Prudence - Fairy Story or Fantasy?

I recently read an article asking the question what is the difference between a fairy story and a fantasy?  My first thought was, is there a difference and my second was does it matter?
However having read the article it got me thinking about the Prudence trilogy.  I have always thought of this as a fantasy story and marketed it as such, but have I got this all wrong?  Am I barking up the wrong marketing tree?
According to the article - and they quote the great Tolkein in this no less - a fairy story must contain at least one fairy in its narrative.  Aimed at children they are generally shorter stories with strong moral lessons to them.  The conflicts within them are generally smaller and more personal to the main character of the story and his or her immediate surroundings.  They are not your sweeping saga's associated with fantasy novels where the conflict usually endangers whole nations or worlds.

So, before we decide where to put Prudence let's look at some of the more traditional fairy stories and compare these to the fantasy formula.  The most obvious fairy stories that spring to mind are Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  These two have all your boxes nicely ticked; fairies, a strong moral core, and the story is short and localised.  But, there are others that we tend to think of as fairy stories that don't fit so nicely into the definition.  Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, all of these seem to be missing - if I remember rightly - one vital ingredient, not a single fairy in any of them!  Lots of magic, wicked witches and strong morals, but no actual fairies.  So, perhaps the word 'fairy' has just become a by-word for all the other requirements of a fairy story and fairies are not actually necessary?

Fantasy novels are a different kettle of fish.  usually much longer and often stretched over at least two or three separate books.  If we look at a typical and well loved children's fantasy like 'The Chronicles of Narnia' for example, we can perhaps see a little more easily the differences between the fantasy and the fairy.  The title in itself gives away the fact that this is more than just a short story; this is a chronicle and you need to be prepared to be in it for the long haul!  Even if we take each of the books in the series on their own they are all longer than your traditional fairy story.  They have that epic saga feel of a fantasy story.
On the other hand the magic of the fairy story is still there; we have the iconic wicked witch and a strong moral too.  So are the differences between the two really so clear cut?

This is where I struggle with Prudence.  For those of you who haven't read the stories let me give you a little background.
Prudence is a fairy, but she is also the descendant of a union between one of King Arthur's grandsons and a fairy princess.  She lives in a land we know as Avalon and at the time of her story this land is under threat from a dark wizard called Mareck. This wizard has allied himself with the king of the fairies to find the lost sword of King Arthur, Excalibur.  It is his intention to use its power to break through the portal between the human and faery worlds and wage war upon a totally unsuspecting and unprepared human world.  According to prophecy Prudence, as a descendant of King Arthur - the man for whom the sword was made - is the only one who can protect the sword from Mareck's evil plans.  She allies herself with, among others, Arien, King of the Elves, a somewhat eccentric wizard called Emrys, a human man who is the 'Gatekeeper' - guardian of the portal between the two worlds and a cantankerous old dragon called Bob.  Of course her strongest allies are her friends, Maggie, Sam, and the elf prince Rupert, who become just as entangled in her adventures.

So, fairy story or fantasy?
Well, we certainly have the fairy box ticked!  As well as Prudence we have Maggie, Lady Alaia, the explorers Walter and Elspeth Flowerdew and the rebel leader, Gil, all of them fairies.  Not to mention of course, the fairy king, Gideon and his son Tristan, so we have good fairies and bad.
But, the story is long; stretching over three books and this is where the fantasy element takes over I believe.  Prudence's struggle is not localised.  She is not simply battling a wicked stepmother and if she fails in her quest it will be two worlds that will suffer; not just hers, but that of the human world she knows little of, but is just as determined to protect.
So, yes I think I am still erring on the side of the fantasy rather than fairy story.  I think it fills the formula of a fantasy much more, but I do have one more reason for steering away from the fairy story angle.
Often when I tell people I have written a book about a fairy called Prudence I am met with the response, "Oh I must look at that for my daughter/grandaughter/niece," etc and I then go on to discover that said child is 3 or 4 or 5 - not really  the age that the Prudence trilogy is aimed at at all!
It does seem though that 'fairy stories' are usually associated with a younger age and the last thing I want with my marketing is to target the wrong age group.

In conclusion, at the beginning of this post I asked is there a difference between the fairy and fantasy story and if there is, does it matter?  I think we can conclude that the answer to both of these questions is yes.  Although they can seem similar in many ways there is definitely a defining difference between the two, one of the main ones being the type of audience the story will attract.  And, therefore because of this it is important to get this right.  For Prudence I believe I made the right choice in marketing her story as a fantasy - unless of course we want to come up with a whole new genre - fairy fantasy perhaps?!

What do you think?

Kim

Getting organised

Today I made a little addition to my writing area; a cork board.  This is all part of my effort to be a little more organised and get myself focused on my new project.  As I have said before after five years working on the Prudence trilogy and living in her world it has been hard to let go; to stop thinking about what her next adventure will be, how it will affect her and her relationships with those around her - she was constantly in my thoughts! She does still invade my thoughts and I'm not totally ruling out the possibility of returning to Ealdhun, but it's just not for now.  Now I feel I need to give myself a break and try something fresh.
My little break in Cumbria helped immensely, and I certainly returned home feeling refreshed and with a very basic idea for my next project.  So, in order to consolidate my idea's I have got myself a cork board and a whole wad of post-it notes. At the moment it's looking very neat and tidy, but that's probably because I'm still in the early planning stages, looking at character bio's and outlining the first couple of chapters, I'm sure it'll soon look like a confused jumble that only I can understand, but that's okay - so long as I can understand it!
I also have a notebook that I carried around with me everywhere whilst I was on holiday so that I could make notes as and when the ideas came and I intend to keep it with me so that I can drift off into 'Kim world' wherever and whenever the opportunity presents!
I still have another week to go before I have to get back to the drudgery of the day job, but hopefully I will have made a good inroad on the groundwork by then.  I'm not making any predictions about when this is likely to be finished as we all know how rubbish I am with deadlines and targets, but I will update my progress as I go.

