Premature babies - Are you a parent of a pre-term baby?

It has been too long since I last posted. A lot has happened to me in that time, mainly the birth of my son 9 months ago. My writing has taken a back seat. Now I am ready to get back in the driving seat.
I am in the process of planning a new writing project and am in need of some help from you lovely people.
I want to write a non-fiction book about my experience of having, and raising, a premature baby. My daughter was born at 32 weeks twelve years ago. Not all experiences are the same and I would love to include some of your stories too.
I am looking for people who would be willing to give short responses to a few questions. Things like: how early, feeding, problems faced, support network etc.
If you think you would be interested in sharing your story please let me know. I can take your e-mail addresses and contact you that way. Thanks

Creepy Tales for Boyz and Ghouls

This week sees the release of my Writers’ group’s new anthology, ‘Creepy Tales for Boyz and Ghouls’. It is aimed at children 6-11 years old and was chosen to coincide with the Essex Libraries Summer Reading Challenge.

I have been very excited about this one, even more so than the previous anthology ‘The Other Way is Essex’. I love Children’s books!

I knew early on that one of my pieces was going to be a poem inspired by my daughter and the funny things she comes out with. It is called ‘Monsters in Mum’s Knicker Drawer.’ It was so much fun to write! Our wonderful illustrator Addi came up with a brilliant picture to go with it.

My other piece is a story called, ‘The Ghosts Next Door.’ I had to do a little research for that one as my ghosts are from the 40s.

There are many more poems and stories in there with ghosts, creepy houses, goblins etc.

All proceeds from sales of the book will go to Farleigh Hospice who also benefited from our last anthology.

If you would like to try a sample before buying, my poem is the first piece.

Please give it a try. It is available on Amazon on paperback and kindle.  

The Tension is Building

I am really excited by my Novel at the moment. I have been working on it for approximately 3 years so the fact it is having this effect on me now is a surprise.

I was really excited when I first started writing the first draft. What was in my head blew me away but it didn’t look so good by the time it had travelled through my fingers and onto the page. This was due to my lack of skill in the use of words back then. The first draft looked childish to me.

Since then I have joined a writing group, which has proved invaluable with critique and support. I have also met other writers around the world via Facebook groups and Twitter. Then there are the books I have read and the TV that I have watched that have inspired me.

I am on the third draft and it is starting to really take shape. I was struggling with a really important scene in Chapter Three, the moment that the Serial Killer/ Stalker seduces the female lead who he has been watching for months. He has planned it down to the last detail and I wanted it to be intense, but my previous effort was a bit flat and boring.

I decided to put a call for help on a few Facebook groups. I asked for opinions about how she would smell, feel etc. It came up with some mixed responses. You could tell the people who enjoyed reading Thrillers; they embraced it and used vivid description. The others seemed to be scared by the question. It was a fun experience and gave me loads to work on.

I have written that scene this morning and I love it! It has also made me realise things about my characters that I didn’t know before. I now have loads of new ideas for the rest of the book. My characters are much more alive now and if that is how I feel hopefully future readers will feel the same.

Review of 'THE FALL'

For the past five weeks I have been glued to the TV every Monday night by ‘The Fall.’ The first two episodes in particular were so intense that they left me buzzing for days, unable to think about anything else.

I am writing my first novel, a Thriller including a serial killer, at the moment. My character is very different to Paul Spector, but I found it inspirational and helpful with my own book. For one thing it taught me that I had to give my Antagonist a really great job! The Bereavement Councillor Job given to Spector is pure genius.

I was so hooked on the storyline surrounding Spector that the other subplot went over my head; I will have to watch it all again so I can take that in too.

I have read some of the articles surrounding the programme and know that it has evoked criticism about the level of violence against women. As a female viewer there are things I would have done differently if I had written it.

I think if you are going to have a serial killer targeting women you have to make the viewer sympathetic towards the victims. The Sarah Kay murder I found intensely brilliant. I found his bizarre ritual with her dead body insane but I loved it. She came across as a strong character in life, caring and intelligent. So why did Annie’s character have to have a seedy side? It reduces the sympathy the viewer feels for her and I think that if you are going to have violent scenes against women you have to feel sympathy for them.

I would also have changed the character of Katie. I would not have made her such a Lolita. She could still have the crush on Paul but she could be less forceful.

Stella Gibson’s character is a bit over the top too. Was it really necessary for her to have her buttons undone while being interviewed, or rubbing marks off her boobs while talking to men?

I really loved Sally Spector’s character. She had an amazing Job, was caring and innocent. Why did they have to have her initiating rough sex with her husband after he had admitted to an affair? She was the perfect character, why ruin it? It makes it look as if the writers are trying to say that all women want it rough.

