So what's it called?

All systems go on the 'book' but there's still a little blip.

The 'book' doesn't have a title. Now I don't know how much of a problem this is at this stage but someone asked me what it was called and I had to confess that there was no title yet.

So at what point does a 'book' get a title? How do you even know what it should be called? As a novice at these things I don't know how the title happens. Do most writers know at the start what their book will be called?

Now I refuse to let this blip derail me so I'm about to start the writing process and crack on. But it would be nice to know what this 'book' is called ...

Now the next two challenges are to stop putting quotation marks around the word 'book' and to finally say 'I'm a writer' out loud rather than in my head.  

The Runaway Girl by Emily Organ

Mediaeval London, a city filled with squalor, sadness and danger. One girl is dead, another running for her life and a third vanished. No one seems bothered about what happened to them until Alice Wescott gets involved.

Emily Organ creates a gripping thriller set against a backdrop of fears about plague, women in fear of their fate being decided by men and a menacing figure stealing girls from under their friends and families noses. I was pulled straight into the story with the escape of a terrified girl being chased by faceless men, in fear of her life. The pace rarely drops and I found The Runaway Girl to be a real page turner. There were so many cliff hanger moments that it almost became impossible to put it down!

I loved the characters - Alice, the strong, feisty protagonist; Elizabeth, stronger than she imagined yet vulnerable too; Millicent, a cross between a witch and a midwife (she was my favourite character).

There are parallels between the abduction of girls in this novel and the trafficking of women in present times but I enjoyed the story as a piece of historical fiction. Details such as the use of a clay cover to keep embers burning in a fire all night helped to make the world of Alice and Elizabeth come to life. The descriptions of costume and setting added to the richness of the story. I found myself getting lost in the mediaeval world Emily conjured up on every page.

The ending left the possibility of a sequel and I for one would be thrilled to read more about the lives of these fascinating women. As it is I'll have to settle for reading some more of Emily's writing until I can immerse myself in her wonderful take on mediaeval London.

Word of the Week - Ready

For the past few weeks - or is it months? - I've been planning a 'book' that I hope to write. I've plotted what happens. I've fleshed out my characters. I've broken the story down into scenes. Everything that I could have done, is done. There's no planning left to do.

So I'm now ready. The time has come to write the thing. No more prevaricating, no more faffing around. The writing has to be done. It's a scary time yet also an exciting time. I have a fully formed story in my head and now the time to get that story out has arrived. I'm scared that I'll do what I usually do - write 10,000 words and dry up. That once again everything will grind to a halt. This is normal or so I've been told. This is comforting to a degree. However I have to go through it all for myself and that can be scary.

But I am ready and I've felt ready all week. So next week I start writing for real. I start putting all my planning to the test and see if I've really got it in me to be a writer.

I'm hoping that I have. 

  

Wibble Wobble!

So that time is approaching. The moment I'm dreading. The moment it all becomes too real.

I'm going to have to start writing the 'book' soon.

I'm about one planning session away from being ready. I know what will happen and in what order. I know my characters pretty well - they are bound to surprise me at some point. I've plotted out the 'book' so I know I can dive in and write any scene at any stage - to stop me losing focus and keep everything fresh.

So why am I wobbling? I've done everything I can to make this happen. I'm on top of it and ready. Yet I'm doing the serious wobbly dance - just be glad you can't see me!

It's the old self esteem thing again. My doubts have taken on gigantic proportions, in fact I'm starting to think I need to look out the old knight in shining armour costume and go all Beowulf on them.

I've written here many times about how I struggle to think of myself as a writer. I think that's where the wobbles come from. My self doubt. I know what you're all thinking - here she goes again! But I'm not just looking for sympathy, for hand holding or an ego boost. I'm slowly coming round to thinking that maybe I can do this writing thing.

Wobble, wobble! What if when it comes down to it I can't do it? What if all this planning is for nothing? What if I get as far as 10,000 words and the thing runs out of steam like all my other attempts?

So here I sit, wobbling, with a notebook full of plans. Here's hoping I can pull myself together and get it sorted before I start the actual task of writing.

Just call me The Jelly Writer... wobble, wobble!