Blog Archives – Miss Write

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I’m not one to have life goals, aside from wanting to flying a helicopter and milk a cow at some point – anyone reading who can help, get in touch! – but writing sometimes requires a goal. A plan. Especially if you want to achieve something other than just having written something. 

So what goals have I had in terms of my writing?

1. To join a writing group.

This was back in 2008 when I decided to take my writing more seriously. I joined ‘Speakeasy‘ in Milton Keynes and I met lots of other writers (published and unpublished) and really got the taste for it! Since then I have been to two or three other local groups and set up my own group: Towcester Writers.

2. To have a stranger buy my novel ‘Girl Meets Boys‘ without being asked.

A biggie for me – I never thought someone I didn’t know would buy my little ol’ novel off their own back, without the guilty purchasing obligation family and friends may have felt. And to have strangers leave positive comments on my Amazon and Facebook page? Brilliant! 

3. To enter a writing competition. 

I have entered countless competitions now, and actually won a joint winning place in a competition in 2011 in the anthology “Someone has to die vol. 2“.

4. To run my own writing competition. 

I successfully ran an international writing competition on the theme of the royal wedding in 2011. Writers were invited to share their experiences of the wedding (coverage on TV and in person on the streets of London), and to reflect on previous royal weddings, and comparing them to their own nuptials. Entries came in from Australia, Canada, the USA, and all over the UK, to name a few countries, and almost £150 was raised from the sales of the book – all in aid of UNICEF, one of the Prince’s charities. I was very proud of this achievement. 

Do I have any new goals I’m working towards?

Sure! I am, as you’re probably aware, a week into the A to Z challenge (good word for it!) where participants blog on an A-Z theme throughout April. This is taking some dedication, planning and effort I have not experienced so far in my writing, but I’m doing pretty good so far. I’ve never had so many blog comments – thanks, guys! – and April 5th topped all unique visitor counts I’ve ever had. This could be a good thing for my blog, as well as a test to my writing stamina and dedication.

Until tomorrow – when H takes the floor!

Lou x

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Born to be a Tourist

Image courtesy of Tweak Your Biz. And yes, I hate football. 

** F is for FIVE books **



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As a writer, I am often asked who my favourite writers are. My default is Audrey Niffenegger as ‘The Time Travellers Wife’ is one of my favourites of all time, but I have developed a better answer than this.

These are the five books which have most inspired me. 

REBECCA – DAPHNE DU MAURIER

This book inspired me to read a wider range of genres. I was recommended it by a friend, and was a little wary… I have not enjoyed historical fiction or classics in the past, but I thought I’d give it a go. 

I was glued from page one, with that famous opening. 

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 

The story took turns I didn’t expect, and the change in genre by Du Maurier from romance to a ghost story was inspirational to me as a writer. It is very well written and I’d recommend it on, paying it forward, to anyone. It’s in my top 10. 

Mark Shand’s book was given to me as a gift from an ex boyfriend from years ago. He knew my favourite animal was elephants and knew I liked reading, so this gift was perfect! 

It’s an easy read, interesting and humourous in parts. I loved it. The book certainly fuelled my love for the beautiful beasts, and last January I got the chance to work with elephants in South Africa. A dream come true, and encourage in part by this great book. 

‘The Help’ again, inspired me as a writer. The main character, Skeeter, is a strong woman who works hard for a cause she believes in. I am a passionate person about a couple of subjects, and I would love to find a serious job writing for a living. 

This book is another of my top 10 favourite books. Inspiring, awareness-raising, sad yet heart-warming. 

Plus, Skeeter proves curly hair and glasses is gorgeous. 

Back in 2008 I decided to take writing more seriously and joined a writers’s group in Milton Keynes. ‘Speakeasy‘, the group based in MK, had a guest speaker the first night I attended, a writer called Jean Saunders. 

She said she’d written hundreds of books but I’d never heard of her…. She was a great speaker, encouraging, friendly, talented and celebrated. Jean was selling copies of these books that evening and reading it over the next couple of weeks inspired me to move my writing up to the next level and write THAT book. 

This book, by my favourite writer, inspired me to take a day trip to London – today, in fact! I met with two friends from school who now live in London and we visited Highgate Cemetery. 

Highgate Cemetery was opened in 1839 and it features in the modern contemporary story written by  Ms. Niffenegger. The twins in the book have a flat which looks out over the cemetery. I was intrigued to visit, and it was worth it. The three of us girls had a lovely day out and the weather was the best we’ve had this year yet!

That’s it from me and the A to Z Challenge today. I’m lucky I’ve managed to post today as I moved house yesterday and had to work out the wireless in the new place. Don’t forget, tomorrow is Sunday which we A to Z bloggers don’t post on. 

See you Monday!

Lou x

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Born To Be A Tourist

April is month of blogging A-Z for 26 days. #AprilBlogChallenge Check it out! 

I hope you’re keeping up… 
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Could you cope with not touching social media for a few days? Have you ever taken a significant break? I have and it’s liberating. The wonders it will do for your writer’s alias and muse! 

