Category Archives: Randoms

Ah! The Ups & Downs of Writing- Has This Happened To You Writers? #amwriting #learning

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Today has been a very productive day for me writing wise, it’s just 3:00 p.m London time and already I have one complete chapter done! But let me tell you, it did not start out like this. First, last night I left off writing thinking okay tomorrow, I’ll come back and w,x ,y,z is  the focus. Previously, I had wrote  about four chapters  of my current thriller, then I ripped it to shreds (a year later late 2016).  But I kept my vision and story line,  I was not a fan of how I wrote “the vision.” So anyway, I started out again. Last night I was  so so so sure I kept the old version … somewhere, I just had to have it, right? Of course somewhere.

Today I thought I’d  go back to it, as I’m  writing a scene that now fits with what I wrote before  a lot better. I went back to my external hard drive the most logical place to look- it wasn’t there, I searched my whole lap top- it wasn’t there. I started to panic, no panic is not the word I started to curse loudly, in a very un lady like way LOL (thank God my son’s at nursery he’s now at the tender age of three, and he repeats EVERYTHING he hears this is how he picks up his vocabulary).

For about five mins, I just sat behind the lap top staring out the window at the rain, then back at my lap top, then at the hard drive in a foul mood. I wanted to pick everything up off the table and chuck it out the window onto the main road and curse  and let a car run over everything! But that would not have helped… so I didn’t  🙂 I  questioned myself, where did I save my old work? Did I really delete it off my external hard drive, once I rewrote the story ? What  have I done with it, I’ve lost at least four  fucking chapters!!  Was all that went through my head.

Then I turned the house upside down, looking for my old USBs  from a few years ago, hoping to God I found them. There it was … all 20,000 words of my old manuscript ahhh sighs of relief, break out the violins please.  I swear I could literally feel the happy hormones taking over my body again 🙂 all I had to do now was hope to God, what I was looking for was  saved on this particular USB I found.

THANK THE HEAVENS! There it was, OMG one chapter down, go Kim *high five.* *Shake it around the living room like Beyonce would* I got my happy dance on y’all 🙂

What I learned today, is NEVER ever move your work (no matter how old) from the main place you save it to another, never ever delete anything as you never know you may want to go back to it, as I did today, rewrite it, change it, add it to another story whatever. The point is save,save,save no matter how rubbish you think it is. Which is how I felt when I started to rewrite the chapters and clearly moved it off my external hard drive. I thought it was a pile of shit to be honest what I had wrote. But obviously not crap enough to delete completely, just crap enough to move from my current work and published work. Why the hell I did it, I honestly don’t know.

Writers has this ever happened to you? Have you ever lost work? Or re found it and got your happy dance on?  Have you deleted something and then tried your hardest to recover it? Tell me your story! Drop me a comment.

 

 

Writing Prompt Challenge week 7: Music to Write By #amwriting #MFRWauthor #writerslife

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It’s week seven of the romance authors fifty two week writing prompt  challenge, this week it’s music we write to. Oh boy! Where oh where do I even start with this. My musical taste is so diverse ( just how I like my characters in my stories). I listen to pretty much anything but heavy metal, mainly as I can’t dance to that- who can? Show me how?!

I Like

  • 50s-70s soul and motown.
  • Modern music from today.
  • Hip hop ( old stuff)
  • French soul and hip hop
  • 90’s stuff
  • Pop
  • Soft rock ( like P!ink)
  • Classical
  • Jazz
  • Everything!

When I write it depends on the mood I’m in and what scene I’m writing, I’ll be honest and say as a romance writer I don’t actually listen to love songs when I write ( weirdly). When I wrote A Stranger in France I listened to a lot of French soul singers, motown, soul and classical piano music. Music really features in the book. When I wrote Not Just for Christmas it was actually summer! No where near Christmas and I remember listening to a lot of upbeat summer music from the modern times, mainly the radio. For Code Redhead- A Serial Novel, my contribution story I wrote  mainly while I listened to the sound track from Fifty Shades of Grey * wink, I had fun with that story!

