Writing...
Hello Friends, I love writing, and I know a lot of you want to write but just can't seem to get started. There is nothing magical about writing, except maybe when your story is finally told, and you know you have created characters that seem like people you know. Actually sometimes they are people you know...but that is another story.
People think stories just fall out of my head. And that the words just glow on my page. Well, that is not true at all. Some days I write a few words, other days I write a few pages. Other days I write for many hours. Like any number of things we all do, writing is something you need to start at the beginning...and then do a little bit every day.
Can you spare 10 minutes to sit down and just put pen to paper or fingers to key board and just start? Sometimes I do not start at the beginning. Usually I have an idea and that idea includes an outcome, but there are times my characters do their own thing and take me where they want to go... Still it is the sitting down and starting that is the biggest part, sometimes the hardest part. And then it is the returning to that time every day to keep going.
You do not have to decide how many pages are in a chapter at the beginning, or even mid way through. You have to start. Don't let the idea of writing a book seem bigger than you. It isn't.
If this is something you have entertained in your head, quietly or even out loud, you are ready to begin. You probably already have an idea, a story brewing, waiting to come together. It can be based on that time well, whatever. You know, it is there. Start. If you can't stop thinking about it, then it is time to begin. If you are a writer now but seem to lose the day and not have time, put writing back on your list and carve out the time.
Don't walk away from this. You have ideas and you want them to take shape. The time is now. Today.
Don't let your everyday chores be the excuse you use. There is no excuse. There is a story you have to tell...a story the world is waiting to hear.
Of course you will get better. You won't be able to help it. And you will learn there are certain words you use soften you will shock yourself. When my new editor pointed this out to me, I was stunned. She was not changing my tone or my voice or my story, she was simply saying look at this, you have over done what ever word it was (and usually still is). If you are not ready for advice or criticism or anything, just write. Start. When you are ready you will find a writers group you can share your thoughts with.
When I wrote my series Greater Expectations I originally thought it would be jam packed with humor. But as I got into it I realized the subject matter (dating and joining a dating agency) were sensitive areas and the humor became a very minor part of my story. As a matter of fact, the concept turned into four stories, each friend having her own. So for a reader, the series is like one extra large story. Sometimes we read things and don't want them to end. This series solves that by keeping the reader engaged for four books.
I love all my work, but Jillian's Story, number four, is one of my favorites. Maybe because her story starts in book one and has longer to develop? Maybe because she is a character my readers originally did not think they could relate to but then all cheered for.
I started a new series called The Nantucket Series Tuck You Inn. I moved one of my favorite characters to one of my favorite locations, Nantucket. I simply had her go on holiday (and so far she has not come home). The one pictured above Looking for Santa is book two in the new series. It is about Santa to a certain degree, and it is most definitely set on Nantucket, but most of all it is a romance.
Perhaps I hadn't meant it to be quite so when I started. You will know once you start where your story is going. This is a story about a stubborn man, an elusive spoiled girl and well, let's just say when they meet it is electric. But like all electricity there are sparks that can shine bright or burn.
It is an adventure that will help you escape for a few hours (and all the longer if you start with Becoming Santa so you are familiar with all my characters...).
For me, it wasn't so much a departure as a new beginning in a new area, new location. New people. And I think you will find yourself enjoying it. And as a writer, I think you will say to yourself, you are not limited to where you are or just a few characters. You are actually possibly for the first time ever unlimited. Don't get hung up on page counts etc. You will find guide lines on the net to go by. The rules are not as crucial as your story.
Join me and take that step. It is easier than you think and certainly rewarding. Oh yes, it is fun.
My editor is busy working on my third story in my new Nantucket series The Mermaid Mansion. No, there is no cover yet, but yes, it is a story that will take you away, and tug at your heart strings. And it moves Auntie Clara from Windstar to Nantucket so you can enjoy her all over again. I also introduce a 5 year old girl Clemmie, who I think will capture your heart. The story of a pirate who loved a mermaid, coming soon...
But the Mermaid Mansion is with my editor getting tweaked and polished. While it is there, I am writing something new, a little bit every day. New places, new people, a new story.
So let me know what you are writing. If you are a writer and would like me to review your story and we can chat about it, get in touch with me. Writers love other writers and their stories. If you think my readers would love to branch out and here your story, let me know. And if you are starting out and need words to tug you along, let me know.
Cheers,
Jacqueline Gillam Fairchild
my books are available through me or on Amazon.
teatimewithhermajesty.com
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