Posted on 24/02/2023 in Dorothy Says

Why Mary Poppins Was Wrong

6-minute read

Far be it from me to disrespect the iconic supernanny, but she honestly is.

Before I explain why, let me ask: how’s your writing going this week? Have you actually done any writing? Or have you found a hundred trillion other things to do instead of just writing? Have you even started?

If you have been putting off starting your book because you don’t know where to start, then you’re kind of proving my point that the OG supernanny was wrong.

When it comes to book writing, unlike she sang, you don’t need to start at the very beginning. In fact, it’s not a very good place to start, but it is a rather excellent place to get stuckity stuck stuck stuck.

Confession: I don’t think I’ve ever written any of my 18 novels from start to finish in order.

That horrifies many other novelists. But it works for me. It may work for you too.

If I have an idea for a novel, the first scene that plays out in my head is very rarely from the start of the book. That first scene that plays out in my head – be it a snatch of conversation, a piece of description, a few lines of character building – is what I write down first.

And when it hits the page, even though it’s not from the prologue or Chapter One – it is what gives me the thrill of knowing I’ve started the book. It gives me the boost I need to know that I’m going to do this story and I’m going to do it justice.

Remember, you’re writing the book, not reading it, so you don’t need to know the beginning to get the rest of it done.

Don’t get me wrong here, first chapters ARE important.

The first chapters – arguably the first three pages – of your book are the most important because they are the reason people will keep reading your book once they pick it up. So those words need to be as close to perfect as you can get.

Which is what can make you worried and frozen, can keep you rewriting and rewriting the start at the expense of writing anything else.

With writing, you have to go back and edit your work anyway, so free yourself of this burden of worry by starting anywhere in your book.

Honestly, once you’ve written the rest of the book and have got to know your characters, your plot, your ending, your subject (for non fiction), you’ll have a much better sense of where and how your book should start.

Basically: Go back and create the perfect beginning AFTER you’ve written the rest of the book. Don’t feel so bound to the start of the book you don’t get anything else done.

Here are some ideas on what to do instead of staring at the page on your computer or notebook trying to find the right way to start:

• Is there a scene elsewhere in the book that is almost perfectly formed in your mind? Write it down. Don’t argue with me or worry about your process, just write it down. It’ll get you going.

• Is there a part of your book that you haven’t sorted out properly yet? Get a pen and paper or your notes app and make some notes on where you can go with it. No one is going to hold you to it, just note down the different ways it could go and see what it sparks.

• If you’re a plotter who has every chapter down pat but are stuck on earlier chapters, go to the very last chapter and write it. Again, don’t argue, just do it, it will help you unlock what needs to come earlier.

• If you’re working on non-fiction, write down the areas covered in your book, pick one subject area and start to sketch it out. Who will you interview? What will you cover? What will you achieve at the end of that chapter?

• If you’ve written some of your first or early chapters, and are genuinely stuck, try what I do: hit the return key a couple of times and then type [WRITE MORE] then try one of the things above.

This system is by no means perfect.

I’ve come back a few times to a chapter and found [WRITE MORE] and have almost wept because the problem I ran away from is still there needing to be fixed. This happened more than once with My Other Husband – I can’t spoilerise it for you by explaining which bits, but more than once I shook my fist at past me who fled the scene.

When I was writing That Day You Left (previously The Flavours of Love), I wrote the whole ending before I started on the rest of the book . . . only to find the ending didn’t fit with the characters and the journey they’d been on. Much rewriting and self-recrimination went on there, too.

But even when my ‘don’t start at the beginning’ system doesn’t work, I regret nothing.

And I would – and did – do it all again in exactly the same way. Why?

Because my system got the books started and got the books written, which is what this is all about.

I know for some of you, the idea of not doing things in a linear fashion might go against every fibre of your being, but give it a try if you’re stuck and don’t know how to push forward. It really can change everything.

Until next week, lovelies.

Dorothy x

(Please excuse typos – I’m only human.)

PS Don’t forget: you can pre-order a signed copy of My Other Husband here and unsigned copies here and here to make sure it arrives in your life as soon as possible after it’s released.

PPS Did you miss last week’s Setting Writing Goals Worksheet? You can download it here: Setting Writing Goals Worksheet. The purpose of the worksheet is for you to set out your intentions for yourself. Don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself up with – no negative self-talk allowed or necessary. Use it as a jumping off point, the place where you say to yourself, right, this is what I want to do and this is how I’m going to do it. Make that commitment to yourself and get going. You can do it.

Posted on 24/02/2023 in Dorothy Says

Sew What Do I Do? (Pt 1)

6-minute read

Hello you.