When I’m behind schedule, like maybe I’m in a panic that I won’t meet a deadline agreed with a publisher, or I just have not focused myself well for whatever reason. I don’t suffer writer’s block I’ve found a way to beat it, you can find out how I have done that by clicking here, but sometimes I sit down to write and I “faaf” around reading other blogs, watching Youtube or just browsing the internet,  looking at God knows what, and before I know it, it’s time for bed. When that happens and I fall behind my target, I need to listen to classical music as it will focus me, mainly piano classical does the job really well. I found a sound track on Spotify Player that really focuses me.

When I’m on track and feeling good, I go with the flow I just load up Spotify and let it do it’s thing, but I always write with music, I find it hard not to.

 

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Romance: The Good, The Bad & Ugly Kim’s Blog Hop + Giveaway. ALL can sign up #bloghop #romance #valentines #amwriting #meetupatkimsblog

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Hi guys,

It’s the month of looove and Valentine’s Day is approaching. Valentine’s is always special to me, it’s my birthday, I enjoy the whole romance and love theme naturally, and it will be my first ever attempt to host a link up/ blog hop or writing prompt. Call it what you want, but you know what I mean…so since you have arrived sign up and take part, tell me and other readers…

How has “the month of love” been treating you this year? How was Valentine’s Day for you? Share your memorable, cringe worthy, funny, loving and romantic moments that happened during this month, and /or on Valentine’s Day itself.  Or be open and express yourself and your general views on the good and bad about love and Valentine’s Day. Let readers know your honest thoughts, feelings, joys, or frustrations with love in general, and the whole concept of Valentine’s day.Whether you’re single, married, divorced or somewhere in between, gay, straight or somewhere in between everyone is welcome! Whatever you write, just be free and easy, the only theme is your thoughts/experience with romance and love this month and Valentines Day.

I promise I won’t steal your experience and put it in my next romance novel 🙂 🙂

Notes/giveaways 

  1. If you are a fellow author taking part, and you wish to host a giveaway on your author site when you take part feel free!  Readers, check out all the authors taking part for a freebie maybe.
  2. I will giveaway a free e-book version of either A Stranger in France or Not Just for Christmas or Code Redhead – A Serial novel to the ten blogger’s I enjoyed reading the most! You decide what e-book you’d like. 
  3. This link up and hop / writing prompt will run from the 14th February 2017- 28th February 2017 winners will be notified  by the 7th March 2017. The link entries button will close on the 25th February, just add your link as a comment instead if you enter after the 25th.
  4.  Sign up by adding your link to your website/blog below. Use #MEETUPATKIMSBLOG in your post so readers can find your blog or
  5. Once you have blogged a response, post your DIRECT  link to your actual post below for others to read and visit your blog directly to the post.
  6. Then visit, like and read other posts also. And Share the love, add the link up code to your blog or link back to this post. And if you want to re-blog this and get others involved.

The link to post your blog link is OPEN now if you want to get in early….

Share this post and participation on your own blog with the button below

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Writing Prompt Challenge Week 6: Is it Possible For A Writer To Have Other Hobbies??- Passion for #fashion #amwriting #MFRWauthor

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I’ve  just discovered a really cool new blog for romance writers, they are doing a fifty two week writing prompt challenge for romance authors. Each week a different prompt for the whole of 2017. So of course I’m on board, you know I LOVE a writing prompt so here goes… I’ve joined at week six- hobbies.

I have a lot of interests, and a few hobbies. At times I wish I could turn all my interests into hobbies and  have time for everything! But my one true passion that will never die, outside writing has to be fashion and beauty. Reading about it, practising it, watching it on You Tube it does not matter to me. When I comes to fashion I like to customise clothes, I can sew clothes (well) and read dressmaking patterns ( well), and I like to draw pictures of clothing designs (I wish I could draw better!). Below are some pictures of dresses that I have made. I made these while pregnant with my son three years ago, I stopped sewing when I was too pregnant to fit behind my sewing machine LOL. I have spent my free time mainly writing  since, so I have not made anything for what feels like forever. My last project was an abandoned blazer.

