An Update

(c) Dianne Hope

I've been circulating more book reviews than writing updates lately so I thought that it was time to publish something a little more personal. I'll keep it (relatively) short!

Last year was an adventurous one for me, writing wise. I learnt so much in a short space of time, progressing quickly from the two ghost stories I had written over the summer of 2014 (these were not the first things I had produced but they were the pieces I felt most strongly about at the time) to a completed book of 35,000 words which is now available via Amazon (click HERE). Publication date was six months ago and I have already posted several articles on the additional skills I needed to acquire/develop in order to produce Into Dust in both paperback and e-book formats​. I haven't yet composed anything, though, on my thoughts post-publication. The main reason for this is that I cannot make up my mind what to say. It has been an exciting and educational (even sociable) experience but I can't deny that sales were disappointing and, although my book is 'out there in the world' and I am proud of it, not many people have read it. I'll leave it there for now and do a full piece when I have decided upon the points that are worth making.

​Since making Into Dust available I have been spreading my writing time between:

• marketing Into Dust - a tough exercise and one where the level of effort has not come close to generating a corresponding number of sales. I had, however, carried out thorough research beforehand and was at least prepared for this but I guess everyone hopes to be the exception. So far, I'm not! On the whole, more than one title seems to be needed to drive sales and novels with a common theme or series character are, I suspect, more suited than collections of shorts;
• writing a short non-fiction book for a friend's project;
• trying my hand at fairy and fantasy tales. This has been enjoyable. I have loved doing the reading and research necessary to give me a rudimentary understanding of this hugely popular yet competitive genre and (I think) that I am pleased with the two pieces I have completed so far. One story, however, had to be abandoned partway through. It just didn't fit with the tone of the others so it has been shelved for now but I might return to it one day as I still like the premise. I'm not yet sure what I will do with the two finished stories. I had intended on self-publishing another book of shorts, a collection of fantasy tales as a companion to Into Dust, but as I have not yet reached any sort of audience with Into Dust I can't help feeling that it might be a waste at this stage though I am certainly not ruling it out for the future; and
• digging out the novel I wrote in 2011 and assessing whether any element of it can be saved. I haven't yet decided on the exact age-range it is to be pitched at (if I begin another re-write) but it will be somewhere in the 8-13 bracket. When I started it, I had never written anything before - I just decided one day that I wanted to try and write a book and plunged right in. It was while I was writing it that I began to read articles, attend a few courses, dabble in short stories for competitions and basically try and learn the craft without spending thousands on a masters degree. (My next blog article will document how I went about this and what I believe I have learnt.) Consequently, the book in its current form is pretty dreadful but it is still calling out to me. It was around 90,000 words when I finished draft one. I've been through about seven drafts since then and it still needs a complete overhaul. I have therefore been immersing myself in character bios, timelines, plot twists, world-building (it is fantasy based) and have written thousands of words that will probably never make the final page but which have begun to give me a deeper understanding of where I am going. It is fun, but I am finding it incredibly tough. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I like to over-complicate things and that is certainly true of the plot lines I am currently trying to untangle and weave into something comprehensible. It just won't be worth starting on yet another re-write unless I have a clear idea where I am going. Hopefully the mists will clear soon as I am itching to get back to telling a story. Attending a one day workshop in Sheffield run by Susan Elliot Wright and Russell Thomas really helped to reawaken my waning enthusiasm for this project and give me the tools and ideas I needed to properly plan out a novel (or series). It was great value for money at just £40 and I would recommend attending one of their workshops if you are struggling with a project. The atmosphere was friendly and fun and I gained a valuable insight into how better to approach a longer piece of work. Details can be found at  http://www.susanelliotwright.co.uk/p/workshops.html .

So that's where I am up to. It is looking like it will be a good long while before I have any new material to put out except, perhaps, if I decide to enter the fantasy shorts in competitions later in the year. In the meantime I will hopefully push forward with the novel and of course, much of my attention will go towards having my second baby boy. In the meantime I would like to say a huge 'thank you' to anyone reading this who purchased Into Dust and to those of you who assisted in its production and sale. You know who you are.​ Every single reader and/or word of encouragement means the world to me and your support is invaluable. Have a wonderful new year.

Bernie x​

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