And, in case you were wondering I still haven't sorted out the website, but I really am going to get on to that..... soon.

Kim

Cumbria: My little piece of heaven on earth

So, as the final volume of the Prudence trilogy is now completed and published I am now enjoying a well earned holiday!
It was quite stressful getting the last volume finished and making sure I was completely happy with the way I was leaving Prudence.  It has also been a bit of a wrench leaving her behind.  I have been working on this series for the past five years; for five years she has been a part of my life, as I constantly planned and plotted her story.  She accompanied me everywhere I went and was never far from my thoughts - so how do I let go?

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm quite mercenary and am really quite keen to start working on the next project!  The only problem is what exactly is the next project?  It's not that I don't have any ideas, in fact it's just the opposite - I have too many!  The problem is deciding on which one to actually focus on.

And, that is why I am here in beautiful Cumbria.  This is my little piece of heaven on earth.  If you've ever been here you'll understand exactly what I mean.  This is where I have come to be inspired and to find my focus and to be quite honest if I can't find it here, I'll never find it!

So if you follow me on facebook (link)/or twitter (link)  expect lots of pictures over the next few days of lakes, mountains and of course, because it's me, trees!

So after an early morning hike up on the fells, I'm now off out for a more relaxed evening stroll by the lake.  See you soon!

Kim

to self edit or not to self edit????

Editing is generally believed to be one of the bugbears of writing, painstakingly picking through your work, checking and fine-tuning.  Personally I love the process, but I know a lot of people don't.  So when it comes to the editing process we basically have two options, either we package up our little bundle of words and send it on to someone else to edit, or we do it ourselves, and there are of course pros and cons for both.

Sending your work to someone else has the obvious benefit of fresh eyes; they are seeing the text for the first time and so are more inclined to read what is actually there and not what you think is there. Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are going to stand out more and usually it will be someone who is a professional editor reading your work so they will know what to look for and how to do the job properly.

The obvious down side to this is cost.  These people are not going to work for free!  So, if cash flow is a bit of a problem this may not be the best option for you.

Self editing is easier and cheaper and possibly also quicker.  This is the option I prefer.  Funds are not so readily available and most of the available spare cash goes on marketing and advertising my work.  I also find it quite relaxing and satisfying to go through my work 'polishing' and honing the story.  The hard work is done, the story itself is finished and it is quite rewarding to go through your work and know that, hey, I did this!  it makes all the stress, all the late nights and early mornings worth it!

My usual process is to go through the text and make sure I'm absolutely 100% happy with it, then put it aside and leave it for a week or so before going through it again.  It's not exactly fresh eyes, but it's the next best thing.

Of course, ideally a combination of the two choices would be best.  Go through your work, polish, fine tune, hone, make it the best draft that you can and then let someone else look at it even if it is just a friend or family member.  Getting those fresh eyes to go over the text, professional or not will always help.

So, here I am at 5.44 on a Sunday morning about to start the editing of the final volume of the Prudence trilogy.  It's been a long time coming, but finally I'm almost there with the trilogy.  

Hope you enjoy your Sunday -  and remember at some point to relax with a good book!

Kim 

When Life gives you Lemons.................

This post is really just to say, Hey, I'm still here.  I haven't posted anything for six months for many reasons,  and I now feel that perhaps a little explanation is in order.
 About the middle of November last year I was hit by what I can only describe as a writing lethargy, a total inability to find any inspiration or motivation to write.
I have no idea what caused this.  All I know is that it was a real struggle, my little comfort zone, my escape from the 'real world' had deserted me and I suddenly felt a little bit lost, adrift.  I did all the things I would normally do when facing writer's block - going for walks, listening to music or just simply accepting that I needed to step back and focus on something else for a few days.  Nothing worked.
Christmas came as a little distraction although even that seemed to have lost a little of its shine this year and in the New Year I was determined to kick start my motivation by giving myself a 'to do' list.
The foremost thing that I have been wanting to do is set myself up with a website.  This is something I am constantly being advised to do and has been an issue for a while.  I also had various idea's for new promotions for the books and of course I needed to get my backside into gear and get the 'Prudence' trilogy finished.  So far I have achieved none of this.
As usual whilst I was making all these plans fate was stood at my shoulder having a little chuckle and saying, 'not on my watch'.  I won't go into detail but suffice to say that my family had something of a health scare at the beginning of the year that knocked us all a bit for six.  We have spent the last three months struggling up a mountain of anxiety and worry, but I am pleased to say that we have reached the top and are now happily free-wheeling down a hill of relief.  (I just hope there are no potholes).
There is a saying that goes, 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade', but to be quite honest sometimes all you really want to do is slice those lemons in half and squirt lemon juice right back into the eye of fate. I know I certainly did.
But, enough with the negativity.  I am slowly starting to feel more positive and am once again feeling motivated, inspired and even excited about my writing again.  I have dusted off the 'to do' list, I have a holiday booked in July to the most beautiful corner of the world - Cumbria and I am surrounded by the best family anyone could wish for.
Life is good.

