writing Archives - Emily Royal

How I wrote a novel in a week

Emily Royal drafting, goals, writing July 29, 2020July 29, 2020drafting, romance, writing romance, writing tips 7 Comments

OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but before you throw your hands up in disbelief, let me clarify. I’m a big fan of NaNoWriMo, the month-long worldwide writing marathon. The key objective is to “write a novel in a month.” In reality, the target is 50,000 words in a month, which, in many cases, amounts to a novel. My first drafts weigh in around 100,000-120,000 words, and the finished products edit down to 75,000-90,000.

So in reality, the title should be “how I wrote approximately half of a first draft in a week”. But that’s not very catchy, is it?

For those of you who like your numbers, the wordcount I managed to amass last week was 51,118. This got me to the end of the first draft which weighed in at a little over 102,000 words. I have never, ever, managed to get anywhere near that sort of wordcount before, in such a short space of time, so it was cause for celebration. Usually, when I’ve taken a week off to focus on writing, I’ve managed 20,000 words, at most.

So how did I do it? What was so different about last week? There was no magic formula. In that respect, it’s very much like dieting, when you see someone who’s managed to shed several kilos and wonder how they did it. Basically, they either ate less, moved more, or some combination of the two. So you could say that for last week, I opened up the laptop, typed 50,000 words until I wrote “the end,” and shut the laptop down again.

But, last week was a kind of “perfect storm.” A lot of different factors combined to propel and encourage me forward, and I share these with you now.

1 Set aside the time

This might sound obvious, but as I work full-time in a job which, if anything, has got busier since lockdown, I took a week off work and earmarked it exclusively for writing. Having a husband and two teenagers (plus a dog, fourteen snakes, and other pets including chickens, hamsters and rats), I also set down the rules very clearly ahead of the week, so they all knew this was my time.

Tip 1: Make time for yourself. It’s Ok to be selfish for a week

2 Resist the e:mails

I set up autoreplies on all my main e:mail accounts. And I forced myself to avoid the temptation to check “just in case.” I took a week off earlier this year and it was, quite frankly, a disaster. I made the fatal errors of a) responding to an e:mail early in the week and b) not e:mailing contacts ahead of the week to say I wouldn’t be reading e:mails. This led to an expectation that (particularly during lockdown when the world is all at home) I was at the disposal of anyone who wanted to contact me. So, people hounded me with direct messages on social media asking whether I was checking e:mails.

Tip 2: Ignore e:mails and messages and forewarn the world you’re going to ignore them! The world won’t stop turning if you’re quiet for a few days

3 Exercise

My body has never been built for exercise. Well, it probably was once, but I like food too much. A few weeks into lockdown, I made the mistake of checking the scales. So I started the Couch to 5k program with my eldest daughter. This forced me to get up much earlier in the morning than I usually would (I’m an antisocial creature, so prefer to run when there’s nobody else about), and I was astonished to learn that post-run euphoria isn’t a myth. It exists. So, this meant I had more time for writing when I would have been lolling about in bed, and I came back from the run with a “yes I can” attitude.

Tip 3: Get yourself some fresh air every morning

A post-run photo (with furry purry friend who meets us just after our warm-up walk)

4 Pyjama days

I love lazy days, and I feel a lot less guilty about them now I’m running 3 times a week. There’s nothing more comforting than a big fluffy dressing gown and slippers. On the pyjama days I did a bit of writing sitting up in bed, on the couch, and even on the kitchen table, which provided a change of scenery from the office and dining room where I normally write.

Tip 4: Be comfortable and guilt-free (remember Tip 1: it’s Ok to be selfish for a week)

5 Achieving more than one goal

Linked to number 3, we happened, by beautiful coincidence, to finish the couch to 5k program last week. When we’d started the program, it was a struggle to run for 60 seconds. So, to complete the program with a 30-minute run was something I’d never dreamed was possible. This was an enormous confidence boost, and showed me that you can achieve a goal if you set your mind to it, even if it seems impossible at first.

Tip 5: Try another challenge as well for variety. Meeting a different goal will boost your confidence.

6 A good run-in

The week before, while still at work, I set myself a target of writing 1,000-2,000 words each evening, to make sure my writing muscles were warmed up and ready to go. A bit like a warm-up exercises before a full workout. When I overtake someone on the road, I always hang back rather than tailgate, which gives me room to get up to speed before I pull out to overtake. You can’t hit 0-60 in two seconds.

Tip 6: Write a few words a day in advance, so it’s not a shock to the system when you start to write at speed.

7 Plot out in detail

I’m a plotter, not a pantster. When the week began, I had just over 10 pages of typed-up notes in bullet point format, split into scenes and points of view. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but I focus better if I have the whole story worked out in advance. I need to know what my destination is, or I’ll get stressed! There’s still room for manoeuvre if the characters wander off in their own direction. From past experience of plotting out, I already knew that each page of plot-notes translates to around 5,000 words on the page.

Tip 7: Plan, plan, plan!

One of the pages of my detailed plot notes
(with colour-coded viewpoints)

8 Structured goals

Linked to number 7. I could more easily gauge how much was needed each day, because I’d written out the plot in detail. After a good session the first weekend, I then needed to work through one page of plot notes each day to finish the book by the end of the week. Had I just thought about the end, it would have felt too much of an uphill struggle. Spot the running theme, but we ran a 5k this morning and coped with it by focusing on smaller goals – making it to the farm gates, then the bridge over the stream, then the big tree by the cowshed – rather than thinking about how far we had to run in total.

Tip 8: Trick your brain into seeing your target as bitesize pieces. One day at a time

9 I wasn’t always chasing my tail

For the first weekend, I hit the ground running and clocked up a good wordcount. Because I had plot-notes written out, I could see tangible progress through the plot as I completed each scene. I needed a daily average of 5,000 words, so I started off ahead of this, keeping the running average higher than 5,000. This meant I could have a breather later on in the week, if I’d exceeded the daily target in the earlier days.

