WELSHCAKE

Blog Move

welshcake — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:20:59 GMT

I now update at my writing site - Violet

www.violet.still-sharpe.com

Synopsis

welshcake — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:27:01 GMT

I have been working, even though I haven't been updating here very often. The work has been slow and it's probably taken me about a month to get down just three chapter ideas. But they're very thorough chapter synopsises. Because I'm writing about a real historical figure (which means I am still working on The Siblings Come To Power) I want to make sure I research every detail thoroughly. The good thing is that I am writing about a time in George Boleyn's life when very little is known about what exactly he was up to. Which means my imagination is left to run wild, which is what it does best, and all I have to concentrate on is getting the factual events as right as possible. Which considering these events took place five hundred years ago there's a lot of room for debate.

Just today I mapped out the entire book. I knew what parts I wanted to include in the book but was struggling to find a place to end it. I didn't want to run through his entire life because what I'm most interested in are his adolescent years. What made George Boleyn George Boleyn. So it's going to span the first two decades of his life.

I'm having a lot of fun taking my time, letting the story come at it's own pace. Although I have a huge amount of the story already written (from the first draft) there's still a lot of work to be done to make it absolutely perfect. I'm really looking forward to starting to work on it full-time. Unfortunately that's going to have to wait 'til post-baby, though, because I'm due to give birth in the next 9 weeks!

Inspiration

welshcake — Fri, 13 May 2011 10:01:27 GMT

Unfortunately I'm still not able to write. Just writing a few lines can leave me feeling drained and a bit nauseas. The great thing is that I'm still being bombarded with ideas for stories - old and new - and so I don't feel at all withdrawn from my writing.

I've been reading so many books these past few months. I can't tell you how many I've got through! I'm reading a fictional trilogy on Welsh history right now and am finding it the most inspirational read. It's inspiring both Soul Mates and, most importantly, The Siblings Come To Power, which is the book I'm going to work on as soon as I'm back to my usual self again. I have so many ideas on how to re-write it and am feeling much more confident about it. I have to admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed by the project lately. Because I want to focus just on George Boleyn I knew I needed to re-work the book and was worried how to go about that. But I feel ready now. And the more I read, the more inspired I become.

Life

welshcake — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:26:58 GMT

You may wonder where I've been for the last three months. One minute I'm writing about how I've completed the first read-through of "The Siblings Come To Power", about how excited I am to get my teeth into it. And then I simply disappeared.

For those who don't already know... I am pregnant. That in and of itself is not an excuse for my not writing but the twelve weeks of all-day morning-sickness that followed are. To be honest I still get nauseas if I sit in front of the computer for too long. Which of course makes writing all but impossible.

I had these grand plans when I first found out I was pregnant, during that first month when I was well. I was going to start work on a brand new novel, get it completed by the birth and then that would mean that after the baby was born I'd have three books to work on. The read-through and second-drafts are always usually easier to work on than the first draft. And I assumed (and still do) that post-birth I'd be exhausted and struggling to find a routine with a new baby. I was realistic I knew the baby would stop me from working full-time for at least a few months. Which was why I had these books planned. Then I got really sick and the sickness refused to ease off for three months!

My plans now are very much up in the air. I still obviously have "Siblings" and "Soul Mates VI" I can work on post-birth so it's not like I'll be lost. But I did want to get one more book written before that time. My due date is early August so there's still five months for me to get rid of the nausea and write up a new novel. There is still time. I just have to get better in time.

What I want to stress is that I am not giving up my writing. Just because I'm having a baby it does not mean I'm quitting. As anyone who knows me can tell you: I breathe, I write. It's not a hobby I can pick up and put down as and when the fad grabs me; I have to write. So please don't think you'll never see any new work from me. Of course there'll be a time - probably for the next year - when my work will be sporadic as I find a new routine for the baby and my writing but there is no way that I will stop writing. I just wanted to clarify that. The only reason I'm not writing now is cos I'm still too ill. I'm hopeful that will pass on very soon.

I have added a short story I wrote late last year to the site. I hope you enjoy it :)

"MARTIN"

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

As if he hadn’t been my only thought during the long weeks of my absence. His home marked on my map like a beacon, forever reminding me what I was missing. It had been his choice to remain there; his choice to choose vocation over love. In doing so, he forced me to make the same choice. Only my job didn’t keep me in one place; it saw me scattered around the islands. I returned to see him as often as I could.

“You knew what you were getting into when this started,” I snapped in return.

I didn’t want our reunion to be thwarted with arguments, but they so often were these days. We loved each other so much and yet the fates of the world – those fates that Martin believed in so much – seemed to want us apart. He in his castle and me on the road.

“I knew no such thing. I knew none of this!”