See you soon

Kim

A Walk back in time - Sutton Hoo

I am approaching the end of the Prudence trilogy of books and as I have been looking for a little inspiration for the planning of the final battle I felt a walk was in order!  I decided to forego all my usual haunts in favour of Sutton Hoo, an ancient burial site close to the estuary town of Woodbridge in Suffolk.  History has long been a passion of mine and particularly ancient history.  I love coming to places like this where you can see little clues, ancient tidbits of a life long gone, but where real, solid evidence of that life has gone also.  It's perfect fuel for an active imagination!
Sutton Hoo is the only known ship burial in the country, and that in itself makes it a little bit special.  It is believed to be the last resting place of King Raedwald who died around 625 AD  the findings when the site was excavated have also been dated to this era.  The exhibition hall is well worth a visit, packed with information video's, photographs and replica's of the finds made during Basil Brown's original excavation.  (The actual finds are housed in the much more secure location of the British Museum in London.)  There is also a full size reconstruction of the burial chamber and the size of it gives some idea of the effort that must have gone into burying this king with his ship - whether it was King Raedwald or not he was clearly a man of great importance to his people.

However even if you are not a history buff, the walks around Sutton Hoo are lovely.  There are two main walks in the guide, both are said to be about a 50 min walk but I  kind of cobbled together both walks and it took me about an hour.  I was lucky with the weather; it was a clear bright morning, if a little chilly, but was perfect walking weather.

The first part of the walk takes in the site of the burial mounds, which I found particularly inspiring as I sat absorbing the atmosphere  and  taking myself back over a thousand years to Raedwalds time.
The walk then heads off into the surrounding countryside and most of it is through woodland.  Yep, more pictures of trees, sorry!

Couldn't resist taking a photo of this knobbly old fellow!  There was also plenty of wild life to spot including sheep, pigs, deer, squirrels and even a dragon - which kind of wound up the walk perfectly for me!

Once again I must apologise for the poor quality of the photo's.  I really need to sort out a new camera - my phone just isn't up to the task!  But, hopefully this has just given you a little taster of my walk and given you food for thought when planning your own inspirational walks!

have fun,

Kim

judging a book...............by its cover?

I am reaching the point with the third and final instalment of the Prudence series where I need to start thinking about a cover for the book.  Actually I've already thought about it and have pretty much decided exactly what I want.  The stage I am really at now is wishing I could improve my drawing skills to something a little beyond stick men.  Now, I know what you're all thinking, practice makes perfect and all that, but believe me I have tried and stick men are about as good as it gets.
I have been trying to tell myself that it is the content of the book that is important, but as we all know, the hard part is getting the reader as far as actually opening your masterpiece so that they will naturally go on to make this epic discovery.  So, is it the cover of the book that makes up our mind to delve inside?

Recently I found myself in the happy position of having some book tokens to spend so I thought back over what had actually made me make the choices that I did on that day. I've realised that, for me there are five things that can influence my choices.

1.  The author.

Okay, this may be a bit obvious, but if you have read a particular author before and enjoyed the work why not stick with something you know, especially if the book, or books have been particularly good.  Unfortunately, in my experience this hasn't always worked out particularly well.  What if your beloved favourite decides it's time to try something new? What if the series you have loved so far suddenly starts to veer off into a totally unexpected direction that sours the whole thing for you?  What if they kill off your favourite character?  This has happened to me in the past and so now I tend to look less and less at who the author is as a guide for my choices.  It may be a consideration, a passing "Ooh yes I've read her/him before", but it won't completely sway my decision.    

2. Recommendations

Again this can be dangerous territory.  I have a very good friend who, like me, likes to read, but we like completely different books.  She'll rave about a book she's read "It's about this woman who was abused as a child, left home when she was sixteen got into an abusive relationship with an older man........................"  Okay, I've already switched off.  I have no doubt that the story is an inspirational tale about overcoming horrendous hardships, but that's not what I want from a book.  When I sit down to read I do it as a way to escape.  I don't want to turn the pages just to be reminded of all that is awful with this world, I want to lose myself in something as far removed from reality as possible, whether it be a classic fantasy, a step back in time or a trip into space.  We all have to live real life I don't want to be bound by it when I'm reading.
So, if I am going to guided by any recommendations it will be from those that I know like to read the same thing as me - like my mum! Although some of her choices can be a bit bloodthirsty for my tastes.  I'm still not sure about the Deathstalker series!

3. The blurb

Obviously an integral part of the decision making is the book blurb.  This really is one of the main weapons the author has to hook the reader; they've actually picked the book up off the shelf, now you've got to persuade them not to put it down.  If you're a new author the reader is not going to know your name, nobody is going to recommend you; this is where you have to sell your work.  So it needs to be good.  One of the books I picked up on my aforementioned shopping trip was called 'Stranger of Tempest' by Tom Lloyd, not an author I have read before, but the blurb on the back of the book started like this:

"For a damsel in distress, she was rather more spattered with someone else's blood than Lynx had expected.  And naked.  Very naked............"

