Jacqueline Ward's Blog, page 2

$60k in 4 weeks – yes, really…

I’ve been building my course with Systeme.io and I’ve done founder and CEO Aurelian’s online course $60k in 4 weeks: easy email marketing
I asked him:
“What kind of business does this method work for?”
Here’s what Aurelian has sold using it:
● Online courses
● Coaching programs
● Subscription offers
● Software
● Seminars
● Books
A year ago, he used it to sell a website (It sold for five figures)
His friend made $60,000 using my method to sell Spanish ham and even machines that cut ham!
He shared it with some friends of his who used it to sell foie gras and caviar
(They made $15,000 and $18,000 in sales)
There might be things you can’t sell with this method…
…it’s just that I still have to figure out what they are
So yes, it works for pretty much anything! It sounded too good to be true, but I’ve seen the figures. Systeme.io is well worth getting into. I’ve done the course and it really is an insight into email marketing.

Here’s the course content:
● Part 1: How to earn $30k in 1 week with your email list
● Part 2: How to earn the next $30k in 3 weeks
● Part 3: How to keep on earning from there
● BONUS: How to use what you’ve learned to sell services to businesses and help them make more sales online
Plus, you’ll get access to 2 funnel templates and an email swipe file to launch your products as fast as possible!

You can still take advantage of the 93% discount off the regular price:
Here’s to your success – and mine because I’m having a go too!

Click here to get access to the entire method for $7 (and save 93%)

Dancing, Not Floating

During lockdown I wrote a short story. I hadn’t written a short story for a long time and somehow it felt important that it had something to say.

I’d recently listened to some of my friends talking about everyday sexism and comparing stories. They approached the subject with stoicism and nodded in agreement. Yet we all agreed that there was very little we could do about it individually.

I felt helpless. So I did what I can do and wrote about it. Sexism is often described as overt, yet I was interested in the more covert, creeping, taken-for-granted attitude. The ‘know your place’ look or expression that can take the shine of someone in seconds.

I’ve seen women shine and I’ve seen them pushed into tight containers that don’t let in the light. That’s what Dancing, Not Floating is about. I’ve felt that awful realisation that I am not what someone was expecting. That I am much more, and that just won’t do.

I am not Calista and Calista is not me, but I hope I have managed to put that feeling into words in her story.

Dancing, Not Floating will be published in the Fly on the Wall Press anthology The Ones Who Flew the Nest on 12th May 2023. You can pre-order it here.

HONEST Systeme.io Review of 2022 Out of the box – first look from course building and marketing newbie

Are you new to digital marketing and looking for a way to host courses – and faced with hundreds of options? Are you looking for something easy to use?

I was. I’ve been looking for a way to bring my work in identity to an online course to help people for more than two years.

My problem is that I am not an expert in ‘funnels’ or email marketing – I have a basic knowledge of Mailchimp – and I’ve never built a course before. I looked around at software like Teachable, Learnworlds and Thinkfic and these seemed a little complicated and expensive for someone who want to start with one course and build. And I would need some kind of email marketing add-on.

If you are in the same situation, and struggling with choosing a host and separate email marketer, let me tell you what I have found with Systeme.io.

I know how it feels to be completely lost and confused in the course software market. Read on to find out how I solved this. I don’t usually do reviews, but I loved this product and I can envisage a long relationship…

Systeme.io Review

In this Systeme.io review, we take a closer look at this free all-inclusive funnel builder with email campaigns, sales funnels, landing pages, and marketing automation in one platform – out of the box!

By the end of this review, you should be able to decide if Systeme.io would work for starting your online course and marketing it – all in one place.

Who is Systeme.io best for?

Systeme.io is great for both beginners and seasoned business owners. In fact, Systeme.io is perhaps the easiest tool to use compared to the competition for an overall marketing platform.

I looked at so many programmes that were so much more expensive.

Systeme.io offers everything you need to start your online course and to market it to the people who need it.

Systeme.io summary

When you consider all of the benefits that you get in combination with the low price of Systeme.io, this all-in-one marketing platform becomes almost essential.

It’s not perfect, but since the starter plan is entirely free there is no risk in just trying it out.

