Well, the results of the editorial jury are now in and for today’s adventure, I spent a bit of time reading through all the feedback and deciding how I would make use of it.
I feel as if I’m standing on a threshold today ~ a new point of departure 🙂 . By the way, the running adventure I described in today’s video actually happened in 2010. You can read all about it here.
Today I have two adventures to tell you about! Last night I had a really helpful chat with writing coach, and published author, Katherine Bolton. She helped me to make a final decision about whether the Mills & Boon route was right for me, and she gave me some top tips about how to find the right publisher. You can find links to the book and website I mention in todays video here [ Writers’ And Artist’s Yearbook] Â and here [Romantic Novelists’ Association.]
Today, I took some of Katherine’s advice . I also talked to a complete stranger about my book and their response was rather promising 🙂 .
Over the last three days, I’ve enjoyed the gifts of dissociation, gained insight into my own need for internal peace and quiet, and gained a greater understanding of  the workings of the main female character . More importantly, the main female character has now made it up to Inverness (she was stranded in Peterborough for rather a long time!) The big “meet” is about to take place 🙂 .
Today’s video is an amalgamation of the last 3 days of writing adventures ~
In the last 4 days of my romantic fiction writing adventure, I have discovered that if you write for long enough, you eventually bump into yourself! Today’s video, which merges the last 4 video diary entries, sees me ~
Receiving a direct personal message
Beginning to experience creative writing as a rapid route to personal discovery
Stumbling across a powerful and “moving” literary device 🙂
The last four days have been packed with writing, learning and adventure! I’ve had my first dose of “Writers’ Doubt” , I’ve learned how to slide into writing mode without causing my fictional characters too much distress and I’ve received my first piece of feedback.
Two more tragic deaths have occurred (I know – alot can happen in four days) and I’m learning to get comfortable with writing even in conditions of “poor visibility”.
I’m editing like Stephen King and gaining confidence in the natural direction of my story.
In short, I am beginning to feel like a real writer 🙂 .
You can watch the highlights of the last 4 days here ~
Today I’m back at my writing desk and learning to adjust to the natural speed of my unfolding romantic novel. I’m learning to follow, rather than push, the pace of the story. I’m slowing down and noticing more : not just about the story I’m writing but about other things too 🙂 .
As I intend to write every day this week, I’ll post my daily videos on my YouTube channel and I’ll write a summary blog post (including an amalgamated video) every three or four days.
For today’s adventure, I start to get real with the leading lady in my romantic novel! A quote from Anton Chekhov, and yesterday’s interview with my friend Tiffany Kay, got me thinking about how true to the “real” female protagonist I was being. I spent the morning putting myself in her shoes and inviting her true character to unfold.
Chapter one has been edited : the action is the same but the character’s responses now feel really authentic. I sense I have something more stable from which to launch the rest of the story.
Now that I am no longer ” lying” about who the heroine really is, I can relax in the knowledge that all I have to do now is follow her all the way to the end of the tale. Well, that’s the plan anyway 🙂 .
Phew : that was a toughie! I am just emerging from a 2-hour writing session and I’m emotionally wrung out. Romantic fiction might be a light read but it is far from a light write :).
I’m not only learning that writing brings emotions to the surface (and that those emotions can be used to move a story forward), I’m also learning that to write romantic fiction, you have to fall in love with your own fictional characters. And when you fall in love with them, you care what happens to them.
Wow – it’s the last day of April already and that means guest adventures and a monthly adventure summary! But first to the action of the day.
Today’s adventure into the world of romantic fiction reminds me of the universal appeal of men in uniform (I just want you to know that it was my lead female character that demanded the uniforms and not me.)
With a much shorter writing window available to me, and in danger of feeling the pressure, I have carried my lessons that my previous adventures have brought me into today’s experience ~ placing my awareness on presence, connection and the opportunity for personal discovery kept me well and truly in the flow today 🙂 .
Looking back on this month of adventuring, I am amazed at what happens when you are prepared to pay attention to the “call to adventure”. I’ve received advice from Richard Branson, JK Rowling and Tony Robbins (my Invisible Counsellors) ; I’ve learned how to make video trailers ; I’ve hosted my own TV show and now I’m writing a book! These are all things that I had not even imagined last month. A real pattern is emerging and I’m beginning to piece together a way of sharing my adventuring experience and my adventuring philosophy with a wider range of people. This is far too good to keep to myself 🙂 .
Now let me introduce you to todays’ guest adventurer : Ian Barnfield who is a fan of the Paleo way of eating. In Ian’s video, you can watch thei thoroughly modern cave man try his hand at foraging for wild food . It’s really worth a watch.