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Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author - Life Imitating Art?

Another week of Writer's Tuesday and our column by Emily Tootsweet, who also has a facebook page if you want to friend her!

When I’m writing my novels I find that my mood often affects my writing. I’m not sure if any other writers do this but for me I feel I put a lot more into the scenes I’m writing when I’m emotionally on the same level as my characters. Even if this means writing scenes out of sequence. If I feel sad, I write the sad scenes - I feel linked to the characters, I feel whatever pain they are going through and I remember when I wrote the now defunct first novel, I often found myself crying along when the characters were crying too.
 
Of course I prefer when I’m in a happier mood because that’s when I can write the happier scenes and the funny ones too. I often write them after a particularly good night out with the girls or something happened at work that made me giggle (not that that happens all that often!lol)
 
I know that this means I often write my novels out of sequence and it’s a case of joining all the scenes together like a jigsaw afterwards but it works for me. I feel it makes my scenes stronger because I’ve put so much personal emotion in to it. I’ve noticed I’ve done that for Novel 2 so far as well. And it’s not a case of my novels being autobiographical. I made a conscience decision to make Novel 2 as far from reality as possible, unlike the defunct first novel.
 
When I write I put on some instrumental music and get on with it. If it’s a sad song, it helps make me feel melancholy and I write the sad scenes. And the opposite for any upbeat music.
 
When I was writing the defunct first novel, I found the ideal music to listen to. The Da Vinci Code soundtrack. I liked the film and the book and the soundtrack seemed to fit my novel just as much as it fitted the film. Even hearing that CD now makes me think back to my first novel. It’s strange how you can link certain songs and pieces of music to things that you’ve done or things that have happened in the past.
 
At the moment I’m feeling really sad (due to reasons I can’t go into) so I would normally write some of my sad scenes but writing is the last thing I want to do just now. That’s the danger when you focus your emotions onto your writing - when you feel sad, you have to push yourself to write because if something’s bringing you down, writing is the often the last thing you want to do. Again, it’s all about getting the balance right.
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - I'm Hooked

Another wonderful column from Emily Tootsweet! Enjoy, and be sure to pop by Emily's blog!

I'm Hooked

Last week was a bit hit and miss for my writing. I was off work and planned to do nothing but write my novel. I didn’t write as much as I would have liked but at least I *did* write something so I’m not too angry with myself. I managed to write 4209 words. It’s not bad but a little part of me thinks I could have done a wee bit better. But considering I haven’t written much over the past few months I shouldn’t beat myself up about it, plus I was ON HOLIDAY, I did have to have some time to myself to relax and enjoy being away from the day job.
 
Now it’s back to work today and I’m not looking forward to it. One. Little. Bit.
 
But enough of that depressing talk!
 
It was nice writing again. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it. I’d missed my characters! It was like finding old friends again who I’d not spoken to for ages. Plus I fell for the hero all over again ;o) I think the break did me and the story good though. I thought I knew where I wanted my story to go when I first started it but I’ve changed it slightly and now I think I’ve made it stronger. And there’s even a little twist now which I think makes it much better reading.
 
I had to change the story a bit because my novel was becoming a bit too predictable - anyone reading it would have been bored by the time they got to the third chapter. The third chapter can be the crucial chapter. When you submit your novel to agents, it’s usually a synopsis and the first three chapters. You usually find by the third chapter the premise of the story has been set or something dramatic happens to keep the reader reading. Have a look at some of your favourite novels? It’s nearly always that way. It’s so the author can hook in agent or publisher! Or at least that’s how I like to look at it! :o)
 
So I try to make Chapter Three the second hook. You need a first hook at the very beginning to capture the reader and keep them reading. Again, look at your favourite novels, read the first line and you’re usually hooked straight away. It grabs your attention. And come the third chapter, you get another little tempting nibble to keep you reading until the very end.
 
Writing a novel is sneaky in a way. You have to put little titbits in to keep the readers interested. The story should do that too, obviously, but the hooks are very important. It’s the make or break deal as to whether you get an agent or your readers finish your book.
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - Holidays!