One thing I found strange in the final part was Spector lying about having an affair with Katie, a fifteen year old, when he could have made up anyone else instead. You have more chance of your wife forgiving an affair with a grown woman than a child. Why would he decide portraying himself as a paedophile would be the best option?

I am not sure how they are going to manage another series involving Spector. I will be looking forward to it and I hope that they learn from the mistakes in series one. It has the potential to be amazing if it could only be more considerate to the female viewer.

 Flashing Jamie’s topless body isn’t enough, not that I’m complaining you understand!

Update On My Novel In Progress

I have been working away on my novel for approximately three years. It has been a long process, and has included some periods of procrastination, but I can see the finish line now.

When I wrote the first draft it was hurriedly scribbled with pen and paper. It has been through several re-writes since then, including the one I am working on now. I am hoping that will be the last before editing.

I have learned a lot since I first started the story. My early attempts at grammar etc were embarrassing and I have been steadily improving with the help of my Writers’ group, Facebook Writers’ pages and my English class. I still make mistakes but I am still learning.

It is a Psychological Thriller. I love my characters including my serial killer antagonist, who I have a crush on!

I sometimes feel under pressure to get the book finished and out there, as everyone else seem to knock out a book a week. Okay, probably an exaggeration!

The voices in my head won’t let me rush it though. They tell me to take my time and make it the best I can. And there are plenty of great Authors who take years to write a novel, especially a first one.

I am not sure if it is the rise in Indie Authors and E-Books that makes us feel under so much pressure. All writers want to be published so that they can feel like a “Real Writer” and justify the long periods they spend being unsociable.

My book will be finished and I have a good outline for the sequel. I am excited and nervous about letting anyone else read my work, as I am the only person to have seen it. I am trying to get it ready to be edited during the school holidays as I know I will not get much writing done with a child at home.

Hopefully the book will be ready to publish later in the year.

#AprilPrompts Growing Day 6

The subject for the April prompts challenge today is growing.

This started me thinking about two different aspects of growing. It reminded me of my daughter and of my own growth as a writer.

My daughter was premature and she weighed 3lb 10oz at birth or 1.652 kg. She wore premature baby clothes for babies 3-5 lb and they were still too big for her. We took her home from hospital when she was four weeks old weighing 4lb 5oz.

She looked like a new born baby for several months. I remember taking her to the library when she was three months old and she still only weighed 7lb. I got her a library card; they must have thought I was mad.

She was later than most children passing some of the normal stages of growing. She was late crawling and she didn’t learn to walk until she was two.

She is now ten and no one would ever know she had been a premature baby.

The other subject I wanted to write about is my growth as a writer.

I always knew that I wanted to be a writer but I think lack of patience and self belief stopped me from ever submitting anything. I just wrote for my own enjoyment.

In 2011 I took part in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I didn’t make the word count but I met a lot of writers through the facebook page, which led to me joining Writebulb writers’ group.

It has been an amazing few years for me. I have learned so much, and my writing has improved immensely. I have had work published in the writers’ group anthology and have some pieces ready for this year’s children’s anthology. I also am nearing the finish line on my own WIP which is a Thriller novel.

My confidence is growing every day and I am excited by what the future might hold for me as a writer.

Do you ever feel cheated by an ending?

Have you ever read a book that has let you down with the ending?

This has happened to me a few times.

One book by a great Author finished with an open ending, where it didn’t really finish. Nothing was achieved by me spending several days reading it. Nobody won and the baddies weren’t stopped. The sad thing is that it was a brilliant book that had me excited to reach the end.

Another Author who did this to me was the Horror writer Shaun Hutson. It was many years ago and I can’t remember which of his books it was (I loved his books in my 20s and devoured everything he did!) It had what I like to refer to as the “Called in for your tea” ending. It was almost like he had been called down for dinner and had called out “Give me a minute I just have to finish the book.”

Obviously not true but that is what it reminded me of. It was rushed and finished abruptly.

Sometimes TV lets you down with the ending too. I remember a series called Sea Of Souls, where identical twins who were separated at birth meet again. One is married with a son the other is single. The single one sets out to steal the other ones life. She succeeds! It ended with her murdering her sister, stealing her husband and son and getting away with it. You work out that the husband knows, but has decided the newer model is better but the confusing thing is that the child doesn’t realise that the imposter isn’t his mother.

This is unrealistic, the child would have known.

This episode left me wound up for days, I was so annoyed by it. It is years since I saw it but I still think of it sometimes. Maybe the author wanted to leave a mark on people’s brains; he/she certainly did on mine.

Open ends are becoming increasingly popular nowadays, I see it a lot in short stories.

Call me old fashioned but I love a great ending, if it is going to be left open I want some more to come.