The Great Scrivener Debate

Hands up if you’ve used Scrivener.

(Barely raises hand)

Starting a new novel is always exciting. I’m writing my fifth historical now, and I’ve never used Scrivener. I always tell myself… next time. Next time I’ll use it, figure it out, give it a try! Now that “next time” is here, and guess what? I gave up in like 2-seconds flat. Actually, it was after two days.

I’ve been researching the content for my novel for weeks! I’m sick to death of the research, I have to tell you. I have my outline done. I even did something new (to me) and wrote out an entire chapter timeline on butcher paper and marked all the major events. It’s a roll of paper and I hooked it on a hanger and have it hanging in my kitchen on the sliding door curtain rod. I’d show you, but then I’d have to kill you because all my novel’s juicy bits are on there. But I look at it every day, and remind myself… this is what I’m following.

But back to Scrivener. I registered for the free 30-day trial. 30. Days. That is pretty generous, I think. Anyway, my first mistake was sitting down to figure it out the moment I was ready to start drafting chapters. Silly rabbit!

I found it awkward to navigate, but in the same breath I watched the tutorial videos and… WOW! There are a lot of handy features. The notecards look like an amazing feature. If only I can figure out how to use them myself. Or even start a new chapter after I click the scene tab.

Perhaps I’m just resistant to change? I am pretty set in my ways. My desk is full of notebooks, and when I can’t reach one, I scratch ideas on napkins, sticky notes and even on the back of envelopes (I love to write ideas on bills). I’ve created a messy filing system that up until now has served me well.

(Not my real desk, but pretty close)

But I know there is a better way, and maybe Scrivener is the answer. According to the tutorials, Scrivener takes all these note scratches, research, outlines, character sketches and all the rest of it and complies it into a nice digital notebook. Wouldn't that be nice?

I’m giving it another try this weekend.

Have you used it? What was your experience?

The Book Launch That Wasn't

On April 23, my book The Witness made its way out into the world. This was my eighth published novel, but the release of this book was completely different than those which came before. I’ve been a published author since 2015, when my first novel, The Spirit of Grace, was published by Black Opal Books. For my first book I was able to do a talk at my public library, sit for a five minute segment on my local news channel, and with the help of a couple of friends, have an actual party where I practiced my book talk in front of people who I knew wouldn’t laugh at me if I messed up. I practiced, rehearsed, and worked my tail off, so I could bring my first book child out into the world in a professional way.

As the years went by and future books released, I developed a readership and figured out what worked best for me. By the time House of Lies, the third Cat Carlisle made its way out into the world, I HAD A SYSTEM! Namely, I would flood my schedule with Facebook Live events, blog tours where I provided content, and a handful of author takeovers on various social media pages. Believe me when I tell you this schedule was a wonderful, exciting, flurry of bookish celebrations that left this writer totally and utterly enervated.

And then came Covid… No need to spend a lot of time belaboring the state of the world since March of 2020, when everything came to a screaming halt as countries far and wide dealt with the blow after devastating blow resulting from the global pandemic that still affects us today. Although my family and I were lucky enough to be able to hunker down at home, stress and exhaustion as we tried to navigate new waters have definitely taken their toll. I had notes in my calendar in February and March to reach out to social media influencers to book events for my release. I ignored them, and The Witness released with little fanfare. And you know what? I’m totally okay with that. People who read this book seem to like it, and – most importantly – I had the best time writing it! At the end of the day, as we writers worry over covers, marketing, reviews, and the dreaded Amazon algorithm, we must all remember why we signed on for this crazy making career: because we love to write and love to tell stories. That’s what is important. Everything else is gravy.

I have another book releasing in November. I’m not sure what I’ll do on launch day. And that’s okay with me.

Do you have a book coming out this year and if so what do you have planned? Drop a comment below and let me know how the pandemic has changed things for your writing life.

All the best,

Terry

Putting My Head Above the Parapet

A couple of months ago, I got the shock of my life (almost) when an invitation arrived from the lovely Rae Cowie asking if I’d like to join the Not-So-Secret Seven. This is the team that produce the consistently good Novel Points of View blog.

I must have hummed and hawed for ages – possibly as much as two milliseconds before deciding to accept! The phrase “with alacrity” comes to mind.

The Not-So-Secret-Six-plus-Me are all fellow romantic novelists and fellow members of the Romantic Novelists Association.

Being asked to join such a team carries its own responsibilities. Luckily, the group generates its own strength. To tell the truth, I was sincerely flattered to be asked to join.

 

So a bit about me. I’m male, large, old, a former sailor, and write historical novels based around a singularly colourful bunch of characters in my family tree. These include:

Robert Rochfort, Earl of Bellfield and of Belvedere. A complete and utter bastard.

Jane Rochfort, his daughter, Lady Lanesborough and who was one of the “Faro Ladies.”

John King, her second husband, who seems to have been a dodgy Jewish moneylender. He wasn’t.

Henry Dumaresq, my Great-great-grandfather, who joined Wellington’s army in 1808 as an ensign and finished up as Lt. Colonel at Waterloo and aide-de-camp to General Byng.

Stephen Harvey James and his son, also Stephen, opened up the Crown Mine at Botallack. Stephen, his son, was also the mine’s last Purser.

ALL of them and more have stories to be written about them, their lives and their loves. I’ve done the first, and I’m working on the second. All of them are worth Googling. All of them are usefully dead, so they can’t sue, too! Should I live long enough there are absolutely LOADS more, too. No one properly famous, but all interesting!

By the way, it’s worth remembering that about one-third of the UK population can claim descendancy from King Edward III. This includes Danny Dyer, so on that basis, at least 2 of the others in the Not-So-Secret-Seven must be related to me. I wonder which two?

 

Apart from writing, I also do a fair bit of back-office work for the RNA, including setting up the Author Profiles on the RNA Webpage. This has been and continues to be quite fascinating.

Some people take full advantage of their “profile space”. They write something about themselves and their writing that will be attractive to readers old and new, while others prefer a sparse listing. There are even some who don’t want a profile up at all! I find this a little odd, as this is free advertising for you and your books. It is also very much part of your “brand” and will say much the same as on your Amazon page or your website.

After doing over 1000 profiles, it’s still fun to put them up for people. Here are the profiles of three of my fellow bloggers.

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna_author/kathleen-mcgurl/

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna_author/victoria-cornwall/

https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/rna_author/linda-mitchelmore/

 

 

And now, a word about hedgehogs!

We retired to a small village just north of York (Old York, in the UK) a few years ago. Access to our garden is relatively open plan. It backs on to what was an old orchard full of fruit trees, which now forms the large back garden for one of the original farmhouses in the village.

In our second year here, we were sat out one warm summer night when we saw our first hedgie, just bumbling around in one of the borders.

The following day I put a hole in the fence to the old orchard, and we started to put food out for them.

Then our daughters bought me a trail cam!

Ever since, and about 5 cameras later (they don’t last forever), we have both been finding hours of entertainment from them. Every year, they have come back to the garden, where they do great work eating garden pests.

We have had as many as 5 in the garden at once! This year they are back. Just two of them so far, but the hoglet season will be upon us next month.

It’s easy to see why they are Britain’s favourite animal, and as it happens, this week is Hedgehog Awareness Week!

 

 https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/hedgehog-awareness-week-2021/

Enjoy! And don't forget to subscribe and share!

John