Tip 9: Front-end load your goal if you don’t like chasing your tail. You can take an “easy” day when you’ve earned it!

10 Deliberate pressure

I work best under a certain amount of pressure, though there is a fine line between being pressured and stressed!. Much of the pressure was self-imposed, but this was my first book that was incomplete and under contract. All my others have been a completed draft or a submission-ready manuscripts. This particular series was contracted on the strength of a pitch. It’s a really lovely feeling and a privileged position to be in, but also pretty scary! But, having a turn-in date specified in a publishing contract certainly focuses the mind. And I set a goal of a month earlier than this, for the first draft, to give me time for edits.

Tip 10: Find your optimum level of pressure and put yourself under it.

Time pressure can get the best out of you (photo from Pixabay)

11 I got to see my covers!

During the week, my publisher sent me the covers for the books in the series. They’re absolutely stunning – their designer is a veritable genius – and it was a delight to see them. The design hit the brief bang on, and I was so inspired, seeing how my hero and heroine are depicted in the image. Ok, this isn’t something you can conjure up when writing, but you may be able to find inspiration from creating a mood board. If you’re independently published, you could commission your cover to coincide with when you’re planning to blitz through some words.

Tip 11: have some visual inspiration to hand

12 I broke up the writing day

I admire anyone who writes 5,000 words in one sitting, because I can’t! I can write full pelt for an hour, and have joined in wordraces with lovely author friends. Bizarrely though, this week, I didn’t hook up with anyone. I wanted to be completely focused in my own bubble. But I still broke up the writing day, and did things like cook lunch or supper when I wasn’t writing. No two days were the same, but each day, I tended to write in three or four sessions, the first being as soon as I got back from the morning run, and the last, often after midnight when the rest of the household was asleep.

Tip 12: Write little and often to achieve your daily target – especially if it’s a big target!

So there you have it – my 12 top tips on how to write a novel’s worth of words in a week! Do any of these tips resonate with you? Or do you have any other tips you’d like to share?

And now, I’m off for a nap!

Emily xxx

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A look back at 2019…

Emily Royal goals, romance, writing December 21, 2019December 21, 2019romance, writing 2 Comments

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a prosperous 2020

…and ahead to 2020.

2019 has been an astonishing year in terms of achieving, and surpassing, my writing goals. 2015 was the Year of the Submission, 2016 was the Year of Rejections, 2017 was definitely the Year of the No (the no’s came in swathes), 2018 was the Year of the Yes. And finally, 2019 was the Year of Publication when my debut novel The Sins of the Sire came out in March and was followed by books 1 to 3 in my Regency series the London Libertines. I was hoping to have two of my historical romance books out in 2019 and an offer for a third, so I’m thrilled to have gone beyond that.

Looking back

Meat Loaf said something about objects in the rear view mirror…

So, what have I learned from this year? My seven lessons from 2019 are…

1 Take time for yourself
With writing you can easily get swallowed up in plots, drafts and edits. So many writers have day jobs and started writing for fun, at evenings and weekends. When my publisher was talking about a 10-day turnaround, I forgot that they actually meant two weeks. We all need time to ourselves – not only to recharge, but to help the creative ideas flow again. I find taking the dog for a long walk in the woods is great for this – and it gets me out of the house.

2 Don’t forget your health!
I had a spell of ill health over the summer which made me sit back and think about what was important in life. Healthy food (I’ve developed a thing for courgettes/zucchini), lots of sleep and the support of friends and family can make a huge difference. It’s often difficult to remember that when you’re working a day job and writing as well.

3 Writing buddies are the best
Writing can be so lonely sometimes! Luckily I have a great bunch of writer buddies on social media. We’re there to share each other’s ups and downs – and to give and receive feedback on each other’s drafts, pitches and query letters.

4 Writing retreats are even better!
I don’t mean a formal, organised writing retreat which, to me, is a bit like going back to school – I mean hideaways with a close writing friend where we hole up with pizza, dips, crisps and wine for a couple of days and do nothing but write and eat. I went on a retreat in May with a close friend and cannot believe the amount of work I managed to achieve – full structural edits on one novel and a significant portion of line edits on a second.

5 Promotion can be fun!
I don’t mean full-on pushy sales and endless “buy my book” tweets and Facebook posts. Yuk to those. I mean playing around with graphics, posting snippets and extracts to engage with the rest of the world. I had a lot of fun this year being interviewed with the fabulous Worrier Writer, (aka Sarah painter), on her podcast. You can listen to it here. I also started my newsletter, something I’d been planning to do for months, and I am working on a free novella exclusively for subscribers which I hope to publish early 2020. You can subscribe to my newsletter here.

6 Keep at it!
After over three years of nothing but rejections, it all came together in 2019 with four books coming out, all historical romance. Waiting to hear back from publishers could have been soul-destroying, but instead I spent the time writing more books. One book does not make a writing career.

7 The ideas don’t stop flowing
I always used to worry that I had a finite number of stories in my head. With any creative process, there’s always an element of “where did that idea come from?” – but they do, especially if you’re writing a series. Secondary characters will always come to the fore with their own stories, which is what happened with Roderick’s Widow, book 3 the London Libertines series. Alice, the heroine of Book 3, was just a secondary character from Book 2, but she had to have her own story!

Looking forward

My path to publication was twisty-turny, so I expect 2020 to be the same

OK, that’s 2019 almost done, time to set my goals for 2020. I like to set “stretchy” goals. So here’s my goals for 2020…

1 Write and publish Books 4, 5 and 6 in my Regency series
I’m cheating a bit here as they’re plotted out and the first draft of Book 4 should hopefully, be finished before the end of 2019.

