Sheridan Kent - Historical Romance Author

Procrastination is like masturbation.  At first it feels good, but in the end you're only screwing yourself.  ~ Author unknown

I find myself writing this article during an extended period of procrastination over my current manuscript (MS).

And when I say extended, I haven’t actively typed a word for over three months. I used to spend every available moment writing, even making time to visit the library on a weekly basis, where I would make considerable progress with writing and editing.

Various factors have affected my productivity such as; Christmas, a new job and trying to be an active member of my family. But I’m convinced the number one factor is having to make edits to the first chapters of my MS. Who would have thought that such a task would have stopped me in my tracks.

I entered the first three chapters into the Romance Writers of Australia STALI competition and received some awesome feedback I want to incorporate, but have found the task quiet daunting. Perhaps it’s because I don’t really know where to start. Does this mean I need to do a course? Or will it just come to me in time? Hence my stalling tactics.

I now have to re-read everything I’ve written before I can continue on, not only do I have to get my thoughts back in order but I have delayed the finishing of my MS, which I wanted to polish off by the end of the year.

While I have enjoyed the break, it’s far past time for me to put my fingers back on the keyboard and get cracking.  I still have a passion for writing I just need a kickstart. And in all honesty I’m hoping this article will be my reality check.

It seems all writers suffer from this particular ailment for various reasons. Characters misbehaving, plot gone awry or a bigger and better idea is causing a distraction. Oh and did I mention editing?

What’s one of your favourite devices for time wasting? Social media, visiting friends or perhaps shopping? I’ve even stooped so low as to do cleaning. (Yes you read that right).

And I’m not talking about firewood.

If you haven’t heard of the Amazon Kindle you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’re after a dedicated e-reader than I would strongly recommend giving this little device a go. It’s now the number one selling e-reader.

After questioning my fellow writers about whether I should buy an iPad or Kindle for reading on, there was a strong consensus for the Kindle. I’ll let its specs speak for themselves.

The Kindle at a Glance

6" High-Contrast, E Ink Screen for clear text and sharp images
Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room with no glare.

Carry your whole library
Kindle holds up to 3,500 books.

Compact size
Kindle is lighter than a paperback and thinner than most magazines.

Never be caught without a dictionary
Kindle has a built in dictionary so simply move the cursor to the word in question and the definition will automatically display at the bottom of the screen.

Listen to your Kindle privately
Plug headphones into the 3.5mm stereo audio jack to listen to MP3 files or text-to-speech feature on Kindle.

Built-In Wi-Fi
Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots at home or to hotspots on the road. With fast, free wireless delivery, you can start reading books in less than 60 seconds. No computer required.

Add notes, highlight passages or bookmark
Add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. You can also highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use.

Simple to use right out of the box
No setup required, no software to install, no computer required.

Battery Life of Up to Two Months
A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off and a half-hour of reading per day.

Free 3G Wireless with no annual contracts
No annual contracts, no monthly fees. Connectivity uses the same wireless signals as cell phones but there are no monthly fees or commitments. (Kindle 3G only).

Massive Selection
Over 810,000 books, including 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers, plus audiobooks, periodicals and blogs. For non-U.S. customers, content availability varies. Check your country. Plus over 1.8 million FREE Out-of-Copyright books, pre-1923 books are available such as Pride and Prejudice.

Free Book Samples
Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

Read Everywhere with Whispersync
Your Kindle books can be read on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Android device, and BlackBerry. Our Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off.

Worry-Free Archive
Books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon. Re-download books wirelessly for free, anytime.

All I can say is I love my Kindle and my husband is rather pleased he won’t have to build me anymore bookshelves. If you’re still unsure about the Kindle you can check them out at Dick Smith stores.

A few years ago I decided to sell most of my old Mills & Boon novels along with a handful of Loveswept’s. My tastes had moved onto the larger Historical Romances. But there was one novel I couldn’t bring myself to part with, ‘The Black Cameron’, by Jean S. MacLeod, especially since it had the number one written on the cover.  I thought perhaps somehow I had managed to find a copy of the first ever Mills & Boon.

I’ve since read up on the history of Mills & Boon and discovered that ‘The Black Cameron’ displayed the first rose logo. But something more important came out of my research and that was the lady behind the novel Ms MacLeod.

She was born the same year Mills & Boon debuted and sold her first novel ‘Life for Two’ to them in 1938.

Since then she has written 130 novels under numerous pen names. She was working on her 131st when she past away at the grand age of 103, in April this year (2011).

What an institution. What a dedication to romance.

The advice that shaped her style came from Michael Boon, the original proprietor’s son. ‘He told me never to write anything a mother wouldn't want her daughter to read.'

To read more on the life of Jean S. MacLeod see the link below.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1114443/Britains-oldest-romantic-novelist-spend-101st-birthday-working-130th-Mills--Boon-book.html#ixzz1T1CQmAAv

Unfamiliar with the above terms? Well I was until I joined Romance Writers of Australia.

When creating a story a writer is placed in one of two categories: a plotter or a pantster.

A plotter will sit and construct all the elements of their story; setting, characters and plot. Working out all the character relationships, conflict and conclusion. Once this is completed then all the elements are weaved together to create the skeleton of the story. Each chapter mapped out with the character growth and relationship shown.

