The Sailor's Waltz - Inspiration Behind the Story

I thought it was about time I wrote another inspiration behind the story. This one, The Sailor's Waltz is in this week's People's Friend and was one I wrote for an illustration that had been sent to me by my editor (interestingly, the original illustration was never used but I have to say I like this one better).

The original picture showed a couple on a boat. What did I know about sailing... absolutely nothing! Now, of course, as writers, we often write about things we don't know. In fact, I find researching new things fascinating but I'm less likely to be enthusiastic about weaving a story around something I've not experienced before. 

I'd established that I didn't know anything about sailing but what did I know about? Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time will know the answer to this... dancing! 

It's six years ago, almost to the day, that my husband and I went to our first ballroom dance class and just over nine since we met at a salsa class. One evening, we were reminiscing about our salsa wedding dance and about our honeymoon cruise where we spent our evenings practicing the few ballroom moves we'd learnt in the few weeks leading up to it (probably pretty badly). 

Our wedding dance wasn't a problem, as we were fairly proficient salsa dancers, but we might have run into a few problems if we'd attempted the waltz. We pick things up fairly quickly but we could only begin to imagine what it might be like for someone with two left feet - how could they possibly learn? Here's our wedding dance for those who haven't already seen it.

The question was, could I mix the two things, sailing and dancing, in the same story? Luckily I could.

In my story, Cally wants to dance a waltz to Moon River, a song her parents danced to at their own wedding. Unfortunately, her fiance, Paul, cannot dance. The only thing he is good at is sailing a boat. When Cally's father (also a member of the sailing club) realises his difficulty, he uses sailing techniques and terms to help Paul learn.

I wonder whether using dancing techniques would help me to learn how to sail? Probably not!

Short Stories - What I look for as a competition judge

I am pleased to be in this month's Writers Forum magazine talking to Helen M Walters about what I look for when judging short story competitions.

Over the last couple of years, I have been judge for the Chiltern Writers short story competition and also been adjudicator for the SWWJ John Walter Salver Competition (you can read about my afternoon at the award ceremony here.) 

I shall be judging another short story competition later this year. This time, it is the Rosemary Robb Ghost Story Competition for the Nottingham Writers Club. I'm very excited about this as I have written a few ghost stories myself. In fact, it was a post on this blog, about one I'd just had  published in Take a Break fiction Feast, which prompted their prose secretary, Carol Bevitt, to think of me as their judge.You can read the post on my ghost story here.

The thing about writing competitions is they are pretty subjective - what attracts one judge to an entry might leave another cold. Even so, there are a few simple things that can be done to ensure your entry isn't instantly put on the 'no' pile whoever the judge is e.g. make sure your story is professionally presented and has been checked for spelling and grammar errors and, above all, follow the competition rules to the letter. 

Other than that, you can only write something you love and keep your fingers crossed that the judge will too! 

Now of course if you want to know how I judge, the best thing would be to read the whole interview in the magazine but I thought I'd make a short list, here on my blog, of the things I like and dislike in a short story competition entry.

• Write a story, not just a scene (however beautiful)
• Avoid a weak ending
• Balance narrative and dialogue
• Make the story fit the theme
• Whatever question is set up at the beginning of the story, make sure it is answered at the end
• Make me care about the characters
• Avoid cliches
• Avoid too many adjectives/adverbs
• I don't want to be 'aware' of the writer and their techniques
• Don't presume that as I write a lot of romance for magazines that this is what I look for (I enjoy a variety of writing)

and finally:

• Make me feel something (this can be sorrow, happiness, amusement, surprise... anything!) as the ultimate prize will be given to the story that a day (or even a few days) after reading will still be in my head. 

So there you have it - how to get the competitive edge in a nutshell. Just remember, the judge of the writing competition you have entered will have their own set of likes and dislikes.

For anyone thinking of entering competitions, you can do no better than popping over to Patsy Collin's blog, where she regularly posts the latest ones to try... good luck!

Writing a Psychological Thriller - guest post Debbie Howells

Today I am thrilled to welcome bestselling author, Debbie Howells, onto my blog. Debbie's psychological thriller, The Bones of You, was published last year by Pan Macmillan after a rather nice bidding war and has since been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. I met Debbie for writerly chat in my local coffee shop in Steyning recently and was delighted when she agreed to answer some questions about her success.. 

How long did it take you to write The Bones of You?

