Novel 2, and The Incredible Shrinking Word Count

Now I may be a little on the crazy side, stop sniggering TF! But I’m going to make a start on Novel 2. YES, I know I haven’t finished Novel 1 yet!

But the thing is you see, the ideas for Novel 2 are jumping up and down inside my head saying, ‘write me, write me now!’ And I’m so worried that while I’m boosting the word count of Novel 1, all the creativity I’m feeling for Novel 2 will disappear.

Ooh, and talking of boosting the word count of Novel 1. Well, I’m NOT. In fact, Novel 1 is shrinking. It’s fine though. I think! I’ve just re-drafted to zap all those pesky ‘thats’ as advised on this great post at The Blood Red Pencil.

Right, I’ll just pop another one of Leigh’s word counters on my profile for Novel 2. And then I’ll nip off and write both novels to completion - in the words of Tommy Cooper, ‘Just like That!’ HA!

Ghosts at Minsden Chapel

I'm so interested in GHOSTIES and STUFF. It must be my over-active imagination. I plan for Novel no.2 to have a ghost theme, and I've written a few short stories that involve the paranormal.

Now, I really have to tell you about my latest experience at the VERY haunted location of Minsden Chapel in Hertfordshire.

A bit about Minsden Chapel’s history and its phantoms can be found here. MINSDEN STUFF

It's one of my favourites haunted locations. And I love to visit on a bright, spring afternoon. Note, I did not say at night – I’m far too chicken for that.

Anyway, we’d had a couple of weird experiences on our prior visit there. The strangest being that one of our party came away with a red line around their neck, that seemed to appear from nowhere. It was as though someone had tied something around his neck and pulled it tight. This was made stranger by the fact hangings used to take place up there. And, once home, a subsequent search of the internet revealed others have experienced the same thing.

So, back to last Sunday’s visit. Some weirdy things happened!

1. We set up a video camera which recorded us milling around the chapel. I, in true Yvette Fielding fashion, called out, ‘If there’s anyone there please give us a sign.’ Nothing happened. Or so we thought. But when we got home and looked at the film, just after I call out the camera SO obviously moves. Several inches in fact, in a horizontal fashion. Strange.

2. One of our party said their neck itched. On looking we saw another clear, red line around her neck.

3. Several strange pictures were taken. One shows a glowing cross, another a figure at the edge of the page. One a full on figure and another has two strange glowing lights. (Go on, look hard, get in the spirit of the blog post - and no the cross isn't the sun!)










4. Voices were heard and all of us thought we saw things out of the corner of our eyes.

A lot of mumbo jumbo do you reckon? All fab for stimulating those writing juices, don't you think?


Edited to add more pictures 9th April.

Ghostly photos are copyright to the blog author - If you wish to copy please link back to this blog - thanks.

Fairy Wishes

When I SOLD my first EVER story, I bought this...



Yes, it's Tinkerbell! A Fairy!

I wished on my fairy, asking that I would sell another story...

....and hey presto, I SOLD my second EVER story!

So when I get my payment for my second EVER story, I'm going to buy meself another fairy ... perhaps one for the garden. And then I'm going to make another wish...so watch this space!

Does anyone else buy a keepsake to remember their successes by? Or am I quite mad? Don't answer that?

49,000 WORDS!

I have written 49,000 words of my novel. Good, yeah?

I have a beginning, a middle and an end. And I have written the final chapter!

I have nothing more to add to my actual plot-line and I have no more characters to invent.

HOWEVER – This is what I believe a tutor would say about my work:

-Some of your chapters, Amanda, are merely a paragraph long – This occurs especially after Chapter Seventeen – and really isn’t acceptable.

-Your descriptions, as a whole, lack lustre.

-Your speech needs to be interspersed with descriptive prose.

-Show don’t Tell!

-Your characterisation needs lots of work.

-BUT – Amanda, this can only be a good thing, because the finished product needs to be around 80,000 words.

-Now get your head down and add 30,000 more words. And while you’re at it stop procrastinating!

Right, off to write some more, Sir - Would you like an apple?!