Be your own Superhero! - 5 quick steps to setting up your story.

Haven't you ever wished that you had as much time or morale to sit down and start writing chajns of epic novels/novellas/poems, with no distractions, worries or temptations?
The sad fact is we all have, an even sadder fact is that there is no way around said troubles that doesn't involve quitting your day job and moving away from family and becoming a social recluse. If you approach writing from a business like manner and treat it like a small start-up company (which it is really) - you will feel more compelled to pour your heart and soul into not letting your business tank and nurture it like a small puppy or child, dependent on what you prefer more. To let your 'business' flourish and sparkle, here is what you need to do:

1. Brainstorm.
Now all businesses start from the basics. Acquire a nice new notebook that you love the look of to contain all of the scruffy notes, timelines, quotations, character bios, scene suggestions, bullet points, chapter ideas, ect. It doesn't matter how they are arranged, just readable enough for you to flick back through and understand what you've scribbled on the bus home.
Take your notebook and shut yourself in a quiet room along with a viewpoint of 'calm'. Personally I surf youtube to source the latest hour long videos with calm/atmospheric songs, and use that hour as a viewpoint to how long I need to write. When my music stops, I leave the laptop/notebook alone and carry on with something else for a while. Music doesn't need to be used if you simply gain nothing from it - your 'viewpoint' must mean something to you and encourage the creative ideas to flow.

2. Mind-vomit.
Looking at the brilliant brainstorm you have just created through delving through the inner sanctums of your mind, I want you to take two minutes to fully take in the scope of your brainstorm. Get yourself a clean sheet of paper and write down 5 quick plot scenarios that have started to form in your mindset. Crack open those embryos and don't be afraid to get deep in there amongst the slush. You don't need to include a huge amount of insight to each possible idea, but just enough for your brain to connect to the plot associated with the words you've written.

3. Elimination.
One by one, I want you to eliminate idea by idea, purely by how confident you feel enough to be able to look at the one or two sentences you've written and make a snap decision of; "This won't work". In addition, you'll be started to sharpen your beginner copy-writing skills and killing off the components that don't feel right to you as you go. When approaching the last idea on the list that you've left until the end, take a good hard look at it, feel it. Imagine writing about that with scenario/plot/time frame. Allow yourself to visualize what kind of possible characters could be deep inside, locked away. If it feels as exciting to you, go for it and run. If not, start again from fresh from a different perspective or genre. Keep going until you find that muse you've been waiting for.

4. Digging.
Either by pencil or laptop, start with a random scene from what you imagine could be the very middle of the story that sprouted from your last idea. Start jotting down whatever falls from the brain down to the fingertips - it doesn't even need to be good, just enough practice for you to be able to ascertain what kind of story it needs to be, what you as the story-teller, wants it to be. I would suggest to take the most action-packed scene and run with it until you cannot possibly exercise anymore creativity into it. Here is my quick scene that I have literally this very moment just typed out, without thinking.

"Jared took his gloves and placed them back into the glove compartment. Stello would never be able to see the blood stains on the upholstery, he thought half with mirth and half with guilt. He could feel the weight of the dead man in the muddy bootof the old mustang, sitting on the back tyres and dragging the whole damn car down. Jared cliked his teeth and tapped the steering wheel impatiently. Stavros was late, late with drugs. He was either dead or laying face down in a ditch somewhere. Two possible dead bodies in one night and Jared was the one still standing, no drugs."

I opted for just letting my fingers slide over the keyboard to just see what I could come up with. I let the ideas flow to my brain and just kept writing although I had no idea where it was likely to end or become. Have a try - don't think, just feel the words.

5. Nurture.
Now red back everything you have written - seriously read it through with care, an open mind and thought process. Do you honestly see yourself recreating the plot around your scene? Do you see yourself putting hundreds of hours into this project to nurse and nurture your little seedling into the 80,000 word novel it deserves to be? If yes, then congratulations because you have taken the first steps into creating something beautiful and the next step now would be the planning process.

If the process has still left you stuck, take an hour to move away from your work and concentrate on something else fairly media related - such as reading a magazine, watching TV, playing a game, ect. After that hour I want you to return and write about any random scene that you have witnessed in that hour, it can be anything. Put your own characters into that scene and have them move along the same story line, eventually you will need to take the reins and decide what happens next, watch them come to life at your very fingertips and gain an imagination of their own. After writing as much as you feel you need to, have a read back through and piece together the events before and after this scene - what could have happened to the characters next? What could be their back stories? You could literally warp their entire world and bend it to your will! Next I want you to edit the small excerpt of text and take out any reference or name that could lead to plagurism; (which only applies to those who have taken the scene from any published media seen during the 'cool down hour' obviously).