It took me two and a half months, and was an incredibly intensive writing process. My daughter was away and my son was in college, so I was able to completely immerse myself.   

Your novel is a psychological thriller, have your always written in this genre?

No.  I started writing commercial women’s fiction and when I submitted my first novel to agents, I was told the same thing several times over, that it was a crowded genre and difficult to get a first novel published. However, I had enough positive feedback to make me think that my writing wasn’t complete rubbish and I wasn’t put off.  I self-published my first two books under a pen name - my second reached 150 in the Amazon ebook rankings and caught the attention of an agent, but didn’t go further than that.  My third novel, Wildflowers, caught the attention of six agents.  I’d put everything into that book and after none of them offered to represent me, I decided I had to write something different.  That book was The Bones of You.

What would you say is the hardest part of writing a psychological thriller?

After writing my other books, it was a completely different experience, not least because a police investigation needs to be accurate and true to life, but pacing is important and the smallest details must be consistent throughout.  Readers don’t miss anything! Because of the subject matter, it was quite emotionally challenging to write.  I’d done my research, but even so, I had to try to get into the minds of abuse victims.

You used to be a florist. Was it hard to give this up?

I loved being a florist and I’ll always love flowers! The mainstay of my business was wedding flowers and believe me, that’s stressful. (Read Wildflowers – very cathartic outpouring of too many weddings!) Even after twelve years, the stress was always there because each wedding is someone’s big day and it cannot go wrong! I don’t miss that feeling.  I used to dream about flowers – not always in a good way. At the moment, I indulge my inner florist in my home, though I still help with the occasional wedding for family and friends.

I can only begin to imagine the moment your agent told you she’d found a publisher for your novel. Can you tell us something about it?

I’d allowed myself to imagine finding an agent. I met Juliet (Mushens, my agent) in December 2013 – that was surreal in itself.  I worked on her edits over the next month, and when I sent her back the last tweaks, she emailed me by return, with the list of publishers it was going out to – that evening.  We had meetings with three of them the following Monday and a couple of days later, The Bones of You was bought at auction by Pan Macmillan.  Even writing this now, it seems surreal.  It was the kind of amazing story I’d read about happening to other writers, and here it was happening to me.  It was an unforgettable moment -  hugely, hugely exciting but also, after wanting this for so long, there was relief, too.

The Bones of You was chosen as a Richard and Judy read. What was it like meeting them?

It was another surreal moment, finding out that The Bones had been selected for the Richard and Judy book club.  Richard and Judy couldn’t have been nicer, they really put me at ease.  I met them just before Christmas and we had a conversation for about thirty minutes, which was recorded for a podcast for their website.  The time passed astonishingly quickly!

One of the themes of the novel is emotional abuse. That must have been hard to write about.

Having researched the subject fairly comprehensively and heard firsthand stories of victims, it was a subject I was – and still am - compelled to write about. For most of us, our children are our most precious, loved people and we do what we can to keep them safe.  It’s shocking when you realise how many children don’t have that, and how many adults live with the fallout of abusive childhoods.  You can’t tell, either, by looking at someone.  This kind of abuse is invisible.  Leaves scars where they can’t be seen. It also is more common than you might think.  

We come from the same area of Sussex. Woodland features prominently in your novel. Is there a reason for this and is it based on somewhere local?

We’re lucky to live in the midst of the most beautiful countryside! I walk on the Downs most days and one of my favourite walks is through the woods to the top.  I never tire of how they change with the seasons, the sense of peacefulness I always find there.  Not surprising they’ve found their way into my book.

Can you tell us something about your next book?

The Beauty of the End is about a reclusive ex-lawyer called Noah, who discovers that a girl he once knew is suspected of murder.  Her name is April Moon and she was the love of Noah’s life.  He absolutely knows she’s innocent but with April on life support and the evidence pointing to her guilt, it isn’t that simple.

It’s a story about secrets, lies, and the power of the past.  It’s also a love story. 

Debbie Howells worked as cabin crew and a flying instructor before starting her wedding flower business.  It was during a hectic summer full of weddings that she started writing women's fiction, as an escape, dreaming of one day becoming a published author.  A few books later and after a change of genre, Pan Macmillan bought her first two psychological thrillers, The Bones of You and The Beauty of the End, to be published in July, followed by a deal recently to buy two more.

