. Years later we added the cocktails

Links well to my book, My So-called (Love) Life where they basically do that as grown ups. 

I love that!

 

Kerry Barrett

When I’d just graduated and I was working in an admin job, I arranged to meet my then boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. I waited for him outside Chancery Lane tube for about an hour – possibly more. It was before everyone had mobiles and there was no texting or anything. I remember watching everyone going into and out of the station in couples, clutching bunches of flowers and chocolates. When he eventually turned up, he gave me a sheet of A4 paper folded in half. On the front he’d drawn a heart (badly – like how hard is that?!) in marker pen, and inside he’d scrawled a question mark. Romantic, eh? He was NOT a keeper.

Good grief!

 

Well, I hope anyone reading this post feels a bit better if their Valentine’s date doesn’t go to plan this year – you aren’t alone!!

 

 

 

Top Tips for Writing a Novella

My new book, How to Get Hitched in Ten Days is out this Thursday, 11th February, and I can’t wait for readers to meet the main character, every girl’s best friend Mikey! This short story is around half the normal length of my other books and it was refreshing to write something with a smaller word count target. The story just flew onto the page.

 

So, other writers may disagree with me, but here are my top tips for writing a novella…

Firstly don’t add in a complicated subplot or more than one subplot. In my full-length novels there is a lot more than the main story going on. Game of Scones, for example is about career-girl Pippa trying to decide what she really wanted to do with her life – stay with boyfriend Henrik? Continue to be an executive in London or become a baker in Greece? Alongside this is another meaty plot regarding a small Greek village struggling to cope with the recession. And then there is her childhood friend Nico who is harbouring some secret.

However, in How to Get Hitched in Ten Days, there is really one meaty story – Dave makes a disastrous Valentine’s Day proposal to Jasmine, and her best friend Mikey helps turn the situation around. Of course, there is more to it than that. We do spend the book trying to work out who is the object of Mikey’s secret unrequited love –  you still don’t want the story to be completely linear – but don’t surround the main plot by lots of smaller stories. You just won’t be able to give them the necessary depth with this amount of words.

 

 

Secondly, reduce your cast of characters because, again, you won’t have space to develop them fully and therefore they could become confusing to the reader. Game of Scones has quite a large cast of quite significant characters, from a Greek village. How to Get Hitched in Ten Days mainly focusses on Mikey, Jasmine and Dave.

Thirdly, you haven’t got the space to set the story up in the first three chapters. In my view the bones of it need to be there in the very first chapter. By the end of the first chapter in How to Get Hitched in Ten Days we know that Dave has messed up and kind-hearted Mikey has agreed to help. We have been introduced to the main characters. We know where the story is heading.

Fourthly, don’t over complicate the settings or have too many. You haven’t got the pace of a normal book to enable readers to keep up with everything that’s going on and clearly build up images in their mind. Still keep your settings interesting and vivid – my novella often features a delicious 50s diner – but just be aware that too many different settings could make the reading intense for this length.

Finally, have fun with it! I LOVED writing this short story. The plot felt really tight as I wrote it and it was very satisfying, for a change, to concentrate on a smaller cast.  And I do hope this fun transfers to the page!

So if you fancy a funny, sometimes poignant, and romantic Valentine’s Day read, why not preorder this short story for a bargain 89p on Kindle or Kobo!