Hurrah! It's Emily's 12th column on Novelicious. If you would like to learn more about Emily, you can pop over to her blog - I know she'd like to see you!

HOLIDAYS!

I’m on holiday this week. I’m away from my day job for a full 9 days! So I’m going to *try * to make the most of it. The plan is to write my novel and do very little else for these 9 days. I’ve no other plans for this holiday so I’ve no excuses for not doing any writing.
 
This year has been something of a non-event writing wise so far so I *have* to do something. It’s a bit much telling people I write novels when I don’t actually do write them. I’ve talked about this before - the lure of Facebook (Bejewelled 2 in particular!) and sitting around watching DVDs is far too easy. I have to get writing again. I even feel a bit of a fraud writing this column since I’ve not actually been writing my novels - what kind of wannabe author am I?
 
Basically, I think I’m just a lazy cow. And it’s horrible to admit that.
 
Even if I write about 500 words a day, I’d be happy with that. And 500 words isn’t that hard to achieve (especially considering this column is roughly 500 words!) I’ve heard other writers combating a lull in writing by writing for a certain amount of time each day or writing a specific number of words a day. I’m going to try to aim for 500 words but if it doesn’t happen then I’ll write for 30 minutes a day - that way I know I’m writing and if it’s 10 words or 500 words I add to the novel, at lease I’ve written SOMETHING and that’s what is important.
 
I still love the ideas I’ve got for my novels so that’s not a problem writing wise. I could understand my lack of writing if I didn’t love the ideas I had. I did wonder if that was a problem but I thought about them all again and I still love them and I still think there’s potential there for other people to love them too. I’ve been asked if I would like to put an extract here to see what sort of feedback I get. I’m not sure I have the guts to do that if I’m honest, but I suppose it would be useful to see if I’ve *got* something or my ideas are just plain rubbish. I’ll think about it and who knows… you might just get to read some of my work here.
 
So this holiday I’m going to make up for not writing anything much this year.
 
You can keep track of my progress on my blog. I might not update it every day (because I’ll be too busy writing! ;o)) but I will try to keep you all posted on how I get on this week. And please feel free to nag me if I don’t write anything. Sometimes getting a good kick up the behind is just what I need. Right, I’d better leave it there and get writing, huh? ;o)
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - My Desk

Another column from secret writer Emily Tootsweet! You can also catch Emily over at her personal blog! Enjoy...

I only got my desk when I started taking my writing seriously. I used to write lying on my bed with my laptop in front of me. I was comfortable up to a point but it didn’t really suit for typing for any length of time. So I counted my pennies and got the cheapest desk I could find from Argos. I had to get one that fitted into my bedroom too so it had to be small. As soon as I’d built it and put my laptop on. I felt every bit like a proper writer. It was amazing the difference it had on me. I had my desk light to the right of the laptop, my pen holder and pens to the left, I had my 4 dictionaries (Yes! 4 dictionaries - all different sizes but all as important!) on the desk and I suddenly felt extremely writerly.
 
I got the desk and tried my best to keep it as tidy as possible but as time passed, the messier the desk became. I had anything and everything on the desk. For example, right this very moment I’ve still got all I mentioned above on it but I’ve got two bottles of water, a bottle of perfume, a box of tissues and a huge pile of papers that I need to go through and decide what to shred and what to keep. My desk is a mess. And to be honest, I don’t think it’s helping my writing. I get easily distracted so when I sit at the desk with all the good intentions of writing some of my novel, I see the pile of papers or something else that makes me forget all about writing and I end up doing something else.
 
So the answer is to keep the desk clutter free. And after I’ve typed this column that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I need to keep distractions to a minimum. I need to reclaim my desk from all the clutter that seems to have taken over.
 
Continuing from last weeks column, another writing fantasy of mine would be to have a office to write in with a huge desk, a really comfortable chair and one of those computers that has about 3 different screens. I would have the desk in front of me (obviously) and I would have a bay window to the left with a fantastic view of some hills and fields, or at least some sort of picturesque scene that would inspire my writing. I think to get that I would have to win the lottery. And there’s no chance of that happening since I don’t play the lottery. Hmmmm…….
 
