When does it stop being Procrastination?
But, actually, I did finish EP and so began the even more traumatic and apparently long-winded process of editing the first draft. I have found that it is even easier to be distracted during the editing process than the writing process.
They have improved my ability to capture the essence of an idea incredibly quickly and succinctly – like a skilled artist capturing a hasty pencil sketch to be used later to form the basis of a much grander painting.
They have taught me how to make every word count, that there is a skill to using contractions, especially in dialogue that can completely change the way somebody sounds inside the reader's head. They have taught me how to avoid repetition or to use repetition to create a rhythm within the words.
They have taught me that sometimes, one-word sentences are OK. True.
They have taught me that I can write, at least in very small doses, not just the Science Fiction and Fantasy that I cut my teeth on, but drama, comedy, horror, tragedy and RomCom (to name but a few). Neil Gaiman said during his talk to RS Literature back in June that the world thought he was just a comic book writer. What they didn't realise was that the comic is just the medium used to tell the story and that his stories crossed all genres, that he could in fact write in any genre he chose. I am no Neil Gaiman, but I'm not as two-dimensional as I once thought!
They have taught me how to edit and edit quickly. I've been sharing a lot of my 75-worders with the rest of WordWatchers via email. They only take a few seconds to read and quite often I'll get a quick one liner back saying "I liked it, but…" and that "but…" has been incredibly useful. I've tweaked sentences, rearranged words, changed POV, changed past tense to present tense, even rewrote entire paragraphs where only the underlying idea has survived the editorial process and not one word of the original paragraph remains. Endless Possibilities is already benefiting from this.
So, am I using my 75-word stories to distract me from editing Endless Possibilities? The truth is, I definitely was, but I'm not any more. WordWatchers as a group are currently helping me down select 92 paragraphs (which I had already down selected from 120) to the 75 I want to put into my first book. Not only that, but I have teamed up with a fantastic illustrator, Helen Withington, who is doing amazing things with some of my 75-word stories.
I'm going to hope that you will love every single story. Hope? Yes. Expect? No. I will be delighted if you find a connection with half of them. I will love you forever if even two or three trigger something in you that makes you think that I am worthy of future investment or persuade you to mention my work to other people who trust your opinion.
So, there will be a book 2 of 75-word stories and, because writers love a trilogy, the inevitable book 3. At some point during this process I may ask you to make that time and emotional investment in Endless Possibilities and I hope we will know each other well enough by then that you will know what you're letting yourself in for.
So, I finish by sharing one of Helen's illustrations with you (and the Christmas themed 75-worder that inspired it). I am so glad I let Helen have a free rein at which paragraphs she chose to illustrate and in what style because I would never have picked either the paragraph nor the interpretation.
Helen can be found on Twitter as @HelenWithington and on her website: Here.
I have been within the welcoming bosom of WordWatchers for just over a year now, and my goodness, what a year it has been.
When I joined I had delusions of grandeur of having a book published, but never in my wildest dreams, did I believe it would become a reality.
'No, no. I want you to make one up.' was his reply.
And that, ladies and gentleman, was how Alonzo the chicken was born.
I made up a story about a magic super-hero chicken called Alonzo, and quite frankly, I thought the story really wasn't any good. William, however, thought it was fabulous!
I was was overwhelmed by the realisation that William thought my story was good, even though he may have been slightly biased. The next day at work I asked my team what kind of adventure Alonzo should have next. 'Underwater' was the response.
And that was how Alonzo and Molly the Mermaid was born.
After going to a couple of WordWatchers meetings, and feeling completely and utterly overawed by the talent in the group, I took a 'brave tablet' and asked them to critique my book. This they did, and in their words, 'they tore it apart with velvet-clad claws and loving words'.
Thank goodness for their honesty as my book is all the better for it.
Through the people in the group I found my illustrator, Monika Filipina Trzpil. She is amazing, and I am truly blessed in meeting her.
We talked via email, and then finally met up in a coffe shop in Trafalgar Square. It was just like a blind date!! I didn't know what she looked like, and visa versa! After a great couple of hours, she agreed to illustrate my, what was going to become a book. This was a surreal moment. Me? A book? With proper illustrations? Really?
One year on, and not only did I call them, but they had enough confidence in me and Alonzo to publish our first book In December 2012. I was, and quite honestly still am, staggered.
After 6 months, not only has Alonzo and Molly the Mermaid been downloaded (albeit free), 1500 times in Australia in January, but wehave sold over 500 books and 140 of those were in the US. Alonzo is truly global!
Whatever is next? Well apart from school visits and book signings, book two, Alonzo and the Meteorite will be released 1st October 2013.
Who'd have thought it? I never dreamed this could become a reality, but it has. If it can happen to me, it could happen to you.