Progress - 23 August 2013

Writing

Some progress on Sevhend? on restructuring and self editing of writing from 2011 onwards. Draft of a competition short story for Eurostar. Start to writing and a listing for a second story-book for publishing in May 2014. I have more than enough short stories including some from authors who were guest writers in Ywnwab! Other newly published writers invited to take part.

Reading

An interesting week on reading front. Downloaded onto Kindle a copy of Unravelled by MK Tod. Not really my kind of book, but an enjoyable read balancing historical details of WW1 and WW2 and the personal pressures on a couple’s marriage. See Amazon for my review.

Unravelled did enough to hold my reading interest to stop me reading more of J K Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy and Declan Henry’s Why Bipolar? The latter will now receive my attention to complete. Also dipping into Howard Jacobson’s Zoo Time with lots of chuckles.

My first professional editor Gary Smailes has recommended a self published book Essence by a teenager.

Other

Last proof reading of Ywnwab! story-book now complete and cover design approved. It has been a much more time consuming process than expected.

Interesting and useful new web site - Tony Riche's Writing Desk - see link in webs and reads.

Knew someone else must have done something similar to the Allrighters' million words. Answer to DT Saturday big crossword clue one across – English author noted for his million-word-long cycle of 12 novels. A Dance to the Music of Time which includes Casanova’s Chinese Restaurant and Books Do Furnish a Room. The latter the name of a now defunct bookshop in Leamington Spa

Solution - Dance to the music of time -Anthony Powell.

Lee Child has maybe committed a ‘Ratner’ moment admitting he used cannabis for over 40 years. Perhaps this is the answer I have been searching for as to why my writing is so poor compared to his. I am certainly not going to start now.  This on top of using a midget for Reacher, a giant, in the film!

Next posting will be on book covers when I receive final version of cover for Ywnwab!

To be continued ...

16 August 2013

I did not plan to be writing this so soon after my last posting but ...

A Listing of Interest.

http://alchemipedia.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/100-greatest-britons-bbc-poll-2002.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/10_october/19/great_britons.shtml 

 I wonder what order a current update would show?

Surely those BBC programmes were not shown nearly eleven years ago!

The Casual Vacancy

Yesterday I saw the horrible looking ( to me ) but eye catching yellow and red covered hardback version of JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy in our local Library. I thought given current sales of the paperback version I should take out the book on loan. I have started to read, not really my type of book, nor one I would buy.

However, reading the book while wearing my editor's hat I am impressed by her powers of observation and so far the points used in the story are pricking recognition and chuckles. I will read 100 pages and see how the reading goes. Already on second thoughts, as I managed 180 pages of 50 Shades and given my respect for JKR and her encouragement of children to read I will have to read more. To me she is a good story teller, even of a story I do not enthuse over, and this appears to be her secret weapon with other readable and successful writers.

I have been involved in cover design for Ywnwab! during the last week. The yellow and red cover design for the hardcopy of Casual Vacancy is not to my liking, but then the paperback version has the neatness and sameness of thousands of other books on the bookshop stands. A feeling of a blog posting coming on. Well I am well through the draft of one on this interesting subject.

... and 1700 word competition entry for Twist in the Tail Story submitted yesterday.

Good reading and writing to you everywhere - Alexander

13 August 2013

This Website

Update in progress. Guest writer details added on home page, trains, flying craft and boats web links added, link to Alexander’s Amazon reviews being worked on. New short story Uncle Robert added. Other minor points and updates around publication of Ywnwab!

Writing

Past 880,000 draft words now.

Considering change of strategy. Rather than completing 1,000,000 words by Christmas 2013 we are considering a concentrated drive to complete final draft of Cross Family Saga of over 500,000 words in nine long books – Sevhend?, Gemini in five books, Look!, Kutopia and Anatomy. Over 450,000 words already written on these.

Short stories

First and second printers proofs of Ywnwab! received - another stage reached. Nice feeling of progress but even on 20,000 words all very time consuming. Second cover design prepared on a template for all books. Adding an extract for Florence and a commentary on font size.

Ideas for second story book being firmed up.

Costa Coffee story off and another for Twist in the tail competition going on 15 August.

Aim to enter one competition a month to test the water and our writing attraction.

A couple of new stories written on ‘Revenge’ for local writer’s group.

Long stories

Sevhend? - Nearly all old material found and reordered by person.