2 Finish my free novella for newsletter subscribers
The story, another historical romance, is sketched out, and will feature some of the characters from the London Libertines series.

3 Complete my second Highlander novel
A dark, steamy read, the first draft is almost done.

4 Publish a new medieval series
I have three sexy medieval drafts and would like to publish those as part of my overall plan to become a hybrid author.

5 Draft at least one secret project
I have plans for some very naughty, dark contemporary stories, including a trilogy – and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into these as a bit of a diversion from historical romance.

6 Write a Christmas story
I didn’t get round to writing one this year but I can see several of the secondary characters from my Regency series who would be ideal for indulging in a little bit of Christmas love.

7 Go on a writing retreat
After the success of this year’s writing retreat, I’m planning to go on at least one in 2020. I think this will be my easiest goal!

Wishing you Happy Holidays!
Em xx

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Irish Charm

Emily Royal authors, Mills & Boon, RNA, romance, writing July 18, 2019July 19, 2019 6 Comments

Everyone claims to have some Irish Ancestry, don’t they? Being 25% Irish, I’m always intrigued by stories featuring a bit of Irish authenticity. So I was so thrilled to be invited to join fellow Scot Eilidh Lawrence’s tour for her fabulous short story, Hunger, set on the Oregon Trail.

The talented, lovely Eilidh, who I met in person at the RNA Conference

First of all, Eilidh, welcome to my blog and thanks for being here.
EL: Thank you so much for sharing my story Emily, and for giving me your time! I’m very glad to be here.

Can you tell everyone a little about yourself?
EL: I am an aspiring romance author, songwriter and contributor to the Pink Heart Society (PHS) e-zine. I was a co-founder of #UKRomChat, a weekly live Twitter chat for romance writers, and co-hosted the chat for its first year. In 2018 I finalled in the TARA and WisRWA Fab Five romance writing contests. I’m a former prosecutor and hold a Diploma in Forensic Medical Sciences, but, no, I would not rather be writing crime! I’m all about happy-ever-afters.

Yes, I love a happy ever after, too, even if the characters are put through the mill along the way! And I love all the discussions on #UKRomChat about romance and happy endings! So, onto your story: what appealed to you about the setting?
EL: I wrote the story in response to the prompt of ‘Western Expansion.’ I like having a starting point. I’d never heard the term before and I knew very little about American history, so it seemed like a chance to learn more. I love reading historical fiction and a historical setting appealed to me. The Oregon Trail was an incredibly hard journey and travelers didn’t always survive it, but people undertook it seeking a new start. That felt very powerful. More specifically, a campfire is an intimate setting.

Oooh yes, I love that sense of pioneering and adventure! And I’ve found writing historical fiction is a great chance to learn more through research. How did you go about researching for Hunger?
EL: I was starting pretty much from scratch, so I began with some very basic online research. I narrowed my focus to The Oregon Trail after watching Ken Burn’s: The West, a brilliant documentary series. That’s also where I learned about later in life marriages between Irish Great Hunger survivors. It was a passing reference but gave me the spark of an idea. After that my research had two strands: The Oregon Trail and Irish immigration to America. Everything I learnt fed into the deep sadness in Órlaith and Liam. I got my facts from educational online resources and I watched Westerns set on the Oregon Trail (taking them with a pinch of salt, of course) to add flavour, for example that’s where the reference to dust coating Órlaith’s clothes came from.

I love all those authentic little touches! Often a lot of research is put into a single line of detail in a story. Are you tempted to use the research you’ve already done to expand the story into a novella or novel? I love the interaction between Órlaith and Liam!
EL: Thank you! So true. You’re not the first person to ask that question. I wrote Hunger as a piece of flash fiction. It was intended to be a snapshot. But people keep asking for more… It’s lovely to get that reaction! I have no specific plans to continue Órlaith and Liam’s story at the moment but maybe there will come a point when I sit down with them and ask them to tell me what happens next. Because I don’t know!

I love that, when characters speak to an author! I definitely want to see more of Órlaith and Liam. What else are you working on now?
EL: I’m working on my first novel, an Amish Romance which came out of the Harlequin Love Inspired Amish Blitz. It’s been slow progress, but I’ve taken encouragement from placing in the Fab Five and TARA RWA chapter contests along the way. I’ll be submitting it soon to the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. I’ve also started a Scottish contemporary romance with an #ownvoices aspect. The hero lives with an anxiety disorder. It’s really important to me that people living with mental health conditions are accurately represented in fiction, through well-rounded characters who have their owns stories that don’t start and end with their experience of those conditions.

Yes, that’s so important! Thanks, again, Eilidh, for sharing your story.

And now, for the story itself! “Hunger” by Eilidh Lawrence (aka Laura McKendrick) was a runner-up in the Women’s Weekly Short Story Competition, in association with Mills & Boon. Read on and be enthralled…

The Oregon Trail, near Fort Hall, Idaho, 1849

“Your cooking smells of home.”

The unfamiliar voice drew Órlaith’s attention from the pot where she stewed elk over an open fire. It took a moment for her to realise the man had spoken in Gaedhilge. Shadows danced across his gaunt face. A face she didn’t know.

“I’m Liam.” He bent closer, offering his hand. “From Donegal.” His fingers were long, his grip firm. His dark hair contrasted with his pale skin.

“You’ve the charm of an Irishman, to be sure,” she replied in English. They were in America now. “But we both know half the women in this camp are stewing game tonight. It was a good day for the hunting.”

He laughed, a sound she didn’t hear so much these days.

“Well, there’s none cooking it as well as you.”

A charmer indeed.

