How Do You Write?

Have started writing a new story. These early stages involve plot points here and a burst of prose there. Some small character detail I think of on the way to work. Inspiration from an overheard conversation...

So, how do you write / take notes? I have come to prefer sketchpads to notebooks. I like the space on the page without lines. Sometimes I'll scribble a vertical note. Sometimes I'll draw a character though my skill in this area is lacking. I also like an elastic band around the notebook cause I can add other papers more securely. Other papers usually being a group of poems I'm working on.

And I like the binder type that binds down the left hand side, so I can fold the pages back neatly, while balancing the notepad on my knee - am usually writing during my commute, so do the circumstances dictate the utensil?

Size wise I need something that will fit in my handbag, so smaller than A4 but space enough for a paragraph of writing with notes jotted around it.

Writing utensil wise, I use a refill pencil. I find pencil softer and easier to write with than pen and the refill types mean you never have to worry about sharpening. Also, you can write upside down.

I'm curious to know if other people have their preferences and idiosyncrasies? Or have I just exposed my madness?...

The I.T. Girl on Promo

The I.T. Girl is free this week on Amazon, so step right up!

A modern tale about life, love and work in the city, it has reached the top 100 Free Kindle Reads! Maybe other people feel like I do that it's about time we had a heroine from the IT world?

You can get a copy from Amazon UK or Amazon US. Or read more about the story's background here. 

Here are some sample reviews from Amazon and GoodReads:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent romance novel 25 Mar 2013 Amazon.co.uk

Format:Kindle Edition

Orla is smart, feisty and and flying-high in a high-pressured job in London's finance district. She has moved from Ireland and is taking a chance on a new city, and on a new love when she starts up a romance with one of her co-workers - the mysterious Columbus. She works hard and plays hard but when a mistake is made in one of her codes, her job is suddenly in jeopardy. Stressed out and desperately clinging to her career, she takes her anger out on `Columbus' - which threatens to ruin her love life as well as her career.

This is an intelligent romance novel for the 21st century - Orla is a successful intelligent woman, who is independent and able to live on her own, but who also comes to realise that life is better when you have someone to share it with.

Apr 05, 2013rated 5 of 5 stars on GoodReads

Funny, modern and slick. As a young person trying to work and live in London I identified with Orla a lot!!

Cover Story

It's one month since the publication of The I.T. Girl and it's been an exciting few weeks! So far I have enjoyed good sales and great reviews! I've joined book websites such as GoodReads and Book Blogs and have made friends with fellow authors and readers; I've been interviewed by SilverWood Books here; I've been invited to a talk as a published author; It's been such a busy time and great to be a part of!

I want to take a look back at the book covers I created along the way, when I was considering self-publishing. It's so important to get the cover right but unless you use a professional, it's a matter of having a gift for design. I certainly do not and often worried whether my homemade book covers were a help or a hindrance. There are many website that give advice, such as 6 Expert Tips on Designing a Great Book Cover, Top Ten Tips for a Great Book Cover and Top 8 Cover Design Tips and so on... but I fear there will always be blind sports unless you're trained in the area. Also it's hard to know, should you invest in professional software to create the cover? We all know very simply designed book covers that are extremely effective, so the answer to this is not straight forward. 

Thankfully I'm really happy with my final cover, supplied by my publisher. Love the view of Canary Wharf and that modern/old-fashioned chick standing in front with her laptop. A difference that strikes me between this and my own attempts below, apart from, obviously, the superior graphics and design, is the fact that this cover tells you exactly what's inside. Which is of course what good marketing is all about.

I think these two photos are great - both taken by my friend, Dr. Max who has captured some beautiful shots of London. The one on the left is supposed represent Orla's work place - the story is set in an investment bank. I added the 1940s lipstick colour to give it a feminine touch! The one on the right is supposed to represent a boat party that takes place in the story. But with both covers there's no hint of personality or atmosphere inside the book. They don't really suggest to you what this story is about, so, as book covers go, they're not great. I couldn't see that though at the time of designing them but I did always say that if I self-published I would probably get a professional to do the job. I think my instincts were correct! The same can be said for the name change. Although I liked Orla's Code because Orla writes code and also has a formula for how to live her life - see what I did there? - it's still a vague name. The I.T. Girl in contrast, tells you exactly what you're getting. Incidentally, I got the font for the cover on the left from www.dafont.com which has thousands of fonts for download - some with commercial permissions, some for non-commerical use only.