A pantster does only some of this. They start with developing characters and a setting, perhaps inspired by an idea or image and begin to write, not knowing which direction their story will take until they get to a plot point and make a decision.

I’m a plotter all the way. I need to know everything that is going to happen before I start. I spend a month working out every aspect mentioned above plus some of the finer details needed to complete the story.

But inspiration comes first.

My current manuscript, ‘A Wicked Proposal’ started with a scene running through my head while I was in the middle of the weekly grocery shop. I couldn’t get home fast enough to write down my idea before unpacking. Later that night I wrote most of the first chapter. Then I spent the next month developing the rest of the story.

Some chopping and changing occurs as I add in extra details but I can pretty much open up any chapter and start writing as each contains a full outline.

A fellow writer told me she is a pantster ‘all the way’ otherwise she gets bored with the story and would never complete it.

There is no right or wrong way to write you just have to find your groove. If you’ve thought about writing I encourage you to give it ago. Choose your favourite genre and either make a quick outline of your plot or just start typing, you’ll soon know which you are.

Comment and tell me the process you go through or show your preference by taking my online poll.

Happy writing!

Sitting on the lounge with my trusty laptop about a month ago I was staring blankly at the television processing my thoughts before writing when I was struck with excitement at a promo on Seven Mate.

Forty seconds of ladies and gentlemen in period costumes striding around an extraordinary manor set in gorgeous British countryside. Scenes of foxhunts, servants and high drama quickly flash by, all set to fast paced moody music. It ends with a slow pan across the monolith titled Downton Abbey while the music fades down and the channel logo is displayed. This is quickly followed by a return to current programming, almost leaving me to wonder if what I had viewed really happened. (Click above image to see promo.)

Of course I was straight onto the internet to find out more. A simple Google search uncovered a hugely popular show into its second season in Britain.

The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, stately home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants early in the reign of King George V. The series spans the two years prior to the Great War, commencing with news of the sinking of the Titanic, an event that triggers much of the plot.

Highclere Castle in Hampshire was used as Downton Abbey, with the servants' living areas constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.

The village of Bampton in Oxfordshire was used for filming the outdoor scenes, most notably St Mary's Church and the village library, which became the entrance to the cottage hospital. Series characters often refer to the North Yorkshire towns of Malton, Easingwold, and Kirby; Ripon and Thirsk have also been mentioned. However, the Downton estate is centred on the fictional village of Downton, a place name in several English counties but not in Yorkshire.

The first series cost an estimated £1 million an episode. It is also the most successful British period drama since Brideshead Revisited, with British ratings exceeding 10 million viewers. Similarly, the series enjoyed successful ratings in the United States, averaging over 6 million viewers per episode.

It’s written by Oscar winner, Julian Fellowes and stars Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern. I can’t wait for it to start and have been constantly checking the Seven guide for the Australian premiere. If you’re a lover of history this will be a must see!

When do you go from being an avid reader to developing an interest in creating your own story and finally, wanting to be a full time author?

I’ve been a reader of romance for around fifteen years and as much as I love the genre sometimes I found myself wishing the stories had a different ending or a different path to the ending.

This started me thinking and small stories started to develop, followed closely by some very interesting characters. After turning the ideas over in my head for a while I felt I could attempt my own novel.

Without any experience I gave it a go, I didn’t get very far. Opening a Word document and starting to type probably wasn’t the best idea but I had large amounts of enthusiasm to back it up.

I started to struggle.

It didn’t take me long to do some research and I uncovered a world of writing programs. (I didn't even know they existed) The one I thought suited me the best was Storyweaver, it took me through four points; Inspiration, Development, Exposition and Storytelling. In each point the Plot, Character, Theme and Genre were explored, expanded and refined.  When all the steps were completed it left me with the skeleton of the story broken down into chapters.

I was very excited by this point, ready to start weaving the details together that made up each chapter. I was consistently working on it until I became pregnant with my daughter and had to give up writing for well over a year. I continued reading but was itching to get back to it. Except after reading so many well-written novels I felt I needed to do some sort of writing course. A bit more googling and I found a correspondence course through OTEN, Writing Course – Category Romance.

I couldn’t believe there was a course specifically designed for Romance Writing. It was very professional and gave me a wealth of information from how to get started through to contacting editors. The best part was the constructive feedback from the teacher. It was great to be critiqued by a published author and to find out I wasn’t totally out of my depth, it gave me more confidence to continue.

Another confidence boost came when I joined the Romance Writers of Australia. This has opened up a whole new world for me and the support is fantastic. It’s great to talk to people on the same journey.

Once I had completed the course I decided to start from scratch. After three years and two incomplete manuscripts I wanted a totally fresh idea to test out all my new skills. A new setting, plot and characters and so A Wicked Proposal was born.

I pour all my spare energy into working on my manuscript and coming up with conflict and dialogue to enrich my story. I was sneaking in some research at work and a colleague of mine commented, “I would have quit by now.” If you love something and are so passionate about it that your thoughts and ideas can’t be quieted, push on. For me it’s like a freight train racing down a hill with broken brakes. Will my enthusiasm wan? I don’t know. But for now I’m enjoying the ride.