His face was flushed red, his blue eyes wide and angry. He wasn’t classically beautiful. It hadn’t been his dazzling good looks that had lured me into his bed. In fact, I don’t even remember how we started. A few mumbled words, long nights spent walking the roads. I’d dragged him from one life and into another. I hadn’t known what I was doing then; I was just following orders. He had been just another job. I hadn’t expected to fall in love.

I looked at him now, as I had looked at him then. With want and love and respect. This great man trapped inside a mortal body. A priest with a dark past. It was I who informed him that he was the son of an Emperor. More than that – that he was to rule over the Kingdom now that his biological father was dead. I stripped him from God and bundled him into my bed. Had it been that easy? Yes. That much I do remember.

...CONTINUE READING HERE

The Second Draft

welshcake — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:34:56 GMT

Today I completed the read-through of the first draft of "The Siblings Come To Power."

The good thing is that I like the story and most of what I've written. In fact, as it is, it's probably quite a sweet story. But it needs to be more. It's a little rushed at times, and the rigid structure of the narrative can upset the flow of the story. I know a lot needs to be edited out but what and how much I haven't really yet decided. I also know that I really need to strip it back and basically start from scratch again. But because I like so much of the original work I don't think I'm going to have to re-write as much as I first thought I would.

To be honest, I haven't yet decided how I'm going to set the book out. The structure needs to change but to what I'm not sure. I'm going to think on it for a few more days, maybe start it to try out a few ideas, and hopefully have it all sorted soon. I really want to start work on the second draft properly. I really do like the characters and the story and am still very excited about the book.

20% off at LuLu.com

welshcake — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:47:48 GMT

You can now save an extra 20% at LuLu.com.

Purchase "Shadows" now and enter the code BEREMARKABLE305 at the checkout.

Offer only available to UK customers. It will end on 31.12.10.

Holiday Over

welshcake — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:02:23 GMT

The not-writing lasted for... ten days, is it? I did some work on the house and then ran out of things to do to keep myself amused. Today I started work on the re-write of The Siblings Come To Power.

I can't really call it a re-write because I am barely doing any writing - just cleaning up any typos. The actual writing will start in about a week. First I need to read through the book and take lots of notes on what needs changing and what doesn't. I don't normally do that with a novel I've written. But because this was a very new project for me I was unsure of how to tackle the story. How I originally wrote it works to a point but then crumbles on too close an inspection. So what I've decided to do is throw out the rigid structure I had planned and let the story flow more easily. I got too caught up in giving each sibling a voice in each chapter, which made some passages unnecessary and others rushed and poorly explored. During the re-write I will rectify that problem :)

The great part is that I am still super excited to work on the book. I was worried my enthusiasm would dwindle - it is such a huge story! - but I'm still very excited about it a year after I started formulating plans for it in my mind.

The Past To the Present: Complete

welshcake — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:59:00 GMT

I always find after a poor writing week the one that follows flows with ideas and inspiration.

I fully expected this novel to keep me occupied for another two weeks. But this week the inspiration kept coming and I had to keep writing more and more. Until eventually I ran out of chapters and ran out of story. "Soul Mates" Volume VI is complete.

It is 74,000 words (173 pages) in length. And it is the most important novel of the series so far. I'm almost upset that it was finally written because it is does mark the halfway point in the overall story... I think. I'm enjoying the series so much I doubt I'll ever actually stop writing about the characters. But perhaps this series might one day draw to a close.

I am so happy with how the story came out. I was very worried about getting it right, because it was such an important tale in the characters' lives, and I feel as though I've done it justice. It will definitely need a little work on the re-write but all books usually do.

From here I don't know what the plans are! There's another book in the series to plan, work on The Siblings Come To Power, and that new story idea I had not so long ago. For now I'm going to celebrate :)

Book 5

welshcake — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:58:55 GMT

Last week was a poor writing week for me. What I did write I liked but there wasn't a lot of it. I got the chapter synopsises ready for the next section of the novel and started that today.

I'm really looking forward to writing tomorrow's chapters. They're going to be a bit emotional but they really do answer a lot of questions about the characters and why they've done the things they've done. It's a very exciting book.

I don't have much left to write to complete the novel. I'm really surprised by how fast the pace has become. I almost feel like I'm running to catch up! I'm happy to be writing, though :) And I really am enjoying the story.

Flashback

welshcake — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:16:08 GMT

This week I have worked exclusively on the flashback section of the novel. I always include a book that focuses on a past story of one of the characters. This one was very important because it showed how three of the characters came to be who they are. It was pretty rough to write, I have to admit. I've never had to write anything like that before and I hope I never will again.

I'm happy with how it came out, though. I think it might need a bit of work on when I do the re-write but that might be just me being overly picky because it is a story I've known about from the very beginning and have waited patiently for the right time for it to be told.

Next week I will start work on the final book of the novel. I can't believe how quick this is going now!