Debbie lives in a small West Sussex village with her children and animals.

You can buy The Bones of You here
You can visit Debbie at her website here 

Out of the Slush Pile - How I Found My Agent

This is a follow up to my post 'The Day My Life Changed Direction'.

You know that feeling when you've just been told you've won the lottery? Well neither do I but I came pretty close to it recently.

Agent, Eve White, had just uttered these magic words, Congratulations! We only invite a few writers from our slush pile of 10,000 to meet us for a chat and you're one of them, and I was trying to think of some reply that didn't make me come across as either a) gushing b) desperate or c) unhinged.

In the end, I plumped for plain old thank you, which seemed to work.

Let me tell you how it all began. At the beginning of 2015, I wrote a novel and at the end of 2015, I finished a novel. In between, I received a favourable critique from my RNA New Writers' Scheme reader (for the partial I'd managed to complete by the deadline). I liked it, my best writing pal, Tracy, liked it, my husband liked it, the dog liked it - what more did I need to show the publishing world that I'd written something fabulous?

A lot more, as it happens. I needed someone who couldn't be bribed with teacakes, who didn't fear they'd end up in the spare bed or be denied a walk along the river.

I needed an agent.

So I made a start. I dusted off my Writers' and Artists' Year Book, I joined Agent Hunter, I read all the agent interviews on the Novelicious website and made a list of people who sounded like they a) might enjoy my genre of book b) were taking on new authors c) sounded like they'd be happy to work with said new author. Then I made a plan - I would send out my submission package a few at a time and then, after a month, send out a few more so that when the rejections came in I wouldn't be suicidal.

And that's what I did. I had a few standard rejections. You know - the ones that end with we don't feel passionately about your novel, I received a few more with short encouraging comments which made me kiss the screen. Then came the request all authors dream of - we'd like to see your full manuscript. Soon after that came another.

The first email came back. The agent had taken the time to give me feedback - great sense of place, compelling opening, strong writing, intrigue from first chapter but she wanted more drama. My heart sank. I'd come so close.

It was then it happened. I received an email from the Eve White Literary Agency. Eve represents Saskia Sarginson (The Twins) Jane Shemilt (Daughter) and Ruth Ware (In a Dark, Dark Wood) whose books are (or will soon be) Richard and Judy Book Club Reads. The email was from Kitty, Eve's assistant. She'd read the full manuscript and liked what she'd read. Eve had too. Could they arrange a phone call? The following day, they'd changed their minds - could I come up to London for a chat the following week?

So that's what I did. To say I was nervous was an understatement but as soon as I arrived at Eve's office in Pimlico (which is also where she lives) she and Kitty did everything to put me at ease. We discussed my novel, we discussed how it could be improved. It would mean a lot of work but they would help me with this. They believed in me. They believed in my work. They'd like to offer me representation.

If you read the advice given to writers in this position, you will know that what I did next is not what is recommended. What I should have done is let the other agents who had my initial three  chapters know that I'd had an offer of representation and given them the opportunity to read the full manuscript if they wanted to. But, do you know, it didn't take me long to realise that this wasn't what I wanted to do. Okay, I might get more offers but what was it I wanted in an agent?

Here is the list I'd previously made. They had to be:

a) someone who I liked
b) someone who liked my work as much as Tracy, my husband and my dog did
c) someone who represented successful authors
d) someone who represented authors whose books I enjoyed
c) someone who I felt I could work well with
d) someone prepared to invest the time to work with me as a new author

I'd already found that someone - why look further?

That's why, last week, I signed the contract to be represented by the Eve White Agency.

And I couldn't be happier.

Five Writing Rules I Break - Guest Post Phillipa Ashley

Phillipa is a well known name in the word of romance and women's fiction and I am delighted to welcome her as a guest on my blog. I asked her what writing rules, over the years, she's allowed herself to break and whether there are any that remain sacred!

Over to you, Phillipa.

Five rules I’ve learned to break in ten years of writing…

…and one I never would

1.  Write what you know. Erm... not necessarily. Ages ago, I read a quote that said: ‘write what you want to know’. Personally, I always include a big element in a book that I don’t know anything about so I can go and find out. That’s usually at least two jobs/lifestyles I know nothing about and dozens of emotions to explore. Otherwise I’d be really bored.