And there you have it, in the space of a small amount of time not only have you managed to exercise that writing muscle, but you've also grown potential ideas from near to nothing and taken them to the next level where they sit, eager and awaiting you to finish their tales. Good luck with the journey and let me know how it goes!

Bloggity Blog #4: Channeling the inner writing hero.

Before you say it - yes I haven't uploaded any new material in a little while. Stop glaring, lower the pitchforks.
Amongst trying to find time to write Beneath the Door, decorate the house, work out how to build furniture and revise notes on my new job - I have decided to take shelter under the brick entrance of my workplace, shivering in the chilly and rainy atmosphere, and finally get something online.

One thing I find very common in the writing industry, are writers - both new and old struggling to find exciting new ideas and inspiration to channel themselves into and spend endless hours and sleepless nights pouring over. Now I have conducted a little experiment myself to see just how much I can stretch my creative muscles... The challenge I set for myself: "Write 25 new story ideas in the space of a working week".

I tried to procrastinate and insist to myself that it was a gone idea and I really didn't have the time. So what did I do to resolve this? I mentally battered the procrastination side of my brain and did it anyway. For five days in the small moments I was sat at my desk and needed a break from the computer screen, I jotted down ideas like my life depended on it. I retreated to every webbed, dusty corner of my brain and retrieved every sudden idea I could think of, to which I was then able to craft a brief synopsis, characters, scene, timescales, ect. The only thing I had trouble with, was picking out suitable names to suit my characters - which for me takes a lot longer. I want to lovingly bestow my creations with suitable names - so I gave them 'starter' names, which I may alter at a later date.

That aside, I came out of the week with 25 sets of plots, scenarios and worlds. Some of the ideas I came out with ended up really astonished myself into thinking; brainstorming really works! A few that really stand out in my mind involve a post- apocalyptic world, the depths of gritty london's past and numerous vast social spirals. Needless to say, my new shiny characters are really going to be stretched to the limit when I get around to writing 25 full novels based on these ideas.

Now if I can find time to imagine all of these ideas out of an empty brain amid my busy daily life - why are you still sitting there wondering what to do next? I challenge you!

- H x

Bloggity Blog #3: Find that Inspiration!

I'm sat slap band in the middle of a busy shopping centre at the end of a very busy Friday - I'm staring at random passers-by and subconsciously working out their histories, presents and future from the few seconds that they glide by. Some look my way curiously, wondering why I'm staring back creepily wide-eyed. Others don't even register my existence and move along with their day.

My silent stalking session only lasted about ten minutes or so - but it got me thinking about possible novel ideas and what fresh new characters I could introduce. It may have made me look like a weirdo sat still on a bench for ten minutes with two big Wilko bags containing four sacks of rabbit hay - but stalking jokes aside - it seriously is a very productive way of generating inspiration for possible characters and scenarios.

1. For example; older woman stomping by in knee-length leather boots could be a desperate social-phobic, clutching onto her youth and afraid of stopping and taking a break, in case fatigue would catch up with her.
2. Another example would be an elderly man; struggling to walk properly - perhaps due to underlying medical issues such as arthritis or multiple sclerosis. He feels like he wants to stop and take a rest, but pushes himself on stubbornly.

Now let's take the older woman and put her under the microscope a little bit here and delve a bit into her history. Let's say her name is Margerie. Dear old Margerie could have lost her husband - Aldric (?) in a freak motor boating experience a year ago. She would have gone through the normal process of loss and bereavement - with a twist. Margerie could have been so distraught and very self-aware that she herself was getting on in her years, that she decided to buy a full new assortment of clothes and pick up those knee-length boots in a keen attempt to feel younger and alive again, despite the urge to give up and give into her loneliness.

For the elderly man who I'll nickname as Bill, he could have just come from a very recent Doctor's appointment that confirmed that Bill in a few years, would no longer be able to walk properly and would need the use of a wheelchair to get around, eventually even losing the ability to use his leg muscles indefinitely. Bill could have heard this and become absolutely confident in himself that he would never become such a liability to his loving wife and children. Let's say he makes himself a daily schedule - a walking schedule. Bill walks half hour to an hour a day to strengthen his leg muscles - before returning home back to retirement.