Book Three: Complete

welshcake — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:25:59 GMT

I've had another great week of writing. Amazingly, I've completed Book Three of the novel already. I really wasn't expecting it to be completed so quickly! It was such a large book, and I had such a poor writing week the other week that I assumed it would take a few more days yet. But the end crept up on me and today I completed it.

Next I have to write up the synopsis for the flashback section of the book. This is a big story in the book. It's something that made three of the characters who they are today so I really, really, really want to get it right. I've got a long weekend to think it all over, plan it out and get something ready for Monday.

I'm very happy right now :)

Lost

welshcake — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:35:58 GMT

Well, I think it's safe to say my concentration is back this week. I've lost track of just how many words I've written; I think it's around about 10,000. The chapters are flowing out. I hope I can keep up this pace because I'm really enjoying watching the events unfold.

I've had a really, really great week of writing (and there's still one more day go go). I'm feeling much more confident about the story and my writing. A week like last week always knocks my confidence. I just had to ride it out to get to the good stuff ;) So if anyone's looking for me for the next week I'll be in "Soul Mates". I'm having a lot of trouble leaving it behind ;)

Save 30% Now

welshcake — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:27:06 GMT

You can now purchase my novel Shadows with a 30% discount! Click the link below:

Happy reading :)

Concentration

welshcake — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:28:19 GMT

I've had trouble getting back into my usual writing routine this week. I'm far too easily distracted at the moment ;) I go through these stages sometimes so I'm not too worried. I try to make sure I write at least one chapter a day so at least I'm still producing some work, even during my non-productive days.

So the word count has only been increasing slowly this week. But at least it's increasing. I am confident next week will be better. My lack of concentration doesn't tend to last too long ;)

Busy Week

welshcake — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:48:54 GMT

It's been a slow week for me writing-wise, probably because it's been such a busy week life-wise ;) The writing usually suffers when things get a bit hectic. I had a busy week last week and then went away at the weekend so I've done very little writing.

I did get the chapter synopsises all completed for the next section of the book, though. There are many more chapters in this next section than I was expecting, which was a lovely surprise. It will probably take me a good three weeks to get just this section completed ;) I finally started work on it today. Only one chapter unfortunately but I'm hoping for much more during the rest of the week. I just need to settle down again and get back into my usual routine.

Jinxed

welshcake — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:42:34 GMT

Well, I went and jinxed myself, didn't I?

I only had four chapters left and I thought I would easily complete them by the end of last week. But then I got ill and ended up on the sofa curled under a blanket for the rest of the week. Typical!

But that's okay. I finished the section off today instead. It's not like I have to rush. I have no deadline. It's not like I'm moving house again ;) So I'm not too upset by it. I'm still just enjoying the writing process. And I'm really enjoying the story. It feels like I'm enjoying this one more than any other in the series at the moment.

In about a month's worth of writing I've completed 30,000 words, which is 70 pages of the novel. That's really good. I'm very happy with that. Tomorrow I'll start writing up the chapter synopsises for the next section of the book. Which I hope to start work on on Wednesday.

A Good Feeling

welshcake — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:22:25 GMT

I had to take a couple of days off cos I went dog-sitting. I'm not very good at writing when I'm away from home. So although I took all the information with me I wasn't surprised when I didn't write anything.

I'm back home again now, though, and have completed another collection of chapters. I only have another four to complete this week so I'm confident I'll get those done. Then I have to work on the next section of the book and write up the synopsises for that.

All is going really well. Apart from a wobble where I wasn't able to write for a few days, everything is going good. I have a good feeling about this book :)

Back To Normal

welshcake — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:27:57 GMT

I have been working on the new "Soul Mates" book all week and have completed the first section of the novel. It totals 10,000 words. Everything is going really, really well and I am very happy with how it's progressing.

I am now going to spend tomorrow planning out the next chapters of the book. Because all I had to start with was the first section's chapters written out in synopsis form. That's usually how I start a "Soul Mates" book ;) The beginning and the end are really obvious and then I just need to find the middle and the journey the characters take to get from the beginning to the end.

So, so far everything is going very well and I am very happy. Progress is going good; I like the number of chapters I'm completing every day and the word count is healthy. So I'd say I'm fully back in my writing routine now :)

The Past To the Present

welshcake — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:05:20 GMT

I completed all the work on the previous Soul Mates books. The novels are now as complete as they'll ever be... until an editor gets their hands on them, anyway ;)

I wasn't sure what to work on next. But "Soul Mates" answered that for me by showing me the next volume in the story. I already had an idea for the beginning of the next novel but thought I'd get on with other work while the ideas blossomed. There's no need for that now because yesterday the whole book was revealed to me. I have it all noted down and just need to get myself a clean copy printed out and then I can start work on it - immediately.

That does mean I'm going to have to push back the re-write of The Siblings Come To Power. But I will work on that next. That's a promise ;)

So for all the information on the new book please click here: The Past To the Present.