Here’s why I decided to cope without social media for a while…

Ok, point taken. But I hear you ask…

HOW WILL I COPE?????

Specify a time period for which you will not log in. Don’t break that promise!

Schedule some auto-posting

With tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck, you can pre-schedule anything so there is no ‘down time’ for your page while you are detoxing. I used these tools when I was working in Costa Rica between rainforests and beach wildlife refuges with no electricity, let alone a wifi connection. This maintained my page while I was away. 

Caution! Use this wisely… You will lose your personality and personal touch and potentially followers if you appear like a spamming robot! Automation should be used if you cannot access the internet for a period of time, or to give yourself a break. 

List the social networks you belong to

Do you need/use all of them? Which ones can you axe guilt-free and without repercussions? Focus on the ones which get you results. 

Also, consider linking your postings between social profiles (e.g. get the posts you make on your Facebook author page appear as tweets on your Twitter account). This will save you a lot of time and expand your reach with no effort. 

Focus on why you use each network and return to it feeling enthusiastic and refreshed!

Who are you trying to reach? What do your followers respond to most? What is the purpose of the page? Do you need to think about the frequency of which you post new items? Consider if you are overdoing it – you do not want social media fatigue to set in!

Spring Clean!

When you return, take a few minutes to really take note of who and what your writerly persona follows. Making them more relevant will do wonders for your brand. Don’t follow irrelevant things like Marmite or Dove Soap – concentrate on writers groups, writers pages and interesting and useful writing blog links. 

Go on. Consider it. See you tomorrow for the next installment of the alphabet blog challenge… ‘D’, in case you’re wondering…!

Lou x

And now, slightly ironically…

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Images courtesy of Likeable and the Telegraph Blog

** A is for ADAPTATIONS **

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I love a good book. I love a good film. But when books become films they are quite often loaded with expectation. It’s hard to feel sorry for successful writers like Stephanie Meyer (of Twilight fame), but I bet she’s nervous when the new film adaptations of her books reach the screen for the first time. Maybe it’s not so much as a worry for them flopping as a movie, but more of a concern of ‘will they live up the the legacy the book series has created?’ And ‘will the fans like the portrayal of the story?’  

These are my tips on how a reader can survive the portrayals of screenwriters and directors who hack and hone our beloved stories. 

1. Don’t watch and read the same story in a short period of time

I finished reading Hunger Games 15 hours before I saw the film. I finished Lord of the Rings the night before I saw the second installment of the films. Would I recommend that?! 

No. 

I couldn’t get Katniss’s voice out my head (as she speaks in the first person in the book) and Lord of the Rings was so compressed (yes, shortened to a mere three hours!) that I couldn’t cope! It just felt wrong. I am planning to see Les Miserables on stage and wait a while before I rent the DVD. 

An oldie but a goodie in terms of ttps. The films show you EVERYTHING. What exact expressions the protagonist has. Whether the sun is shining or not. What kind of car the bad guy drives. Books play on your imagination and writers quite often leave some description unsaid to allow the reader to build a bit more of their own picture. Films can ruin this and limit your imagination if you watch them before reading the book version. As a reader, you don’t get to use your brain. 

3. Consider refusing to see the film adaptation of your very favourite book on principle

I seriously considered whether or not I’d regret seeing The Help, Hunger Games, Lovely Bones, and Life of Pi on the big screen (see my review and thoughts with my writer’s hat on concerning ‘Pi’ via this link). I loved these books and I didn’t want the film to fall flat on it’s face. Eventually I caved in, curiosity piqued, but I wasn’t disappointed on any of these occasions. The books were very close to the films, and I felt they were very well done. 

However, My Sister’s Keeper was a huge, HUGE disappointment. **SPOILER** The film’s ending was nowhere near the same as in the book and changed the whole story in my opinion. Bad move. I was dying with suspense, couldn’t wait to see what the film makers would make of the car crash and twisted ending, and there was a lousy easy way out instead. JK Rowling is very involved in her Potter movie interpretations – I wonder how much say Jodi Picoult had over this debacle. 

You have to remember that the media of film is very different, but can offer a whole other plethora of advantages – especially in terms of special effects and the soundtrack. There’s books which didn’t bring tears to my eyes, but the film of the same book made me blub. And that’s a good thing for the film!

4. If it’s a film written by European, African, Asian writer etc., don’t let the American film giants ruin it

I’m no critic of Hollywood; I love a good blockbuster as much as the next person, but there is something to be said for smaller budget films. Especially if the film crew are a fan of the book. If there’s an independent interpretation of the book, why not try the lesser beaten track and support smaller film production companies? This might save the story being puffed up and enhanced into massive action scenes and over-the-top production and effects, and stay more focussed on the story. 

5. Relax

Failing all the above, just get a great big bag of Malteasers, find a nice date, and go to the cinema with an open mind. What’s the worst that can happen?

Tomorrow I tackle ‘B’… see you then!

Lou x

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Born To Be A Tourist