I didn't put the book back down!  Still haven't read it yet, but will let you know when I have and what I thought!

4. The title

Book shops; wonderful things!  You step into a cave full of shelves with row upon row of book spines facing you.  All you can see is the title and the author's name - what do you go for?  We've already established that the author's name is not always a safe option so the title needs to do the selling; the title needs to reach out and grab you.  The title needs to entice, intrigue. It needs to stand out, be a little unique - it needs to outsmart all the other spines you're looking at.  Easy, right???????

5.  The cover

Finally, we come to it;  do we judge a book by its cover?  Okay come on admit it, yes we do!  You've looked at the rows of spines, an author or title has enticed you to take one from the shelf, do you immediately turn to the blurb or look at the cover first?  You may not consciously do it, you may not say to yourself 'hmm that looks interesting wonder what the cover is like', but I bet 99% of the time you subconsciously glance at the cover before doing anything else.  And, of course, when you're shopping on line, scrolling through endless lists, the visual effect of the book definitely needs to be more striking, more eye-catching.  It doesn't have to be fussy; it doesn't have to tell the whole story in one image, again it just needs to entice.  

So, for me getting the cover right is important.  My name is not well known enough, I have not sold enough books to rely on recommendations therefore the title, the blurb and yes, the cover need to be right.  you never know one day people may say 'oh look, Kim Watts, her last one was really good!'
For now though I'm back to the drawing board!  Well, I'm off to find someone else to get back to the drawing board for me - Stick men just aren't going to cut it!

Happy reading everyone!

Kim

Inspirational walks 2: Knettishall Heath

Today is Sunday, and as I had no other plans I decided to have a full writing day starting with a little inspirational walk before breakfast!  So, armed with camera and some suitably inspiring tunes  I set off for Knettishall Heath.  Knettishall is a lovely little country park practically on my doorstep - well about twenty minutes away.  It is located just off the A1066 between Diss and Thetford in sunny Norfolk.  It's quite a popular little spot locally and I often come here with my grandchildren.  The kids love to swim or paddle in the river and there are some well marked out routes if you fancy a stroll through the woods or the heath.  There are picnic tables here and public toilets and, if you're lucky, an ice cream van!

It is a beautiful, peaceful and certainly for me, an inspiring place to walk.  I got there this morning at 7.45 and apart from a few dog walkers had the place to myself.

The heath is also home to a herd of wild ponies so if you're walking with a dog there are parts where they have to be kept on a lead.  Also at certain times of the year when there are birds nesting on the ground, again dogs should be on a lead but there are always plenty of information notices about so it's not difficult to follow the rules.

As you can see there are a combination of heathland and woodland walks here and as I believe I may have mentioned in previous posts, I love trees!  I have woodland pictures all over the house; I find them so relaxing somehow and today I got the chance to add a few more to the collection!

So if you're looking for a nice, quiet, inspirational walk to get the creative juices working; somewhere where nature can nurture your spirit, this is a perfect choice - especially at 7.45 on a Sunday morning!

Happy walking!

Kim

Plot points and Stepping stones

So how do you plan a story?  I have to admit that in the past I didn't really plan anything at all, I just got an idea and started writing.  This wasn't very practical of course and back then in the prehistoric times before computers it could be very time-consuming!  So, when I started taking my writing a little more seriously I knew I had to become a planner.

When the idea for Prudence first came into my head I thought about the story for a long time before ever putting pen to paper.  She sat outside the office of the headmistress of her school (where the books begin) for about two years waiting for me to continue her story.  I made a list of all the things I needed to know before I could move forward; who was Prudence? Why was she here? Where had she come from? Who were her friends, her family - if indeed she had any?  What were her likes, her dislikes, her hopes, her fears?  Once I had all of this worked out the basic plan of the story came quite easily and so did the ending.  I knew before I wrote anything else exactly how I wanted the story to end.
I then began to develop a few character bio's for those who would be joining Prudence on her journey, principally Maggie, Sam, Rupert, Miles and Alaia.  I also had to think about the 'bad guys', Gideon, Tristan and of course, Mareck.
With the beginning and the end of the story sorted and all the major players in place, plot points naturally began to form; things that I wanted to happen and things that needed to happen to not only propel the story forward, but also to develop Prudence's character from the person she was at the beginning of the story to the one she would be at the end.  Entwining her story into the Arthurian Legends was the final link in the chain, the element that brought the whole thing together.
So, armed with my beginning and the end, the plot points and character bio's it was then just a case of creating little stepping stones to thread it all together.  And, that's when I started writing.

I'm not going to say that I have stuck rigidly to the plan; the bane of a creative mind is that the creating doesn't tend to stop and new ideas - even now - are still popping into my head, but having the plan has helped so much with avoiding constant re-writes.  I'm actually quite proud of how it's gone so far.  Being the disorganised person I have always been, having the patience to sit and sort through the plot like this was really quite an achievement!

It is definitely a process I intend to use again.  Once you have found a successful formula it only makes sense to stick with it and this is definitely the way forward for me.  I have become a planner!

Keep writing, keep planning.