I’m going through an existential crisis and could do with your help to decide what to do.

I need you to bear with me for a bit, though, while I explain.

I need some new cushion covers. The cushions I have are more than a decade old. . . actually, I think most of them hail from before my husband and I got together and we had separate houses, so possibly even 17 years old.

They’re clean, but worn. And as part of our current house-sprucing up activities, I’ve accepted that I need new cushion covers.

Now, this shouldn’t cause any type of existential crises, right? Wrong.

The thing is, I used to have a bit of a cushion habit. I was always in search of the perfect cushion, on a mission to find the optimum cushion pad to material ratio and nothing could stop me from acquiring more and more cushions in this quest.

Trust me when I say I have A LOT of cushions. And they need updating. But cushion covers are expensive. EXPENSIVE! And aside from the price of them, none of them are in designs that I like.

And now, let me tell you that in my house there is a sewing machine. Problem solved, yes? I can run up cushion covers quicker than my lovely editor can say, ‘shouldn’t you be writing your next book?’

No. That is the short answer.

Because I can’t use a sewing machine. I can’t even thread a sewing machine. Believe me, I’ve tried. A few years ago I tried to learn via YouTube videos and I thought I’d been really successful – until it unthreaded itself mid-seam sew, and I realised that:

1. a) I hadn’t actually managed to thread it properly

and

1. b) This activity was too frustrating for me to even think about doing it EVER again.

But, you know, cushion covers. Cushion covers that, if I made them myself, would be a third of the price of the ones I could buy even if I factor in material, thread and electricity.

Hello existential crisis as I try to work out what to do.

Do I sign up for proper lessons, which would involve being in a small room with other people, something that fills me with dread since my already-there aversion to small spaces and lots of people has only got worse over the last few years?

Or do I go back to YouTube and stick with it until I get it? Bearing in mind I will spend much time very, very frustrated.

I honestly don’t know what to do.

Of course, the decision would be easier if I could come up with a character who was a sewing whiz because traditionally, whenever a character has an important hobby or occupation, I take up said activity so I can write authentically about it.

With That Girl From Nowhere, I took lessons in jewellery making so I could write with authenticity about Clemency’s job; I learnt to knit for group bonding scenes in The Friend, I took up a lot of baking for That Day You Left(previously The Flavours of Love); and for Tell Me Your Secret I took up pottery for Pieta’s self-soothing self-therapy.

And for My Other Husband, I started teaching myself about screenwriting then, I decided to get some proper lessons in it. In the book, Cleo Forsum has created The Baking Detective series of books and then she adapts them for the screen. I wanted to write authentically about how screenwriting differs from novel writing so I started teaching myself how to do it.

Then I decided to get some proper training in screen adaptation and everything was so much easier to grasp when explained directly to me by an expert*. And a whole lot speedier, which meant I didn’t spend hours and hours I could spend writing trying to learn how to write for television.

Which makes me think if I got proper sewing lessons I may just get to the lovely new homemade cushion covers part of my life that bit quicker.

Unfortunately, my next two main characters already have their quirks decided and it ain’t sewing so I can’t make myself  take lessons in the name of research.

Anyways, I’m still dilemma-rised. What do I do?

I’ll let you know next time what most of you think I should do and what I’m actually going to do. ; )

Thanks in advance, divine people.

Talk to you soon.

Dorothy x

(Please excuse typos, I’m only human!)

PS Don’t forget: you can pre-order a signed copy of My Other Husband here and unsigned copies here and here to make sure it arrives in your life as soon as possible after it’s released.

Posted on 23/02/2023 in Dorothy Says

Word Count Wednesday – Goal Setting

Hello you.

I was really excited yesterday when I did the final readthrough of this letter to send out. I mean, kicking off Mentoring with Dorothy Koomson/The Happy Author is something I’ve been working really hard on and I love the idea of helping other people with their writing.

But then, as it seems to do a lot at the moment, the news crept in and I was once again faced with the utter disregard there is for life all over the world. And I became sad. Mostly because I want more than anything for the people with the power and positions to make real changes to actually do something, to act as though they give a damn about anyone other than themselves and their desperate need to cling onto power. And mostly because I know they won’t do anything to change the status quo.

Because of the sadness, I thought about not sending this letter, I thought about waiting until tomorrow or maybe next week, then I decided, no. I need to do this. I need to help as many people as I can tell their stories, write their books, get on with doing the stuff that can help to change the world.

So let’s get on with it. Let’s do it.

It’s our first Word Count Wednesday and I want to talk to you about goal-setting and goal-keeping.