2.  The editor is always right. Not always, not even 90% of the time but he or she is usually paying so learn to pick your battles. When you first get edits, by all means scream, rant and chuck your toys out of the pram. Then, take a deep breath and a few days to consider why s/he wants you to make the changes. Make them work for you, or explain calmly and rationally, why they won’t. Most reasonable editors will come to a compromise. If you’ve signed away your IP rights, ignore the above. You really do have no say. If you can’t live with that, don’t sign any agreement that requires you relinquish the rights to your characters and the story.

3.  Show, don’t tell. Well, yes, but don’t go overboard. Sometimes a pithy summary is far more reader friendly than pages of acted-out drama. Narrative can also be a great way of showing the passage of time by slowing pace or adding variation.

4.  Never compare yourself with others. Easy to say: impossible to do. There will always be writers who sell more/win more awards/have more Twitter followers/are younger, cooler and cannier at using Instagram filters etc than you. The trick is to use others’ success to spur yourself on. Envy is a horrible emotion but it’s human. Learn from your own responses to others, analyse them for use in your work and be generous to your fellow writers. The vast majority are some of the most wonderful supportive people on the planet. The rest can be inspiration for your next villain!

5.  Write every day. If you can do, then great but if you’re like me, you’ll probably need ‘white space’ in your writing life. Take breaks when you need them, and over a career, you’ll probably need them a lot. You may be out of contract and have lost your confidence; you may simply be burnt out and exhausted. If you’ve suffered a major life trauma or bereavement, you may find you simply cannot physically sit at a laptop or have no idea why anyone ever writes. Be super kind to yourself and allow time to recharge your creative batteries.

And one not to break: Never Give Up

If genuine Writers’ Block strikes, and is a result of trauma or exhaustion, then focus all your energies on recovery and your health. Tell yourself you’re never going to write again if it eases your load and takes the pressure off. However, if you’re ‘merely’ full of self-doubt, then a change may be as good as a rest. Try a different tense/POV or a short story or novella or poetry. Lie to yourself and say you’re only writing for you, you’re never going to submit this project: it’s a piece of pure self-indulgent fun.

One morning, I promise, you’ll find you’re back on the horse and galloping along like Poldark.

Phillipa Ashley, writes romantic and women’s fiction for a variety of international publishers including Avon Harper Collins, Penguin and Headline.

After studying English at Oxford, she worked as a copywriter and journalist. Her first novel won the RNA New Writers Award and was made into a TV movie called ‘12 Men of Christmas’ starring Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Hopkins. As Pippa Croft, she also wrote the Oxford Blue series for Penguin Books.

Phillipa’s new book, Summer at the Cornish Café, will be published by @AvonBooks (Harper Collins) on May 5^th – and is the first of a trilogy set in Cornwall.

Summer at the Cornish Cafe is available to pre-order here

The Day My Life Changed Direction

My post today is to commemorate the week, five years ago, when my life changed.

It was a Friday - the last day of the February half term - and, after a lovely week off, I was preparing to go back to work the following Monday. Instead, I had a message to come into the school for a meeting.

I'd been the English teacher at the small, private primary school for ten years and it was unusual to be called in on the last day of our break. I'm not sure if I had a premonition of what was to come as I drove to the school that morning and took my seat with the other teachers and support staff... but everything seemed wrong. It was too quiet, with none of the usual back to school chatter. Faces were serious. Eyes wary.

The news, when it came, was devastating. The school hadn't weathered the recession and was to close. There would be no job to go back to and no classes for the children.

I remember the following Monday as clearly as if it happened yesterday... going into school, collecting up my things, taking down children's work from the display boards and leaving them bare. Most of all, I remember saying goodbye to the children gathered in the hallway to collect their work and trying not to cry.

When I got home, I walked the dog along the river bank. It was a lovely clear day but instead of taking in the beauty of the place, the river meandering through the water meadows and the South Downs in the distance, my thoughts flicked back and forth from what had been, to what might be. I had no direction. On the one hand I felt relief at having left behind the parts of my job all teachers hate: preparing, marking, occasional challenging children, parents evenings and the dreaded OFSTED but I had also left behind my identity. I was adrift.

For those of you who know the rest of the story, I apologise. For my new readers, I will tell you what happened next in a sentence. I did a writing course, I did a second, I sent a story to magazines, I had rejections, I had acceptances, I carried on, I wrote more, I subbed more, I had rejections, I published more, I wrote a serial, I wrote another, I had rejections, I wrote articles, I wrote a novel, I had rejections, I had words of encouragement, I didn't give up, I had belief, I had hope, I have a new life opening up to me - exciting, challenging.