Kim

Walks of inspiration 1 : Southwold

Southwold

I have often spoken on here of how I find going for a walk a wonderful source of inspiration so I thought I would share a few of those walks. I am going to start with one of my favourite local places to visit, Southwold.  If you have never been to this lovely little town then it is definitely worth
putting on your list of 'places to see'.  It is situated on the Suffolk coast and for me it is only about an hours drive away from home.  I love it here!  It is a quintessentially English seaside town that has not lost it's charm to the brassy commercialism that has taken over so many other coastal towns.
The lighthouse, the beach huts and the pier are probably the most photographed and recognisable parts of the town and there are a range of lovely little shops, art galleries and places to eat.
However, if you are looking for a nice quiet walk to get the creative juices flowing then there are plenty around the town.  The beach, of course is a great place for this.  Who can not be inspired by the ocean?  Or, you can head out of the town, which is what I did on this particular walk, towards the harbour and enjoyed a walk along the river.

It was quite a grey day, but warm and, after all the rain we have been having lately it stayed dry, if a little damp under foot in places!  Also, because of the lovely typically English, wet summer that we have had some of the paths were a little over grown and I ended up with soggy trousers - although I was wearing the right foot wear so feet stayed dry!

The Clockhouse is my favourite place to end a walk in Southwold; it's a little coffee shop on the pier and this is where I like to sit, by the window with a coffee (and maybe a piece of cake!) and a notepad and bring together all the ideas that have popped into my head during my walk.  This is where I sat and mapped out the second volume of the Prudence trilogy and now I have done the same for the third volume.  I hope they never close this place down!

So if you are ever out this way pay a little visit to Southwold and let it work it's magic on you!

Keep inspired,

Kim

Let Music Be the Food of...........Creativity?

This is really just an update to the recent post about my writing corner.  I have, this morning made a vital addition to my writing area: Music.  I can't stress enough how important music is to my creative process; without it I'm not sure where the inspiration would come from.  If I'm feeling a bit low or I've come to a bit of a brick wall with the narrative I usually go for a nice long walk with my headphones and come back suitably inspired and ready to go again.
So what do I listen to?  Well that depends a lot on what I'm writing.  My writing playlist at the moment consists of a lot of classical music and movie soundtracks.  For the Prudence series which is of course a fantasy story this kind of music seems to inspire the right mood.  One of my favourites at the moment is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to the movie 'King Arthur'.  There are some very stirring pieces on there and I have found them particularly inspiring when writing the battle scenes in the Prudence books.
With the ghost story, 'What It Takes', the music was a little more contemporary.  One particular track has come to represent the book for me more than any other; at one point in the story Sean Hanlon attempts to show his friend what inspired him to buy a broken down old house in the wilds of Cumbria when his life and work all centred around London.  Whilst I was writing this part of the book, with my o.s. map of the Lake District on the floor in front of me, a particular track came on that has now become synonymous with the book for me.  It was a song by Bob Seger called 'Roll me Away' and now every time I hear it I'm back with Sean and Brin hiking through Langdale!  If you've read the book listen to the track and you'll know what I mean!  Also on the same c.d. was a track called 'We've got tonight' which for me has definitely become Sean's and Karen's song.
 Even the title of this book came from a song;  Aerosmith's 'What it Takes'  There are a couple of lines in that song that go,

'Tell me what it takes to let you go
Tell me how the pain's supposed to go

And, that seemed to sum up the character of Tom Harper to a t.

With my second ghost story which is still a work in progress and as yet untitled I also already have a piece of music that brings me back to the story each time I hear it; 'The Longships' by Enya.  You'll have to wait until the book is finished though to see the connection there!

I could ramble on about this subject for ages, but it's Sunday, I'm not at work and I really should be getting back to Prudence!  Just in case you're wondering, as I write this I am listening to the soundtracks to the Lord of the Rings movies - if that doesn't take me back to Ealdhun I don't know what will!

So, let music drive you on,

happy writing,

Kim

The Mini Library

I have recently found myself with the distinct luxury of having a 'spare' room.  My son has flown the nest and so it is time to decide what to do with the space he left behind.  After much pondering (well actually not a lot of pondering at all really) I have decided to create my own little library.  Being a writer goes hand in hand with being an avid reader also and having a house with its own library has always been a little dream of mine.
Now as I have said before my house is not big so this is not going to be anything like the grand plan I would like it to be, but it's a start!  I have been scouring the internet for ideas for this room but I think basically I'm just going to fill it with books - oh and a sofa! Whereas the writing corner was to be light and airy and inspirational I want the reading room to be warm and cosy; somewhere to snuggle with a good book!  Here are a few of the images I've found of some very creative idea's of others..............

As you can see there are some ideas here that haven't been thwarted by size, odd shaped walls or even stairs, therefore my relatively square room should be a doddle! Obviously the main ingredient is going to be books, so at the top of all birthday and Christmas lists from now on is going  to be book tokens!  I'm already looking forward to many a happy hour scouring the book shops!  I'm really excited about getting started with this project - as you've probably gathered - although it is going to be something for later in the summer.  Updates will be provided!

Happy reading everyone!

Kim

The writing Corner

For those of you who read my blog regularly you will know that I am currently in the process of redecorating my house, not a huge project when you consider the size of the place (it's tiny!), but I bought the place from an old lady in her nineties and suffice to say the place was built in 1981 and there it has stayed ever since!  This last year I have been re vamping the downstairs and am pleased to report that the task is nearly finished and hopefully no longer a distraction for my writing.