Two characters - very different backgrounds and issues. Both of which as the reader, you would instinctively want to know more about them and where their paths are heading. Naturally, you would want a happy ending for whatever character you can 'connect' to most.

However I will leave these two stories unwritten and let you decide their ultimate fate and what endings you would be most comfortable and satisfied with, in your own interpretations. But if I could simply sit still in silence and watch two completely random and unconnected strangers pass by me, whilst making up their histories and scenarios in my head, there is simply no limit to what imagination and inspiration can achieve.

Happy Friday!

- H

Sunday Showcase: Introducing Mike Wells

Welcome to the first 'official' Sunday Showcase - here is where I will be uploading and having a look at any new up and coming authors in the industry.
So for this past week or so I have been delving into the dark depths of social media - talking to you guys and trying to track down the 'star' of this weeks' Showcase. After a barrage of messages and reading manuscript after manuscript, I have finally found an author who I think deserves to be my number one this week.

I have chosen to feature Mike Wells, American best selling author of the Lust, Money and Murder series and amassing a collection of 20 other titles under his belt. Admittedly, I haven't heard of him beforehand, nor have read anything before that he has written. Coming across him by sheer fluke, I followed him on Twitter and he then contacted me to share Book 1 of Lust, Money and Murder. At once I was dubious - I so rarely get into Thriller/mystery/suspense titles that most of the novels I read end up blurred and desolate in the background on my mind. However, I was determined to give it a go and lay previous experiences aside.

At once I was hooked by the gorgeous scenery the romantic nature of the character meeting a mysterious rich man in the Italian Riviera. I was grossly interested at how both characters interacted romantically and inseparably with one another - but really had no personally interest nor passion for the other at all. I had to admit I was reading and thinking at the same time; "God I hope one of them gets bumped off." - I wasn't disappointed either! As one of our opening characters soars majestically over a cliff, we are then introduced to the novel's protagonist, Elaine Brogan and her journey into adulthood.

Reading through Elaine's memories - especially of her father, I couldn't help but wonder a little where it was leading - which in retrospect, what was what kept me hooked and helped me not give into my usual stereotype of avoiding crime and thriller novels like the plague.

We see Elaine blossom quietly from a shy little flower, through an awkward school phase into an independent young lady in just a matter of paragraphs. The memories are short lived and don't tend to veer too far from the point that Wells' is orchestrating across. When Elaine makes one of the first true adult decisions of joining a modelling agency, we begin to see some of that hard confidence that I visualised when first glancing at her name.

Without giving too much of the plot away, Elaine learns what it means to have to grow up too fast in such a harsh reality, thus a tragic turn of events sends her spiralling into adulthood with an agenda and a plan - taking her from beautiful places such as the heart of America and Moscow.

As mentioned I have only had the chance to read book one, which I believe Wells' has uploaded directly onto his website for public viewing. I would suggest going to have a quick read - even if you are dubious as well about crime and thriller novels, is I'm sure this would certainly change that stereotype and engulf you in the world of Elaine Brogan.

If you're interested in seeing more of Wells' work, you can visit his official website; http://www.mikewellsbooks.com/ If you're a tweeter you can also follow his daily movements here; https://twitter.com/MikeWellsAuthor

Check back next Sunday for my next weekly Showcase! In the meantime, if you are interested in featuring you can drop me an email at; daggersunderdaisies@gmail.co.uk with a brief bio about yourself and what you'd love for me to read.

Until then, happy weekend!

- H

Bloggity Blog #2: The Blogging Effect.

So, it's Friday and I've finally got around to sitting down in bed whilst listening to Boyfriend snoring and getting on with my planned blogging schedule that I have oh-so-craftily put into my phone and set reminders every time I forget/am busy/lazy ect. Long story short, I will be uploading a lot more content to this site now. When I set out on this experience, I made a commitment to myself and anyone reading this, that I'll put my heart and soul into it.

But anyway moving on.

I've been ghosting around a fair bit on various blogging sites in various industries, topics and hobbies - hoping for a little bit of inspiration. As you may have noticed (or not, sad face) I have been making quite a few improvements to the site and ensuring it's a little more reader-friendly and easier to see in terms of colour and readability. Of course every author has their own ideas in terms of what they want and how they want to portray their work across to their target audience. I also saw a lot of fantastic blogs that go hideously under-advertised and lay forgotten, whilst their owners either frown and lose hope or continue doing what they love, simply because they love doing it. (I'll be showcasing talent such as this in my 'Sunday Showcase section!)

