RichardB

Oh Jane – yes, I can totally imagine that. And Richard – it would be so much easier if they actually had the right info on the signs, wouldn’t it?!

I parked the car in the middle of Rennes once and after I’d wiped away the tears, got out and walked until I found the road I needed…

I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only driver who goes through this!! Part of me was thinking I was a real idiot for getting so worked up after over 30 years of relatively trouble-free driving…but maybe getting majorly lost somewhere is a rite of passage that I’ve just managed to delay?!

Oh I think you could make it work @bellam. On one level the house could be a sort of manifestation of the forces inside Molly’s head keeping her imprisoned and I like the duality of it being a safe place and a prison at the same time.

you’re all very welcome and I’m glad if they’re useful 🙂 But I forgot to put index cards in! I’ve just added that now, point 2 after Donald Maas.

Yes, that’s right @philippaeast – it’s very liberating to put all these approaches on the table and see that they all ‘work’ even though they’re different. It’s all there for the taking and what works…[Read more]

I’m also curious as to how much scope a house narrator gives you? Would every scene of your book have to be set inside / near the house? So intrigued!

Here’s an article about villain narrators:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/153308-20-books-with-villain-protagonists

Hi Bella,

What a fascinating question!

Such a great thing to ask yourself: who is telling the story? Having the house narrate would certainly be very unique and original.

You would sort of have an omniscient narrator-type voice (presumably the house would have a pretty good ‘bird’s eye view’ of things?) but how fascinating too to think of the…[Read more]

WoW, @kazg, what comprehensive notes! These days, I love this story structure stuff. I’ve recently read “Into The Woods” by John Yorke. In one chapter, he compares lots of the different models of story structure, to show how they are all effectively trying to describe the same thing, just in slightly different ways. The trick (I think) is just…[Read more]

Oh my, Squidge, I sooooooo empathise! I am not a hugely confident driver on unfamiliar roads, and many’s the time I’ve driven around lost, being beeped at by angry drivers (because I’m breaching all kinds of road codes), crying and freaking out. It’s the WORST!!!
So pleased you made it in the end, and the school visit itself went well.

Being a…[Read more]

The Coventry Ringway was designed by someone with a grudge against all mankind.

Thanks both – I can honestly say I have never experienced the stress/panic I did yesterday. Once I knew I was safe – ie at the school – I was OK. Quite cathartic to write it all out though and wonder why I responded like I did when I don’t usually react in this way.

These look amazing, Kaz, what a great workshop it must have been. Thank-you so much for sharing. That might be my day’s reading sorted out!!

Oh Squidge, what a nightmare! I’d have been getting panicky too, being lost and in heavy traffic and with a deadline is a terrible combo. Hope the G&T therapy helped and today is devoid of traffic and Coventry. But all that aside, your visit itself sounds wonderful, so huge well dones for that. x

How incredibly generous of you to share your notes in this way, KazG. Thank you.

Oh dear Squidge. My sister lives in Coventry and I go to great lengths to avoid driving on any part of the Ringway so I sympathise. Sounds as though your day went brilliantly though!

So here it is – Part 3, the conclusion of the story of my publishing nightmare, and how I finally recovered the rights to my novel from an intransigent and uncaring publisher. It was financially costly – but not nearly as costly as it might have been, and taught me a great deal about what not to do next time. Final blogpost, with as much in the…[Read more]