Pondering and Procrastinating

These two could probably be one and the same thing, albeit not intentionally. But when it comes down to it, I still haven't got any further with sending my latest finished novel off to anyone to take a look at, and immediately get into a huge bidding war with several publishers vying for my literary affections. Ok, so not exactly, but we all have to dream a little (lot?), don't we?

I had all good intentions of sending it off a couple of a month's ago, heading out to the most local Waterstones to snap up a copy of the recently released Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2015 with the plan to look up a couple of direct publishers, to see what I could glean about them. I also wanted to take a look at which agents might be looking for novels in my genre. I was a little surprised therefore, not to find the original publisher I was thinking about listed. I wasn't too worried about this but still thought I'd like to take a look at some agents' listings before I made my final decision. And this is where things rather stalled.

I had all good intentions of doing this but I just haven't got around to it. There always seems to be something else to do - helping out my parents with a few things, something I always want to do as they have done so much for us in the past, and continue to do so, it feels good to be able to repay the favours whenever we can. We also had a friend being deployed so wanted to get together with them, before he flew off, dealing with some ongoing health issues and just the day to day, ins and outs of this thing called life.

I know that people say you have to just sit down and write and I know that - and I try and do that as much as possible. The health issues mentioned mean I rarely have as much energy as I could really do with to get everything I need to done. Some things have to get sacrificed. It took me a long time to realise that, and it's still hard and I don't always get it right but the important thing is to try. And try I will. I have to admit, the thought of traipsing metaphorically around the agent list once more doesn't exactly fill me with glee. I remember all those rejections last time. Although, I do take heart in that quite a few of them did have hand written notes on them saying nice things.

This weekend is a bit crazy, as it's Air Show season in the world of UK aviation and Advance Helicopters will be exhibiting at our home base of Shoreham. Feel free to cross fingers, toes, eyes and legs for good weather as it really helps bring out the crowds (the good weather, not the eye crossing!) and proceeds go to a great cause.

After that, amongst everything else on my ever growing To Do list is to sit and go through the yearbook and make a note of any agents who deal in my genre. I suppose, in the back of my mind, there is a nagging doubt of 'is it worth it', when all we hear is about tv 'celebs' being asked to write books whilst those of us who don't have such connections or fame are lying untouched in an email slush pile somewhere. Or am I being too cynical?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above and any tips you may have? It's quite a few years since I sent fiction out to do the rounds so I'm grateful for any helpful suggestions!

Happy writing!

To Nano or Not To Nano

That is the question...well, it is for a lot of people around this time of year. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the idea is that you write 50,000 words - effectively a short novel, or at least a good chunk of an average size one, within the month of November.

It's not an easy task and I am yet to take part - although I did get very close to it in 2007 but things sort of fell apart and it went by the wayside. There is always something else going on around that time, it seems. But I would like to do it one day - just because. I haven't decided whether to take part this year. I'm thinking probably not just because there are others things that need my attention and if I do it, I really want to do it and not just have a half hearted attempt.

There does seem to be a lot more snobbery around this year about Nanowrimo, which is a shame. I don't know where that's come from, and why. It's a fun thing to do - but it is hard word and I admire those that do complete it. No-one for a minute imagines that what they produce in that mad, mayhem filled, Red Bull fuelled month is worthy of publication. That's not the point. It's a challenge and it is a starting point. A starting point for something that, with a lot more work, and a lot more editing, may in time become something worthy of publication.

So , are you taking part in Nanowrimo this year? And if so, why? And if not, why not?

One last thing about November - it is also the month for Movember - you grow a moustache during the month of November, getting sponsorship along the way. It's all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for mens' cancer, specifically prostate and testicular. I'm sure you'll agree it's a great cause and I'm proud to say that my hubby and his business partner at Advance Helicopters are taking part this year. Please feel free to offer your support, and any donation, if you are able - there's more about it on their Movember page here. Weekly updates will be posted, of course!