Hi again, thanks for joining me on my writing blog! This week we have a special treat: a guest blog from Scottish writer Jayne Baldwin. Jayne is a published novelist and she's agreed to share with us her feelings about the question all writers dread the minute they're published...

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After a recent reading at a local library, I was asked what I was working on next. As the book I was reading from had not been officially launched, I had to take a deep breath and count to ten before pointing out that I still had this one to promote. I remember being asked the same question, quite frequently, after my first book was published four years ago. Of course it's wonderful that people are interested in what you're doing but, I think, only other writers really understand just what goes into researching, writing and promoting a book, whether it's fiction or, like my new book, non fiction. 

There are various points during the creation of a book when it's tempting to sit back and sigh in a satisfied way; after the first draft when you've managed to get all the research in place and perhaps again when the finished manuscript has gone off to the publisher or layout designer. In both cases you have to pinch yourself (perhaps punch would be better) because after the first draft there are endless edits to do, and if it's non fiction, illustrations to find, copyright to track down and permissions to sort out. Even when the book's finished there's no opportunity to sit back and admire it because then the promotion starts. This is the situation whether you're being published or, as is increasingly the case, self publishing. My first two books were published by a local company and I was absolutely thrilled when they said “yes” to my submission. But I soon discovered that the marketing department was virtually non-existent so as a journalist I found myself doing most of the work. My understanding, from writer friends, is that this is now increasingly the case even with large publishing houses, their budgets tightened and staff stretched.

A friend, who had been through a similar experience with a small publishing house, took the decision to set up her own company in order to produce the books she was writing. My new book, “Mary Timney: The Road to the Gallows”, has just been published under the imprint, Clayhole Publishing, which means that I had control over its production, will get the benefit from any sales and now need to get out there and promote it. 

Of course, this is the point where some writers panic. It's hard putting yourself ‘out there’ even if you know where ‘out there’ is. Readings, events and signings are an essential part of promotion if you want a book to sell on any scale, and for many people that's a difficult thing to do. Writing is a wonderful thing and many want to write simply for the pleasure of it, but if you want someone else to buy what you've written, you have to be prepared to sell it too. And you’ll still need to put up with questions like “what are you working on next?”, when you've only just finished a book that may have taken years to produce!

Jayne Baldwin

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Biography

Writer and journalist Jayne Baldwin lives in Galloway, south-west Scotland. Her new book, 'Mary Timney, The Road to the Gallows' published by Clayhole Publishing,  examines the tragic story behind The Glenkens Murder and the last public hanging of a woman in Scotland. She's also penned 'West Over the Waves, The Final Flight of Elsie Mackay' and 'The Belties of Curleywee Farm' both published by GC Books Ltd. 

Jayne is the Chair of Booktown Writers based in Wigtown, Scotland. She is also a director of the new children's publishing company Curly Tale Books Ltd. 

Find Jayne on Twitter and on Facebook. She's also got a great blog which you should definitely take a look at!  I particularly enjoyed Jayne's post on 'Writing (and reading) as therapy'.

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Thanks so much for blogging for me this week, Jayne - that's certainly a question I have been asked very often! Take a look at the Work in Progress (WIP) tab on the top of my website pages to see what I am working on just now...

See you next week!

Lou x

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What's Next image courtesy of Green Book Blog

Arrogance, selfishness, jealousy, racism, immaturity... 

No one's picture perfect. Everyone's got a dark side. And your novel's characters need to show theirs. 

A couple of weekends ago I worked on bringing out the flaws in my characters. I was finding ways to make my good guys (my two protagonists) flawed. This involved everything from showing their selfish side, making them run away from things they are too scared to confront, and the odd weird things they do in their everyday life - not just decidedly 'bad' characteristics, but definite flaws. One of the girls is slightly OCD, for example. 

Not one person is completely evil or completely good; it is our decisions that make us both. There's always more beneath the surface, and your characters would not be human unless they showed their flaws. 

You don't have to make the flaws extreme. Every 'good' teacher, police officer, mother can't all be secret drugs barons, alcoholics who beat their families, or benefits cheats. Human flaws come in many forms, and your characters will not be rounded enough if you neglect them of these. 

Some bad habits come out for a reason. Often they're flaws which the character is not even aware of. And they can sometimes add a lot to your plot. Who here hasn't got a good story which starts 'so, we were wasted...'? 

Not all flaws are permanent. Sometimes, needs must, when our situation forces us to fight for things and take on unpleasant characteristics. Is your character bloody-minded, always stressed, or impatient? Flaws like this could help our characters succeed.

Everyone has flaws. That's what makes us human. 

Lou x

P.S. Don't forget to make the bad guys have a good side too. They may be bad, but they're also human. There needs to be a glimmer of hope. Maybe the teen killer has an unbridled respect for his parents. Possibly the pimp has a love in his life he'd sacrifice everything for. Or perhaps the school bully volunteers for a charity at the weekends. Try it out and see what you can come up with. 

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Image from Vitally Me

I’m a normally a keen reader, but recently I’ve gone right off it. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you might be aware I’m six months into my 30 Before 30 challenge. One of the challenges I need to complete for this is to ‘read the top 5 books of all time’. I originally thought this would be one of the easier tasks to finish (compared to 'drive a tractor' and 'make fresh pasta'), but no; the books listed by The Guardian are so awfully dull and difficult due to the old English language used, that I am really struggling. I am losing the will to read faster than I can finish these slow-going classics.