My point being that I class myself as the latter - I could have absolutely zero reader base but yet I will continue to churn out what I love doing, simply for the fact that I love doing it. This should definitely be a trait that everyone should learn to adapt in whatever they feel their passion is, and put everything they have into it. Imagine it.

Self-illumination and perspective aside, life has been changing pretty rapidly for the past few months or so, with a variety of changes occuring. Not that change is a bad thing, it's the ability to be able to learn and grasp new knowledge, skills, whatever.

For those of your who keep up to date with me on Twitter, I've decided to make a major career change and move from Recruitment to Financial Services. I feel that I should point out here though, that I have about as much skill with numbers as I do with hardcore welding and plumbing - absolutely zero. So here I am, totally out of my comfort zone and no clue of what I'm doing, stumbling day to day through numbers desperately trying to looks over my notes daily.

However not letting this beat me down, I decided that taking on a completely new industry and job, will teach me a lot more about the business world itself and hopefully a variety of new skills that I can apply to my own. Admittedly, I miss Recruitment a lot more than I thought I would but again remembering the reasons why I decided to take a different route, I am choosing the 'new' things that I like now and focussing on them wholeheartedly. I know in myself roughly what I would like to change and what I'd like to improve on - which could be compared to writing as well in this aspect, I know what I want to do.

As to where this whole adventure for me at the moment - who knows where it will end? It's exciting, it's adventurous and most of all, I'm doing what I want to do.

Why don't you do the same?

Happy Friday!

- H

Jumping on the social bandwagon.

Wouldn't it be nice to wake up one day, finish the your novel, get it edited and out to the public and generate thousands of sales as soon as you could?

Okay so confession time; when I was a young girl with my chubby hands clasped around my pens and notebooks, dreaming about a future where I could make lots of money and do the thing I love doing for a definitive career - I had no idea of the long hard slogging, back breaking, brow sweating, tear jerking journey it would actually take to ascertain this status. It was only up until very recently that this horrendous fact seriously sunk into the dark depths of my stomach, where it sat festering.

Admittedly, I had to question myself on my life choice. Weigh it up with the pros and cons - did I really want to put myself through so much stress for a small chance of sales in such a big pond? The answer of course hit me like a baton - why yes, yes I did. But somewhere long the way, my focus changed and less did it concern money. Nowadays I write because I want to. Yes of course I would love to be a published world renowned Steven King , Darren Shan or JK Rowling - who honestly wouldn't? But I write because I love it and it excites me. And I don't want to blow my own trumpet here, but this is what I believe sets writers apart.

Having the drive, imagination and goals are only the first step however. A massive social network backed behind you, a vast interspace and a reliable wifi connection will be your next best friend. Now you can't generate many sales unless you have the desired audience and fanbase to pitch to. Like any self respecting organisation, no one will buy unless they are promised a good interesting read that appeals to them.

This is where networking comes in - with the interspace at your fingertips, join as many social networking sites and you feel necessary - and more. Build your blog/profile/network/friends - let people know who you are and what you stand for. You won't be globally renowned in five minutes, but congratulations, you have taken that first step to becoming a social bandwagon driver.

Why Failure should be spelled with a capital 'F'.

Failure or failure?

Which has more of an impact on you - either good or bad. Of course this word could have both positive and negative connotations entirely dependent upon the situation it's used.

You fail on a test for serious neurological disease - congratulations! You succeed in catching man flu, though. But tell me which you're thinking about most?

Failure is not a bad, dirty word that writers and poets alike should shy away from, like its contagious. It's a learning opportunity that has the ability to kick you back into focus, or swallow you whole and completely undermine your confidence. But this is not how it should be!

Take a brand new writer and stick them head first into their first novel - bear in mind they know nothing about the industry nor about the wider publishing word. They submit their first work to the first publisher or literary agent they come across and receive a big fat 'no' after all of the effort. Should they be suddenly flushed into a world of doubt and question their career choice?

Negative, they shouldn't. Frankly, every writer knows exactly how much rejection this line of work comes with - failure and literature practically sit hand in hand. In welcoming Failure, see every rejection as a physical result and a promise, that you have created something bespoke and original - you are the grand creator of your work, the God of your own world.

Do not feel disheartened - I cannot stress this enough. JK Rowling experienced many rejections for Harry Potter and on the verge of giving up, Bloomsbury picked her up in a sheer stroke of luck, that they were opening a children's division - thus her story in itself began. I would encourage you all to save these letters/emails/calls and keep them close, let them remind you of your contributions and work that you've battled to finish.

- H x