She returned her focus to the stew. The scent of wild garlic mingled with the ever-present woody, smoky smell that had clung to her hair and dust-coated clothes for months now.

“It really does smell good.” He hesitated. “Can I buy some?”

She studied him. “I’ve not seen you before.”

“No. We joined you today. My boy was exhausted. We rested, the two of us. Our party went on.” He shrugged. “That’s how it goes.”

“Your boy?” There were so many children on this wretched journey. “How old is he?”

“Danny’s but four years.”

“You both must eat with us. As our guests. No charge.”

“Us?”

“My brother Ruaidhrí and I.” She paused. “We’re all that’s left that were still in Ireland. And there’s my babby, Hope. She’s asleep.” Órlaith nodded towards their canvas-covered prairie schooner. The wagon was the closest thing to home little Hope had experienced so far in her hard, infant life.

“I’m sorry.” A respectful silence hung in the air. The clicking of the cicadas seemed clearer. Then he smiled. “Hope’s a pretty name.”

“Will you sit?” she invited, and he did. “I always wanted a baby girl called Caoimhe. But then I had Hope on the crossing. A babby born on the Western Ocean. Who would’ve thought? We were bound for America. Caoimhe seemed too…”

“Irish.”

A moment of understanding passed between them.

“Yes.”

“And what do they call you?”

“Órlaith.”

“Was it The Hunger took your people, Órlaith?”

“Disease.”

The fire crackled.

“I see.” A horse whinnied, and he turned towards the sound. When his face returned to Órlaith, she saw sincerity etched across his strong features. “My Nancy, she made it through the workhouse. Made it through near-starvation. Made it through the crossing. But she didn’t make it beyond Boston.” A single shake of his head conveyed loss and disbelief. “Cholera. Little Molly too. Buried three thousand miles from home.”

He did see.

“We none of us would’ve expected this, when we were young. This loss.” She picked up a stick and poked the fire. It sparked. “My sister and her husband left in ’44. Went to Oregon to farm. I could never leave, that’s what I thought then. But when my husband Ciarán and my parents died everything became so bleak. It didn’t seem like life would ever get better.”

A dark time. It wasn’t the smoke that caused tears to well in the corners of her eyes.

“There’s such misery in our country,” she continued, a catch in her throat. Their eyes met. Her pain was reflected in his. “That’s when Mary finally convinced us to come join them. My brother-in-law arranged it all. It was a good boat, at least. We were lucky.”

He looked away from her and tugged at the left cuff of his worn shirt. Had he not been on a good boat? She knew of the coffin ships and thanked God she hadn’t given birth in those squalid conditions.

From behind them, Ruaidhrí coughed. “I see you’ve met our new friend.”

She hadn’t noticed her brother’s return.

Ruaidhrí stepped from the edge of the fire’s light and slapped Liam on the back. He made friends easily, always had done.

“Well, I’ll get back to my boy.” Liam stood. “We’ll take you up on your dinner offer.” He glanced at Ruaidhrí. “If your brother doesn’t mind.”

Ruaidhri grinned. “The more the merrier.”

She was in dire need of merriment.

“You’re both very kind.” Liam lingered. “And Órlaith, perhaps later, I might have a dance?”

She looked at the Irishman, tall, not yet old, a survivor. But gentle too, and familiar. Like home. She smiled. “That’d be grand.”

The flames between them flickered and leapt.

I hope you enjoyed reading Hunger as much as I did, and I’m secretly hoping we get to hear more of Órlaith and Liam!

Emily xx

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Publishing Contracts vs Underground Trains

Emily Royal publishing, romance, Tirgearr, Uncategorized, writing December 30, 2018December 30, 2018highlander, historical, romance, tirgearr 0 Comment

It’s with enormous pleasure that I can announce I’ve signed a contract with Tirgearr Publishing, for a historical romance involving a hot Highlander! This comes hot on the heels of the medieval romance I signed with Wild Rose Press in the summer.

Hence the London underground analogy. You wait for a train for ages, then two come at once.

In my case I heard the rails rattle a few times and even felt the ground rumble under my feet when I thought an offer was on the cards last year; but the train never arrived. My novel fell at the final stage of submission after a lot of editing, submitting and waiting. I was close to thinking I’d never secure a contract and chalked up 2017 as the “year of the no”. But in contrast, 2018 has turned out to be the “year of the yes”.

It’s a pitch party!

This latest contract arose from a twitter pitch party and was entirely unexpected, a bit like those elusive unicorns which you can only see when you’re not looking. I’ve occasionally taken part in twitter pitches, mainly to gauge whether I can summarise a 100k-word novel in 140 characters in an appealing fashion. This one, #pitdark, piqued my interest because of the dark theme. Better still, it listed dark romance as a category. The novel I pitched is quite dark – even my agent baulked at it – but I recognised a couple of the publishers on the pitch list so I thought I’d give it a try.

My pitches attracted a couple of likes but not from anyone I felt was a good fit, so I chalked it up as an experience and forgot about it. However, the next day, two of my tweets clocked a “like” from an editor from Tirgearr who I had no idea was watching the hashtag. I’ve heard good things about them so sent the novel in. I wasn’t expecting interest given that the novel wasn’t a 100% fit – something I confessed quite frankly in my covering note – so I forgot about it again!

Imagine my surprise when an e:mail came right out of the blue saying they liked it – more so because they were happy to discuss the fit and after some dialogue where we discussed how I could bring the novel into line a contract came whizzing over the ether!

The luck of the Irish?

I’m sure the Leprechauns were watching over me. Not only is Tirgearr based in Ireland, but they first made contact when I was at a conference in Dublin (the first time I’ve ever been to Ireland) and the name Emily Royal comes from my Irish grandmother.

Given that I’m all about romance, that sounds like a happily ever after to me!