Five years ago, through adversity, my life took a new new direction.

I didn't find it. It found me.

I'm proud of myself.

I am a writer.

Ghost Stories Don't Need to be Scary

I always used to think that ghost stories should be scary - probably something to do with watching too much Scooby Doo as a child! It was only after I actually sat down to write one, that I realized they don’t have to be spine-chilling. In fact, ghost stories can be romances, family tales, comedy even – not necessarily something dark and gothic.

This week, in Take a Break Fiction Feast, I have a ghost story called ‘Hearts in the Sand’ and I thought I’d use it as an example of how to write a non-scary ghost story.

Feeling lonely after the death of her husband, Kevin, Julie moves to the seaside town where they had been planning to retire. It was a place Kevin had stayed as a child. A place very special to him.

While walking on the beach one day, Julie sees a child drawing hearts in the sand. The little girl, who says her name is Ella, the tries to engage her in conversation but Julie wants to be alone with her sadness. Ella tells Julie she loves the beach and asks her whether she does too. When Julie shakes her head, the little girl draws another heart and says, ‘I’ll teach you how.’

The following day, the child is on the beach again and Julie is irritated when she asks her once more if she loves the beach. Unperturbed by Julie's unfriendliness, Ella shows her a beautiful coral sea fan. The same thing happens on the following days with Ella showing Julie new things from the beach: a sea potato, a tiny velvet crab, an oystercatcher. The little girl continues to ask Julie if she loves the beach but, despite being shown all the wonderful things it has to offer, she can’t see beyond her loneliness.

Over the coming days, Julie notices the girl is looking increasingly pale and out of breath and worries she’s unwell. Ella tells Julie she lives in one of the cottages at the back of the beach. As Julie looks, a woman comes out and she presumes it’s the girl’s grandmother. She says she’ll take Ella back home but when she gets there Ella isn’t behind her.

The woman, Elizabeth, who is also widowed, invites Julie in. She tells Julie she’s seen her around town and had wondered whether she was new to the area. There is a photo on the wall with a little girl in it who Julie recognizes as Ella. She’s sitting on the beach with a boy. When Julie tells Elizabeth she’s met her granddaughter, we find out that the girl in the picture is not her granddaughter at all but Elizabeth’s sister, Ella, who died of leukemia when she was nine. The little boy is Julie’s husband, Kevin, who used to stay in the cottage with his family when it was a guesthouse. They had both loved the beach and Kevin used to show Ella all the beautiful and interesting things he found there.

At the end of the story, we realise Ella was in fact a ghost. Through her, Kevin was able to help his wife fall in love with the place - by showing her the things that were special to him. A well as that, Ella and Kevin had helped Julie find a new friend in Elizabeth.

So you see, it’s not necessary for a ghost story to be scary – this one was in fact a story about love.

Here were some techniques I used to write the story:

An interesting setting

Whether a ghost story is to be scary or not, you need to create atmosphere. I chose a beach (one of my favorite story settings). Whatever setting you use, remember to use all your senses in your descriptions.

Make sure your ghost has a reason or motive for existing

My ghost, Ella, was a vehicle for Julie’s late husband to help her to fall in love with her new home. She was also integral in helping Julie banish her loneliness..

Give the reader clues about the ghost

Obviously, we don’t want to give the game away too soon but we want the reader to look back and say ‘Oh, yes – now I see!’

These clues might be in the ghost’s appearance or maybe in something they say. Here are the clues I left in Hearts in the Sand.

• It’s a cold day when Julie first meets Ella. She is wearing gloves but the child’s hands are bare and she doesn't seem to feel the cold. Later, Julie comments on the fact that Ella's only wearing a woolen dress and no coat.
• Julie is surprised that she’s out on the beach alone.
• Julie wonders why she’s not at school.
• I mention Ella’s pale hair and the blue veins showing beneath the skin of her wrist.
• Ella climbs the rocks easily despite mention of her frailty.
• From the window of her house, Julie thinks she sees Ella on the beach despite the rain.
• When she gets to Elizabeth’s gate, Ella is no longer there.

There you have it. Ghost stories don’t need to scare. Have you written a ghost story? If so, what techniques did you use?