I have been without a designated writing area for about six months now, which at the start I didn't think would really be a problem, I have a laptop so surely I could park myself anywhere and carry on writing?  This unfortunately has not proven to be the case and it is only now that I have my little writing corner back that I really appreciate how much I missed it!  I have read blogs from other writers speaking of the merits of creating your own writing space and now I fully understand what they mean, although different writers seem to like different things included in their 'space'.  So, here is what is essential for me..............

Firstly although I am not really an antique kind of person both the bureau and the clock belonged to my Grandad and are here out of sentimentality more than anything else.  I'm sure Grandad would be pleased to see them both still in use.  (I can still picture him sat here, sorting out his papers - he was much more methodical than me.)

Next, no window.  Others have said how inspiring the right view can be, but for me I think having my writing area by the window would be just too much of a distraction.  Instead I have two pictures (with more to go up) that are there for inspiration purposes.  The first is of my wonderful Grandchildren Darcie and Henry.  I started to write the Prudence books when I learned that my daughter was expecting my first grandchild, Darcie and she and her little brother now are still a constant source of inspiration.  The other picture is by local photographer, Ray Mears and is called 'Woodland Walk'.  I love pictures of trees and intend to get more to go up around the house.

Next to the clock is my scentsy, which for those of you who don't know is a device for melting scented wax without having to use a naked flame - much safer to have especially when you have cats in the house.  I am currently enjoying a 'by the sea' moment - very inspiring!  Flowers are another option to create the right aromatic mood, but again when you have cats, especially the clumsy pair that I have, flowers around electrical equipment is not a good combination!

And finally the one ingredient always needed to ensure a productive writing session - a cup of tea!

So that's it, I have my writing corner and this is where I intend to stay for the rest of the day.  Let me know if you feel there are any vital things that I have missed that you would have in your writing space.

Happy writing,

Kim

Mini Menopausal Meltdown!

I mentioned in my last post (Yes, I know this was back in January!) that 2015 had been something of a stressful time; setting myself the target of getting two books finished that year as well as having lots of other stuff going on in my life - the day job, the continued effort of trying to lick my house into shape on limited funds, and dealing with what my Gran would have called 'being at that 'funny' age'.  I think we give it the more affectionate term 'the menopause' these days.  Now I don't want to be all dark and dismal, but to be quite honest the menopause sucks!  Mood swings have been marvellous things, I've been going from being happy, buzzing with idea's and inspiration to 'what the heck am I bothering with all this for?' at the flick of a switch. I know that writing can do this to you anyway; writing highs and lows are part of the process, but throw a few raging hormones into the mix and, well, lets just say it's probably a good thing I live on my own! There are no two ways about it I have been a grumpy old mare at times!
I'm not about to now tell you all the wonderful things I've done to combat this stress because, to be quite honest I haven't.  I've done what most people do, carry on regardless, but since my last blog post in January I have hardly written a word.  In my head the third and final volume of the Prudence trilogy is formatted and finished, but every time I sit down to actually write anything I end up staring at my laptop for about half an hour and then going off to make a cup of tea and not going back!  It probably doesn't help that Prudence is in a bit of a dark place in her story as well.
My sleep pattern seems to be all over the place too, hence why I am sat here at ten to one in the morning writing this post when I know that tomorrow, at work at about three I'll be desperate for a little re-charge nap.
 Getting back into writing will be the perfect tonic for me, that much is obvious but that is the common sense side of me talking and the hormones can be very argumentative when it comes to common sense. Who needs common sense when your hormones are quite determined that now is the time for a little unnecessary meltdown?
There have been some positives, it's not all doom and gloom on the writing front, some little things  have happened to stop me from giving up completely on the whole writing process( and a little encouragement goes a long way).  Recently a friend told me how she had gone to see her granddaughter and had arrived to find her curled up and engrossed in my book.  Little things like that mean so much.  It may seem trivial, but to me this was a real little person who was enjoying spending some time with Prudence, - what more could any writer ask for?
So here I am, digging in and trying to swim against the tide of my hormones!  If anyone has any hints about surviving the menopause with your sanity intact please let me know.  I'll be the one sat in the corner staring at my laptop and talking to the cat..............


Kim

No resolutions for 2016

This time last year I wrote a post called reflections and resolutions about my plans for 2015.  I have just read it back to see how I held up to all my grand aspirations.  Mostly, I have to say, I didn't do too badly.  My main aim was to get the second volume of the Prudence books published and also to publish one of the ghost stories I had on the back burners from ages ago.  I succeeded in both of these although I did go for a different ghost story to the one I had originally intended.  (I must add though that on the 'eat less chocolate' thing I failed miserably!)

So if last years resolutions turned out okay, why the reticence on making any for this year?  To put things in perspective I think 2015 was the first year I have set my resolutions and actually stuck to them.  I usually find that whilst I am busy making bold ambitious plans to get fit, loose weight, publish my first book, Fate is usually standing right behind me, laughing and saying, "Yeh, that's what you think!"  You find yourself by the end of January back in your usual routine wondering how that happened whilst Fate just stands there chuckling
 It was challenging trying to get two books finished and published in one year and I don't think it is something that will happen again in a hurry.  Whilst I enjoyed the challenge (despite the stress, the moments of frustration and the many, many "Why am I bothering?" lows) 2016 is definitely going to be a more laid back year for me.  I am a bit of a selfish writer; I write primarily for me, because I enjoy it, and that's what I want to get back to.  It is all well and good setting yourself goals, but if those goals are just too unrealistic, no amount of optimism or self belief will combat the feeling of failure when all your ambitious plans crumble around you.  Yes, I know I'm sounding very depressing, but that's the way resolutions often work; it all sounds great at the time, but so many unexpected things can get in the way of your plans and frustration is not a good working partner.