The current tome I am tackling is “Tom Jones” by Henry Fielding. It’s over 400 pages long, but the sheer size didn’t put me off. I’ve read “Shantaram” and “The Book Thief” in the past, and enjoyed both immensely, despite them being wrist-achingly large in volume. “Tom Jones” is very different. Fielding introduces a lot of characters very quickly who I felt no empathy for, and I can barely tell apart (I'm thinking of the three old male friends of Mr Allworthy, plotting for power, land and family ties). The text is also hard-going, and even though I’m over 80 pages into the novel I really doubt I’m going to finish it. I hope I do, for the sake of The Challenge, but if it wasn’t for that, honestly, I would have quit on page ten, fifteen at best.

However, a book I recently won through a Twitter competition has brought me back into the light. This book is by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, who passed away in June of this year. It’s called “The Quarry” and I had been gazing at it perched on my windowsill (with several others on my ‘To Read’ list) with a sense of want for a few weeks. Needing a break from the dreaded “Tom Jones”, I finally caved in and started reading “The Quarry” this week. It’s given me the relief I’ve needed. Banks gives good voice to the characters in the (at times) humorous and realistic dialogue. I love the distinct and well-developed character profiles, and they are, as a result, incredibly easy to picture together as a group of friends. There’s a compelling premise to the story, and 'The Quarry' proved to be a page turner from the outset.

Iain Banks has reminded me I love to read. I’m not surprised there’s been an asteroid named after Iain Banks. His writing is ... ready?!... out of this world.

Lou x

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It was pointed out to me this week by one of my regular blog readers that some of my blog posts have been rooted in rage. They were clearly a little concerned for my mental state, and I made sure that by the end of the conversation, my reader was confident I was not a perpetual, anti-social, stressed-out ranter 95% of my life. However, the odd bit of anger does escape onto my screen sometimes.

Take a look at these prime examples of blog posts which came from anger:   
 
5 Reasons I Hate Plane Passengers 
Are You A Jealous Writer? 
4 Reasons I Won’t Fly With Spirit Airlines Again  

I believe writing out your rage is a form of therapy. Writing yourself happy is something I believe in hugely. Last Autumn when I was going through a bad patch, before I went to bed I wrote a list of three GOOD things about my day. This helped put me in three ways:

1. It set me in a positive frame of mind for a good night’s sleep
2. The diary gave me a positive way to start the new day when I read it the next morning
3. It reminded me that things weren’t so bad, and good things still happen, however small
4. Perhaps it even had an influence on my dreams

Sometimes an event or attitude makes me so angry, the only way I can get my thoughts in order and improve my mood is to write something. Come on, I need an outlet for that emotion! Often, no one sees what text manifests, but occasionally, the content makes it to my blog. A great example of this was when I was so upset about the horrific incident in London this summer where a soldier was brutally attacked on the street. I felt so angry I wrote a blog on a terror theme. It still managed to have a positive spin, in a poignant way, I hope, but the writing definitely came from a dark place. 

Oddly enough, some of my readers seem to like it when writing comes from negative passion. A post from April this year, 3 Things I Hate About Being A Writer, had one of the highest retweets and visitor numbers of all my blogs, and people felt compelled to contribute in the comments box. I love it when people leave me comments! (That’s your cue…)

I am not an angry person. If I have a bad day, the most I get is a bit wound up, and I work it off at the gym. I don’t get mad; it's more that I get sad. Sad for the people who think this is appropriate action or behaviour. For instance, my car bonnet was keyed a couple of weeks ago when I had the audacity to leave it unattended outside my house for a whole hour. If I’d caught the crim red handed, I would probably have felt more anger, but I just felt sad that there was someone, possibly a neighbour, who thought it was acceptable to vandalise someone else’s property.

I remember very few times when I have been truly livid, and believe me, you'd know about it if I got more than just annoyed. The prelude to any minor or major outburst is when I force my lips shut, perhaps trying to hold back the words I feel might express my feelings the best, but which might not do me any favours in the long run. A few monster-like noises leap from my mouth. That’s also when tears might spring from my eyes; I’m not sad, really, just so angry!

Yes, some of my blogs come from anger, or are written with an angry voice. Mostly, I just hope my blogs are interesting and enjoyable to read. I hope readers who like the content make the effort to share them on their social media, and I have the small hope that my material might even inspire someone, somewhere to write something. I enjoy blogging, it’s good discipline as a writer to have a weekly blogs (in my case, two!) and I promised to attempt to be a happier blogger between small, sporadic bouts of rage. Please don’t worry for my mental well-being if I slip into a subject based in annoyance or bad feelings. I’m a happy person, really, and the following posts prove it!

My Next Big Thing (my current work in progress)
The Best Travel Decision I Made This Year 
Being a Writer: What’s Not To Love? 
My 30 Before 30 List 
Sidmouth: The Best Of British Seasides 
This Is Power Writing 
I’m Home 

Happy (?!) writing all, see you next week.

Lou x

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Born To Be A Tourist