Thursday 26 January 2012

The Blank Page...




I’ve been away for a couple of weeks but now that I’m back - I’m excited to tell you that I’m just about to embark on a new and longer journey - I’m about to face the blank page once again and start writing a new novel!

So, my dear friends, do you think you might be interested in travelling with me on this exciting new novel journey? Do you want to find out exactly what it takes to write and publish a novel from start to finish? Perhaps, if you are a reader, you’ve always wanted to write a book yourself?

My first book was traditionally published in paperback but I have since gone on to self-publish my second and third novels as e-books. These have gone on to be bestsellers on Amazon’s Top 100 lists and are currently selling well all over the world. Would YOU like to get involved in following the progress of Book Number Four? Over the next weeks and months I’ll be discussing the ups and downs of my writing and regularly seeking out your opinions and advice from right here on this blog. Then, later on in the year, we can discuss matters such as editing, formatting and cover design, and everything else that takes us from an idea to a finished book.

So far, I’ve done the extensive research that I advocate as the best way to ‘know my characters’ and I have two such people now firmly embedded into my head. I’m not entirely settled on their names yet, but one is a hot-shot female lawyer, an eco-warrior and passionate green campaigner. The other protagonist, and the love interest in the story, is an ambitious industrialist.

What now? Well, they will meet in chapter one and I think I’m going to open the first scene in his point of view (POV).

I’ve always been a bit of a ‘pantser’ - this means that unlike writers who prepare a carefully planned story outline - I just start to write and hope the ideas will pop into my head. It’s a risky strategy. I mean, ideas can (and do!) dry up and this can put you right back to that intimidating first blank page. I suppose I have blind faith in that somehow, perhaps on a subconscious level, it will all come together in the end and that by allowing my characters to tell the story (rather than it being plot driven) it will emerge fresh, pacy and engaging. Well, that’s what I’m hoping anyway!

Next week, I hope to have names for my first two characters. Do you have any suggestions? What do you think is fashionable right now and can you think of a name to suit my beautiful lady eco-lawyer and her handsome nemesis, the industrialist businessman? Perhaps we could have a poll and vote on the best name suggestions? As I don't have a title yet either - we might have to do the same for that too!

You will see from my sidebar that this blog has just been nominated for a Top Writer Blog Award. This is a huge honour as it comes from an educational website and if you have a moment to spare I’d love you to consider voting for me. Your support would be greatly appreciated. No signing up necessary - just a click through from the sidebar button to the nominee list and press the Vote button. Thank you!

See you next week…?
Janice xx

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