So writers out there, what are your desks like? Do you keep yours tidy or are yours just as messy as mine? Do you even sit at a desk or do you sit somewhere else? I’m being nosy in this column this week. I want to get to know my readers a wee bit since you’re all getting to know about me :oP
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - I *Heart* Book Shops

Another week in which lovley secret writer Emily Tootsweet tells us about life as a writer in hope of publication. Say hello to Emily in the comments, or by dropping by her blog!

I *heart* book shops.

 
I went into my favourite book shop last week to do a bit of window shopping. Money’s a bit on the tight side at the moment so window shopping is all I can do for now. I don’t know about any other pre-published writers but whenever I go into a book shop, after a bit of browsing, I head to where my book would appear on the shelves and try to visualise my book with my name on it sitting on the shelf waiting to be bought. It’s just a little writing fantasy of mine. I hope it comes true one day.
 
I hated walking out the book shop empty handed. I usually only go in when I specifically want to buy a book so I don’t know what made me go in when I knew I couldn’t buy anything. This might sound daft but I always feel at home in a book shop. The relaxed atmosphere, the smell of new books and coffee from Costa… It’s fab!
 
Now, I know I could join a library and that way I get books to read and save money but I have to admit I’m a book snob. I don’t like the smell of books from libraries. I don’t like not knowing who’s had the book before me (They might have been reading it on the toilet - who knows!?) I like having my own copy of a book to do with it as I please (Read that as: so I can look after it, don’t break the spine or fold the corners over!) I have been tempted to join my local library in the past but it gives me the heebie-jeebies to read books other people have handled - Told you I’m a book snob! So I buy books. Luckily my family and friends know I’m a bookaholic so they give me book tokens/vouchers for Christmas/birthdays/Anniversaries and I get books by using them.
 
The general fiction area of my favourite book shop is okay but I wish it was slightly bigger and the writing section is pretty much non-existent, which annoys me completely as I have to get all my how to write books from the internet and I don’t get the same buzz from buying books online than I do going into an actual book shop. But I get by. It’s the only real book shop I have in my city so I make do with what I have.
 
I did have a dream to open my own book shop one day. Just a little independent book shop that gets by despite the large competition out there. There would be large squishy chairs to sit on and read the books you’ve just bought. I would brew fresh coffee for regular customers and sell lovely cakes too. I would order books in for customers if I didn’t already have them and I would make the shop a lovely quiet haven for those who loved books just as I much as me. Its just a dream and I know it’ll never happen but there’s no harm in dreaming…
 
So keep dreaming… ;o)
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - Shorties

Another week in which secret writer Emily Tootsweet tells us about life as a writer in hope of publication. Find out more about Emily by visiting her blog!

‘Shorties’

 
I want my writing CV (or resume) to be as full as possible. Writing novels is good, and my main objective, but I need to bulk my CV up if agents are going to take me seriously. And the best way to bulk it up is to start writing short stories. I’ve tried many times to write short stories and I just can’t do it. I’ve got many writer friends who write, submit and successfully sell short stories to many women’s magazines, websites and competitions and if I’m really really honest I’m so jealous because they have a talent I want.
 
Every time I’ve tried to write a ‘shortie’ it ends up a mini-novel. I just can’t seem to get it right. I’ve bought the short story magazines to do some research and it makes me even more determined to write them. I’ve also read some help books on writing shorts but I still can’t do it. There seems to be a special knack you have to have and I don’t appear to have it.
 
Writing shorts is something I would definitely like to do and I know it would look good on the writing CV so I’m determined to persevere with the short story writing. I’ve tried taking part in ‘prompts’ so that I’m writing some sort of short piece of writing, be it a scene or a full short story and I still seem to fail. Of course I haven’t let anyone read my attempts but in my own mind I know they aren’t up to much so they either get deleted or saved in a file never to see the light again. So I’m asking you, Novelicious readers, anyone got any tips on how to write short stories?
 
In other news, for the next two Fridays over on the Novel Racers blog I’ll be posting the weekly Coffee Break posts. I’ve in the process of trying to think of topics that haven’t been talked about before and since the blog has been around for a few years now, finding new topics is becoming harder and harder. I’m quiet nervous about posting on the blog as I feel like a newbie and there’s many new ‘Novel Racers’ that I don’t know. I’m hoping my posts will be my way of introducing myself to them.
 