After having a look around for this Systeme.io review, I bought the annual plan for $246 since it’s such a good deal.

Compare that to Kajabi which costs $149, per month! Learnworlds costs around $800 per year for the features I need and has no email marketing!

Systeme.io pricing

Let’s do a deeper dive into the pricing in our systeme.io review.

The free plan is great but limits certain things, like how many sales funnels you can create, email campaigns, custom domains you can connect, and membership sites you can create.

But you can create a course and market it for free – everything is unlocked from the start which is great!

With the free trial, it’s possible to manage one entire online business which is amazing.

Because all you really need is email automation, landing pages, a sales funnel, perhaps membership sites, and the possibility to take payments.

You’ll outgrow the free plan though, and the next step is the startup plan for $27/month which is a brilliant deal.

Need webinars in your business? Then the $47/month plan is what you need. This is still way cheaper than the alternatives, in fact, it’s half the price.

Systeme.io FeaturesSales funnels

Systeme.io has a funnel builder that’s great to use, and it takes a lot of inspiration from Clickfunnels, which is arguable the best funnel builder on the market.

Compared to Kartra, another all-in-one marketing software, the page builder at Systeme.io is fast, making it easy to create anything.

Creating full-on sales funnels with multiple pages and steps is also super easy with a great overview of the whole process.

There are lots of pre-made templates to use, so even if you’re a beginner you’ll find something that fits your needs. I did!

The page builder is drag and drop, click and see what you get, zero coding is required.

Email marketing

Systeme.io would not be complete without an email marketing feature, and they do a good job of this as well.

You can create days worth of email sequences and automation. Combined with the page builder and the built-in opt-in forms, you have everything to collect visitors’ email addresses.

The email deliverability is also top-notch and you won’t have an issue with emails going to the spam folder.

Systeme.io also has a full-on contact management system where you see who opted in, what funnel they used, if they bought anything, etc.

Marketing automation

Automating your entire onboarding process is also great, and you can have a ton of advanced rules and features to choose from, things as “if->when” etc. which I have yet to get to grips with, but I am excited!

You can add custom tags to leads, build lists depending on what actions they take, and subscribe them to a membership area.

Membership sites

Want to slap on a complete membership portal as well? Well, that’s easy as well and in fact, you get one membership site even on the free plan of systeme.io!

This is the part I love. It is not intimidating and it has everything you need without being over-complicated.

You can set up courses in text and with videos, and the videos are hosted on Systeme.io as well, or just link to unlisted YouTube videos for ease of use.

Affiliate program

Want to run your own affiliate program for your courses and digital products? That’s also a feature inside Systeme.io that you have had from day one.

Set up your affiliate program structure, how much commissions they get for each sale, and manage affiliate links all inside Systeme.io.

Evergreen webinars

If you’re a heavy user of webinars then you’ll have to upgrade to the webinar plan for $47 /month in total.

It’s a great feature to have and ties in nicely with the sales pages, opt-ins, email marketing, and eventually the sales pages.

This is the plan I am upgrading to.

Systeme.io Pros.All of the essential marketing tools are in one place.Worth the investment compared to the competition.Great customer service and support.An active community ready to help out.Constantly improving the platform.No major technical issues, everything just works.Streamlined and minimal design.Built-in analytics and affiliate program.Systeme.io Cons.Not as polished and “high-end” as Kajabi.Has no mobile app for the membership site – yet – but the team are rolling out upgrades all the timeSysteme.io Alternatives

No honest systeme.io review would be complete without comparing alternatives. Believe me, I have been scrolling all sorts of combinations for a long time so I know the capabilities and costs.

If you’re still unsure whether or not systeme.io is right for you, below are some of the top contenders:

Kajabi

The big brother of Systeme.io, both in quality, features, popularity, and price ($149 /month). Kajabi has been around for years, refined its platform, and even has a mobile app for members wanting to consume courses on the fly.

Kartra

Another all-in-one marketing platform that is somewhere between Systeme.io and Kajabi for $99 /month. Kartra has insane amounts of automation and rules, and it’s for the most advanced marketers out there.

