Thursday 19 July 2012

Tweet Tweet

No I haven't purchased Tweet Right yet...I am going to. I was just perusing through twitter and I have stumbled upon the very popular Jeff Goins. Currently reading his website and some of the articles are excellent. I thought I would share with you:

http://goinswriter.com/get-more-followers/

Its about how to get more followers on Twitter- So watch this space (well actually follow me on twitter @marissadeluna) I may well be breaking the rules soon... because who wants to be boring?!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

we rate ability in men...

“We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt” - Think Exist (sorry don't know who said this - it didn't say)

Well I cant believe I am at this juncture again. Well i can I have been harping on about it for the last however many months. So mwriting buddy proof reader has added all the comma's I needed and actually said that my punctuation is not all that bad apparently its the same mistake I keep making with dependant clauses!! hurrah- now if someone would tell me what one of them is I might get it.... only joking but I do need to learn. Think of the time and money I could save.

Writing Buddy - Lets call him Mr X - because I don't like using peoples names if they are not bloggers and don't have an on-line presence because they may not want me to share information- anyway Mr X has also given me some good pointers on how to improve the first three chapters. So I worked on it late last night and now have a completed submission package!!!! VERY EXCITED!

I am sending out five submissions (lucky agents!) - arghhhh it is scary and at the same time exciting - but deep down I know it will amount to nothing! I mean psychological thrillers are two a penny aren't they?!  You see this worries me about all us wanna be trad published writers - I mean would you take a chance on a new writer when Sophie Hannah does it so well. There is no USP I suppose to the run of the mill writing. OK I can churn out four books a year (if I didn't have a job) and yes they are readable and I know from Goa Traffic that people enjoy them and are willing to spend money on my work - but is it anything different? I don't know. The Chupplejeep Mysteries certainly are interesting... For now I will send out my submissions and hope some agent somewhere sees some potential. Goa Traffic was the learning Curve - Bittersweet is now going to be polished within an inch of its life (well for a year) before I self publish.

I am increasingly finding I don't have the time to complete the deep clean edit of Bittersweet _ I am only on Chapter 14 - and If I do have the time I don't have the energy- so I haven't been to the gym this week and have been eating more chocolate (for energy of course) This is not a good combination so somethings gotta give. Anyway I am hoping its just a blip!

Goals  for the rest of the year- Completed deep clean edit of The Bittersweet Vine (by October) then send out 10 more submissions. With a fuhrer 5 more in December

Finish the first draft of Under The Coconut Tree... by December - currently only 20,000 words in....

Also in return for Mr X adding in commas I am reading his book and the current chapters are set in Rome- its giving me some inspiration to go abroad and write....Rome especially is beautiful.... Ah if only I was there.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Choose a job you love

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life
Confucius
 
Well I like writing and that isnt going to pay the bills is it? Maybe one day. So this blog posts comes with all the ususal caveats...its not been proof read of even spell checked. Work has been absolutely manic I even had to wrok late yesterday - this is no good thing for an impatient writer- I think my impatience is getting worse. I am good to go with my submissions just waiting for my proof read first three chapters- here i have to be patient as my proof reader is not doing this for money. I am being patient well at least it is teaching me to be patient. Its a good thing - plus his critique and comments as well as the commas will be invaluable I know. So I keep telling myself I will send out my 5 submissions a couple of weeks later - its not like the agents are going to be champing at the bit to be signing me up (sob) - Anyway my personal deadline was the end of July.
 
So what have I been doing - apart from the normal job that pays the bills I have been reading - Just started something by Barbara Vine. her books are pretty good- fact she is Ruth Rendell. Just in case you didn't know.
 
I have not got any further with Under The Coconut Tree - which is a shame but meanwhile I am getting super inspiration for the original book number 3 which has now moved to book number 4 - Living the dream- yes bad title I know but listen it is a work in progress.
 
I have also seen the Olympic torch.... see that and the Jubilee makes me a different person than I was this time last year. This time last year I would have pooh poohed the idea of watching the Olympic flame- I hate sport- well hate is too strong a word- I am indifferent!
 
That's about all my news. I am going to buy Tweet Right by Nicola Morgan - and See if I can drum up a few more followers.... Well her how to write a synopsis really did wonders for me especially her 'crappy memory tool' method- I recommend it to all. Yes I know I need to post links. But I so have to be in a meeting in a few minutes and I don't have time.... urgh I have talked myself in to it here you go:
 
 
 
There you go - see I always say if people have the time to say they don't have the time- they have the time. I feel bad buying a book on how to tweet right - I mean you should know shouldn't you- but then again my following is poor.
 
Also while I am linking up if you want to know more about the Jubilee check out my other blog http://thelensandthequill.blogspot.com/  Urmi was with me for the Olympic torch so maybe I will do some stories about that as well.... you know life experience and all that.
 
So writing group today and I have no writing to take...I know I am still editing The Bittersweet - its having a deep clean and I am only on chapter 13.... deadline for this is October so I have time. But in between I want to finish Under The Coconut Tree....I think I will be reading a bit of this at my next group (biting nails....so scary. It so different and funny and am I funny? I just dont know)