I’m off work in May for a week and I plan to do a lot of writing as I haven’t done nearly enough this year so hopefully I’ll have good news on my progress for my current Works in Progress in my column for that week.
 
That’s all from me for now.
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

Wow! We have been reading about Emily's writing life for eight weeks now! I'm thouroughly enjoying it - are you? Remember that you can check out emily's personal blog at http://writersguidetolife.blogspot.com/

 

RIP ‘If Not Now, Then When?’
 
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few weeks and I’ve decided that Novel 1 is going to be shelved once and for all.
 
I will not be subbing it again.
 
I will keep it but it’ll be for my eyes only.
 
When I wrote Novel 1, it was a form of therapy. I put a lot of ‘me’ into the story, into the characters too, and I think it’s maybe just a little bit too personal to get published. I was going through a particularly nasty time when I started writing it and I saw the novel as a form of revenge. Not good. Definitely not good. That’s not the right reason to write a novel. I wrote my feelings and thoughts as if they were the main character’s. I think it did me the world of good personally to get things written down, but its not necessarily going to make the novel publishable.
 
I was speaking to a friend the other day and we got talking about my Novels. It was she who made me realise that Novel 1 was just for my eyes… it was only ever meant for my eyes. It was my way of coping through a difficult time. I got caught up in the wonderful world of trying to get published when I got in contact with other writers, that I couldn’t see that Novel 1 wasn’t right. It was too personal, for crying out loud it’s like a blooming diary in some chapters.
 
I first started thinking Novel 1 was too personal for publication when I started seeing my boyfriend. He asked to read it and suddenly I felt so strange. I realised I didn’t want him to read it because it contained too much personal detail about an ex. It was at that exact moment that I realised I didn’t want anyone to read it. I told my boyfriend it contained too much detail of a previous relationship and since then my boyfriend hasn’t dared mention Novel 1 again.
 
And I don’t blame him.
 
So.
 
I’ve learnt to stop writing about personal stuff. I’ve done that. I’ve moved on. I don’t need to write novels as therapy anymore. Luckily, I’ve realised this in time for none of my other novels are personal like Novel 1. So I will work on the rest and forget about Novel 1.
 
I do feel sad that it’s come to this. But in other ways I feel free. Like I really have moved on. I’ve got a fresh start. And I’m going to make the most of it.
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet. :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet - One is the Loneliest Number

Welcome to our regular column by secret writer, Emily Tootsweet about life on the hunt for publication. I do hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions or thoughts then please do leave a comment!

 

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

 

 

One is the loneliest number…
 
Writing can be a very lonely job. Think about it; we’re sitting at our computers for large amounts of time, stuck in our own little worlds with only our characters for company, trying to figure out what happens next to them. Sure, there are some writing double acts and they aren’t alone but for most of the writers out there, it’s a one person job.
 
When I started writing I was alone. I had absolutely no writing mates out there. I had no one to turn to if I got stuck or had a wibble (A Wibble is much more serious than a wobble) I was okay at first. I did my own thing in my own time but I started wishing I had someone to turn to. Someone who knew what I was going through. My non-writing mates were lovely but they didn’t understand. I thought about joining a writing class but it wasn’t for me, plus I couldn’t find one! So I turned to the internet. There *had* to be some sort of website out there for other aspiring writers who wanted to share their views and get some sort of support.
 
Firstly I found a few forums who read Chick lit books exclusively. They were good - great in fact - but I was looking for writers. As much as I loved talking to other fans of Chick lit, I was needing people who were on the same writing path as me.
 
I did find some writing forums but the Chick Lit boards would be empty, or near enough empty. I was beginning to think I was alone in the world. Surely I couldn’t be the only aspiring Chick Lit writer out there! So I started my first ever blog, imaginatively, called A Writers Guide to writing. I got no hits for ages then slowly I got visitors to my blog and then I even got some comments which really made me smile. I looked around a found more blogs by other aspiring writers. I suddenly stopped feeling so lonely. I had finally found other people to talk to about writing.
 