Clickfunnels

Hugely popular sales funnel builder, Clickfunnels is the hyped marketing automation on everyone’s list. But they lack certain features, like email marketing, which you’ll have to pay extra for each month.

Builderall

Builderall is slightly pricier than Systeme.io, but the tools inside are a mess. Each tool is almost like a standalone application, which defeats the purpose of using one platform to streamline your workflow.

Groovefunnels

Not brilliant there are better alternatives.

Now for the great bit… customer service

If you are a beginner like me, you will need some help – even with the simplest course software.

I found Systeme.io from someone who loved it very much and left a brilliant review. Because I was confused about course software and this seemed too good to be true, I email customer services with some questions.

They replied with a comprehensive answer within 3 hours EVEN THOUGH I DON’T HAVE AN ACCOUNT!

I signed up for the free programme and took it for a test drive. I received a welcome email with a Facebook like – when I joined I saw the absolute enthusiasm for Systeme.io and the quickly answered queries.

Their customer support is really great. They also have a full knowledge base and videos to watch if you are unsure.

Conclusion

It does everything without the expensive whistles and bells!

I am looking forward to getting going with this and creating my course – after two years of indecision I am finally starting to realise my dream thanks to Systeme.io! Do yourself a favour and sign up here:

I am looking forward to getting going with this and creating my course – after two years of indecision I am finally starting to realise my dream thanks to Systeme.io! Do yourself a favour and sign up here:

SmartYellow featured on Shepherd.com

Several years ago I wrote a speculative fiction book SmartYellow as J A Christy. It’s featured today on Shepherd.com along with my thoughts on the best books about women in dystopian worlds.

Elsewhen Press published this book, and I am eternally grateful to them.

Several years ago I wrote a speculative fiction book SmartYellow as J A Christy. It's featured today on @Shepherd_books along with my thoughts on the best books about women in dystopian worlds. @elsewhenpress https://t.co/6IZGkSUjaF#dystopian #speculative #writingcommunity

— Dr Jacqueline Ward (@JacquiAnnC) July 4, 2022

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My 3 book deal with Bloodhound Books

More book news! During lockdown I wrote a psychological thriller with a difference. I am thrilled that Bloodhound Books have offered me a three-book deal for The Replacement and two other books. I feel very fortunate that all the stories I wrote during lockdown are now slated for publication starting 2023.

Thank you to everyone who supported me – my long-suffering family who listen endlessly to my book talk and especially to my partner Eric for his unwavering support. Big love to my agent Judith Murray for her belief in me and her endless wisdom. Big, big thanks to Bloodhound Books for ‘getting it’ and being so excited for my novel.

Many people have asked me if I will be writing more books like Perfect Ten and How to Play Dead and the answer is a resounding yes! At least three more… if you liked Perfect Ten you will love The Replacement!

The post My 3 book deal with Bloodhound Books appeared first on Jacqueline Ward.

Ten Months to Publication — Is Writing Enough in a Flooded Market?

Getting your novel published — plan, write, market

This is the first in a series of articles I am writing in the run up to publication of my next novel, Teenage Kicks, in March 2023. Over the next ten months I’ll share everything that led to publication of the novel — where I go my ideas from, how I got a publisher, and how I market my novels. I hope you enjoy this series — you can find it by searching ‘Teenage Kicks’ in tags.

Marketing yourself and your book is a controversial subject in the writing world. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard authors tell me their job is writing and the publisher’s job is marketing and publicity, only to find that the publisher does very little. By the time your novel is published and launched it’s too late to build up the excitement and — yes — the algorithm.

I would argue that marketing, that is, writing copy about your novel and posting graphics, is now part of the writing process.

My experience in publishing

I’m a hybrid writer. I’ve been traditionally published, published by a digital first imprint, and self-published. While it is true that traditionally publishing takes the heavy business lifting out of publishing, the royalty rate reflects this. Self-published authors enjoy much higher royalties.

But let’s talk about marketing. As a debut lead title or an established writer with a traditional publishing house you will receive a high level of publicity and marketing — they want your book to do well as they will have invested with an advance payment. Most traditional publishers publicise each author, but increasingly expect authors to do their share too.

