Congratulations – to me!

A big thanks to Amalie for my blogging award!!!
See more at: http://amalieberlin.blogspot.com/2012/02/7-x-7-blog-award.html
Always nice to wake up to a compliment. :o))

What’s in a name?

Quite a lot, I reckon. During the course of writing my own manuscript, I changed the names of major – and many minor – characters several times. I found that as their personalities developed, they often outgrew the names I had initially thought were perfect for them.

I’m not sure what this says about me, but I find names very important when I’m reading a novel. Those that I don’t like will simply jar on me throughout. For example, I read a book last week, which had the main protagonist as a ‘Bernard’. I simply couldn’t get on with it – resorting by the finish, to giving my poor, beleaguered Bernard a French spin in an attempt to lend him the charisma that his character so called for.

Would I treasure Pride & Prejudice quite as much had Fitzwilliam Darcy been plain old George Smith? Austen’s brilliance would always lead me to say yes, but I’m grateful I don’t have to ponder it. For me, a great character name should be unique, age and period appropriate – and one that suits their personality to such an extent that they become almost like a living relative.

I’m sorry, Bernard, but alas I fear we are destined to remain casual acquaintances. 

Reading for yourself…

Sometimes I think it’s all too easy for us would-be authors to get lost in the business of writing – to forget the simple pleasure of reading without feeling the need to analyse every detail in case we've missed something that could make us better.

But a couple of weeks ago I read a book that transported me so far away from everything that I forgot to think about techniques or plotlines and literally lost myself in a good book.

At times, this story was so poignant, the characters’ pain so acute, that I felt as though I was looking over their shoulder as events unfolded. And the only way I could cope with what was happening was to physically stop and remind myself that it wasn’t real: that these characters were simply a figment of somebody’s rather brilliant imagination.

That may sound a little over the top, but it’s absolutely true. I can lose myself in a book – for hours, eating into the long hours of the night because I can’t bear to go to sleep on an unfinished story. Because of that, it never usually takes me more than a day to finish something that I’m reading. It’s an extreme – and often expensive – habit, I know, but at least I’m easy to buy for!

When people talk about having their novel published, I can safely say that my greatest thrill would be to encounter a reader who feels that way about my own story. I could definitely live with the idea of my writing keeping someone up at nights!

Everything that goes before

I’m working on a detailed plan for book no.2 at the moment.

What started out as a few tentative steps towards a whole new project has now gathered pace and I can feel the familiar excitement mounting as I consider new characters and settings.

It struck me the other day, however, just how much of an achievement it was completing my first MS. Please don’t misunderstand me here: I’m not saying it’s perfect – and won’t be subject to some serious revisions if I’m lucky enough to get to that point in the process – but for all intents and purposes, as it stands, I now have a 100,000-word novel that I can call my own.

Now, at the planning stage for book no.2, I’m acutely aware of what a serious undertaking this book-writing lark is. And I’m not simply referring to the discipline involved. For me, it’s a leap into the unknown – with a set of characters that I can only hope to become as attached to as I did those within my previous MS.

As my enthusiasm for a completely new project begins to increase in earnest, I find myself looking forward to the challenge.

Nadia 

Not an e-book in sight...

If you’ve ever read the post I made on this blog about the love affair I’ve been having with my e-reader, then you’ll have some idea of what my friends and family have endured from me in recent months.

At some points, having the device surgically removed has been mooted as the only chance I may have in order to lead a full life once again. At times, when I do look up from my strangely compelling black and white screen long enough to notice that while I may rather fond of my Kindle, those around me do not hold it in such high regard.

To be honest, I don’t care what the critics say, as far as I’m concerned, having access to practically any book I want is worth the constant ribbing or threats to sabotage it. In saying that, even I have to admit that I would probably make an A-class saleswoman for the product – because I know more about its uses than anyone else I know. But that’s a whole new blog post!

Something that has surprised me during these conversations with people is that no one else seems as excited as I am by the technology. Even other writers I’ve spoken to have insisted they will stay loyal to conventional books and show no signs of opting for any compromise arrangement.