Then, I found the Novel Racers. A group of writers, published and not yet published, who welcomed me into their group with open arms. Being part of such an inspiring and supportive group of writers has helped me combat doubt, fear and so many wibbles I’ve lost count. As a group we have gone through so much together, personally and in writing terms. If it weren’t for them, I doubt I’d still be writing.

Writers' Tuesday - Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author - I Need a Hero!

Hello, writer peeps!  Once again we have our brilliant regular column by our secret writer, Emily Tootsweet. Enjoy!

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

I Need a Hero

No, don’t worry - I’m not going to start singing the Bonnie Tyler classic. This column is based on probably the best part of Chick Lit in my eyes - the Hero.
 
When I’m writing the hero in my novels I always like to make the reader fall for him almost as much as the main character does. I’ve read plenty of books where I’ve fallen for the guy in the story just as the character falls too. I know that might sound a bit sad, but to me, that makes a good book. It’s all about the ‘happily ever after’ and I think every reader wants a bit of what the character gets. The hero is often the baddie at the beginning - the person she’s least likely to fall for but the most likely all at the same time and you nearly always guess who the hero will be right from the very start. Some say that makes Chick Lit predictable and boring but it’s not like that - it’s the journey the two characters take to get their ‘happily ever after’. You know the two of them will end up together, you just don’t know HOW!
 
In my first novel, I threw the two characters together near the beginning but ripped them apart again through various consequences. I was able to build a rapport between the two before cruelly separating them. And the story then develops into how the two meet again, thanks to fate and little nudges in the right directions. I based my hero on many different men I’d come into contact with - I took personality traits from guys I worked with and some male friends; I got the hero’s appearance from guys I’d see walking around during my many ‘people watching’ exercises.
 
When it came to turning him into the man of my readers dreams, I thought about what I wanted in a man, I asked my mates what they wanted too and I got a snap shot into how to make the perfect man. But as all us ladies know, the perfect man doesn’t exist so I added flaws. The hero can’t be Mr Perfect. He needs to be fanciable but realistic. He needs to be believable. So he might look like Brad Pitt but have the personality of a wet fish or he might have the best personality in the world but look like he’s been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson - okay, so that’s slightly exaggerated but you get the gist. It all depends on what the story calls for.
 
When I think about my hero in novel 1 I think I might have made him too perfect. I might have to edit him slightly. Or add a few more flaws. I can't have him being too perfect!
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author - It's All About Style, Darling!

Here we are on week 5 of our fantastic regular column by our secret writer, Emily Tootsweet. Emily is really enjoying all the feedback and comments from you lovely readers so keep em' coming! 

Enjoy, writerly types...

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

It’s all about style, darling!
 
As a huge fan of chick lit, I have a vast collection of books in the genre. I have my big favourites and my not-so-big favourites but I love my collection to bits. So much so I’m a bit obsessive. I can’t have a book with a bent/creased spine or folded pages - to me, that’s just wrong! Use a bookmark - it's what they were invented for.
 
Anyway, I like reading chick lit so writing it seemed to be the next thing to do. Basically I write chick lit exactly how I like to read it - if that makes any sense. Every writer has their own style and I’m in the process of trying to get my own up and running. I would love to be the next Sophie Kinsella but I just don’t think I have what it takes to use ’her’ style. When I first started on my first novel, I wanted to write like her but the more I wrote the more I realised it just wasn’t me. I couldn’t do quirky however hard I tried. I’m not saying there’s no funny bits in my first novel, I’d like to think there’s plenty but I just can’t seem to do quirky and light hearted.
 
My first novel is based heavily on emotions. I try to tug on readers heart strings and get them to feel for the characters - for example, a character gets dumped in a pretty horrendous manner. I wrote my socks off for that part, making sure the reader could step inside the shoes of that character. I wanted the readers to remember when they themselves were dumped and could share what the character was going through. I seem to touch on semi-serious subjects and that doesn’t link well with the quirky, light hearted style of Kinsella.
 