 

 

To be fair I look back at these dresses and know I could have done a bit better, but I’m proud of them still. I was pregnant and my patience was not that great!

So how did this hobby start? Well, I learned to sew mainly from school I took textiles in high school ( secondary school) as my creative /art subject as an option. I loved learning how to use a machine,  and all about fabrics, making projects along with English it was my favourite subject. I was fourteen at the time when I picked the option. After two years of study, at sixteen I finished high school with a GCSE in Textiles. By the time I was sixteen I was dead set on pursing a creative career either in fashion or as a make-up artist. I still enjoyed writing, but funny back then I never saw myself as an actual published author. My eye was on the fashion and beauty world.

My nana, when she was alive also sewed A LOT she never used patterns she would just create, I remember spending time with my nana and I’d  just watch her and how she used the machine. I must have been about ten or maybe younger as she passed away when I was fourteen by the time I picked this as a qualification at school.My dressmaker’s stand, above in the picture is actually called Lucinda after my nana in her memory.

Over the years I have collected so many patterns for dresses, tops, trousers, blazers. My favourites are the vintage Vogue patterns my mum bought me. I like to use patterns from other designers ( eg shop bought ones) and adapt them to my liking.

I did a make-up course when I left school at sixteen, and a few years ago I did another one just for fun like a “hobby”. I am yet to complete it, but for all the practical assignments I did on a model I passed with 100%, for recreating the look specified by the teacher. I will carve out some time to complete it.

So yes, authors do have other interests but writing, and they do do other things but write … but it does not mean we have time for all of them, as writing always comes first. 🙂

 

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Haiku Horizons Writing Prompt: Rain Poem #sunday #inspiration

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In response to this week’s Haiku Horizon’s writing  prompt: Rain I’ve come over all poetic.  I imagined how the rain can compare to some kind of heartache…Not often  that I even see this side of me! Thanks for the prompt Haiku Horizons. I’m way over the word limit for Haiku but, hey oh well .. I was in the zone.

 

 

Realistically, it was over before we even got started, I never thought I’d feel this broken hearted.

Apart from this broken heart, where do I start? What have I gained from our time apart? Some perspective, strength,better health and a couple more dollar bills to add to my wealth.

Intuition, I should have listened to it, I should have followed it, when  just like the rain it beat at my door. Finally, my intuition inside of me, forced me to stand on my own two feet, forced me to say there must be a better life for me.  At one point I was too weak, so chance after chance was yours to reap.

Now in solitude I feel peace.  And just like the rain slowly I’ll wash you away.

Writer’s Block: One Author’s Experience & How to Overcome it #amwriting #writerslife

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Craft

This writing prompt is inspired by some questions posed for Goodreads authors to answer. I thought about my response, and thought it be great to share with you all aspiring authors out there! And anyone interested in how I went about writing A Stranger in France, Not Just for Christmas and Code Redhead- A Serial Novel.

So when I think of writer’s block in the traditional sense, I think of a writer sitting behind their lap top with a blank page, with a blank mind- they don’t know what to write or how to start. I don’t personally experience this type of writer’s block. I don’t mean this in a cocky way either, it’s because I’ve personally found a way to avoid it. But I’ll be honest I do experience lack of discipline/ sticking to my own writing schedule I set, this is mainly due to life and being  a busy mama. But when I do sit down to write, in between being a mama and work I’m never blank. Generally speaking, the former experience is what I’ve read and heard most writers experience. How do I avoid this common type of writer’s block, that is so damaging to a writer’s productivity  and even decreases their chances of finishing  their novel or short story? Simple…

 I have some form of detailed plan, I know what you’re thinking we all plan our storytelling ideas, hmm yes but the key is detailed.  Before I even write “Chapter One” at the top of my blank page  when I have a novel or short story idea I do the following:

  1. A detailed mini synopsis of EVERY chapter.
  2. A detailed character profile for EVERY character, especially those who take centre stage.
  3. Drum up two possible endings for the story.
  4. Drum up a few shockers/surprises/ OMG I never saw that coming twists. (this step depends on the genre I’m writing. I do this for romantic suspense and thriller a lot).