Likewise, digital first publishers will expect authors to publicise their work and build a profile for themselves. In both these cases the publisher will likely provide content for sharing and social media assets, and sometimes will garner press reviews. But it is not a given.

Self-publishing gives the author the freedom to plan your own campaign and promote yourself in diverse and disruptive ways.

But do authors want to promote themselves? Or do they just want to write? Here’s my experience of producing bestselling novels.

How I began in publishing

After writing for fifteen years I got an agent. I was overwhelmed with gratitude when she submitted my book to the Big 5 UK publishers. But it didn’t sell. I was initially devastated, believing this was the end for my story, decided to enter my book into Kindle Scout — a now defunct Amazon boot camp for authors resulting in digital first publication with Amazon Imprint Kindle Press.

I embarked on a month of full-on self training in marketing and publicity. To win Kindle Scout I had to learn how to direct readers to my books landing page — and get them to click. The winning criteria was a cracking story and the most clicks. My crime novel, Random Acts of Unkindness won and went on to become a best-seller in the US and UK.

Since then I have self published the prequel after Kindle Press published the Sequel. Both were successful. But the market was flooding with authors who were marketing savvy. I needed to change up my skills and go the extra mile.

I get another agent and this time was successful with a traditional deal. My books Perfect Ten and How to Play Dead were published with Corvus Atlantic Books and nationally reviewed. Yet I still needed to do a lot of publicity.

With my digital first and self publishing experience I knew I needed a plan. I needed a strategy. And now I need to do it again.

My next novel Teenage Kicks will be released on 23rd March 2023 and over the next ten months I will be publishing notes and practical information on how to build a marketing strategy as well as how I built my novel.

But first, and overview.

Plan it

The first step is to plan. When I say plan, I mean before you start to write really think about what your novel is going to be about. The likelihood is that you won’t full know until you have finished writing it. You also won’t know the publication route (unless you are in contract) until much later. But you can:

Plan the genreUnderstand the emotional engagementResearch your reader audienceVisualise a brand or aesthetic (cover, colour set etc)Identify a theme

These will help you plan the tone of your publicity and marketing and allow you to make an early start.

Write it

After the planning stage you will be busy writing. For a long time. Marketing and publicity might not cross your mind, and it shouldn’t.

While you are writing focus on the story. When you have finished writing and sent out your novel, you will begin to understand where its home will be. You might strike a huge traditional deal. Or you might decide to self-publish. Or go with a digital first and retained some rights. Your story will find the home that is right for it, and none are better than the other — planning and carrying out your marketing will guide your story to the readers.

Market it

Some people are born to market and others are not. If you are confident and excited by the thought of it, you will probably want to build an author profile alongside your book.

But if not, that’s fine. Your book is the product. The story is what people want. You don’t have to make podcasts or record videos to be successful or market your book. You need branding and know-how.

The basics are:

take a course in Amazon/Facebook adsmake Bookbub Profileget readers to subscribe to your newsletterlearn how to use Canva to make your own social media assets

Writers are generous people and you can find free tutorials on all the above on YouTube or elsewhere eon the internet. You have a head start because you have your plan. You know where your book sits amongst other publications.

Make some goals. Think big. It doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve them all, one goal achieved is better than if you had not marketed your book at all.

Finally, how will you measure success? I use SMART goals — you will see my very ambitious criteria when I share my completed strategy for Teenage Kicks later!

The real success is that someone read your story. That someone engaged with your characters and smiled or cried. Bestseller lists are all well and good, but think back to when you begin to write — you didn’t imagine your story and your world and your characters so that they would make money. No. You wanted to share that story. Make rankings and earnings a goal if you will, but prioritize story.

Noah’s Marketing Ark — surviving the flood

The book market is flooded. Like any commercial market, once everyone starts to paddle, you have to too. In publishing, this equates to marketing tools such Bookbub and paid, targeted advertising. The truth is, you need to build this into your marketing plan, but if you can’t afford to or simply don’t want to, think outside the box.

You need to get your book noticed. Writing isn’t enough.

The post Ten Months to Publication — Is Writing Enough in a Flooded Market? appeared first on Jacqueline Ward.

