The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I heard the trailers for the film The Help on the radio a few months ago and thought it sounded like an interesting film. I was going to watch it but then I realised it was based on a book. I decided to wait and read the book first (it's best that way, in my opinion).

So I bought the book and it had been waiting very patiently on my to-be-read tower ever since. I have only just got round to reading it and I'm glad I did. Even though I didn't devour it with quite so much desperation as Afterwards, I enjoyed it just as much in a more gentle manner.

The blurb:

ENTER A VANISHED WORLD:

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, 1962.

WHERE BLACK MAIDS RAISE WHITE CHILDREN,

BUT AREN'T TRUSTED NOT TO STEAL THE SILVER

There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and relay upon one another. Each is in search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

Again, this wasn't my usual chick lit but I found it compelling. At times it was amusing, others it was heartbreaking. Other times it made me angry that such attitudes existed (and still do in some cases, unfortunately). There were three distinct voices telling the story - Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny but the changing of perspective never interrupted the flow.

As well as a great book, it was also a good tool for opening up a discussion about segregation with my 8 year old. She asked what I was reading and I explained and while it may not be a pleasant topic, I feel it's an important one.

I thought The Help was a moving and powerful book and I can't wait to see if the film.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

I had no idea about the Insecure Writer's Support Group until I read Poppy Taylor's blog a few minutes ago. It sounds like a great idea and so I have signed up.

The idea is writers blog on the first Wednesday of the month about their fears, struggles and triumphs they have experienced with their writing.

It's now Thursday so I'm a day late but I promise to take part in March's Insecure Writer's Support Group.



Book 2 - Good Days & Bad Days

It's been a mixed bag of writing this past week. Some days it's been back to pulling teeth, where every single word seems to plod along at a painfully slow rate and some days, like yesterday, the words seem to fly onto the screen. And some days are in between. I really enjoyed writing one of the scenes last night and have been looking forward to that part since I jotted the idea down so that helped the words come.

Good days or bad days, they must be working somehow because last night I reached 23% of my first draft target so I'm almost a quarter of the way there!

I have finished the first draft of my Valentine's short story that I decided to write for fun. It needs typing up now (I love writing on actual paper and considered writing the first draft of Book 2 on paper. Then quickly changed my mind!) and then tweaking so I can post it up here on 14th.

In January...

... I read:

• Home for Christmas by Cally Taylor
• Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
• Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
• May I Have Your Attention, Please by James Corden (autobiography)

... I turned 29 so less than a year before I hit 30 - eek!

... I finally caught up with the rest of Britain and finished watching Gavin & Stacey

... Read my first book on my Kindle

... I finished Book 1 and started submitting to agents

... And then started Book 2


The most popular posts at the end of the month are:

• Marian Keyes & Mercy Close

• Christmas Songs Quiz

• Afterwards By Rosamund Lupton

• TV Highlights of the Week

• Birthday & Chinese New Year

• Current Project - Progress

• Christmas Crafts - Foam Snowmen & Christmas Trees

• I Heart Gavin & Stacey (and Richard Osman)

• My Babies Have Arrived

Book 2 - Progress

It is my second week of Book 2 and all seems to be going well. I now have a progress bar on the blog and it is really encouraging to update it each day and see the bar moving, ever so slightly, in the right direction.

I have set the target at 80,000 words for the first draft as this is what I did with Book 1. I ended up falling just short of 80,000 but made up for it in the second draft.

At the moment, it no longer feels like I'm pulling teeth to get the words on the screen but I know there will be times when it reverts back to that feeling. I'm finding it a huge help that I have the scenes already plotted in front of me so even if I am a bit stuck, I at least know what is supposed to be happening (even if I can't find the words to make it sound right!)

I don't feel as connected to my characters yet as I did with Book 1 but that's to be expected. I spent months with Kate and co, getting to know them and their traits. I sort of knew them in the beginning but it wasn't until the end that they were fully formed in my head and I could flesh them out and iron out any inconsistencies in the second draft. I'm hoping it will be the same this time round.

As well as writing Book 2 I am also writing a short story, which I will post on here on Valentine's Day.

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

A miracle happened, something that hasn't happened for a few years... I read a book - yes, a whole book - in two days. Not only that but I stayed up until the early hours of Saturday morning to finish it. This used to be a common occurence. Once upon a long time ago, before I had kids, I could race through books like the best of them but not anymore. Or perhaps I can.

I won Afterwards a few weeks before Christmas (so huge thank you to @filmvsbook who ran the competition) but have only just got round to reading it. But once I picked it up, it was glued to my hands. I could not put it down.

Afterwards is not a chick lit book, a genre I rarely stray from but I loved it and was gripped.

The blurb:

There is a fire and they are in There. They are in there. Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and runs. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her. Afterwards, Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her family from the person who's still intent on destroying them. Afterwards, she must fight the limits of her physical strength and discover the limitlessness of love.

I didn't guess who the arsonist was. There are so many red herrings along the way but all of them are believable so you don't feel you were cheated and lead the wrong way.

I thought the book was brilliant and would urge anyone will listen to read it. I have a copy of Rosamund's Lupton's first novel, Sister, ready to read on my Kindle and have been told it's even better than Afterwards. If so, I can't wait to read it!

Book 2 - Starting Book 2

Book one is finished and in the land of agents so on Monday I started Book 2. I've had the story in my head for a long time and actually wrote it a few years ago. I got to the end and decided it was crap. So I chucked it. This happens to me a lot, which is why one of my New Year's Writing Goals was to not give up like I usually do.

I still think the first attempt was crap but I am sure I can do a better job this time. I've changed the main character so hopefully she will be more likable this time (I really didn't get on with the last one) but I think the main difference is I'm more confident this time round. I know the plot and the characters better this time as I started planning it after I finished the first draft of Book 1, back in August. I'm more prepared this time, which is something I learned from writing Book 1.

I had an idea of what the story was for Book 1 and part way through started to jot down the gist of it, more to help with the synopsis later on than anything. And it went well until it came to the second draft and I ended up rewriting most of the book. So this time I have planned it better.

But that doesn't mean writing it is easier. I sat down on Monday and looked at my notes. I looked at my screen and the keyboard and then the notes again. How the hell did I start? I'd forgotten how hard it is to start a new book but I somehow managed it, forcing my way to around 250 words. The next thing I know, it's an hour later and I have 1900 words.

Cool, I thought. Starting a new book isn't so hard after all. And then I sat down yesterday and it was like pulling teeth. I know where the story is going. I know what needs to happen in each scene but the words just don't want to appear on my screen. Still, I managed another 800 words, which isn't bad. It felt like I'd done 50!

Thinking about it, writing Book 1 was difficult to begin with. So difficult I wanted to scrap the whole thing as I wasn't 'feeling' it. I gave myself until 10,000 words to see how I felt and then I would either continue or scrap. By 10,000 words I was really enjoying writing it and so I continued and finished it.

I must remember that Book 1 was nothing but a blank computer screen once upon a time. So don't give up like you usually do!