Every writer finds their own way and their own voice, but for me in order to avoid that “shit what do I write now?” Feeling, or find myself at a dead end with my story, I have a full idea of how the story will play out in the start, middle and end,  and an idea of what will happen in EVERY chapter for EVERY character. It’s quite a detailed plan. This is step #1 this way when I sit down to write I know what direction I’m going in, just from glancing at my synopsis of where I am with writing. Now don’t get me wrong my detailed chapter synopsis is not set in stone, when I wrote A Stranger in France  for one of my characters a scene I wrote  just came to me that very night I was writing. It was a creative  thought on the spot and it tied in with the story (lucky), so I went off the track I set out on. Another thing I find about this approach is it helps me to  think about possible word count, as I know what will take place in each chapter before I even write it and how long  certain scenes may play out for.

#2 is just a personal thing, many writers have an idea in their head of who their characters are, but I’m a little OCD. Mainly as I enjoy writing from first person, and try to make my characters pop on the page. (Which can be  a challenge as you need to become that character and react to situations as they would, not yourself). Due to my personal writing style, I like to sometimes use I NEED  to know my character’s view points, attitudes, likes and dislikes to a T,so I can be consistent when I am writing their POV. But generally I’d say this is good practice.

#3 this is my plan B, in case I decide to move off my detailed chapter plan, just back up! But it also helps me to move in the right direction when writing, to know what to write and when so I don’t experience writer’s block.

#4 I love this part! And it fits with genre I write in and my personal enjoyment of writing. You can’t have a romantic suspense, without the suspense or even a little surprise. You can’t have a thriller without some kind of thrill 🙂 in my humble personal opinion. If I am honest, this is the most enjoyable part as a writer for me, I love building up a little roller coaster to keep the pages turning. 

With  two out of the three of my published works and my current novel I’m writing now I followed my natural “blue print”, of how I  personally avoid writer’s block. I managed to finish a 90,000 odd word novel and 20,000 odd  word novella. And hopefully I’ll finish what I’m working on now as a guess this maybe about 60,000-70,000 words. The only time I went off track was when I wrote the short story for Code Redhead – A Serial Novel with twelve other authors … what do you think happened? Yep I got writer’s block LOL. I had my idea based on the writing prompt we were given but no real direction or plan, I was less organised and it took me a lot longer to get into my flow. Why did I not stick to what works? I think, looking back it was because the authors featured in Code Redhead- A Serial Novel only had 14,000 words as a limit for their story- teeny tiny ! So I thought to myself, this will be a breeze. But I was wrong,  it was a learning curve for me as a writer. Shorter word count (when it comes to writing for a novel not a blog) means  nothing. I learned in some ways it can be more of a challenge, to write an engaging story with a tiny word count  you need to  focus on the story developing plus balance character development etc.  Also when I saw the cover for the book, I went back to the drawing board, originally my story was a nice sweet feel good romance I called it “From London with Love” originally, but the cover of the book did not scream sensible shoes and a nice cardigan when I saw it LOL. No, to me the writing prompt my publisher gave us all, and the cover said to me “Kim, pull out something a little more stilettos and  a little black dress for your main character.” So that’s what I did, but not as quick as I would have liked, I did get writer’s block in the traditional sense for the first time! But I over came it and the story changed direction and the characters took on a new direction … eventually.

What did I learn from this? Stick to my natural blue print that helps to avoid writer’s block. Even if you change the story line last moment, at least you have a detailed idea of where you were originally going before hand and can adapt it,  rather than  just doing what you love …  writing, a little blindly and ending up blocked, pressed for time and like argh! Second no matter the word limit 14,000 or 140,000 you need a plan.