Ten months to publication — is writing enough in a flooded market?

 Getting your novel published — plan, write, market

Marketing yourself and your book is a controversial subject in the writing world. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard authors tell me their job is writing and the publisher’s job is marketing and publicity, only to find that the publisher does very little. By the time your novel is published and launched it’s too late to build up the excitement and — yes — the algorithm. 

I would argue that marketing, that is, writing copy about your novel and posting graphics, is now part of the writing process. 

My experience in publishing

I’m a hybrid writer. I’ve been traditionally published, published by a digital first imprint, and self-published. While it is true that traditionally publishing takes the heavy business lifting out of publishing, the royalty rate reflects this. Self-published authors enjoy much higher royalties. 

But let’s talk about marketing. As a debut lead title or an established writer with a traditional publishing house you will receive a high level of publicity and marketing — they want your book to do well as they will have invested with an advance payment. Most traditional publishers publicise each author, but increasingly expect authors to do their share too. 

Likewise, digital first publishers will expect authors to publicise their work and build a profile for themselves. In both these cases the publisher will likely provide content for sharing and social media assets, and sometimes will garner press reviews. But it is not a given.

Self-publishing gives the author the freedom to plan your own campaign and promote yourself in diverse and disruptive ways. 

But do authors want to promote themselves? Or do they just want to write? Here’s my experience of producing bestselling novels. 

How I began in publishing.

After writing for fifteen years I got an agent. I was overwhelmed with gratitude when she submitted my book to the Big 5 UK publishers. But it didn’t sell. I was initially devastated, believing this was the end for my story, decided to enter my book into Kindle Scout — a now defunct Amazon boot camp for authors resulting in digital first publication with Amazon Imprint Kindle Press.

I embarked on a month of full-on self training in marketing and publicity. To win Kindle Scout I had to learn how to direct readers to my books landing page — and get them to click. The winning criteria was a cracking story and the most clicks. My crime novel, Random Acts of Unkindness won and went on to become a best-seller in the US and UK. 

Since then I have self published the prequel after Kindle Press published the Sequel. Both were successful. But the market was flooding with authors who were marketing savvy. I needed to change up my skills and go the extra mile.

I get another agent and this time was successful with a traditional deal. My books Perfect Ten and How to Play Dead were published with Corvus Atlantic Books and nationally reviewed. Yet I still needed to do a lot of publicity. 

With my digital first and self publishing experience I knew I needed a plan. I needed a strategy. And now I need to do it again. 

My next novel Teenage Kicks will be released on 23rd March 2023 and over the next ten months I will be publishing notes and practical information on how to build a marketing strategy as well as how I built my novel. 

But first, and overview.

Plan it

The first step is to plan. When I say plan, I mean before you start to write really think about what your novel is going to be about. The likelihood is that you won’t full know until you have finished writing it. You also won’t know the publication route (unless you are in contract) until much later. But you can:

Plan the genreUnderstand the emotional engagementResearch your reader audienceVisualise a brand or aesthetic (cover, colour set etc)Identify a theme

These will help you plan the tone of your publicity and marketing and allow you to make an early start.

Write it

After the planning stage you will be busy writing. For a long time. Marketing and publicity might not cross your mind, and it shouldn’t. 

While you are writing focus on the story. When you have finished writing and sent out your novel, you will begin to understand where its home will be. You might strike a huge traditional deal. Or you might decide to self-publish. Or go with a digital first and retained some rights. Your story will find the home that is right for it, and none are better than the other — planning and carrying out your marketing will guide your story to the readers.

Market it

Some people are born to market and others are not. If you are confident and excited by the thought of it, you will probably want to build an author profile alongside your book. 

But if not, that’s fine. Your book is the product. The story is what people want. You don’t have to make podcasts or record videos to be successful or market your book. You need branding and know-how. 

The basics are:

take a course in Amazon/Facebook adsmake Bookbub Profileget readers to subscribe to your newsletterlearn how to use Canva to make your own social media assets

Writers are generous people and you can find free tutorials on all the above on YouTube or elsewhere eon the internet. You have a head start because you have your plan. You know where your book sits amongst other publications. 