And when I look at my second novel, that steps away from the quirky light hearted style of Kinsella too and continues with the semi-serious topics. However, I also find in this particular novel that I’ve decided to be a bit more risky with the more ‘romantic’ scenes. I’ve just got to remember that I’m writing chick lit and not erotic fiction - leave something for the readers’ imaginations! ;o)
 
So I would say I’m still trying to find my feet, style wise. What is my writing style? What sub-genre of chick lit am I writing? I guess I’m writing a bit of everything, hence the six or seven different books, and whatever gets accepted by an agent will be my style and genre. But I wonder if I should give quirky and light hearted another go? Is that the most popular sub-genre of chick lit? Or do readers like a bit of serious stuff every so often? And what about the more ‘romantic’ scenes - is less more? Lots of questions and not many answers…. Writing isn’t something you learn over night… it just goes to show that you can write for years and years and yet you’re still learning and trying to find your own way and style.
 
Yours,
Emily Tootsweet :o)

Writers' Tuesday - Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author - Getting Ready to Sub...

Welcome to another Writers' Tuesday and our regular column by Emily Tootsweet about life on the hunt for publication. I do hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions or thoughts then please do leave a comment!

 

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

 

Getting Ready to Sub...

As some of you may have seen on my blog, I did manage to tear myself away from the internet and Facebook long enough to go out to Waterstones to buy The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2010. This book is a must for anyone in the writing industry. It has all the information you need when it comes to subbing to agents or publishers. As soon as I got home I flicked to the literary agents section and it’s quite daunting seeing all the names and addresses of people who will decide the fate of my novel.
 
Before I go head first into subbing, I have to find the agents who deal with Chick lit. And there’s quite a few who don’t. Underneath their name and address, they have a list of requirements and what genres they deal with. I can’t just sub to any old agent and hope for the best. That would make no sense at all. So I’m currently going through the process of flicking through the section making little ticks at the agents who I’ll write to.
 
But it’s scary. I’m not too ashamed to confess here that I’m terrified to sub again. I describe subbing my novel as if it were sending your child off to school for the first time. You’re scared it won’t fit in, you’re scared no one will like it, you’re scared it won’t be accepted….
 
I can’t let those fears manifest or I’ll never sub anything again.
 
I’ve been told by various other writers that finding an agent can take a while. My four previous submissions were only a drop in the ocean compared to some writers. I’ve heard some subbed between 40 and 100 times before they got snapped up by their agents. It’s a tough world and you have to develop a thick skin.
 
I’m thickening my skin as we speak.
 
In other news, I’m getting to know my second novel again slowly. I haven’t added any words recently as life has been getting in the way. Again. But I can feel the need to write building inside and as soon as life has calmed down I’ll be typing away like a mad woman. I want to get my second novel finished as soon as possible so I can edit it and sub that one, should Novel 1 get me nowhere. 

Writers' Tuesday - Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author - Distractions

Welcome to another Writers' Tuesday and our regular column by Emily Tootsweet about life on the hunt for publication. I do hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions or thoughts then please do leave a comment!

 

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

 

Distractions

This is my first real confession on this column. I’ve been distracted this week. I’ve been suffering a bad cold and therefore any writing or subbing that I’d wanted to do hasn’t happened. I just haven’t felt up to sitting at a computer for any length of time - all I’ve wanted to do is watch TV. But, on the bright side, it has inspired the subject of this column.
 
Distractions. All writers have them. They can vary from writer to writer but mostly they revolve around the same general things: family, the Internet, reading, shopping, television, health, love life… The list could go on and on. And when you think about it, it’s a miracle any books get written with the amount of distractions around.
 
When I get home from work, I switch on my laptop and head straight to Facebook. I go on to check what’s happening with my friends for only two minutes and four hours later I’ve played games, checked my farm on Farmville, commented on some photos, played Virtual bowling, poked a few people - that isn’t as rude as it sounds - and became a fan of weird and wonderful groups. I then check the time and suddenly all the free time I’ve had to write has been swallowed up. And I haven’t even checked my bebo, checked my emails, checked twitter, read the mountain of blogs I’ve subscribed to or written a blog entry for my own blog.
 