So the moral is, ( for me on my journey to published author) that I want to share with you is plan your direction, plan your character’s direction, and then plan some more! Then write… like no one is looking and enjoy feeling stress free and writer’s block free.

 

 

Daily Writing Prompt: Let’s Keep Love Simple #amwriting

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via Daily Prompt: Simple

Simple

In response to a WordPress writing word prompt posted a few days ago… the word simple.

Is anything ever simple? Life, money, work, sex… love? Nope it never is. But somethings should be more simple than others in life… love should be one of them.

I’ve used this song above  as part of my response to this writing prompt, as the song by Alicia Keys is called ” Simple” and it is one of my favourite songs from the album  ” The Diary of Alicia Keys.” The lyrical content is clever.  If you have read my blog for some time you know I’m a massive music fan. It inspires me when I write, I use it in my writing and I listen to it when I’m writing. In fact, I can’t actually think of a time apart from when I’m asleep, that I don’t have some form of music on.This album might be maybe about nine or ten years old, but I still love it and still listen to it.

 The song (the lyrical content) is about a complex relationship that is never simple, but needs to be simplified in order to work. Which is my point.  People in general may think that relationships and love are complex things, and never simple or  shy away from them. Or if they are in a hard relationship walk away as it’s too much hard work. One thing I have learned over the years, is that relationships and love are actually not complex things, they  could be one of the most simplest things in life that bring you as a person the most joy in your day to day life. What makes them complex are PEOPLE and their  wants, needs , desires and sometimes there can be mismatch  in expectation which creates a feeling of a complex /hard work relationship, that is never simple. Have you ever had a non -simple relationship?

  I have and it took me in all honestly about almost seven years to come to this conclusion on relationships/love and that really they should be quite simple. It it’s hard work, it’s toxic.  I learned by looking back at the relationship, and realising love should never be this hard/complex. Loving someone and being in love, should be a simple, easy feeling. 

As a romance writer, I like to write about complex relationships and show how two characters over come their complex difficulties, with a happy ever after. That’s what romance  and love is about, a happy ever after feeling, not complexity and hard work.  Romance and love should be simple. And most importantly, I have learned it can be. If you just keep it simple.

How?

  1. Listen   2. make an effort 90% give 10% take 3.compromise  = simple.

Daily One Word Writing Prompt: When I am Fluent – Then I am Successful #learning

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Successful

As the title suggests in response to today’s WordPress writing prompt, the one thing burning within me that I would like to achieve, and then I’ll feel  like a success, is to move from conversational/intermediate level in my reading,writing and general comprehension of the French language to  somewhat fluent.

For about two to three years I’ve studied the language, and some might say by now I should be fluent. Maybe so, but I’ve never really been in a rush to be perfect, it’s always been just a general interest of mine. That changed in 2016, something shifted in me and I have a new level of motivation. It could be  as  I have three French  exams in May speaking,listening,reading and writing! I need to pass if I want my language certification, and to feel some kind of success, no one sits an exam and wants to fail or gain a poor grade.

If you’ve ever tried to master a new language you may be able to relate to how I feel, when learning a language for me personally one skill always outweighs my ability to do another. For example my problem is I can read and write so much more better in French. (Well, my French speaking girlfriend and penpal in Paris may disagree with me, she may  laugh her head off at my bad  French in my letters). But I feel that my confidence in the language is via reading and writing, more so than listening to spoken French. It might be all the years of practice I’ve had via writing letters  in French why my skill is better in this area. If someone speaks to me in French quite slowly, I’ll pick up most of it and understand, but maybe not straight away depending on what they say. But if you write it down I will understand straight away. To back this point up even more, I have downloaded some French easy to read young adult books from Amazon and I understand, but when I listen to the audio I have to pause and go back and listen again and so forth. So I have really started to work on my speaking and listening skills. I’ve started to watch some TV shows in French I’ve found on Netflix and You Tube. 