Other writers' draft book reading

Thriller and romance being read. Interesting reading in other writer's work.

August Reading

Robert Goddard - Long Time Coming - was just that - too long - although best of his plots to date.

Ian McEwan’s Sweet - proving hard going.

Jon Mcgregor’s book TITSOTTHTSLY not compulsive reading.

Distracted to Howard Jacobson’s Zoo Time – Like the first person and views of Cheshire especially the Zoo. Death of a Publisher chapter is a brilliant commentary on current issues in publishing. Text font too small.

Declan Henry Why Bipolar? - an interesting and thought provoking factual read.

Jungle Book – dipping into this again after many years.

Suzanne Joinson A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar – a promising start.

Websites

Mary Tod’s publishing date 19 9 13 on her book – Unravelled

http://awriterofhistory.com/aboutme/

Sport

Well done to England for retaining the Ashes and also winning series on the 12 August when all seemed lost at tea. Given the urgency and enthusiasm of David Warner in the third and fourth test perhaps his punch to the jaw and omission for the first two tests lost Australia the Ashes? TMS good as usual especially Geoffrey Boycott and lunchtime interviews with John Altman and Sir Robin Knox Johnson last week.

Other fronts

Little change – little being the operative word on home action! After the hot weather now back walking ... in Peak District and Gloucestershire last weekend.

30 July 2013

Welcome to all of you who have signed up to receive news or who have looked at our new website.

Despite the unseasonal hot weather for July The Allrighters have made some good progress on their writing activities this month. 

This new website is up and running. Search on Allrighters and on some search engines and you may find the name near the top of the list! Thank you Peter for the right meta words. 

On the short story writing front:-

Our Costa Coffee short story has been completed for submission this week. A story with a "twist in the tail" is being worked up for another competition next month. 

A couple of contributions to writing newsletters have also been prepared.

Ywnwab! is with our self publisher for production by early September 2103

Another follow up book of short stories to Ywnwab! is being assembled. If you would like to become a guest writer and make a 1,500 word contribution to the next book please send details of how you started writing - c 300 words and a self contained story or extract from a longer book of - c 1,200 words for consideration. The Allrighters will make the final, non negotiable decision, on what to include as they are paying the costs of production and publication. We like others contributions to add variety and reality to our fantasy.

Titles are being considered for the follow up book - having surprised everyone by a positive response to the challenge - You will never write a book! - the inevitable question will no doubt be something along the lines of - "What are you gonn'r write now ?" - Waygwn? - "Perhaps you can think of something less naff," -  as our self publisher said about Ywnwab! The title will most likely change, as do our titles for the long books. They ebb and flow and change on the tide of writing. 

On the long book writing front:-

All the other activity has meant less progress than we wanted, but we are up to schedule passing 875,000 draft words this morning with a better skeleton structure for Sevhend?  This is our likely first long book to be published next year. A story by Henrietta Emily Jones about the dreams and recollections of her mum Florence Cross, five men, eight children and Freddie a ghostrighter.

On the other writer's draft reading front:-

Our current reading includes a draft page turner written by a member of our local writer's group. We are half way through the whole book waiting ......... biting our nails (if we did) for the author to complete another 10k of self editing next week. Just what will happen next and how on earth will the book end?

In the spirit of Stephen King's advice about reading a lot the Allrighters are also quite happy to read any of your draft fiction writing ( short stories, longer books normally up to 100,000 words - in 10,000 word chunks per week) and make comments from a potential reader's perspective. We were told it's better to get comments from as many general readers as you can before you have gone into print.

We cannot do a 100% edit as we do not have a first class English degree from Cambridge or an MA in Creative Writing, but then neither do most of readers of fiction books. As Bill C might have said on the subject "It's the story that counts," leaving off the demeaning word.

Quotation of the month: - "Too much bad writing has been written about good writing" Nicholas Heiney 2006 - "The Silence at the Song's End." - 2007. (permission given)

On the reading front:-

• The Search - by Geoff Dyer. A great idea in a conventional start, leading on to some surreal, over long fantasy writing of a kind echoed in some of the Allrighters' long books. The long sex scene on page ** (minus two)  a delight - leaving everything to the imagination. We must read more of his books. See Alexander's comments on Amazon for this book and the rest of his 70+ book reviews.
• Robert Goddard - Long Time Coming - LTC. He keeps his plots fizzing along.
• Jon McGregor - This Isn't The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You.  TITSOTTHTSLY in our titling method. The short stories are more readable than his INSORT. 
• Jawbeakers - Flash Fiction - Various authors. Read on Kindle, interesting comparison with Ywnwab!  Ian Rankin short story a gem.
  
