Some useful things every writer should have

A scanner pen

These are ieal for scanning text you need for research purposes and for working out the word count of articles and books. I have an Iris pen, but there are many more on the market.

Tip – make sure it will work on your operating system. For instance the Iris pen I have was bought when I had Windows XP, but it does work with my new Windows 7 laptop (although itv won't scan as much text as it would in XP)

A netbook/ipad

Perfect for those occasions when you want to travel light, but anticipate that you will be doing some writing.

A notepad with a light

Perfect when your OH is asleep and doesn’t want to be awakened by you scribbling down details of how to mutilate one of your characters.

A subscription to a writing magazine

Every single book I have had published (five so far and two on the way, including my first novel) has been down to reading about markets looking for writers in Writers’ News. It’s available on subscription although it comes with Writing Magazine. It’s a UK magazine, but they allow subscribers from abroad. Wherever you live there is bound to be a writing magazine.

Notepads and pens scattered around the house

Where do you get your best ideas: probably when you’re not sitting at your desk actually working? I have notepads and pens scattered around my house, including in the bathroom. There is nothing worse than coming up with a fantastic idea for an article or a scene in your book and not being able ro write it down.

Membership of a writers messageboard

Who else knows what its like to write, to send manuscripts to publishers and magazines and get a no? To have family who don't understand why you write? Other writers that's who. I belong to a site called Talkback and people are so helpful and friendly.

A dead Fred

To get me in the mood for writing crime I have a dead Fred pen holder. Reminds me of the outline of a body at a crime scene.

Some visual aids

To help me know where my characters are at any given time I use B Movie action figures that I bought on Amazon. Childish? Maybe, but when I’m writing about a group of characters I can tell where they all are.

Tip – Other, normal people may use pictures they’ve cut out of magazines and catalogues and say ‘this is what my character Bob looks like.’

A wee, happy dug to chase around the room

Writers can neglect their exercise. Having a dog who likes to be chased around the room at all times of the day and the night is the perfect way to make sure you don’t spend too much time on your fast expanding derriere.

 

Don't Let The Bullies Win: How to get your Confidence back

Were you bullied and have you never got over it? Does it still haunt you today?

Do you want to know how to deal with bullying behavior in everyday life?

Then Don't Let the Bullies Win: How to get Your Confidence Back may be the book for you. It offers tips and strategies on  -

• How to stop blaming yourself for what happened
• How to stop bullying and bullying behaviour from ruining your life and your relationships
• Learning how to like yourself
• Standing up for yourself including how to say no to people
• Learning to let go of what happened to you
• Helping yourself to feel better without relying on others
• Facing up to the bully

The book is available in Amazon's Kindle store. You can view a sample before you decide to buy, so if you decide the book is not for you, you won't have lost anything.

Click here for the UK.

Click here for the USA store.

I am also the author of Bullying - A Parent's Guide which is out in paperback and Kindle in the UK and USA and available on Amazon and all good book shops.  

Click on the cover picture to view the paperback on Amazon, RRP £9.99. Note - this was updated in 2011 to cover cyber bullying. The book is also available on Kindle.

  

You can read excerpts from Bullying - A Parent's Guide by clicking on the topic -

Cyber Bullying Tips

Getting Your Child to Open Up

What if My Child is Being a Bully

Bullying The Facts

Trouble at Twitter

I’ve been using Twitter for months now and I love the site. Having to say things in 140 characters or less is great practice for a writer. So too is getting to chat to people you would never get to meet on the non-cyber world.

Something happened to shatter my cosy image of Twitter. I got a message the other day.

It was from a direct message from someone I followed, saying that someone was posting nasty things about me on Twitter. There was a link in the DM that was sent straight to my email. I didn’t click it, because I knew something was wrong.

I am posting a copy of the message below (you'll need to click on it to make it bigger - trust me, this is safe) -

Note - I have blanked out the user names.

I looked on Twitter and couldn’t find any evidence of anyone bad mouthing me. Then I checked out the user who had ‘sent’ me the DM and it was clear from their posts that their account had been hacked.

I now believe the DM was an attempt to get me to click on a link that would put a virus on my computer.

Today, I got another one. This one read - “I can’t believe you posted this http://t.co/nX2Z7oC about me, i am so upset right now.”

Again, notice the inflammatory nature of the message. They want you to think something is up and click on that link without thinking.

