February round-up, goals for March, my wife's blog launch and Dark Winds Rising cover reveal

Wow! We're already nearly a week into March and it's high time I put down some goals for the month.

First, let's look back at February. I was pleased to have got quite a lot done and I hope that continues for this month:

• Added 10,000 words to my WIP. Reasonably happy with how this is going and can finally see an end in sight.
• Wrote and submitted a short story for an anthology.
• Got caught up on writing book reviews. This is big for me - it's something I need to get much better at.

For the rest of March, I will be taking a short break from my WIP and, with the A-Z Challenge waiting just around the corner, doing my best to get as many posts prepped as I can. Having sat out last year, I'm really hyped for this. And I say I'll be "taking a break" from my book, but without giving away too much before the theme reveal, these posts will really help me reconnect with the series as a whole and should end up being very useful.

Next, my lovely wife, Heather, has just launched her very own blog where she will be talking all about her business, our family and dogs, animal rescue, and whatever is going on with us. Please click on over here and show her some support! 

And finally, a good friend of mine, Mark Noce, recently unveiled the cover for the second in his excellent historical series set in medieval Wales. I highly recommend you check out the first installment, Between Two Fires. You can check out my review here.

Dark Winds Rising is the sequel to Mark's debut novel Between Two Fires, and comes out with St. Martin’s Press December 5^th 2017.

Dark Winds Rising (synopsis)

Queen Branwen finds her world once again turned upside down as Pictish raiders harry the shores of her kingdom. Rallying her people once more, she must face her most dangerous foe yet, the Queen of the Picts. Ruthless and cunning, the Pictish Queen turns the Welsh against each other in a bloody civil war, and Branwen must attempt to stop her before her country threatens to tear itself apart. All the while Branwen is heavy with child, and finds her young son’s footsteps dogged by a mysterious assassin. Branwen must somehow defeat the Picts and save her people before the Pictish Queen and a
mysterious assassin threaten to destroy their lives from the inside out.

About the Author

Mark Noce writes historical fiction with a passion, and eagerly reads everything from fantasy to literature. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s an avid traveler and backpacker, particularly in Europe and North America. He earned his BA and MA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he also met his beautiful wife. By day, he works as a Technical Writer, having spent much of his career at places like Google and Facebook. When not reading or writing, he’s probably listening to U2, sailing his dad’s boat, or gardening with his family.

Dark Winds Rising is his second novel in a historical series published by St. Martin’s Press. His debut novel, Between Two Fires, (also published via St. Martin's Press) is available wherever books are sold. Learn more at marknoce.com or connect via his newsletter or blog.

Between Two Fires: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Macmillan

IWSG March 2017

Time once again for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we can share our doubts and fears over all things writing, now including a regular talking point. Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, today's co-hosts are Tamara Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield and Nicohle Christopherson. Give them a visit!

Today's question is: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

My current insecurity was pretty much covered in my last post, where I worried whether I should be writing every day, as is so often recommended; I have to say, I felt reassured by many of your comments along the lines of making forward progress is the thing that matters, and I definitely feel like that's happening. Thanks!

So, let's have a look at this month's question...

I have to say, I can't think of any particular time when I've done this. I'm always looking for the next thing, the shiny new idea, and I don't want to take a step back. Sure, I might have a look at older stories, smile at how I've changed since writing them and then put them back in their box (or computer folder). But this question has given me pause for thought, particularly as regards those stories from my pre-blogging days. With the plethora of tips and wisdom I've picked up since being part of the community, there are probably things I could do with these stories that I would never have thought of at the time. If I do decide to embark on such an adventure, the results would doubtless be interesting, and I'd be sure to let you know how it all went!

Check out the other IWSG participants here.

In the Zone

Hope everyone is having a productive February. Despite fierce storms in our neck of the woods, we're getting patches of sunshine and it feels like spring is around the corner, a time of renewed productivity and new beginnings.

