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

What's in a name?

I am the worst person at this, ever.

So it comes to sitting down with a new revolutionary great idea for your latest novel. You have the storyline all planned out - you are deadly sure that this book will change the world as it is and will influence many generations to come. You know it should be a bestseller in many countries and appear on various charts as numero uno. There is only one problem - what to name your characters? How to bestow them names worthy of their own characterisations?

I wrote something a long time ago which featured a main protagonist named Ivy. Now Ivy can be pictured into two visualisations here; the first of which is the plant itself - green and poisonous, winding itself onto any surface and digging its roots into foundations, creeping into the inside and snaking up walls, seeking out any possible weakness in structure and exploiting it.
But as for a polar opposite mental picture - Ivy can also be regarded as a beautiful name for a little girl with big green eyes, pale skin and a sweet smile.
This was the character I had dreamed up for that piece of work. I decided to take the name of a devious plant and pair it with a more positive reflection - not only to throw my reader off, but to also surprise myself too.

But how do you know if you've given your chosen character a deserving name?

Imagine how you would expect them to look. Strong jaw? Pearly white sharp teeth? Golden wavy hair? You wouldn't name a little girl Henry and a macho muscled man Sandy, would you? The names completely throw off the character that perhaps you wanted to portray. Little Henry and Sandy have magically transformed into the polar opposite of what you initially wanted.

So what are the right names for your characters?

That is something only you yourself can answer. You know your mental pictures, you know your plot and your scenery and ultimately you know how you want it to end.
For my main protagonists, I tend to pick less popular names that would stick in my readers' minds. In Beneath the Door (uh oh, plug time!) - I chose Terin - not overly feminine, quite strong and harsh on the tongue, which was exactly what I was aiming for.

Overall, in some aspects names mean so much more to a great story than the plot itself. Next time you want to write an epic three piece trilogy about the adventures of Joe Bloggs and John Smith - think again.

-H x