Crits and Chocolate Biscuits

Every writer needs feedback. After all, of no-one is going to read your work, why bother writing in the first place? Writers write to be read. Before we unleash our work(which has been a long labour of love, lets face it) to a world full of eager readers (well, wishing doesn't harm anyone) it is best to have a critical eye passed over your writing. Reading aloud to your cat doesn't really cut the mustard,because no matter how clever they are and how attentive, they don't have the skills. Honest, I know.
Receiving feedback can be a very scary time for a writer, we've slaved, slogged and slavered over a page of flash, a short story or even a tome of a novel and we want it to be right. It's an essential part of the process, and without it our writing cannot develop or grow and that goes for the big bang authors as well. 
So writers need to find somewhere safe to obtain feedback whilst providing honest and constructive information about the reading experience. There are many places to go and it's a very individual choice. Here are a few I have used:

• Writing Groups - traditional and online (I'm in debt to my own online writing group, Writers Abroad)
• Online Critique Groups - these can be genre specific e.g. Historical Fiction or very general like Ladies Who Critique and Critique Circle, there are loads
• Beta Reading Groups - again a plethora can be found just googling or searching on Facebook
• Online Writing Communities - groups of writers and readers together in a social community connecting through words, e.g. Wattpad
• Writing Buddies - you may be fortunate to have made friends with another author where you can agree to swap crits

Most of these places require you to participate in providing feedback as well as receiving, which is another fab way to develop your writing. 

And the biscuits? Well every writer needs chocolate, don't they?

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover?

Producing a book is not just about writing a story, as many of you know. That is only a small part of the many processes that take place, albeit a very important one. When you choose to self publish your book, you can add many more 'things to do' to what seems a never ending list. Designing a book cover is one of them. Even if you employ someone with the skills to do this you will still have to think about what you want the cover to convey to a potential reader. 


For me, covers are very important. I will choose a book purely by what I see on the front, without reading the blurb. (I used to read the last line *Shock!Horror!* until my husband convinced me it wasn't a good thing to do). 
For The Duke's Shadow, I did pay someone to produce the end result, because I felt overwhelmed with getting my debut novel out. I spend a long time looking for images and settings which I thought would a) say something about the overall theme of the novel, and b) entice the reader to look inside. And as you can see, it was well worth the money.




I'm planning to release 'The Good[Expat}Life on Wattpad as a serial, as I want to gather some feedback before I publish it in October. I still need a cover and this time I've created a simple cover myself in Publisher using a pencil caricature of Penny and George (the two main characters) played about with colours and fonts and this is the result.

It sounds easy, but actually it has taken me probably two maybe three days in total to get to this stage. But I've enjoyed using a different creative process and, for me anyway, it does what it says on the tin. The jury is out and I still believe that you have to have a good story, however slick the cover may be. What do you think?

Until Later, 

Meet George from The Good{Expat}Life

1. What is your real, birth name?  George Horatio Nelson – I know, my mother thought it would stand me in good stead… how wrong can someone be? Don’t tell Penny that I've revealed my middle name, will you?
2. Do you have a nickname? Well, not really. Penny calls me lots of things, especially when she’s angry. Mostly she refers to me as l’uomochifa the man who does, or who will do as Penny reminds me. She’s very organised.
3. What do you look like? One woman where I worked thought I looked like George Clooney. No, honest she did! Penny said that the resemblance stopped with the name George… but I know she’s teasing me.  
4. How do you dress most of the time? Well, it depends what I’m doing. If I’m strimming (which I do a lot) it’s usually a pair of thin cotton trousers with an elastic waist (cheap buy from the supermarket), an old white t shirt usually with remnants of the last strim, an old cut sock on my arm (the strimmer motor burns it) and a hat (or if I’ve forgotten it, a clean pair of underpants – much to Penny’s disgust.)
5. How do you "dress up?"  Erm, I wear a shirt usually on the top half. Penny likes me in pastels, pink and lilac.
6. How do you "dress down?"  Erm, shorts usually (isn’t that what all men wear “down” or trousers?) too early in the year say our Italian neighbours, they are still in their puffa jackets until mid-July.
7. What do you wear when you go to sleep?  Nothin’ usually, the odd cat around my neck, who doesn’t stay there long. I like ‘skin to skin’ but Penny insists on wearing some kind of nightwear. Just in case. Of intruders or such like. So she says…
8. Do you wear any jewellery?  My wedding ring. I did try an ear stud many years ago, but Penny was not impressed. I thought it was very ‘George Michael’.
9. In your opinion, what is your best feature?  Definitely not my hair. Definitely Penny.
10. What's your real birth date?  I’m 59 years young. I’m sure you can work it out. We have a big double 0 birthday next year. Penny wants to ignore it, but it’s time for a celebration don’t you think? Perhaps I can persuade with a list. She loves lists.
11. Where do you live?  In a very small house with very large grounds. Large enough to hide from Penny and her lists. (I do love her tho’ and she does get things done… with my help of course).
12. Do you own a car?  Yup. But don’t want to talk about the front wing. Penny!
13. What is your most prized mundane possession?  My strimmer of course. Used to use a hand scythe and I still have it. Its handle was made by Pietro, the old guy who lived here. He made all his tools and I have them all.
14. What one word best describes you? Obedient?  

Until Later,