One thing leads to another ...

Where is the roaring fire you ask us?

Overview

http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/our-landmarks/properties/queen-annes-summerhouse-10475/#tabs=0

Video

http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/our-landmarks/properties/queen-annes-summerhouse-10475/#tabs=3

This links back to our comments on awriterofhistoryabout airship hangers and the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire England

http://awriterofhistory.com/2014/08/15/mission-to-morocco-j-r-rogers/

Good browsing

Allrighters

Changes to web site

Twelve months have passed since the Allrighters' web site was set up. Various updates and changes are currently being made to the site including new header pictures and changes in colour schemes. A peacock has returned to the garden in the Norfolk house where the Allrighters do most of their fantasy work. Our peacock is now pictured on a new front start up page to the web site which should appear when you visit www.allrighters.co.uk or the other international feeds co.nz and com. We are getting used to the cries of the peacock in the same way the chiming of the grandfather clock repaired by Henry last year.

Mick Rooney of TIPM has agreed to the Allrighters making a regular monthly post. Three posts have been made so far.

These are being made under the Writing and Reading for Pleasure heading as this is beginning to reflect more of what the Allrighters' are now doing. After completion of their 1,000,000 draft words in January 2014 effort has been concentrated on editing and restructuring against a target of one 18,000 word small book a week from the end of May 2014. A Writing and Reading for Pleasure blog has been set up and this will be the one used for most of the Allrighters' new posts. If you receive posts from this and other Allrighters' blogs you will receive an e mail soon asking if you want to receive updates from this new site.

May we wish you a good summer of writing and reading

Alexander and the Allrighters and Ywnwab!

Back to France where our writing started.

Two weeks reading, drafting web posts and some self editing in warm days and evenings. Our host in France is urging us to produce another Ywnwab! We have given the matter some thought and perhaps After Ywnwab! a similar 30 short story-book to Ywnwab! will emerge. Any readers of this post who wish to contribute please let us know. We already have lots of draft material.

The sheer effort and hard work of preparing and publishing another book while trying to work up all the draft words we wrote up to January 2014 is proving a block. Perhaps this is Publishers Block ? 

The highlight of the last few weeks has been finding a book by J K Rowling we enjoy reading. Well two books - Cookoo's Calling and Silkworm. From a reading viewpoint good news but from a writing perspective all rather depressing as we feel our writing has a long way to go if these books are taken as examples of stories well told. The books are too long and as several reviewers say the plots could be tightened up. However, to us some of the individual scenes are wonderful writing and could be set book for writers material for the Allrighters. 

In contact with several writing contemporaries who also published their first books last year and planned to publish second books by now and haven't confirms the publishing effort is considerable.   

TIPM monthly posts are up and running with the third due early in August. This has been a useful exercise in examining what writing and reading are all about for the Allrighters.

Also during the last few weeks visits to a local printing works running nearly 24/7 using a £2m litho based press, attendance at the RIAT and Farnborough Airshows and a first visit to Lords Cricket ground last Monday. Pity about the cricket.  For something completely different a once in a lifetime Fat Duck experience. We now need to sell many books to pay the bill!

Good reading and writing to you all

The Allrighters. 

I have been writing for four years

The last month has been quite busy.

The strategy to concentrate on self editing what I have already written is proving a good one although less time is being spent on web posts etc.

Despite this I made a couple of posts on TIPM - about a visit to CPI printing plant In Chippenham and the first of a regular series of posts in my new writing mode of Writing and Reading for Pleasure.

- http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/2014/05/self-publishing-experience-days-visit.html

- http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/2014/06/writing-and-reading-for-pleasure-part-1.html

This week I have been working on CEE my main character Henry's shipwreck book. I last touched this 50k of draft writing over two years ago. I am amazed at what I have written.

On a visit to the Cats Rescue Charity shop I found a thick book about writing - More of How to write a Mi££ion. The book is made up of three books. The first is the best written by Monica Wood as it contains a very reasoned and balanced chapter on the use of 'show and tell'. The downside is the rest of the book sets out some very hard advice on what makes a well written book. So my glee at finding a more balanced view about 'show and tell' has descended into some depression as I realise just how much more I will need to rewrite and restructure in my draft writing. I was also quite amused by the book title given my own writing target. Other parts by Kit Reed and Jack Bickham yet to be started.