So, my four big writerly lessons learned from 2018

1 Be patient. When the rails rattle, keep waiting – the train will come eventually

2 Give twitter pitches a go – they really do work!

3 Never give up. Good things happen when you least expect them

4 Never underestimate the luck of the Irish

Here’s to 2019 and a shedload of editing, sequels and book launches!

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Stone the crows!

Emily Royal writing July 10, 2018 0 Comment

I always think life experiences are invaluable when writing. Even subconsciously we leave a little bit of ourselves on the page whether it’s our outlook on life, as exhibited by our characters, our needs and wishes (cue swoony descriptions of alpha males) weird dreams which we scribble down frantically when we wake up before they disappear from our memories altogether or those spookily bizarre things that happen to us which make ideal retelling in a story, even if they need toning down to make them believable.

Cue my recent experience with the crows.

Fifteen years ago when I brought my daughter home from the maternity hospital we were greeted by unceremonious cawing as a huge black bird waddled magnificently across the front lawn to declare his presence, complete with baby crow in tow, as if in some moment of solidarity we were proudly showing off our mutual offspring to each other. The crow had a few feathers missing from a wing so we christened him “gappy.” Each year thereafter we saw Gappy and various generations (Son of Gappy, Grandson of Gappy) flapping about the house, cawing down the chimneys, punctuated by jackdaws who have an altogether different style of caw – aptly named because they sound as if they’re screeching “Jack!” to each other all the time.

Over the years, the Jacks and the Gappies have multiplied, to the point where this year they have taken over. The thing about summer in Scotland is that it’s light pretty much all day long – many a time I’ve driven home gone midnight and there’s still an orange glow on the horizon. This also means the dawn chorus comes way before 4am. This summer, rather than the melodious tweeting of larks and finches, the alarm clock provided by Mother Nature is more reminiscent of the love children of Axl Rose and Bonnie Tyler after a night on the town, several cigarettes and a few sessions of having gargled with a cheese grater. Rather than scare them off, drawing back the curtains only reveals several glossy black faces with steely grey eyes peering inside, curiosity and fortitude overwhelming any fear of humans.

It made me realise that my subconscious had been picturing this all along. In my recently-finished draft, my second foray into the world of Regency Romance, the main character suffers a childhood trauma involving being pecked at and mobbed by crows. At the time of writing – over Christmas – there wasn’t a crow in sight at home; but the image must have come from somewhere, dredged up from my subconscious to be used when needed.

I’m fortunate enough to be able to work from home a lot of the time. But yesterday, concentration was at a premium. My office looks out onto the front lawn and during the afternoon Gappy and his chums indulged in what can only be described as the crow equivalent of a rock festival, lining up on the branches of the trees, strutting over the roof of my car to create some form of Hitchcockian visual storyboard. But it didn’t end there – in true Daphne-Du Maurier style, Gappy sent one of his emissaries on a mission and after half an hour of indulgent flapping, a visitor flew at me from the fireplace. Cue something out of Benny Hill where my younger daughter and I ran round in circles trying to catch said visitor, while my pet snake (Twinkle the boa constrictor) hung on for dear life round my neck which, only moments before, he’d seen as a safe haven around which to curl up and sleep. We managed to get great-great-great-grandson of Gappy out and the funny thing is, though we can hear the odd caw, there’s not a bird in sight now.

So if you’re stuck for ideas or looking for inspiration for stories three tips are:

+ If the idea comes from a dream- write it down as soon as you wake up!

+ Don’t forget your own life experiences…

+ …but where the truth is stranger than fiction, you might need to tone down your experiences for them to be believable.

My Regency heroine might have been mobbed by crows, but she didn’t have a pet snake round her neck at the time. Saying that, I have named her after one of my other pet snakes- but that’s another story…

Em x

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Critique Groups – 8 Good Reasons to Love

Emily Royal authors, critiques, publishing, rejection, writing June 19, 2018June 23, 2018 0 Comment

Writing is a solitary activity. I spend most of it alone, usually late at night, most often with a mug of tea and a snake for company (see photo).

Even when writing in a crowded place you’re alone. You need to dive into your head and listen to the voices in order to get those words on the page. Sounds like pretentious flim-flam, but it’s true. For a committed introvert like me (all hail the INFJ personality) the necessity for solitude isn’t an ordeal, but it introduces a layer of problems associated with feelings of isolation, inadequacy and loss of confidence.

At some point in a writer’s life people will read your work. Writing itself isn’t frightening but having others read your work is vomit-inducingly terrifying. Your heart and soul is on the page and you’re letting it flap in the breeze, exposed to the elements, sitting atop the parapet waiting to be shot at.

The most powerful support mechanism out there for a writer is the critique group. One I’m in came together very organically and quite by chance; a bit like that rare occasion when you can’t remember why or how you wrote a scene but it’s the one you’re most proud of.

That’s the best writer group there is – not people forced together like a band manufactured with the sole purpose of income generation for the likes of Simon Cowell, but more like a group of high-schoolers from all walks of life who stumble across each other in someone’s Mum’s garage – or, in this case, a small hole in cyberspace acting as a virtual garage.

So, with that in mind, here’s my top 8 benefits of belonging to a critique group.

1 Critiques
What it says on the tin! Good critique pals set their personal tastes aside and focus on the quality of your characterisation, story development, imagery, dialogue (ahem) sex scenes, you name it. It’s scary, so scary, letting other people read what you’ve written. But the more you share, the more immune you become.

2 Two-way street
I always had it drummed into me that at Christmas it’s more blessed to give than to receive –which means Christmas happens on a regular basis with my critique pals. By critiquing the work of my buddies I’ve learnt a lot about the craft of writing, having seen all sorts of great examples on how to do it. By writing down my appraisals of their work it’s helped me recognise some of the issues in my own work, too.