I confess the internet in general is my downfall.
 
I hear you all shout, ‘Disconnect the internet then!’ Yes, it would be easy to do that and yes, I’ve done it. But it’s just too tempting to press the connect button again. Just for two minutes… just to see what’s happening… just to see who’s around… just to see if there’s any other writers moaning about Facebook being too much of a distraction. Believe me there’s a lot of us out there distracted by Facebook.

Writers' Tuesday - Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author

Welcome to another Writers' Tuesday and our regular column by Emily Tootsweet about life on the hunt for publication. I do hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions or thoughts then please do leave a comment!

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet

That ‘Certain Something Special’
 
Over the past few days I’ve been thinking a lot about my first novel. From where I’m sitting now I can see the black A5 folder holding the first printed out rough draft. It’s gathering dust on my bookcase, probably never to see the light of day again. Of course it’s not the FINAL draft - that draft hasn’t been printed out. Yet. I’m waiting for that magical phone call from an agent who has fallen in love with the first three chapters and the synopsis that I’ve sent them and wants to read the full thing.
 
But back to that black A5 folder. I was so proud to have finished that very rough first draft. At that point I had no desire to send it out to agents - I was just pleased to have written a novel - all 85,000 words of it. I gave it a few colleagues at work to read, unaware that it was full of spelling mistakes, grammar problems and as many holes in the plot as a badly knitted jumper. But despite all that, I got positive feedback. And that gave me the ‘oomph’ to take the next step. To tidy up the novel and submit it to agents. I suddenly wanted to be published. Badly.

 
But it’s not that easy. I found out some horrible, scary things from other writers that I knew. At the time, it never occurred to me that the chick lit genre is saturated with writers. Nor did it occur to me that agents might not be looking for new writers - they’re just concentrating on the writers they already represent. It didn’t occur to me that you needed to have that certain something special to get chosen by an agent - unless you were the new Sophie Kinsella with that certain something special - you had no chance whatsoever of getting an agent. Fantastic, huh?

Writers' Tuesday - Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author

Okay, so we've gotten today's competition going, now it's back to business and Writers' Tuesday. I would like to introduce to you the first weekly column by our secret Wannabe Chick Lit Author - Emily Tootsweet. You can read more about Emily here, follow her on twitter or read her blog.

I do hope you enjoy, and please feel free to leave any comments - I'm sure Emily would love to read them!

Confessions of a Wannabe Chick Lit Author by Emily Tootsweet.

It All Starts Somewhere
 
Welcome to my first column here on Novelicious! I just want to say a quick thank you to Kirsty for giving me this opportunity to bore you all senseless with my weekly moaning about how tough it is to write a novel, find a literary agent, find a publisher and become a best-selling chick-lit author overnight. Nah, I hope I don’t bore you. I will try to keep you amused with the details of my journey into the scary writing world.
 
So. It all starts somewhere…
 
I started writing chick lit novels way back in 2005. It was after a trip into town to buy a book and I couldn’t find one I wanted to read, none seemed to catch my eye - which is weird as I love buying books! Anyway, I walked out of WH Smiths empty handed and disappointed, then it suddenly hit me - I SHOULD WRITE MY OWN NOVEL! I couldn’t wait to get home to start writing, the buzz was amazing. The journey home took forever but when I did eventually get in, I sat down and went through the ideas that had been revolving around my head. I didn’t have a computer back then and the thought of writing a 100,000 word novel by hand gave me heebie-jeebies! I dusted off my dad’s old palm top and started typing - which I have to say was very difficult and I don‘t recommend using one. After about 150 words, I completely dried up. I couldn’t write anymore - for some strange reason I was plagued by the dreaded writer’s block 150 words into my first ever novel! I thought that was it. I gave up - I deleted the words. I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t do it.
 
Then I read ‘Can you keep a secret?’ by Sophie Kinsella and something clicked inside. I suddenly knew where I wanted my story to go and I started typing again on that dreaded palmtop. I kept typing. I typed some more and before I knew it I was sitting on 10,000 words of my first novel. It was then, I realised, I should get a computer because I *was* actually serious about writing a novel.