Make some goals. Think big. It doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve them all, one goal achieved is better than if you had not marketed your book at all. 

Finally, how will you measure success? I use SMART goals — you will see my very ambitious criteria when I share my completed strategy for Teenage Kicks later! 

The real success is that someone read your story. That someone engaged with your characters and smiled or cried. Bestseller lists are all well and good, but think back to when you begin to write — you didn’t imagine your story and your world and your characters so that they would make money. No. You wanted to share that story. Make rankings and earnings a goal if you will, but prioritize story. 

Noah’s Marketing Ark — surviving the flood

The book market is flooded. Like any commercial market, once everyone starts to paddle, you have to too. In publishing, this equates to marketing tools such Bookbub and paid, targeted advertising. The truth is, you need to build this into your marketing plan, but if you can’t afford to or simply don’t want to, think outside the book.

You need to get your book noticed. Writing isn’t enough. 

J Ward Canva

Next post: Ten Months to Publication  of Teenage Kicks — marketing your novel and emotional engagement: seed words and what you need to make the reader feel.

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Silver Linings and Teenage Kicks…

I have some news. During lockdown I needed to move away from writing darker psychological thrillers and I wrote two more uplifting novels about friendship. I am so delighted to tell you that I have signed a two book deal with SpellBound Books Ltd.

The first book, Teenage Kicks, to publish in March 2023, spans the 1978 Manchester music scene to today as two friends, Kaye and Janet, search for Kaye’s lead-singer sister Stella but find much, much more.

This and the second book, also set in the music industry, are very close to my heart and my deep, deep love of music. I am so pleased to work with Spellbound Books on this project and, after speaking to Sumaira Wilson, I absolutely know that she and Nikki and the Spellbound Team with their amazing energy are the right people to publish these novels.

Thank you to my agent Judith Murray everyone who supported me while writing these novels – I can’t wait for you to meet Kaye and Janet

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Alan Garner’s Treacle Walker

I’ve loved Alan Garner since the Wierdstone of Brisingamen. I love the world he sets all his writing in but this piece is much more than that. The language he uses takes me back to the 1960s in Ashton-Under-Lyne and my grandad and adds another dimension to the subtext. It’s like a snapshot of my childhood framed and presented to me with all the magic and mystery it held. It really pushed the message of the book home and reminded me of how much of the world really goes on without us seeing it.

The objects that are presented to us in this story are familiar to me, but might not be familiar to others. Donkey stones and dobbers were a huge part of my early life. I can still picture the Rag ‘n’ Bone man on my grandad’s close with his horse and cart. And Grandad running after the horse for manure for his roses!

It made me wonder if, for younger readers, these words would be as unfamiliar as Garner’s ‘made up’ words that feature in the story – and in turn, where the age boundary is.

This story is all about time. It’s about what we can control, what we choose, wither knowingly or unknowingly, what we see and don’t see, and how unstoppable our fate is. It seemed that Garner took us beyond the magic veil and asked us to think about our own lives and what is real.

I need to read it again, but I felt a deep sense of returning to Garner’s storytelling and how he manages to show us another perspective.

I genuinely loved this and it will join Garner’s previous works on my bookshelf.

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Writing in a pandemic: keeping focused and staying safe

What was your daily writing practice like before March 2020? Before the pandemic struck? I have a day job that involved a lot of traveling and I would snatch chunks of writing time on trains and waiting at airports. Great for people watching and world building.

I also used to write in cafes. I loved to set up my laptop with tea and cake and type ways, stopping to look out of the window. Chatting to other writers and meeting friends. Lots of focused writing.

So when the pandemic struck I was paralysed. Writing was a non-starter because I was living and working at my dining room table. The space between everyday life, day job work and writing work had disappears, and with it my word count.

I needed to stay safe. I am not particularly at risk but I do live in a high-risk area. So while I could go out for my lockdown hour of exercise – in my case, walking – I couldn’t go and sit in a coffee bar or meet with friends. In any case, most of my writing colleagues were as paralysed as me an worried sick about this publishing industry.