I also rose to a challenge to write a 1000 words of a sit com for my local writing group meeting last week. I took the story teller role while three other group members read the three character parts. The whole evening with similar contributions from others proved a very enjoyable night.

Russell Blake's web site also provides some hard hitting advice on writing. Even suffering thriller fatigue I have started reading some of his books wearing my editor's hat. 

On the reading front I find my drift back to reading more non-fiction is gaining speed. My next publishing effort in hard copy is likely to be non-fiction. I have noticed the fiction books I like are almost real life biographies or books which read like non-fiction with much less showing than telling

I write and read on ... 

Have a good summer ... at last some warmth seems to have arrived.

Douglas

Progress Update

Hi Everyone

Just because there has not been a great deal of activity on this blog does not mean the worms are not busy underground.

Two meetings of the local writers group have provided much fun, laughter and inspiration. Also a reminder in writing two contributions for the group that creative writing is what I enjoy most.

see www.leamingtonspawriters.org.uk

The site includes some posts by Russell Blake about writing and selling books. All hard work he says. Yes I think he is right.

The first fifteen 18,000 word books ( All Gemini ) have been set up for self editing and completion. Much of the content has not been looked at for over a year so I find myself amazed about what I have written. One of the big lessons learnt is not to leave gaps for filling in later as they still represent a wall to be climbed and I have put them off yet again. 

The aim of getting all my draft words self edited and complete by this time next year and then up on Kindle in Summer 2015 still seems to be the best plan.

I am more settled in my overall aim to "Write and Read for pleasure".

Some good reading this month and a post on Mary Tod's web site in Canada

http://awriterofhistory.com/2014/04/29/reader-interview-series-douglas-from-warwickshire/

Her other recent posts in the series from other readers are a good read as well.

I have just finished Kate Atkinson's book Life after Life. I found the first 100 pages a little slow but she kept me reading by her first page about the main character Ursula in Germany. The book matured as I progressed. The most positive aspect was a book structured as a series of short stories in various time frames jumbled up and cross linked. There are similarities between my structure and Kate's structure  so this has reassured me my unusual structuring is not completely out of order especially as Kate's book has sold well. Clearly an established author can get away with an unusual structure.

I like the strap line

"What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?"

I have another draft post for Authors on Line on covers and this time the text.

That's about all my news for now.

 

April the First 2014

Some imaginative thinking

Daily Telegraph picture of a pound coin with Alex Salmond's face in profile showing what the new Scottish pound coin will be like in 2015

Seth Godin - Edward Snowden sets up worry.com for those with anxiety

Dr Mercola - US food standards agency bans all raw meat from sale.

 Then I think the following may not be?

http://accrispin.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/pamela-wray-and-wordworks-publishing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+AtLastWriterBewareBlogsAcCrispinAndVictoriaStraussRevealAll+(Writer+Beware+Blogs!)

Douglas

Self Publishing Conference 30 3 14 Report

Hello everyone,

I ventured onto foreign territory again yesterday as I attended the second Self Publishing Conference hosted by Troubadour Publishing. It seemed a smaller event than last year with fewer people there. The other attendees seemed to be having a good time and the day was good for me in meeting new and old self published writers and learning from sessions.

The keynote speech was from Alysoun Owen the Editor of the Writers & Artists’ Yearbook about traditional publishers reinventing themselves and no short cuts to publishing as all the steps have to be gone through which ever way you publish.

In a really sparky session Polly Courtney talked about how she had successfully self published her first book Golden Handcuffs through Troubadour and then lost control of her next three books published with a mainstream publisher before returning to self publishing. Her comments about marketing were interesting. The key to her success appears to be writing about something in fiction which is featuring strongly in the national press plus many hours of hard work and graft contacting potential readers. She managed to time her book launches to coincide with national press non fiction articles on the subject written about in her books.