Can I just say before we start: This is all about you. And what you want from your writing journey. I can’t do the actual writing for you. I can’t get you to sit down and write. All I can do is give you pointers and advice to get you started and keep you going.

People regularly ask me how I stay motivated when it comes to writing. And the short answer is: ‘because this is my job and I need to do it. I have a goal – usually in the shape of a deadline when the book needs to be delivered – and I have to get on with it.’

I have a goal. A specific goal.

Because when I talk about goal setting here, I’m not talking big ethereal goals such as ‘get a publishing deal’, ‘have my books optioned for TV’, ‘see my book in a book shop’ goals – those are good goals, don’t get me wrong. I’m talking specific, solid goals that nail you down to do the actual hard yards.

For me, noting down a goal in a detailed way allows me to see what I’m working towards in the short- and medium-term, which frees up a lot of head space for long-term plans and projects.

Especially for you, I’ve created a Setting Writing Goals Worksheet to help kickstart you actually sitting down and doing the writing.

The purpose of the worksheet is for you to set out your intentions for yourself. Don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself up with – no negative self-talk allowed or necessary. Use it as a jumping off point, the place where you say to yourself, right, this is what I want to do and this is how I’m going to do it. Make that commitment to yourself and get going. You can do it.

You can download the Setting Writing Goals Worksheet here.

(In the PPPS below, I’ve given you some pointers on how to fill in the Setting Writing Goals Worksheet once you’ve downloaded it.)

Don’t forget, it’s Word Count Wednesday so send me your word count – not the writing, just your word count for the week. If you haven’t got a word count, a few lines on what writing you have been doing, will be fine. And I’ll do my best to give you a shout-out in the coming weeks. : )

All good wishes for the week ahead.

Dorothy x

(Please excuse typos – I’m only human)

PS Don’t forget: you can pre-order a signed copy of My Other Husband here and unsigned copies here and here to make sure it arrives in your life as soon as possible after it’s released.

 How to complete the

SETTING WRITING GOALS WORKSHEET

My Writing Goal:

Keep your goal short – no more than two sentences. For eg. ‘I want to finish this short story I started. It will be no more than 7,500 words and form part of my short story collection.’ Or, ‘I want to finish this chapter on emotions in business – it will be the backbone of my non-fiction book and be no longer than 7,500 words.’

Why have I chosen this goal?

Be honest about why you’re setting this goal – no one will see it. For eg. ‘This will be the lynchpin to my collection of short stories. I need to get it done so I can get on with other stories’. Or ‘This chapter will let me know if this non-fiction book will work or not.’

What 3 things do I need to achieve this goal?

Again, be honest with yourself about what you need.

For eg.

1. Time away from other things I do.
2. Self-belief that I can finish it and that it is any good.
3. Nail down the plot/ending.

What challenges might I encounter?

Be honest, but don’t talk yourself into a fear spiral. For eg.

1. Not finding time to write
2. Not loving the story
3. Not enjoying the writing process
4. Self-doubt about my writing abilities

How will I overcome those challenges?

Be realistic but positive here. For eg.

1. Write in my diary specific time work on that story and protect that time like a work meeting I can’t move – Monday 9pm and Wednesday 9pm.
2. Finish the story and then decide how I feel about it.
3. Focus on the end goal of writing the story and see how I feel about it.
4. Read the positive words section to remind myself I can do this.

My writing goal completion date:

Be very realistic but challenge yourself. For eg. ‘3 weeks from now, writing at least 1000 words each Monday 9pm and Wednesday at 9pm every week. More if I get more time.’

Milestones:

Break your goal up into smaller chunks. It’ll be easier to stick to it if you hit more than one milestone before you get to the big goal. For eg.

Milestone 1: 2000 words

Milestone 2: 4,000 words

Milestone 3: 6,000 words

Milestone 4: 7,500 words

Positive words I need to remind myself to keep going.

Be your own cheerleader here. You need one and you’re the best one out there. Banish all negative thoughts in this section, just focus on cheering yourself on. For eg.

• I can do this.
• I’ve done more difficult things.
• I don’t need to worry about anything other than finishing the story.
• I CAN DO THIS.
• This is a story that needs to be told by me.

Now you have the sheet and you have the ways to fill it in, what are you waiting for? Go get ’em, tiger (as they say in original Spiderman).

Enjoy yourself while you do it and if you need any clarification, you can ask in our next Live mentoring session.

** DISCLAIMER ALERT: I must point out that NONE of the mentoring things I share with you can guarantee you a publishing deal, a sign-up with an agent, or even a saleable draft of your book. And no one-to-one mentoring is or will be offered. What it CAN do is help you to focus on writing your book and encourage you to keep going until you get to the next level of your writing.**

Posted on 23/02/2023 in Dorothy Says

Saturdays In Sydney

5-minute read 

Hello you

How are you?