So, 2016 I have no idea what you have in store for me, we'll just have to wait and see.  That is not to say I don't have my hopes and plans for the year, it is more that I'm not going to stress over what I should be doing rather than what I want to do.  Hmmm does that sound like a kind of resolution?  Oh dear!

 Good luck to everyone who has made resolutions for the year; I hope they work out for you whatever they may be.  And good luck to me in my efforts to be more chilled!

Kim

Merry Christmas and a ghost story!

Just a quick one to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and to let you all know that the ghost story 'What it Takes' is now available on Kindle or in paperback through Amazon or direct through Createspace.  My aim was to have this ready before Christmas and hey I've done it on schedule - just! Definitely worth a celebration.  I'd love for you to take a look and tell me what you think - don't forget that you can 'borrow' all of my books for free on kindle.
Thanks everyone and once again a very Merry Christmas to you all.

Kim

What it Takes - A Ghost Story

Hello everyone I know my posts are few and far between, but there is a reason for this - I've been writing!  I decided I would like to get one of my ghost stories ready for Christmas so this has been occupying most of my time.  So far, dare I say it, I appear to be on schedule so I thought I would do a little post on what to expect from this story.
First of all, this is not a Stephen King type horror story it's more of a romantic, ghost mystery and it is set in one of my favourite corners of the UK, Cumbria.  Anyone who has visited this area will know that it is beautiful; mountains, lakes and forests combining to provide the perfect atmospheric background for a ghost story.

So, what is it about?  Well, here's a brief synopsis.

Haughley House has a dark secret; a secret it has kept hidden for a long time - until now.  Sarah Kendrick, driven by a long held fascination for the house and with the help of her partner, Tom Harper finally uncovers the truth behind Haughley's sinister past.  It is a quest and a discovery that she and Tom will come to regret, for within hours of discovering this truth, Sarah is dead - another victim of Haughley's secret and Tom is plunged into a nightmare existence from which he can see no escape.  He has no one to turn to, no one to talk to, because he knows simply that no one will believe him.  He hides the real cause of Sarah's death from everyone including her family, because he can't inflict that pain on them.  The real truth of what killed her is a truth he must bear alone.
His one consolation in all of this, if it can be called that, is that Haughley House stands empty; all its dark past hidden from the world by its isolation and whilst ever it remains that way it can be a threat to no one else.  So, as Tom tries to come to terms with the loss of his beloved Sarah all he can do is pray that the house remains that way for a long time to come.
Three years later all his hopes come crashing down around him when Haughley House is sold - to a successful architect from London who plans to restore the place and settle there.  Tom's dark nightmares return to haunt him, the tragedy of Sarah's death reawakened in him, but worse is to come when the architect, Sean Hanlon, becomes involved with Sarah's sister, Karen.  Tom can only watch uselessly as Sean and Karen quickly fall in love, knowing that now only he can save Karen from the same terrible fate that befell Sarah.  Only he can protect her, and he is determined to do whatever it takes, whatever it costs to ensure that Karen doesn't become simply another victim of the malice that lies waiting in Haughley House.
But, Sean Hanlon has done some research of his own into the secrets of Haughley House and in the end when Tom's despair finally overwhelms him it is down to Sean to protect the woman he loves, and through her discover that Tom and Sarah only found half of Haughley's secret and that the real truth is more tragic and more dangerous than even they realised.

Okay, so that's it for now - I hope this has whetted your appetite a little!  Watch this space for more detail on when it should be available.

Thanks for reading!

Kim

Flooding the market with trash?