The first talk I went to about getting your writing published, about two years ago, put great emphasis on creating a website to showcase your work. We were also encouraged, perhaps recklessly so, to create our own book cover. I set up my website after that with some of my poems and an intro to Orla's Code. I found my way onto Twitter and 'liked' all over the internet. I also tentatively started blogging, just short updates about the submission process (before I got a taste for it and started rambling about whatever was on my mind). But I felt making a book cover at that stage was getting ahead of myself. So I created this lovely visualisation, to the left, instead. That's Orla on the millennium bridge, running because she joins a running club in the story. And that mysterious figure hiding in the trees is Columbus (a reference to a fancy-dress party). Diligently I also added in some market stalls to represent where Orla lives - East London, near the city. Finally, the buildings at the top represent London's financial landmarks. The one in the middle with the crane sticking out of it is the Shard... It does too look like it!... I think we can agree that no one was going to buy my book based on this illustration though; fun as it was to do, it is not a professional design. Just take a look again at the final cover, also featuring Canary Wharf... Well, it was a crazy time.

Please feel free to link to helpful book design sites...

SilverWood Q&A

One of the things we know for sure about the rapidly changing publishing world is that publishers want to spend less time on manuscripts. To increase book turnaround, some of the chores are outsourced to us writers. For example, I have often followed submission guidelines that require me to format my manuscript before an indication of interest is given. Actually, some of those requests seem a bit bizarre: Put two spaces at the end of each sentence but not at the end of the sentence that ends the paragraph - Okay, but is this some sort of fetish? Put 3 stars in between each scene change. Margins should be exactly 1 cm - Steady. At the other end of the process we are asked to take on more of the marketing. This is also indicated in submission guidelines, that ask for a marketing plan.

And then in between, the strategy is to put less time into the editing process, preferring manuscripts "ready to go". I went to a talk where an established author told how her first book was changed 50% under a publisher. But, everyone whispers, those days are gone. The turnaround of books has to be faster, as technology ups the pace.

With this in mind, I had my manuscript for The I.T. Girl professionally edited before going another round of submissions. The first round yielded some nearly-but-not-quite replies. I have found that this step is generally ill-advised. How do you know if an editor is any good? How do you know if the pricing is fair? Could you end up spending a lot of money and be no nearer to a publishing deal? Fair points but I think the answer is you have to have someone recommended or shop around to get an idea of what's out there. 

I used SilverWood Books; a self-publishing company who provide services like proof-reading and copy-editing. They had given a talk to my writing group and I was impressed with their approach, emphasizing support for writers. The process turned out to be a rewarding and learning experience. Here's the post I wrote about it at the time while the manuscript was still under its working title, Orla's Code.

I was delighted to be asked some questions by SilverWood for their newsletter, in light of The I.T. Girl being published. Here it is.

The I.T. Girl Goes Live!

I was heading out the door last night to see a play a friend is in when I got an email from my editor saying The I.T. Girl is available on Amazon! Suddenly there were texts to write, tweets to tweet and a facebook page to update with a status such as 'OMG my book is online and now I'm late'.

Today, as a friend advises, I will try not to stare at Amazon all day. Instead, I have websites, such as this and The I.T. Girl to update. BIOs to change - why do I have so many profiles? - Let people who expressed an interest in the book know it is available, and make time for some general merriment.

Endeavour Press publish novellas and essays, reconnecting with the era of pulp fiction through electronic publishing. Thanks to them for liking The I.T. Girl and doing such a great job with it! And thanks to all my proof readers who put up with my interrogations and helped to shape a book I am proud of.

Oh, if you think you'd like to read an authentic, fast-paced story about what it's like to be a woman in I.T., you can download it to your Kindle from here. 

IT Girl

I am very excited to announce that Orla's Code is going to be published! Yes, this is even more exciting than school summer holidays, the first day of a new job, or getting retweeted by someone famous. And over all the stages since final draft to final submission, this one happened quite quickly.

Endeavour Press gave a talk to my writing group, London Writers Cafe, about 3 weeks ago. It was on getting published and how to raise your e-profile. We all sat poised with pen and notepad on knee as usual. I toyed with asking a question: How important do you think it is to have your own marketing plan in relation to securing a book deal? A few submission guidelines I've come across recently request this and I always shy away from these publishers because I don't have a marketing plan. Anyway, I didn't get to ask my question, but afterwards, as is the wont of our writing group, guests and audience went up to the bar for a drink and further chat. Throughout the talk I had been listening for Endeavour's submission guidelines and I was thinking they might take a look at O.C. So, over a glass of wine, I gave the Endeavour team my pitch. I was asked some questions: Are you working on another book? What has been the reaction of other publishers? What is it called? Orla's Code, I say. This was met with a thoughtful pause. And then: Call it I.T. Girl. As in It Girl. Always call something what it is... Before leaving I promised a submission the next day.

Following my submission I was asked for the manuscript and then a week later received a reply. I was bracing myself for rejection - cause you know I'm getting used to it - but marvelously it simply said: We think this is something we can publish, would you like to come in? I was grinning like an idiot at my workmates. One wanted to know if she had something on her face. But even the following week before the meeting, I was still bracing myself for disappointment. Like maybe they'd say: We like it but can you change 50%? Or: We'd like to serialize it in an avant garde magazine we're experimenting with. But, again they simply said: We like this and we'd like to take it on. Then we got down to the serious business of marketing, strategy and book covers. 