In between days

Before COVID-19 came along I had taken a big risk. My agent and I spoke about me changing genre from psychological thrillers to women’s fiction and I had just finished my first novel. She loved it and we were about to submit it to publishers when lockdown happened. Everything went haywire. Publications cancelled and book fairs on hold. In the midst of all this my book was not submitted.

I had the start of an idea for the next book and, after much discussion, we agreed that i would write it and wait until things were better to submit the current novel. So I started to write. Or tried to. The distraction and emotional exhaustion meant that it was difficult. I missed my writing routine and my work routine. The uncertainty around my job and my writing career was a vicious circle that was out of my control and, therefore, not worth worrying about. But I did.

Summer came and went and, as National Novel Writing Month approached, I knew I had to do something.

November and COVID-19

I had worked very hard to establish my writing group in NaNoWriMo as a region, and this brought a little focus. I set my project up on the site and my intention was to start a new novel. Book 4 in my DS Jan Pearce Series. Readers had asked for another Jan Pearce novel so it made sense.

Yet that didn’t happen. The pandemic worsening meant more COVID-19 worry. I managed to write 50k words of different chapters of different projects. but nothing joined up. Nothing I could put together and roll out as finished. I was completely despondent until something very strange happened.

In my desperation for a writing community I suggested that instead of having our weekly social meeting, we all meet and write in silence. In Zoom. Cameras on. It took a bit of technical organisation to get everyone splitting their screens, but we held the first session in week 2.

I had no idea if this would work or not. I had some material in reserve for if everyone hated this ‘virtual write-in’. But everyone didn’t hate it. The attendees started racking up super-productive word counts and posting them on social networking. Asking for more write-in. We organised a full day, and, as people logged on, I could see how successful this was.

But NaNoWriMo only lasts four weeks. In no time, I was back to writing at my dining room table alone.

New year – new writing practice

In an effort to kick-start my writing again I started to submit article pitches. I had only five chapters of a novel that, as my agent started to submit my completed novel to editors, would need to make progress.

I submitted an article to MsLexia and the editor liked the idea of it and asked for more details. She noted my narrative psychology qualifications and asked me if I was willing to be interviewed for a piece someone else was writing about writing groups. Rebecca Hastings sent me a Zoom invite and we chatted about our experiences during lockdown with our respective writing groups.

I told Rebecca about my weekly NaNoWriMo group and she told me about a daily writing group that was about to change my life.

Balancing on a new pandemic writing scaffold Me and Anstey writing in a pandemic

It wasn’t until I’d attended the first London Writing Salon Zoom call that I realised how much I had been propped up by my writing practice framework. Places. people, noises – and coffee! As the second session opened in my browser and Zoom connected, almost two hundred faces jumped in. Matt and Parul welcomed us and read a daily quote. The silence. For fifty minutes.

And writing. Lots of writing. Somehow, the image of all the other people on the Zoom call, all focused and working on their writing, allowed the words to flow. At times it felt precarious, as if all of a sudden I would fall off and it would all implode. But maybe I was thinking about the world around me, because it didn’t. We came to the page every day.

My long time writing friend Anstey Harris joined me there and was just as productive. And my screenwriting friend Sarah Cassidy also came in – we were regulars at writing retreats together and now we have found a way to still write together.

Me and Sarah writing in a pandemic

I started to write my novel in the week in between Christmas and New Year 2020. I finished it on the 3rd February 2021. I attended 2 or 3 hour-long sessions per day and my word count per session was between 800 and 1000 words. Of course, this is a first draft, but it came in at just over eighty eight thousand words.

A sense of safety

It will soon be a full year since the pandemic lockdown started. Here in Oldham we’ve barely been out of Tier 4 restrictions and the world has felt very dangerous. But I have found a sense of safety in my writing practice.

I am lucky, because when it all gets too much I can retreat into my world and characters and sit with them for a while. Writing is necessarily isolating – we need solitude to conjure up our imaginary journeys – but sometimes we need the communion of other people’s experiences to carry on ourselves. I have found that with almost two hundred people in, of all places, an online group.

We are staying safe, keeping going and creating. Thank you for the support and long may it last.

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