WRITING WAY TOO FAST -Tom Odell - Another Love

I have never written as much, as fast, as I did last week.
I put it down to this track by Tom Odell which I played on repeat. I tried to match the writing with the intensity and the of driving pace of the song. 

IS THERE A PARTICULAR PIECE OF MUSIC INSPIRING YOU AT THE MOMENT?

My sister is visiting from Australia. Although my notebooks and research may take up a lot of the back seat, we are going to take our Mum going on road trip. :D

THE JERUSALEM PUZZLE COMPETITION

This week, I learned about an amazing opportunity for writers to showcase their talents:

HarperCollins have created an opportunity for writers to be published alongside one of their exciting new writers.

The competition prize, for three talented authors, is to write a short story :(but, don't start writing those short stories yet ;) which will be published in a special, limited edition epub of The Jerusalem Puzzle: the second novel from Laurence O'Bryan. 

Firstly, you have to read the second chapter of The Jerusalem Puzzle.

Then, in no more than 500 words, say where you would take the story next either in the form of a synopsis, or the opening of the next chapter.

You need to be a member of Authonomy to participate in the contest so remember to register first if you're interested.

The authors of the ten entries judged to be the best will be given the chance to submit short stories for consideration by HarperCollins’ editors. They will also get advanced ring-bound book proofs of The Jerusalem Puzzle.

At the start of December, three overall winners will be selected to be published in the special edition Jerusalem Puzzle e-book next June.

If you want to enter you must email your 5oo words to yourauthonomy@harpercollins.co.uk by midnight GMT on 31st October.

With such an exciting prize awaiting the successful writers, I've written and posted my entry - already.

WHAT MORE COULD HARPERCOLLINS DO TO TEMPT YOU TO WRITE AN ENTRY?

WHINING AND WANING - COUNTING DOWN AND TYPING

HMS DOLPHIN?
I CAN SEE WHY.
Photo credit: NASA, public domain

Time is too slow for those who wait,

too swift for those who fear,

too long for those who grieve,

too short for those who rejoice,

but for those who love,

time is eternity.

Henry Van Dyke

In 1764 HMS Dolphin voyaged to discover the lands in the south of the Atlantic Ocean. Many previously unchartered islands were identified and surveyed. The captain of the vessel was John Byron.

Small ship. Unpredictable seas. Unknown destinations. I bet time moved with heart stopping irregularity once they had passed out of well-known waters.

Voyagers and voyages without the thrill of the unknown you just wouldn’t bother.

The deadline for Harper Voyager open submission is 14^th October. Deadlines smedlines ;) my Voyager project is keeping me busy.

DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT IS KEEPING YOU BUSY?

DRAWN DOWN A DARKER PATH

OR, THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS
WHAT YOU'VE DONE?

The plot of DRAWN has moved on, the seeds of betrayal have been spread in the furrows of actions at suitably regular intervals ;)

I'm struggling. I don’t want to reshape my character – he has a lot of good points – but, based on the facts as he knows them, he has made a decision with consequences. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery. Fear. And the nature of cowardice.

With the empire under attack, what situation might make a person, abandon their friends, desert their responsibilities, run away or betray the people they love.

Having run away, if not the truth, what do they say when questioned by others? What do they believe, inside?

Later, could a character believe the lies they've told? Believe them to the point where they convince themselves that the fabrication is the truth?

If classic masculine qualities are physical strength, courage and calmness in the face of danger or adversity, could a person see themselves as brave if they abandoned their duty and hid? What if, putting themselves first meant they had to actively put someone else in danger? Betray a friend.

Are all lives equal? Is one life more valuable than another?

Should it be survival of the fittest? Surely, anything else is unnatural.

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF UNABLE TO SEND YOUR MC ALONG A DARKER PATH?