Editing Blues

I never wanted to be an editor but it is a vital part of writing.

Editing is so important. There are so many things to check that they can't all be done at the same time. Each time I go through the book I deal with a couple of facets so it is coming together piece by piece. It is so hard to know what to cut and what to keep. Like a jump off in a horse show, cutting out some parts makes for tighter corners and faster pacing, Then there is the trick of balancing. Telling keeps the narrative moving, showing pulls the reader in and dialogue must be natural and relevant.

The settings and characters have to be great but not slow the pace down with too much unnecessary detail.

Snow stunning snow

Weather has ruled the forest this week with twenty four hours of continuous snow. Dog walking has been made difficult by swirling snow or deep drifts but the beauty of the snow laden trees is exquisite.

After all that snow the temperature rose and it thawed swiftly in an afternoon. Normally it would take several days. Today the walking was made tricky by having to skirt the remaining drifts and avoid the miniture ponds from the melt. it was like walking on a soggy sponge.

Editing Mystery

I have started the first edit of my first Intrepid Pony book, but as it has evolved into a mystery I'll have to add in characters, clues and extra settings. I believe my writing has improved greatly in the last six months so I do not want to publish it before the whole work is polished.

My blog is an eclectic mix of stories, interviews, updates on the progress of the Intrepid pony books and records of my travels on the canals with my husband and Lurcher.

I love writing but as the cruising season looms I realise I am poorly prepared to tweet and blog on the boat. The problems are as follows:

1. We only have limited electricity generated by our batteries.
2. I have an oldish lap top and I prefer to use the main computer.
3. I can't access the internet with my mobile  phone .
4. I can't afford a new blackberry at the moment.
5. I haven't a clue where the wii fi hotspots are, but they are unlikely to be where we choose to moor for the evening.
6. The new marina my husband has chosen is lovely but has no wii fi.

This will leave me trying to communicate, blog and tweet with insufficient or patchy internet coverage. One solution could be to cruise from one pub with wii fi to the next. It will be fun trying. At least I'll be able to write my blog, I'll publish it when I can. Please bear with me as post could end up being a famine followed by a feast.
Wish me luck and happy cruising on nb Third Time Lucky.

The canals are calling.

We (my husband and I) are moving our boat to a new location in May so will have new canals only a few days cruise from the new marina.
Hopefully there will be fun and adventures in the Northern network. Our cruises are normally enlivened by our loopy lurcher who adores the waterways.
Last week she had an animated conversation with a swan while I cowered against the fence. She woofed, the swan hissed in her face and I called her back. She returned wagging her tail unaware of the danger she had been in.
Perhaps she thought the swan was being friendly when it waggled its tail back at her.

This year I hope to research a book about cruising the canals from Lottie's persective.

AUTHOR TONY FLOOD ANSWERS 20 QUESTIONS

 

Tony Flood, author of fantasy adventure book The Secret Potion and celebrity revelations book My Life With The Stars, answers 20 questions from Lynne Hale. For further information about his books, which are available on Amazon, check out websites: www.celebritiesconfessions.com and http://www.fantasyadventurebooks.com/

 

1            What first attracted you to writing? I loved the fact that writing can provide others with so much information and can sometimes influence them. That was why I created a school newspaper and became editor of it. Some years later I joined a local newspaper as a junior reporter when I finished my education at the South East London Day College and greatly enjoyed covering a variety of news stories. 

2            How did you come to write your first book? I was keen to write for children and when my wife Heather came up with the idea of a young girl searching for her kidnapped brother, I developed it. This resulted in my first fictional book The Secret Potion, with Jody Richards finding herself in a fantasy world in which she has to battle against evil wizards and witches and possibly the world's worst monster.

3            What’s the best thing about being an author? Being told by readers that your book – and the characters in it - have given them a lot of pleasure.

4            And what’s the worst? Having to spend hours checking and rechecking your manuscript – and then marketing your book!

5            Which was your favourite book as a child? The first book I can remember enjoying as a child was Enid Blyton's Five Go To Smuggler's Top.

6            What do writers groups offer? Writers groups help writers develop their skills and grow in confidence by offering advice, feedback, support and informative guest speakers. Facebook and Twitter can be useful tools – if you have the time to fully utilise them.

7            Tell us about you working experience (as a journalist.) I was probably the country's youngest Sports Editor at the Lewisham Borough News at the age of 17 or 18. I later became Sports Editor of the Kentish Times Series, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and the Richmond and Twickenham Times. I worked in Fleet Street for the Sunday Express, News of the World and The People, and was Controller of Information at Sky Television. I was also editor of a national magazine – Football Monthly.

8            Have you ever had an embarrassing moment? Yes - interviewing a Millwall footballer without knowing his name.

9            What do writers need most? Endless patience and persistence.

10        What are you reading? A thriller called Fallen by Karin Slaughter.

11        Who is your writing hero? Sidney Sheldon, the Academy Award-winning American writer. The nearest I have come to emulating him is to win the Anderida Writers' award!

12        What did you want to be when you were twelve? A footballer or a journalist. I settled for the latter as I did not have the skill to become an English George Best.

13        What is your proudest achievement? Being appointed editor of Britain's oldest soccer magazine Football Monthly.

14        What would you like to see happen in the future? Unknown authors being given more coverage by the media and websites to turn their books into best sellers.

15        What are your fondest memories? Enjoying a happy childhood living with my grandparents, who were publicans in South East London, and visiting my mother at weekends.

16        What do you think of other writers and/or authors? I greatly enjoy and admire thriller writers who have the ability to develop plots within plots like Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, David Baldacci and Paul James.

17        Tell us about your hobbies away from writing. I still play veterans football on a Sunday morning (some may say I simply shuffle about nicking the odd goal and not contributing much else). I also love eating out and going to the theatre – I write theatre reviews for the Brighton Argus.

18        Where do you hope to be when you’re 70? That's not too far away so I expect to be still be living in Eastbourne with my wife and fellow author Heather Flood.

19        What was your dream holiday? It was my honeymoon with Heather which we spent in three fabulous locations – Hong Kong, New Orleans and Hawaii.

20        What superpower would you like to have? To be able to foretell the future. Not only could I warn of impending disasters, but I could make a fortune by investing in the stock exchange or predicting the outcome of sporting events!

Thank you Tony for this interview. I was interested in how early you started your career and that your first job was as sports editor. 

Mr Pymm says thank you

Mr Pymm is polite and always grins when he's given a treat. Polo's- the ones with the hole- are his all time favourite.