I attended a session on structuring children’s books where I scored 1/10 in the exercise. I like the simplicity and good easy reading in children’s books and the notes I made yesterday will be pinned up on my study wall.

Another session on book cover design was interesting but provided few answers other than confirming my choice to have a consistent brand on my covers. A sound approach confirmed earlier by Polly Courtney. In many of the examples I found the text on the cover hard to read. I noticed here and from my monthly inspection of covers on the new books on the Waterstone table more rough edged wobbly text and pictures. There is all this new tech for design but to me few beat the old Penguin covers with pictures.

The final session was about developing one’s web site. Some useful stuff and complimented my recent reading of How to Build Your Online Author Platform http://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Online-Author-Platform-ebook/dp/B00IUQ7QSK/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396260202&sr=1-3&keywords=how+to+build+author+platform Even semi retired I find it hard to find time to both write and market. Other silver writers I spoke to yesterday shared the same problem.

Over lunch I spoke to Helen Hollick - a writer of history - and spoke to her about the perils of writing about historic figures when regarded as saints by some and villains by others. She mentioned Cromwell and laughed.

Also over lunch I met a fellow traveller who had also taken a decision to write for personal satisfaction and not get involved in trying to prove himself as a serious writer. At least I am not so alone now we are in contact.

Best wishes

Douglas

Not well read

Gary Smailes has drawn our attention to a web site of book listings and a BBC contention that few readers will have read more than 6 to 10% of the books in the lists.

On checking the claim appears pretty accurate for us even with film versions added in.

See - http://www.listchallenges.com/kaunismina-bbc-6-books-challenge?ref=share

Many part reads Bible and Shakespeare

Wild Swans

Jaws

Birdsong

Ian McEwan features

Many titles we have started but not completed

Also viewing an interesting reflection on the subject of  cover design although many of the covers shown are quite old

An interesting web site

Allrighters

Short stories as birthday presents

I thought some of the comments in this post were interesting and helpful given my unsuccessful attempts at short story competition entries.

 

http://shortstops.info/2014/02/25/stinging-fly-editorial-statement-a-tingling-pleasure/

 

Allrighters

Reading makes writers

A recent addition to our web posts is Russell Blake.

Cover design, quality of self published books and how to encourage children to read have been recent posts

http://russellblake.com/a-thought-on-literacy/

Worth a read

Allrighters

Do not open this if you are unhappy about walking up stairs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U

Especially after two minutes in!!

Douglas

Self Publishing Excellence

One often sees criticism of self published books generally not reaching the standards of the best of traditionally published books.

Mary Tod's 'Unravelled'  book has been reviewed by  Helen Hollick, ( UK Indie Editor for the Historical Novel Society has selected Unravelled  ) and now made her editor's choice 

http://awriterofhistory.com/2014/02/01/unravelled-a-passionate-unmissable-read/

In the post she comments about the high quality of production of this self published book.

I know when I looked around the self publishers for firms to self publish my books I was often put off by the poor quality of books they handed me as examples of their service. All too many using inferior basic materials, poor layout and a big sin to me including spare blank pages at the end of the book ... what a waste of paper. Their books also did not feel right.

In the end I used York Publishing Services ( http://www.yps-publishing.co.uk/ ) who print their books for customers on site in Bernard Cornwell's Eoferwic or Danish Jorvik now York. When I received my book of Ywnwab! last September on time and ready for selling at a book fair in Tenby  I knew I had made the right choice. Whether my requested cover design and the writing contents match the printing standards is another debate but everyone who has felt and read or flicked through the book has commented on its quality feel.

Douglas of the Allrighters

 

awriterofhistory post

My thanks to Mary Tod for publishing a post from the Allrighters' on her history site.

http://awriterofhistory.com/2014/02/04/a-reader-of-history-douglas-burcham/

Mary would love to be able to see in Canada some of the BBC programmes on the Great War 1914 to 1918. Does anyone have any ideas please?