Volumes III, IV and V

welshcake — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:37 GMT

I completed work on Volume III of the Soul Mates series last week. I only had to work on the first half of the book; the second seemed to settle nicely into it's own pattern.

I went onto read-through Volume IV and found no faults. And so today I started work on the final re-write of Volume V. I haven't had to change very much - literally a sentence here or there. I have added about a page's worth of extra when I thought there would be more. I think this book just wants to be shorter than the rest. That's fine with me. It will be what it wants to be. I am only here to write down the words and tell its tale ;)

I completed books one and two today (85 pages). If it continues to need so little work done to it, I should have the novel completed by the middle of the week. And I already have plenty of new ideas for the next book in the series :)

Writing & Editing

welshcake — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:43:36 GMT

I have been making my way through the Soul Mates series. It's been really fun to read the stories again and catch up with the characters. I was about halfway through Volume III when I decided that that particular book needed a little editing. It's good as it is but it's not perfect. I've got a bit excited with my words again, as always seems to happen with this series ;) I just need to neat it up a bit. It won't take very long, as, like I said, the story is fine and the chapters flow nicely. It just needs an edit.

I started that this morning and have completed thirty pages. It feels really good to be working again :)

I also recently wrote a short-story. It's nothing like what I usually write. It was just an idea I had that I had to get down. I doubt I'll publish it online. It was just an excuse to flex my writing muscle and make sure it's still working. Thankfully, it still is ;)

Wrong Versions

welshcake — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:05:48 GMT

In regards to my post last night:

When I started to re-read my copy of Soul Mates Volume I I used the version I have printed out in a file. I thought that was my most recent version. But when I started work on the version I have on the laptop I realised that they were not the same. In fact, the version I had read was the old version, and the new one is perfectly fine and doesn't need any work done on it at all!

That'll teach me not to find the money to buy ink ;) I have purchased new ink for the printer now and will update the copies I have on file so that in the future I will know what is the up to date version of my books ;)

In regards to what I will work on next:

I haven't yet decided. I'll let you know as soon as I do ;)

Going Back Again

welshcake — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:50:47 GMT

I haven't posted in a few weeks because I haven't been writing.

There have been some things going on in my personal life that took up all my thoughts, pushing out any ideas I had for new stories - or old. Thankfully, I am calming down about everything again now and I know that means I'll be itching to write again any day ;)

In the mean time I have been re-reading some of my older novels. It's nice to be able to read them back and enjoy the story. Perhaps that makes me vain hehe ;)

There will probably be a collective groan when I say it but... I am going to work on the first book of Soul Mates one last time. I know that later on it settles down into my usual writing style but the beginning is still too filled with information and blah. I have a tendency to put too much information at the beginning of my books ;) With "Soul Mates" I have the luxury of continuing work on the stories so I can easily hop back to the beginning, cut out the extras and make it perfect. Please don't think I'm turning into one of those writers who constantly works on the same book - I am honestly not, as my bibliography does prove. It's just that "Soul Mates" is my baby, it's the reason I seriously took up writing as a career and not just a hobby, and it's the story I am always excited to return to and continue. Although I'm sure I said this last time, this really should be the last re-write it needs. It won't be the entire novel: only the beginning couple of books (less than a hundred pages of the novel). I am due to start work on that this week.

If nothing else, working on "Soul Mates" always leads me by the hand back into full-time writing again after a break. Perhaps I only want to work on it because it's my comfort blanket. But I think not. There is an awful lot of blah at the beginning of that first book and I want it edited out ;)

Online Again & Writing

welshcake — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:01:42 GMT

I am in my new house, sitting at my desk in my very new and much-loved Writing Room. I have my internet connection back. And the best news is that I am writing again.

I tried to keep myself away for a few more weeks. I really do like to give myself a good break after completing a novel. And I would have thought it would take more than three weeks for me to settle into the new house, but this place has felt like home from the first night, and I have been so excited to start writing in my Writing Room ;)

I don't want to say too much about the novel yet. It's very new and I still haven't got the whole book mapped out. I know the beginning, middle and end but it's still at that really exciting, confusing stage where I am being bombarded with ideas at every time of the day and night and I am just scrabbling to get them all down. Today I couldn't hold off from starting it for another moment so I wrote the Prologue and Chapter One. I have enough content ready to write to make up another few chapters so once they're done I should have everything sorted. And so should hopefully be able to announce everything :)

It really does feel great to be working again :)

Free Shipping on "Shadows"

welshcake — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:03:55 GMT

You can now get FREE SHIPPING on a copy of Shadows at LULU.com.

Click Here to Purchase

At the Checkout enter the code FREEGROUND305.

This code definitely works in the US. I don't think it works in other countries though, sorry.

The code will last until 30 June.