I had taken a half day from work for the meeting and I wasn't meeting friends until later on so, afterwards I went to the Tate Modern nearby and saw the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition. I think I'll always have a warm, fuzzy association with brightly coloured pop-art from now on.

So, here's my TODO list:

• read over mauscript final edit when it arrives
• research book reviewers who might be interested in reviewing IT Girl
• mobilise friends and family

And that's all, folks. IT Girl will be available in your favourite e-book stores hopefully very soon!...

Jottified

Some time ago I joined online writing communities Jottify and WeBook. See Orla's Code Gets a Makeover. Along the way something dawned on me: a website influences the human connections it facilitates.


WeBook has two main features: Ratings and Projects. For £3 you can have the first page of your manuscript rated anonymously and top rated work is put forward to agents. Along with a numerical selection: 1 to 5, you can select why you chose 1 to 5. For example, someone rated Orla’s Code as 4 because it “wasn’t original enough”. Now, I’m open to criticism – I need it – but if there’s anything Orla’s Code is, it’s original enough. It doesn't even have a genre! See Orla's Code Update which includes my attempt to define it. But, as ratings are anonymous, this isn't an opening for discussion, it’s just a little comment bomb that I couldn't do anything with. I suppose if you got a lot of the same ratings, that would be useful. But in 2 weeks I rated 22 works and got 2 ratings in return. As submissions are distributed randomly, it seemed there was nothing I could do to increase my exposure. To be sure, I emailed WeBook Support. After receiving an email failure, I did get a short reply which was already information available on the site. So, no was the answer; all the networking on a Sunday wouldn't increase the amount of times I got rated. Oh, and if I wanted to change my submission, that cost another 3 quid. Feeling my frustration? Well, Projects is a facility to openly share finished work, work in progress or just an idea. You can join projects and collaborate which sounds like fun but my interest is more in finished or nearly finished work. It was hard to filter my search on this; I kept coming across project ideas but also there’s no way to prioritise popular or active projects, so often I came across dormant projects. If people are enjoying this facility, I have no idea. That’s because WeBook doesn't display live data. There’s no list of what's being read or what’s trending. After a while I became aware there’s no easy way to see how other people are using this site and it began to feel isolating. You can make connections with people of course but one person asked to see my work before accepting my friend request. Could it be that the lack of information flow inhibits openness? When you think about it, how are you supposed to know the culture of a site without seeing other peoples interactions? It’s like going to a party and meeting the other guests in isolation. 

Jottify allows you to follow people, as on Twitter. So when you log in, your main page shows you the activities of the people you’re following. Like such and such commented on this work. Then on a side column you can see most popular work today, most read work today and editor's choice. You can gift people ink pots if you like them or their work or are just in an ink pot kind of mood. When you are gifted 20 ink pots, you get the option to plug your work which means the next 1000 people who log in will see it at the top of their page. It's a clever and simple way to encourage interaction. When I joined Jottify, people started gifting me ink-pots straight away. I seem to remember something similar on WeBook - icons that you could gift people - but I never swapped them with anyone. You can post as must work as you like on Jottify in a flexible structure and you can even link to an e-book store if you're selling your work. I’ve posted the first chapter of Orla's Code and my poem My Couch Says which have both received many friendly comments. Another nice feature of Jottify is that all the web pages are open; you don’t have to login or be a member to see them. So, you could use Jottify entirely to showcase your work without the need of a personal website.

I guess this fluidity is the Facebook model. Blog-site providers do it too, with widgets to show your latest tweets and most popular blogs (take a look to the right side of this page). Followers photos and number of 'likes' are the same sort of thing. It’s showing what people are up to which is what provides the community feel. 

There’s a fascinating psychology to website design, which I know little about but, I always try to link to something I mention in blog posts because I feel it is in the spirit of the internet – everything should lead you somewhere else. Of course there’s a downside to the modern template. If a site is good at information sharing, it’s hard for the user to suppress it. Facebook causes me a level of anxiety that I find unacceptable in a leisure activity – in that there shouldn't be any anxiety at all! But I think Twitter has got the balance right. Recently they started emailing me activities of people I’m following. There was a button at the end of the emails to unsubscribe and when I pressed it, a message popped up saying: “Too much information? We get it”. How easy that was.

I'd like to verify my comments on WeBook. It's been a while since I was on the site and perhaps I’m miss-remembering some things. But the site has actually been down for some time and now seems to have changed hands and be under reconstruction. If anyone is looking to join a writing community, as always, with the internet, there seems to be an infinite supply. Maybe WeBook will get it right the second time round but, obviously, I'd like to recommend Jottify.