So as they say, slow and steady wins the race right? OK well here I go, I’m preserving with my learning and spending a lot more time on Skype talking  with language partners and listening to French by having general conversations with others, rather than hiding behind my pen and paper to practice. This new way of language mastering is  in hope that by May I can say yes I am successful, I have moved up a notch in my fluency, and no longer need to say  as often” ah can you repeat that for me again, please” so many times, before I understand ! Once this has reduced, I can then say yep I feel much more a success in my language skills.

Have you ever tried to learn a language or new skill? What did you do to master the language? And feel successful in your learning attempts?

 

One Word Writing Prompt: Exposure

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Exposure

One day late, yesterday’s WordPress writing prompt, this word sparked off a poem about exposing the truth. I wonder what the big secret is?

 

Eventually the truth will come out, it always does. I know your secret. So it should be no surprise when I  expose how the story really goes.

X marks the spot, I know what happened there. And for the truth you all must 

Prepare. X marks the spot.

Over there, where the grass is now almost bare.

Sunken in. The x marks a spot of sin.

Under the tree, 

Reveals the spot in which he met his fate. I watched it all, one evening while sat quietly on the wall. The time has come, I know what you’ve done. I think I’ll make that phone call and be prepared to reveal all. 

Exposure, also means closure. I’m re-writing the end of the story, or should I say his story. So  you better get prepared because the truth I’m about to bare. You don’t know that I know, so for me  your dirty little secret will be my pleasure to expose. Then watch you run and hide, then rack your brain wondering how and why  the truth you could not hide.

Writing Prompt: Sweet Sixteen #amwriting #writingprompt

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Taken from the 365 Days of Writing Prompts book, under today’s date this is the prompt.

When you were 16,what  did you think your life would look like? Does it look like that? Is that a good thing?

No, my life looks nothing like I imagined it at sixteen. At sixteen I was just leaving school I gained good grades, I went down the traditional route to do academic study at A-Level I started to study sociology, English and media studies. I dropped out! The only real subject I really worked hard in was English. I really enjoyed sociology. But as a typical sixteen year old girl I had other ideas and got distracted. I dropped out and went to beauty school instead. I ended up finishing a make-up, hair, nail and beauty course. The creative person in me was born outside of writing, I have always loved fashion and beauty.

Back then, my idea of how my working life would be was to  become some kind of creative person working within make-up /fashion. I worked for a few years in salons and kept up the dream. Drooled over Vogue magazine and the like. Played around with make-up like there was no tomorrow. But life changed and I needed to earn a better living so I fell into an office role, kept working, loved what I was doing for so long and then started my degree worked, then did a teaching degree and started teaching, I kept writing… Then became an author.

I’m  thirty- four next month, the sixteen year old me would look at my “day job” now and say no way! A teacher??? You messed up! You should be doing make -up on every super model, TV- presenter, singer, song writer  out there by now.  A sixteen year old me would look at my job as a writer and be like wow, I never saw that coming. But maybe if you did not drop out of college to go to beauty school you may have done this earlier … 

At sixteen I imagined, I’d be living a much more glam life than I do now by the time I reached thirty- four LOL. I imagined I be flying all over the world working on projects, the main make-up artist for London fashion week each year, maybe even my own make-up range  and drinking an endless supply of Cosmopolitan cocktails. In reality  I’m a content and very happy  mum, writer,lover of make-up, fashion and beauty who indulges on You-Tube in her passion or sews the odd dress or skirt at home in the privacy of my living room. Is that a good thing? That my life is not one of  the most high flying, make-up artists or fashion designers out there earning mega bucks? Well, in a way yes as I probably would not be a very happy and content mum, writer and to be honest that’s fine with me as life feels about right. In my thirties I’ve felt the best I’ve ever felt, like fine wine life gets sweeter the older I get.

What were your dreams at sixteen??