3 Honesty
…is most certainly the BEST policy! Yes, it’s wonderful to be told your book is the best thing they’ve ever read, but the time comes when only the most brutal of appraisals is required. Using risk management jargon (the actuary in me will never die), the critique group is your second line of defence, the first being your own inner editor. They are, in essence, the collective Chief Risk Officers who review each element of your project (dialogue, pacing, imagery etc) and red-flag anything that might spell disaster for your book’s prospects. They tell me where my writing sucks and why.

4 Variety
As human beings, critique partners will differ in their opinions. As do publishers and agents! This helps me to have the confidence to take their feedback on board but also to remember that for my project, I can decide what I change and what I don’t. Plus the added bonus is that the critique group hive mind presents me with a lot of options and I get to choose the best.

5 Consistency
Yes, I know this contradicts the one above, but if my critique pals give me a consistent message, that’s telling me something! Sometimes howlers or honking great canyons in the plot are right before me but I can’t see them. If all my buddies spot it, that tells me how big a deal it is.

6 Problem-sharing
Nobody – and I mean nobody – will have your back as much as your critique pals. While you’re waiting to hear back from your submissions, or when you’ve had a rejection from that one company you’d pinned your hopes on (or, as once happened to me, two rejections within 20 minutes of each other on a Saturday evening), the critique buddies are the only people who really get it. They feel your pain because they’ve been there. I turn to them every time I find myself asking “what’s-the-point-of-it-all-why-don’t-I-just-give-up-writing”.

7 Joy-augmenting
For want of sounding like a parrot, nobody – and I mean nobody – is going to celebrate your successes as much as your critique pals (see above for the reason!)

8 Steam vent
I suppose any secret group is good for this but sometimes we just want to vent when things aren’t working – when our plot’s not stacking up, the words just won’t come, we’re besieged by rejections, we’ve had another 1-star review, we’ve had reviews disappear or when an author has sent us a threatening C&D letter for having a certain word in the title (couldn’t resist the nod to #cockygate) – then the critique buddies band together and share in mutual venting. Boils are always better lanced.

So if you ever feel isolated or if you’re afraid of letting others see your work – you don’t have to be! There’s bound to be other like-minded souls out there wanting to hook up with other authors. There’s loads of bigger groups on Facebook to join where you can ask of anyone fancies being a critique partner.

I can safely say the best choice I ever made writing-wise was joining a critique group. If you’re thinking of forming or joining one then do it – you won’t regret it!

Em xx

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Coping with Rejection – my 6 top tips!

Emily Royal agents, publishing, rejection, writing January 23, 2018 8 Comments

They say you’re not a proper writer until you experience rejection. No point beating about the bush here – rejection sucks. Writing is so personal that you automatically think you’re being rejected as an individual as opposed to the more clinical reason which is that the agent or publisher simply doesn’t think they’ll make enough money from your novel. Saying that, there does have to be a certain amount of emotion involved. They have to love your writing enough to want to fight for it. Agents must pitch to editors and editors, in turn, have to persuade sales teams. They’re going to need to be as passionate about your book as you are.

There’s as many different types of rejection as there are agents and editors, so I’ve split them into five categories:

A Silence
AKA “black holes”. Some of them only respond if they’re interested. Understandable because they get thousands of submissions a year. But it’s tough on the author who doesn’t get any closure.

B The Form
AKA the bog-standard rejection, which the vast majority of queries get. A dead giveaway is that it’s usually signed by unknownassistantwhomakesthetea@literaryorganisation.com and contains standard wording about having “read your project with interest but it’s not right for us.” Chances are this one never made it to the agent/editor.

C The Almost-Form
As B but signed by the agent/editor in person. Though again, it’ll contain something generic about not being right for their list. Better than B because at least the assistant thought it worth passing on to the agent even if the agent didn’t get past the first page.

D The Non-Form
From the agent/editor in person and says something specific about your writing such as the style, dialogue, whether they like the dramatic nature etc. But they’re not in love with it enough to want to see more. Better than C because at least they felt compelled to add a few extra words. When they have hundreds of rejections to send out that day (rejection day always seems to be a Friday – note to self, don’t check e:mails on Fridays) taking the time to add a personal comment is an endorsement.

E The Almost There
At this point they’ve usually asked for and read your full manuscript. They may even have loved it and in some cases phoned or met you in person to discuss your manuscript and your writing aspirations. But ultimately they decide to pass and usually they explain why.

So what to do? This will depend on the type of rejection.

For A & B Check your query letter, especially if you’re getting a lot of this type. Check the agency/publisher’s website for their specific requirements. They’re looking for reasons to reject so if they ask for a 3-line hook in your query letter, don’t stretch it to 4!

For C As A & B but consider your sample chapters too. The agent might have read the first couple of pages. Do they draw the reader in from the beginning? Is there anything there to give the agent an excuse for not reading on till the end?

For D This one’s a bit harder. Chances are your query letter is good enough to get them to read your work and the writing is good enough to entice them past Page 1. So check your synopsis and chapters again. Get a second opinion – and not from a friend or family member who’d avoid brutal honesty! Try writing groups, critique groups or even a professional critique service.

For E This is the worst type of rejection. The closer you get to success, the harder it gets. An “almost-there” represents a strong endorsement of the quality of your writing. Someone, somewhere in the industry, who makes a living out of selling books, loves your book – all of it. That’s a massive deal. However, they may not be confident about the genre selling enough, or they’ve been unable to persuade their colleagues it’s worth investing in – or perhaps they have another author on their list who’s too similar thus presenting a conflict of interest. At this point you’ve spent hours on your project; proof-reading, submitting, refining and believing in your work. It really sucks when it falls at the final hurdle.