I'm just here to give a quick update on my writing progress and also talk about something that's been on my mind. While I've been making fair progress on finishing off the draft of the last part of my trilogy over the last few weeks, with a good few thousand words clocked, I haven't been writing every day. It doesn't happen often, but usually one day a week, and Monday is a big culprit for it. Basically, writing is the reason I get up at 5am; I don't have a good reason to be up at that unseemly time otherwise, and if I'm not feeling the urge then I switch off the alarm and doze for an hour or so instead. If I try and write, and I'm too tired or nothing is coming together, I feel worse about scratching out 50 words that don't take me forward than allowing myself an extra hour in bed.

On other days, which thankfully there seem to have been more of lately, I'm excited to get going and get down a thousand words or more without a break. It's about staying in that zone of being in the story, turning over the possibilities in my mind, staying engaged with my protagonists and their considerable problems. We often hear that it's important to write every day, and it's something that I believe in and try to stick to; however, some days it's just not happening. I also don't write at the weekend, and I've always been like that.

What about you? Are you an inconstant writer, or do you like to get something down every single day? What works for you?

IWSG February 2017

Time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we have a space to share our insecurities in the company of friends. Can you believe we're into February already? 2017 is going fast. Today's co-hosts are Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy and Joylene Butler. And of course, as ever your host is the tireless Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh!

Today's question is: "How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?"

This is definitely an interesting question. If you immerse yourself in the world of writing, learning about effective pacing, tone, characterisation, and a host of other factors, I think it's inevitable that you will pick up on these things more in other books. That's certainly been the case for me. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy the story or get swept up in it. In fact, the mark of a really good book is one that manages to captivate by doing all the different elements so well that the whole thing seems effortless. But for books that don't work so well for me, I find myself projecting how I might have done something differently, and that's all good learning for my own writing.

Turning to my insecurity for this month, it's pretty much what I noted at the top of the page; that this year is already going by fast, and although I got a fair bit of writing done in January, I'd like to have done more. Of course, February is an even shorter month, but I'm going to grab it by the throat and get as much out of it as I can. Springtime is on the way, which should be very productive and fruitful.

What do you think of this month's question? Check out more responses here.

IWSG - January 2017

Well, 2016 is done and dusted and it was certainly a tumultuous one - hopefully there's a bit more plain sailing ahead. As it's the first Wednesday of the year it's time for us all to reconvene and see where we are in our writing and associated insecurities, all thanks to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted as ever by Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, our co-hosts for January are Eva @ Lillicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner and Heather Gardner.

Insecurities - yep, they're still hanging around, but as it's a New Year I am going to do my best to place them to one side and put my best foot forward in terms of writing, editing and marketing. In broad terms, my goals for the year are to finish the first draft of the final book in my trilogy by the end of February, and to start gearing up for the release of Book 1 in summer or early autumn. I also want to come up with some creative ideas for marketing but before that release, I'd like to try some more things with my short story collection that is already out there. Hopefully, I will also have time to write and submit one short story per month.

Now, let's turn to the IWSG's question prompt for January - one that plays well into insecurity, I think! The question is: "What writing rule do you wish you'd never heard?"

This is an interesting one as it got me thinking about rules in general - and personally I believe that there are no rules for writers, merely guidelines or suggestions. Even the biggest selling books probably break one or more rules that are in circulation at some point. My approach is to treat each story on its own merits and use what works. Of course, there are things I try to avoid - like many people, I don't like adverbs, particularly when used to describe how a character says something, as I believe they are a way of "telling" what the character is feeling that could instead be inferred by their words and body language. But again, it's advice rather than rules. An occasional, judiciously placed adverb might be okay. That said, to answer the question, the "rule" I probably wish I'd never heard is "Write what you know".

I don't particularly like this little phrase because I believe it's easily misinterpreted by starting writers who think it restricts them to writing about what is in their everyday lives. After all, I don't think Tolkien ever came face-to-face with a hobbit or that H.G. Wells travelled in a time machine. As writers, imagination is key and we are free to come up with the most outlandish worlds and scenarios possible. However, balanced against that, what I think drives any good story is characters that we can recognise and relate to. Ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Even if they don't react to their circumstances in the way the reader might, the reader should feel able to place themselves in a character's shoes and imagine what they might do. And it all stems from the writer's observations of human foibles and their skill as an interpreter of behaviour - which is likely to come at least partly from the people they interact with in their daily lives, even if indirectly.