Douglas

Post million word reflections

After passing my million draft words target last Sunday the first action has been to give the Allrighters a few days holiday from writing. It has been quite nice not to have the pressure of writing so many words a day. Like most holidays the intent does not quite turn out like that ... I have had to write e mails and letters of complaint about slow broadband and also a letter to a national daily about a blood boiling report over the weekend. I have always found writing letters to the press a useful exercise in composition and proof that friends and enemies do read the letters pages.

I really need at least six months to clear the house of all the wreckage from the million word writing challenge. The Allrighters have so many bad habits. The deferred repairs, decorating, piles of paper, piles of read, half read and books still to be read and other things left while writing on and on. The problem is inclination - it is far more fun writing than doing housework!

My first priority is to check again that I have all the million words backed up. An old file failed to open a couple of weeks ago. I keep my fingers crossed this was an exception.

The second task is to read and print off everything I have written to annotate what more needs to be done ... filling in gaps in the stories ... self editing and also to cross check inconsistencies in different stories about the same subjects.

The third task is to set out a methodical approach to self editing and then get on with it. I do want to have all my writing self edited by 31st May 2015 ... five years after I started writing.

I will need to go through all those paper cuttings and read all those notes I made ... will I be able to read my handwriting and did I write enough to enable me to grasp that precious thought again? I fear the worst on both counts.

Then the likely diversions:-

I have various small books, as follow ups to Ywnwab! on the stocks. A Winter Story Book, a book on Postcards from Wales, a book for Reading in the Little Room and another about my Sailing Experiences. All will cost much time and money to produce and not sell well.

My first long book - "Look no touch" with its top shelf cover (when I can find someone brave enough to pose in red shoes and little else) is virtually freestanding and 90% complete so I could make a big push to complete and publish.

After deciding once I started writing not to go the traditional publishing route when reading Helen Corner's description of the process in How to Write a Blockbuster I have been wondering whether to at least give the process a try. 

Helen also said writing children's books is very hard. So I have made a start and quite like the process having worked out a suitably unusual, care free and mysterious main character Blossom to strike fear into all my potential young readers! Blossam is well linked back into my main books.

No doubt there will be more diversions on the way ...

I ramble on too much as usual. 

Douglas of the Allrighters

Editing the next big mountain to climb

Starting from the 1st February 2014 the huge task of self editing our million draft words will begin in earnest. About a third of the draft words will have been subject to either professional or self editing already.

I do not approach the self editing task or scrutiny of professional editing with as much enthusiasm as I do my own original creative writing. From a very timely post by Sam Merry on the subject in the January 2014 Authors online newsletter I am not alone in having these feelings of reluctance. I have responded to Sam and will post a refined version of these Allrighters' comments in a later post.

Douglas of the Allrighters.

http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/newsletter/jan14-editing.php

http://sam-merry.webnode.com

Allrighters’ millionth word written on Sunday 26th January 2014.

Subject to audit – you must be joking, the millionth draft word is WONDERFUL.

We should have been out on a nine mile day walk today, but not in today’s torrential rain and cold wind.

Watched Rafael Nadal being beaten by Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Tennis Open instead.

England fail again in one day cricket.

What is the scale of a million words?

Time taken 1,336 days instead of the original target of 1,096 days.

Average writing 748.5 words a day … a bit of a fade from a target of 750 words a day. Exactly 2,000 words short, at the end due to other family celebrations this month

114,048 words of overheads – technical matters, reviews, different book endings, web site writing, marketing, blogging and progress monitoring. Higher than the 10% I set myself.

The rest 895,952 draft words to be converted into some 15 to 20 long books where starts and endings have been written and many middles and 15 short fiction and non fiction books. Completion will require at least another 250,000 words to fill in the gaps.

How does it feel?

Strange almost an anticlimax … until I get some fizzy alcohol inside me!

Ahh ….

That’s better!

In physical terms if Ywnwab! Is 20,000 words ( not all our own) then a million of Allrighters’ draft words would represent 50 copies of Ywnwab! or a pile of books some 35cm high weighing 10 kilograms or ten standard bags of sugar. There are ten copies on my lap in the picture. So a long way to go if I decide to, and can afford to, print all the final books. I am sure I could find 35cm of shelf space … a disappointingly small amount of shelf space compared to all the other books I have scattered around the house.