I recently read an article about the way self-publishing was allowing the market to become awash with poor writers producing sub-standard work that would never normally see the light of day  This article has plagued me for some time now.  Some good points were made and we have to acknowledge that not all writers are going to be good enough to retire to their country estate and watch the world go by based on the profits from the sales of their books, but should that really be a reason to stop writing?
Both the Prudence books are so far down on the Amazon bestseller list that they are not even a blip on the horizon, so should I just call it quits and find some other 'hobby'?
I have to admit that since becoming a part of this merry band of sub-standard writers I have been amazed by just how many others there are out there following the same path as me. Actually it's a little bit scary just how much competition there is out there!
So what makes us carry on?  We have two, three or more books out there that are going nowhere fast, why write more?  I suppose we have to examine the reasons why we write.  I can't speak for everyone else of course, but here is a little insight into why I will probably never stop.
Firstly it is something I have always done and when I say always I mean just that.  I first started making up stories when I was very young for my two brothers.  I then progressed on to making up episodes for my favourite t.v. shows.  These rarely got as far as being written down (obviously no computers back then - I am that old!), but it allowed me to carry on story time in my head even after 'lights out'!  As I got older I started writing down scraps of ideas for stories on any bits of paper I could get hold of.  I was pretty average at school but English literature and language were always my favourite and my strongest subjects.
I didn't actually finish a complete novel until the mid 1990's after having started the story shortly after I got married in 1981.  I found it the other day, hidden away in a cupboard and long forgotten.  to be honest that is where it should have stayed; it was rubbish.  The story itself was not bad and there were no gaping plot holes or anything like that, it was just that it was very poorly written and most of the characters were a little wooden and 'samey'.  However the very fact that I can look at it now and see my mistakes means that I have grown as a writer; that I have learned along the way and hopefully will continue to do so.  Still, I can not forget the feeling I got when I finally got the thing finished; the excitement, the sense of achievement, it was amazing.
And, that is the feeling I get whenever I write.  That is why I write.  Remember in a previous post I referred to this quote; 'if you can't find the book you want to read on the shelf, write it.'?  That's what I'm doing and I suppose this is the crux of why I'm writing; it's not really for anyone else it's just for me.  If anyone else wants to share the journey with me well that's great, there's plenty of room, hop on board, but if you don't that's fine too, there are plenty of others out there to hitch a ride with.
I think that probably the person who wrote the article that has prompted this post could be slightly missing the point of why most of us write.  I, for one am never going to set the world on fire with my literary genius, but I don't think that has ever been my intention, it is just that it is so much a part of me, so ingrained that I just don't think I could turn my back on it now, or ever.  Even if I did, a lot of my idea's come from dreams that I've had so if I did try to make a conscious effort to stop writing I don't think my sub-conscious would give up without a fight!
So my message today,
as always:

Don't be negative
Keep writing
Stay happy

Kim

The first draft

The first draft - surely the best part of writing?  This is where you can have all the fun; this is where you can get all those ideas down and worry about whether they're right or not later.  This has got to be the easiest part of the whole writing process, right?

Well it should be.  Of course it doesn't always work out that way. In a previous post I mentioned how I deliberated over a particular chapter and whether or not it should be included in the book, now when I look back I realise I should have ditched all the deliberation and just gone with it.  There would be plenty of time during the re-writing and editing process to decide whether it should stay or not.  Sometimes, also you've got to see it in print before you really get to feel whether it's right for the story and you can't do that unless you write it!
The first draft should all be about getting the bones of the story down, getting a feel for the basic outline.  Adding the flesh comes later!  Too much pondering at this stage is a bit of a waste of time.  Just get that first draft done and then you can pontificate all you like!  After all, the first draft is never, ever, ever, ever the final edit, so go for it, write from the heart and let it all come out.

I suppose you could argue that the more time you spend on the first draft, the less time you'll need in the editing, and as some writers seem to find this the worst part  this may be a good thing.  Personally I quite enjoy the fleshing out and fine tuning part.  I find it quite satisfying somehow, although I am still guilty of spending too much time worrying about the first draft.  It's hard not to sometimes.  This is your little creation, you want it to be perfect!
 The thing to remember is that there are lot's of parts of the self publishing process that are really difficult and not a lot of fun - like marketing, still not really doing all that I should here - so we need to make the most of the fun bits.  Enjoy your first draft; no one is going to see it but you; no one is going to judge it but you and you will know best whether you have achieved what you set out to do.

Happy writing!

Kim

Dark and Light - creating a balance

I have just written probably one of the most difficult chapters of the Prudence trilogy so far.  I had deliberated over it for so long, but somehow the story just couldn't seem to move forward without this happening; I had to kill one of the characters.  I now feel dreadful!  I invested so much emotional energy into getting this chapter right and I'm hoping that they way I now feel is just an indication that I got the feel of subject as I wanted it.  The whole of the Prudence saga has so far been written from Prudence's point of view and so how this death effected her was really important.  The character in question had been with Prudence since the beginning of the first book and so was someone she had come to rely on; someone she believed would always be there.

How Prudence deals with this death adds to an already sombre mood to the beginning of the last book.  The city and palace of Ealdhun are under siege and food stocks are running out.  Tempers are starting to fray and an air of tension and only slightly subdued panic is beginning to build. Add to this the tragedy of the death of a very dear friend and Prudence's world has suddenly become a very dark place.

Like I said it was important to get the feel of this subject right, but it was also important not to become too depressing.  This is not a gritty true life drama it is an older children's fantasy story and so I felt I needed something to counter the darkness.  It actually turned out to be quite easy to do this. Although as I have said the whole of the story has so far been written from Prudence's view point at the end of the second book it became necessary to write also from another characters perspective.  Prudence and Rupert are separated from Sam and Maggie by a prophecy that leads them on different ventures, and whilst Sam's and Maggie's story is not quite as dark as that of Prudence and Rupert, it is none the less adventurous.  Sam and Maggie also have the advantage of having Emrys the wizard and Bob the dragon with them and the banter between these two will always add a little humour into the narrative. The relationship between Emrys and Bob whilst a vital part of the story also allows me to pit two somewhat eccentric characters against each other.  They both have a grudging respect for the other, but often differ on how things should be done - much to the frustration of those around them.  They are the perfect foil against any dark element in the story.

I hope I have managed to get the balance right.  I have spent so long on this that I have (once again) fallen behind schedule with my writing.  I know, I'm rubbish with schedules!  I really don't know why I bother!  Anyway this is just a little update.  I'm not going to say when I'm expecting to have this third volume ready for publishing because you and I both know that I will not stick to it!
So I will just keep you updated on here with progress reports on this and my other projects.

Kim