Back in 2005 to 2007, I lived in a central suburb in Sydney, Australia. Not sure if you know that?

If you took a walk or drive around Sydney on Saturday mornings, you’d find all manner of furniture and items left outside on the pavements of various properties. I saw so much stuff – dining chairs, dining sets and a bed frame. All in good-ish condition, all waiting for people to come along to rehome and relove them.

I loved this part of living there – just adored the idea that something you didn’t need any more was going to someone who did.

Right now, my husband and I are embarking on a DIY journey which involves a lot of chucking out before we get to the painting and repair work.

Our under-the-stairs cupboard has been a junk-shop like nightmare for a while and this weekend we decided to tackle it. Amongst all the bric-brac and memories, were two vacuum cleaners that worked fine but had been replaced by our new whizzy one.

Rather than take them to the electrical recycling point, I suggested we leave them outside our house with a note saying ‘Please Take, They Still Work Perfectly’, copying what I saw in Sydney.

They both went within a few hours which I was thrilled about because I love the idea that someone else is benefitting from our unwanted goods. We’re going to experiment with doing this again after our next big clear out.

Why am I telling you about this now? Because doing that reminded me of Saturdays in Sydney and I decided that it’s something I’m going to weave into one of my next stories. I may even make up a story based on it.

If you’re a writer, using something quirky or even mundane from your own life is one way to inject authenticity and depth into your characters. If you’re a reader, know that little bits of my life are sprinkled all over my books.

For example, my obsession with the 10^th Doctor Who had Marshmallows For Breakfast’s Summer, Jaxon and Kendra living on Tenant Road; in That Day You Left (previously The Flavours of Love) my ‘discovering a wasp is in the shower with me’ moment played out with a poignant scene for Saffron, and my unending, 90s-sparked love for Saved By The Bell, plays an important role for the main characters in My Other Husband.

Fiction writers, you don’t have to go overboard with this – you’re not writing your life story after all – sprinkling in little traits and experiences is just a way to give the character a little extra ummpf.

Hope all is good with you.

Speak soon.

Dorothy x

PS Don’t forget: you can pre-order a signed copy of My Other Husband here and unsigned copies here and here to make sure it arrives in your life as soon as possible after it’s released.

Posted on 04/07/2022 in Dorothy Says

My Other Husband – Exclusive Extract

Click the link below to be taken to an exclusive extract of My Other Husband. Enjoy!

MyOtherHusband-Exclusive Extract

You can buy My Other Husband wherever you get your books, including:

Afroribooks

Where you can get personalised signed copies

Amazon

For eBooks and Audiobooks

Bookshop

Waterstones

Let me know you’ve bought the book and I’ll send you my happy dance video.

Posted on 25/05/2022 in Dorothy Says

Setting Writing Goals Worksheet

For those who’ve signed up for my Dorothy Koomson/The Happy Author mentoring newsletter, I’ve created this SETTING WRITING GOALS WORKSHEET that you can fill in if you feel it would be helpful for you on your writing journey. You don’t even have to physically fill it in – just think about the questions and see if they can help you when it comes to actually sitting down and doing the writing.

DorothyKoomson-SettingWritingGoalsWorksheet

if you want to help with your writing journey, sign up to recieve my newsletter here:  Dorothy Koomson/The Happy Author Mentoring Newsletter

Posted on 23/05/2022 in Dorothy Says

Do you need a writing mentor?

Hello!

It’s May 2022 and I’m launching the Happy Author with Dorothy Koomson Mentoring Group/Writing Circle, my newest way to help authors – especially new writers – on their writing journey. It’s basically remote group mentoring that’s, like, totally free.

With this remote group mentoring, we’ll have Word Count Wednesdays (WCW) where I give you a weekly writing prompt, a piece of writing advice or a worksheet to help you on your writing journey.

On //WCW//, you can also update me on your word count for the week – just the word count, not the actual writing – or scrawl me a few lines about what you’ve done writing-wise that week.

Additionally, I’ll be hosting ‘live’ mentoring sessions on Instagram or YouTube, so we can work on your biggest writing concerns/struggles/joys.

There’s also a Facebook page where you can get support and chat from other writers doing this remote thing, but it’s in its early stages so quite quiet at the moment. Just search for The Happy Author with Dorothy Koomson and send a join request.

In the meantime, sign up here: Dorothy Koomson’s Newsletter

How does that sound? Fantastic, I hope.

Look forward to chatting to you soon.

Dorothy x