E books take up much less room! A million = 100,000 KB in word format and 250,000 KB in Kindle format.

Alfred Wainwright, another Municipal Turf Accountant planned all his Lake District Walk Books over many years with his walks and writing completed on time. I am only 240 days late after 31/5/13!

I now have many more close friends in fantasy with my main characters Henry, Henrietta, Alexander, Florence, Kathrynne, Jeccica, Ann, Leonid, Fleur, Douglas, Sabrina, Freddie, Khris, Martin, Richard, Wil, Harry, Victor,. Celestic, Maladi, The Queen of Chimeristan, Dr Moriati, Mrs Kustard and the Prim Lady.

Plus in real life all those writers and poets I have met or been in contact with around the world.

Thanks to you all for your encouragement and support.

Douglas of the Allrighters.

[Note - this piece to be the entry for 26^th January in Little Room Reading – Michaelmas to Lady Day to be published in time for Christmas 2014. In the book I have 90 slots to fill so if you wish to contribute a 300 word story please let me know.] 

Reflections and Resolutions

Well that’s 2013 done and over.

 

Overall a satisfactory and rewarding year of writing activity.

 

The Allrighters’ are within 18,000 words of passing a million draft words despite not reaching the million by Christmas Day or the year end due to bad weather, too much food and drink and other distractions. We have really surprised ourselves with progress since June 2010. Goethe is right, all you have to do is start and doors do open. A web site is up and running, thanks to Peter Richards. Running the site does take up creative writing time. Several draft books written by others have been read and comments given by us as readers.

Our own reading exceeded five million words in 2013 reading at least one book a week. A selection of Allrighters’ books of the year is to follow as some wonderful reading in December needs to be digested. We made over 130 Amazon book review comments.

A first book Ywnwab! published by Allrighters’ in September 2013 and the self publishing cycle ridden and tested. Minimal sales, but hardly a surprise given short stories are not great sellers and enormous competition.

Worked with a wonderful local writing group and found a close writing buddy. After each meeting came away with a spring in our steps. Also with other supporters in the Allrighters’ and many other contacts in the UK and abroad. Joined a writer's group in Colorado USA this week!

Made several web postings on other’s sites. Hundreds of helpful web posts by others read and digested. 

Someone said writing children’s books is much harder than writing for adults so we have made a start with a new character Blossom.

Thanks to everyone for their support during 2013.

 

Now for 2014

May I wish you all the best for the New Year in life and writing.

My New Year resolutions – already ripe for breaking!

• Concentrate on creative writing of at least 750 words a day and completion of self editing and restructuring of at least twelve draft books or 700,000 words ready for external editing.
• Resist temptation to rush to self publish more books, given the time it takes for each. Leave this to 2015.
• Break previous resolution not to even try going the traditional agent’s publishing route by trying to get our book Look away and maybe a Blossom book as well. The challenge is proving hard to resist and our skin is hard enough to resist rejection … we hope.
• Enjoy local writing group and contact with other writers.
• Do a web post or short story entry every two weeks.
• Continue to read at least one book a week. Try to read and comment on other writer’s draft books.
• Be more selective in receiving and reading others web posts. A new one added this morning - http://www.barbararogan.com/ with a good post on her blog - brain surgery for writers - about editing.
• Continue exploration of different genres and writing styles especially children’s books with Blossom.

More than enough for writing.

Others - Improve our hand writing a hardy annual never achieved.

Play more piano. Another hardy annual.  Feel sad about this one ... want to, but practice claims too much time ... the following is all rather melancholic as well but maybe we will try and learn to play it. Perhaps slow enough for old fingers and brain ... In our fantasy dreams playing is all so easy! Did offer to loan our piano out over Christmas ... but we have now changed our minds.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA_zpNT5uEs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbWE5c7XUDM&list=RDWA_zpNT5uEs  ... First section

Good writing and life to you all.

The Allrighters, Douglas and Alexander