So here’s my SIX top tips for coping with rejection, in particular an “almost-there”.

1 Throw a wobbly. No, really. Let it out. Find some way to release that frustration be it a long walk, a run or an X-box shoot-out. With my latest almost-there I spent the evening playing Call of Duty with my teenage daughter. The air turned blue, gin was served, I shot a lot of imaginary people and felt a whole lot better afterwards.

2 Tell someone. Writer buddies, friends, family. People who understand. Open the prosecco you were keeping on ice and celebrate supportive friends. The day after I received my almost-there rejection a lovely writer friend came over and we toasted friendship, the endorsement and chatted about the future. I also have a wonderful team of critique pals who provided online support and have experienced the dreaded almost-there so know how it feels.

3 Look after yourself. Fresh air, a healthy meal, a good night’s sleep. Chances are you’ve been burning the midnight oil and living on adrenaline while writing, editing and submitting your novel which over the weeks and months will have turned into a very needy baby. Time to give baby a rest and look after you! Go for a walk in the woods, cuddle your favourite pet, whatever floats your boat (see the bottom of this post for a photo of who I cuddle when I need cheering up).

4 Remember it’s happened to the best of them. Checks the stats on the internet. JK Rowling had “loads” (in her words) of rejections, not only for the boy wizard, but her alter-ego Robert Galbraith received a few less than complimentary responses from publishers. Gone With the Wind was rejected almost 40 times before it was published. Agatha Christie endured 5 years of rejection and Beatrix Potter had so many rejections she turned to self-publishing.

5 Write your next book. Set aside your almost-there-but-rejected book and focus on another one. You’re a writer, right? In which case you’re not going to just write one book, you’re going to write a lot. Focus on the next one and the next until you crack it. Then revisit the almost-there’s. They might be suitable for release as your second or third book once you’ve built up a readership.

6 Re-submit. You’ll never be immune to rejection but the emotional scar tissue does toughen you up. Resubmit to those agents/publishers and try again. The ones who gave you good feedback, including the almost-there’s will have liked something about your work. Send in a new project and remind them what they liked about the first.

I loathe clichés but they do say that the only way to guarantee never succeeding is to give up. So for 2018 my resolution is to persevere and keep writing!

Em xx

A little post-rejection pet therapy with a Burmese Python ?

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Looking back on 2017

Emily Royal romance, writing December 31, 2017 2 Comments

As a confirmed plotter, I’ve always liked the idea of structuring and setting targets. Yearly targets are no exception. Without targets I run into danger of my writing being an amorphous blob of randomly generated words, bits and pieces of unconnected projects floating around like unclaimed odd socks in the tumble drier.

So for 2017 I decided to take a more grown-up approach and consider how I could realistically achieve my dream of becoming a “proper writer” and I set a stack of goals with the intention of stretching myself a bit.

As 2017 draws to a close, I’m reflecting on the goals I’d set at the start of the year and which ones I managed to achieve. It’s been a year of ups and downs – but had I achieved all my goals I would have criticised myself for setting the bar too low. But then, self criticism is something writers seem to be particularly good at. So anyway, here’s the goals I’d set this time last year…

1) Finish the book I’m currently drafting ✔️ yes! and it’s now with my agent waiting comments

2) Get a publishing contract on my first book✖️this was tough as I had a very near miss on this one plus some positive feedback from other editors on the writing. The hardest rejections to cope with are the “almost theres”

3) Finish editing book 2 following feedback ✔️ yes! And I’ll be entering it into a competition shortly.

4) Do first round of edits on book 3 following masses of feedback from more beta readers ✔️all done! I submitted this to the RNA’s NWS and the reader loved it.

5) think of titles for books 1, 2 and 3 ✔️all done!

6) Start and Finish 1st draft of the next book ✖️✔️I’m halfway through. But I also started another full-length novel and have written half of that: two halves make a whole, right?

7) flesh out plot notes for a further book idea into a proper storyboard ready for drafting next year. ✖️didn’t get round to this particular one which is a historical romance. But I’ve fleshed out plot notes for books 1 and 2 in a trilogy (contemporary dark/hot romance)

I also entered a competition in July and got great feedback from an editor who said they liked my writing style and wanted to work with me on a project. Sadly she left the publisher a few months later but she’s encouraged me to pursue the project.

So in terms of getting stuff written and having positive feedback on my writing, 2017 has been a great year even though tangible results were thin on the ground. Here’s hoping 2018 is the year I finally break through into getting published – and wishing you all a prosperous 2018.

Now to think of my goals for 2018. What are yours?

Em❤️

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Don’t get your knickers in a twist!

Emily Royal authors, Liz Taylorson, writing October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 2 Comments

I’m thrilled to have the lovely Liz Taylorson, not only as a critique buddy, but as a guest on my blog. Liz is a real talent and her debut novel, out on 23 November, promises to be the start of a flourishing writing career. Liz was kind enough to raid her knicker-drawer and drop by to chat about one of the overlooked-but-tough tasks an author faces – choosing that perfect title. Over to you, Liz!

Titles are really difficult.

I’ve lost count of the number of fellow writers who have expressed to me the difficulty of finding that perfect, succinct instantly memorable, totally fitting title which should effortlessly conjure up atmosphere, setting and genre for their novel all in one go. We all seem to struggle.

I had this idea for a Christmas novel set in a seaside village. My heroine, a vicar, has never slept with a man because she doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. My hero has a well-deserved reputation as a ladies’ man, but they find themselves attracted to each other despite all the odds. All through the early drafting stages, the novel had a working title. And that working title was … The Vicar’s Knickers.

It was, after all, going to be the story of how our handsome hero charmed his way into them and it had a very pleasing ring to it as far as I was concerned, even though it was a bit silly. I realised that I needed to think of a slightly more sensible, conventional alternative, so I turned to my writing buddies.