• Jen Campbell - Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - WTCIB. Great as laughter medicine.
• Felix Dennis - Love of a kind - A book of new poems written under threat of death. Florence would have loved to have used the Eric Gill illustrations in her books.  

Other web sites found this month:-

• http://awriterofhistory.com - Found via Mick Rooney's web site and a book marketing plan contribution written by Mary Tod the site's author. In the site archive there are some interesting interviews with authors writing historical fiction. Browsing the site has raised thoughts in our minds about whether good fiction can be written with WW1 and WW2 as a background without a really good story as War Horse, Birdsong and Never Forget. For the awful detail a factual book written by someone who was actually there, whether embellished or not, will we think hold more credibility and interest. Most of those who were there at the front, including my father, said nothing. Richard Holmes, John Keegan ( see interview below) ,  Anthony Beevor and Andrew Roberts war and history writers, never, as far as we can see ( please someone correct us if we are wrong)  took part in active service killing people. We know Winston Churchill did both! 

• http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/56542-1/John+Keegan.aspx

On a less sad note:-

• Not long to go before the next Jack Reacher book is published. 
• Will the current unseasonal weather continue?  

 On other fronts - progress:- 

• Decorating - none.
• Repairs - none - but the 'to do' list has grown.
• Clearing out - going in the wrong direction.
• Weight and blood pressure - maybe going down ..... 
• Interest rates, on our publishing money pot, are going down - is ski the answer or publish more quickly?
• Walking - not enough.

Good writing, reading and arithmetic to you all and please keep comments and e mails coming.

The Allrighters 

23 July 2013 - Website live

Allrighters' web site goes live!

Thanks to good work by Brush House.

A big welcome to our viewers. 

A 4000 word short story written by us in the Drome in France is to be submitted for the Costa Short Story competition next week. 

Best wishes to you all,

Alexander, Henry and Henrietta

18 July 2013 Activity

18 July 2013 Activity

Writing activity this month

Ywnwab One. c 20,000 words of some 28 short stories and Allrighters’ information. Given a final edit and sent to York Publishing Services for action. Cover design and format to be worked out.

This web site including blog format for news and diary set up by Peter Richards of Brush House.

A draft story written for Costa Coffee Short Story Competition. Submission required by 2 August 2013.

More writing progress and structuring on Sevhend as a first long book for spring 2014.

860,000 draft words exceeded.

A start on planning for a book fair in West Wales underway.

15,000 words of a writing group member’s book read and commented on. More to come.

Reading 

Robert Goddard’s Fault Line 

Sarah Young’s My Enemy’s Cradle and 

A C Maclean’s Hill of the Red Fox read this month. 

Started Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Books. 

Another Jack Reacher book due in August.

Dipping into:-

Jen Campbell – Weird Things Customers say in Bookshops.

- A good laugh.

Felix Dennis  - Love of a kind – A new illustrated book of his poems compiled and partly written under the illusion of a sentence of death.

Visual Delights.

Visit to York to see the six Sir Nigel Gresley designed A4 Class Pacific locomotives including Mallard and A4 bearing his name.  

You tube video of Vulcan XH 558 flying display at Waddington.

A busy month so far. Clearing up and external painting deferred. Excuse … too hot! New boiler fitted. Small form - should save gas. Time will tell. Thrashed at Bridge on Monday.

to be continued ......

July 2013 News and Diary

A Start - July 2013

Allrighters have looked into the social media of facebook, twitter and blogging. Perhaps they are not all for us yet, although Henrietta fancies a tweet. Life on Earth is hard enough already for someone originally from Kaolin without further exposure.

Please comment - using the comment facility below

or by e mail to:-

alexander@allrighters.co.uk

Latest News – July  2013 

For someone from a cold planet the heat this month is difficult, but I must not complain as my neighbours think the warmth and Sun are wonderful, after such a cold winter.

Having passed 850,000 draft words at the end of June, in France, the Allrighters are writing on towards a million words by Christmas 2013. The dreams in France were good for writing.

to be continued …