How do you deal with this when accounts are being hacked and when on Twitter people post links all the time? I don’t honestly know. Having a good virus checker will help and using in regularly.

Protecting your password and changing it constantly, may also help.

From now on I will be very careful when it comes to Twitter and I hope you will too. Don’t let those spoilers waste it for you.  

My double life

Okay, I admit it, I live a double life.

Not only am I someone who rambles on about writing a crime novel and other stuff like stiffing it to the man (see post about the power of Twitter), I am also the author of a book I wish had been out when I first became a vegetarian 25 years ago. 

It's called Living Cruelty Free and it does what it says on the tin. It's not just aimed at vegetarians or vegans. It's aimed at anyone who wants to live a kinder life: one that's kinder to people and animals. This can mean anything from not wearing fur, to eating free range and avoiding the cruelest things on the planet like Foie gras (geese and ducks forcefed until their livers swell to many times their natural size).

Here's a sneak preview of the cover of the book that will be published in January 2012, firstly as an ebook. Then later in 2012 as a traditional book.

I blog about the topics in the book at http://greatestguidetolivingcrueltyfree.blogspot.com and also tweet as @veggiegirl2011

The power of Twitter

If you’re one of these people who underestimated the power of sites like Twitter (like I did), here’s a tale that might make you change your mind.

I changed my existing BT Broadband package to another one. I’d got a better deal than what I’d been paying before (I was paying more than anyone else I knew for my package) and was pretty pleased about it.  Then I got a letter from BT saying that as I had cancelled my contract ‘early’ they were hitting me with a whopping £100 charge.

I was angry about this for a number of reasons –

1. As far as I was concerned, my contract was already up. BT had not told me any different when I changed my broadband package.
2. I had NOT been warned about any charged before I switched. Customers should always be made aware of charges BEFORE they change not after.
3. It wasn’t like I was changing from BT to another supplier.

I was so incensed about what had happened, I emailed BT and then tweeted about it.

Two hours later I got an email saying they had seen my tweet and the charge had been made in error and they would refund me.

I also tweeted about an Amazon order that had failed to arrive and was a week late. Initially, Amazon had told me that I needed to wait another week before I would qualify for a refund. After they responded to my tweet I got a refund within hours.

The thing I have learned from all this is when you feel you are treated unfairly by a company by all means gets angry about it. Scream, shout and then when your anger calms down, tweet about it. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results. I know I am.

P.S. If you want to follow me on Twitter my user name is @jenthom72

5 Questions to ask before you submit that novel

Isn’t it time you put yourself in the reader’s place when you write?

Before you send your hard work off to a publisher or agent, try and put yourself in the footsteps of a reader.

Ask yourself these 5 questions –

1. If you were a reader would the opening engage you and make you want to read on?  If it wouldn’t then maybe you need a rewrite/a change of POV/to start in another place.
2. Are you relying on your brilliant fifth or eleventh chapter for them to say yes? If you are then you need to look at your opening again. Well, would you keep on reading a novel out of the prospect of it getting better later on? I know I wouldn’t. There are too many good books and not enough time.
3. Does every chapter move the story on? If it doesn’t, can you do without it? Who wants to read padding? 
4. Have you added something new to the genre, so a reader can say,’ yes, that book’s about a detective whose partner still helps him to solve crimes despite being in a catatonic state.’ Incidentally that’s what my WIP crime novel Vile City is about. You need something distinctive that’s your own.
5. Remember, that most of all publishers are looking for books they know people will want to read. Is your book one of them? If it’s not, try and rework it or start again. As difficult as that is – hey, I’ve been there, blubbing as I cut my wonderful prose – sometimes it is necessary. All of the best authors have manuscripts gathering dust in a drawer that won’t be published.

As I write this, I am waiting for the opportunity to gut my WIP so that when I ask myself those 5 questions I can come up with satisfying answers. Wish me luck. Think I am going to need it!

Isn't it time you got into international cinema?

The bizarre world of the ticket inspector in Kontroll

I love foreign language films that are so good that you almost forget you are reading subtitles. Movies so good that you remember them long after you watch them.

I wrote about 7 of the very best for Shadowlocked.com. If you like the sound of them the article includes links to trailers.

Check it out at  http://www.shadowlocked.com/201106021871/lists/7-foreign-language-films-that-are-worth-the-subtitles.html