‘What do you think I should call my book?’ I asked them. ‘Do you think I should stick with the knickers thing, or something else?’

‘Stick with the knickers’ said most of them, very unhelpfully. Once you’ve given something a title, it’s hard to find an alternative that suits it quite as well …

We considered genre. Cupcakes, ice cream, cafes, Cornwall, cosiness and seaside are all popular themes in my genre … but I have managed to write the only romantic women’s fiction novel in the whole world that does not have a single cupcake in it, and it’s not set in Cornwall. After we had collectively disregarded The cosy little vintage café of cupcakes by the sea in Cornwall we threw around some more sensible ideas.

My writing friends came up with suggestions based on northern lights, and stars and winter and Christmas and all the other principal elements of my book that had nothing to do with knickers. Someone suggested looking at quotes, and then, inspired, I came up with the perfect title. The stars in the bright sky – it was Christmassy, pretty, religious and linked in with several key scenes in the book set at night. I could even see the cover in my mind’s eye:

The only problem was, when (as one of my writing friends suggested) I checked on Amazon, there was already a book with that title …

It looked like it was back to square one, it was going to have to be the return of the knickers – well, it was memorable – but I couldn’t do it. I looked around at all the books mine would have to sit next to on the shelves if it was ever published, and I knew that there was only one sensible way to go, and my buddies had unwittingly come up with the answer already. I may not have cupcakes or cosy Cornish cafes, but I did have quite a lot of sea in my story. The Little Church by the Sea it was. After all the joking, I realised that we had been onto something as a group – there was a reason why all those titles are popular – they succinctly give you atmosphere, setting and genre all in one go.

Though I suspect a couple of my friends still haven’t quite forgiven me for ditching The Vicar’s Knickers …

The Little Church by the Sea: A heart-warming Christmas tale of love, friendship and starting over by [Taylorson, Liz]

The Vicar’s Knickers … I mean, The Little Church by the Sea will be published by Manatee Books on 23^rd November 2017. You can pre-order it on Amazon here

Biography

Liz has always surrounded herself with books.
As a child, she was always to be found with her head in one and she still has a bookcase full of her childhood favourites to this day. (She once read The Lord of the Rings thirteen times in a row, cover to cover!). All through childhood and adolescence she wrote – mainly historical romances involving impossibly perfect heroes! All this reading and writing led to a degree in English Literature (and another book-case full of books) and then a job as a cataloguer of early printed books for a major University Library.

Children (and then cats and chickens) interrupted her bibliographic career, and having given up library work Liz started writing fiction and hasn’t stopped since, joining the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme to try to learn how to write novels properly in 2015. She has also written some short stories, with one “The Second Princess” winning a competition in Writing Magazine which led her to think that maybe publication wasn’t a pipe dream after all.

The publication of her first novel, “The Little Church by the Sea” published by Manatee Books in November 2017 is a dream come true.

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Oswald and Occupations

Emily Royal authors, libraries, publishing, the day job, writing July 14, 2017 0 Comment

There’s a pandemic in the UK of local libraries being closed down. But the silver lining is the community spirit which motivates dedicated locals to band together and do something about it. That silver lining burst into sunshine on a bright, summer’s day earlier this month when, to the lilt of Scottish folk music, our village library was re-opened.

Guest of honour, internationally renowned crimewriter James Oswald, officially opened the library then stayed to sign copies of his books (all sale proceeds to the library) and chat to fans. A generous and approachable individual he was happy to put up with my company for about 20 minutes, sharing our writing experiences, and he even agreed to a photo!

He had an interesting path to publication, but I suspect that path never runs smooth. While unpublished, his first novel was shortlisted in a competition, attracting the attention of publishers. They liked the writing but weren’t keen on the paranormal elements. However, he stuck to his guns and self-published to enormous success & multiple sales, after which publishers came knocking, rebranded and the rest is history.

He writes quickly – his last draft took 11 weeks to complete. When we chatted he was about to start a new draft, aiming to complete by the end of August – that’s 8 weeks. While I metaphorically collapsed in exhaustion at the thought of it, he reminded me that his books are part of a series so his characters and setting are already well-established in his mind.

His writing approach is similar to mine: he doesn’t edit while getting the first draft down. Instead he makes notes if he decides while drafting that something needs changing, then carries onto the end. It doesn’t work for everyone but if, like me, you’re terrified of blank pages, loathe having unfinished projects lying about, and prefer to set out and plan the plot in advance, it’s a good strategy.

He’s also an example to dispel the myth that published authors languish on wicker chairs in orangeries in some kind of literary parallel universe while the royalties roll in, before stepping out for red-carpet events. Like most of us he has a full-time job. In fact, I suspect it’s more than full time. With a 30-acre farm to run, a prolific series of crime novels plus a fantasy series for youngsters he’s an exceptionally busy man.

In fact he told me that he’d sat down wearily one day to talk to his brother about all his writing deadlines and his brother reminded him that writing had always been his dream and he was only getting what he’d wished for!

The ultimate goal for unpublished writers like me is getting a publishing deal and it’s often difficult to see beyond that. I liken it to a professional qualification (I, too, have a day job – as an actuary – and had to sit exams for 7 years before I could call myself one). That ultimate goal is the single most important thing we aspire to where life often takes a back seat (just ask my family!). But when that deal finally comes, it’s the beginning, not the end. That’s when the hard work really starts.

But it’ll all be worth it. If (no, when!) I do succeed and have a novel published, what I’m looking forward to most isn’t a launch party, a book signing, the glitz or glamour – it’s the prospect of seeing my book sitting in the stand of my local library which dedicated volunteers worked so hard to re-open, so I can say that I’m a small part of something our community can be proud of.

Em 🙂

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