So, for me, this is what the phrase "write what you know" means. I just think it's too easily misleading, and something like "write what you know about how ordinary people would react to extreme circumstances" might be better - although granted, it's not quite as catchy.

How about you? What writing rules get your goat? Find out what other IWSG authors have to say here.

PS: I'm off to New York in a couple of days, accompanying my wife on a week-long work trip. There'll be time for sightseeing too and I'm stoked about visiting the Big Apple for the first time. Based on that, I probably won't be able to return all comments right away but I'll be sure to get back to everyone on my return. Happy New Year!

IWSG December 2016

It's here - the final IWSG posting of December 2016. This year has gone quick! As ever, this is the day when we can gather to share our writing fears and insecurities and offer a helping hand to others. Ably commanded by Ninja Cap'n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the co-hosts for today are Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford (erm, that's me), Juneta Key, J H Moncrieff, Diane Burton and M J Fifield!

I recently posted about my insecurities, namely my slow writing progress. I'm working on upping my pace and doing a bit more each day, and this month I hope to be back in a steady rhythm. One thing's for sure - I can't see a time in the future when I'm not writing, and that leads me on to this month's IWSG question - "In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?"

The first thing is to have my first trilogy and accompanying prequel all out in the world, which I plan to roll out over the next couple of years. After that, I've got several other ideas for books that might be standalones or develop into series. What will these books be about? Well, with what I've been writing recently I've realised that I really enjoy the speculative side of things - and whether that be sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, or multiple other avenues, this question really got me thinking about the idea of having a much more defined author brand or image. I used to think I would not tie myself down to any particular genre, and I'm still open to pursuing any ideas that reveal themselves to me - but "speculative" isn't really a genre, it's a way of looking at the world, pushing the "what-ifs", scrutinising things that may already be amongst us and exploring what would happen if they were developed to their logical conclusion. This is what writing is all about for me, and hopefully in five years I'll have reached more like-minded souls who'll enjoy the journey with me. And who knows what the social media and marketing world will look like by then? That sort of speculation could spark off all sorts of ideas by itself.

In terms of my publication plans, I definitely plan on doing more self-publishing as the sense of control is awesome, but it's also on my bucket list to have something traditionally published. It's not that I think one is more valid than the other, it's just another thing to be experienced. I also think there's something in the idea that some stories are suited more to one route than the other, and hopefully I'll be able to tell which is which!

How would you answer this question? Did you take part in IWSG this month? If you're not a member, thinking about signing up for 2017? Check out the list of other participants here.

November Progress Roundup

Wow! I can't believe we're into the last month of 2016 and Christmas is around the corner. Our tree is up, and lights are sparkling merrily in our windows as well as on the trees outside. This is a time of year when we pull closer together - of course, it was three years ago in November when we lost our superstar, and no one loved Christmas more than him. It feels right to get it underway earlier.

In terms of writing progress, things have been a bit slower in the last month. I added 3,000 words to my WIP, now standing at around 33,000 words. Yeah, not the largest chunk of material, but I'm looking at it as progress that's been made - and it's more than I've managed at other times this year. This is definitely the hardest book I've ever written, but nothing that comes easily is going to be truly rewarding, right? I just need to stop dancing around it, get a grip and get the rest of the story done. There are things that are hard here - hard for my characters, but I know they have it in them to deal with it and I just have to keep them on the right path. I at least have a tentative plan for how things will play out and when I'm done, I think I'm going to really enjoy editing this trilogy and pulling it all together. That's something to look forward to!

In other news, I did finish and submit both short story competition entries I was working on in October, so time to set them aside for now. Just over a month until the IWSG anthology winners are announced - did you enter the contest?

Well, that's about it for now. I'll be back next week for the final IWSG instalment of 2016. What have you been up to in the last month? Any NaNoers out there - how did it go?