For my part, I appreciate the convenience of having my own mobile library in my handbag while still holding some of the same books on the bookshelf in my office. But, in saying that, it’s certainly the case now that I haven’t actually purchased a paper-bound book since acquiring an e-reader. But a lot of that simply comes down to the time I spend abroad and the trouble I have actually sourcing physical books.

On a recent trip to England (which lasted over a month, by the way, so I feel it counts as valid research), I was really looking forward to judging the uptake of mobile readers like the Kindle and I expected to see some serious e-readers on the London tube and various suburban trains.

I can tell you I was shocked to discover none of my fellow passengers using a similar device. Now, obviously they could have using an e-reader on their mobile phones, but from the persistent tapping taking place, I’d say that was unlikely… Instead, I found myself staring at the book covers of traditional volumes – which was obviously an interesting exercise in itself.

But still, no one using an e-reader?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic…

Nadia 

A question of freedom

I read a book this week that had me grimacing at the male protagonist’s serious lack of hygiene. I won’t name the novel in question but can tell you it is the work of someone who’s a permanent fixture on the New York Times bestseller list – having written dozens of books which have sold in their millions.

Don’t know about any of you, but I can never leave a book unread, so I duly waded through the grime and quite enjoyed the story after a few baths had been taken – and the rats removed from the rushes. But it certainly wasn’t the best thing I’ve read by this author.

What made far more of an impression on me than the story, however, was the feeling that such a novel would surely have been unthinkable for a first-timer trying to get published. While I’m certainly not of the opinion that everyone should be religiously following trends, or simply rehashing the same character traits, what really struck me was the freedom I felt this author had been allowed to exercise in what is really quite a strict genre.

That may be an unfair assumption on my part, of course. After all, the dirt-loving characters and setting were undoubtedly unique – and while I may not be a fan of a main character who has an aversion to soap, I suppose I should concede that there may be many people who remain unfazed by such details. ;o) However, a quite look at some of the book's reviews seemed to confirm my original feeling and I was left wondering whether such plotlines are only deemed to be acceptable when they come from authors with a established following.

I’d love to know your thoughts about this…

Heaven is an e-reader

It’s official: I am now a dedicated e-book reader!

After declaring on more than one occasion that I simply wouldn’t know what to do without the feel of a ‘real’ book in my hands – or the sensation of actually turning the pages – I’ve discovered the wonderful world of the e-reader. And I’m addicted. I’m not going to say which one I own as I’m doing my best not to sound like an advertisement. :o)

While I would obviously like to play the green card here, I have to admit my love of my e-reader is entirely selfish (not that I’m not happy to be doing my bit, of course). As someone who divides their time between England and Bulgaria, this form of reading is the perfect medium for me.

And here’s why: at present, a trip to my nearest bookshop consitutes a six-hour round trip – and is no guarantee of success if I’m hunting down a particular volume; lugging a groaning bag of tightly packed volumes through airport security; or hoping against hope that the courier has finally worked out where I live and will soon be delivering my book order. (You may find the latter amusing, but I’m still waiting for a parcel sent in October… unfortunately, this emergency package also contained a box of Toffifee.)

The other thing I love about my e-reader is the sheer portability of it – barring the worrying sheen of moisture that steam from a particularly long bath (my excuse for sneaking another few chapters) will cause, I’d say this thing works just about everywhere. It’s even taken to accompanying me on the daily dog walk.

As far as I can tell, its only drawbacks include a real risk to personal relationships and 3G capability, which means that you can literally purchase books anywhere and at anytime – which bodes ill for the bank balance. The worrying part is that books feel free when you’re acquiring them via a couple of clicks rather than physically parting with your hard-earned cash. Well, they do to me anyway…

I’ve also found being able to read my own work via this medium really helpful too – things look a lot better in this format and you can easily make proofing notes etc and skip between chapters, so you can get a real feel for how your MS flows.

Now that I have one, I can’t really see any argument against such a medium. Bar one: if everyone was using an e-reader, I think I would really miss being able to sneak a look at what everyone else on the train is reading on the morning commute…