The Plan...Starting Now!

The Plan...Starting Now!

1) Sort out my life (AKA My bedroom)
2) Don't let other people get me down
3) Finish Uni
4) Write like there's no tomorrow

Book Review - 'No Such Thing as Immortality' by Sarah Tranter.

No Such Thing as Immortality

(No Such Thing #1)

by Sarah Tranter

Publisher: Choc Lit

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

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I will protect you until the day I die … forever!

A vampire does not have to feel any emotion not of his choosing. And Nathaniel Gray has spent two hundred years choosing not to feel. But when he accidentally runs Rowan Locke off the road, he is inexplicably flooded with everything she’s feeling, and that’s rage, and lots of it.

He is consumed with the need to protect Rowan at all costs, including from himself. To Nate what is happening is unthinkable, and is pretty much as unbelievable as the existence of faeries.

But you see, there is no such thing as … immortality.

This is Nate’s story …

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~

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Book Review ~ 'No Such Thing as Immortality' by Sarah Tranter ~ 5 Stars.

Any new Vampire series released is going to get the inevitable ‘Twilight comparison’, and without thinking about it, whether you are a fan or not of Twilight, these comparisons will knock around in your head as you read.

For me ‘No Such Thing as Immortality’ is 100 times better than Twilight. Not only do the characters show huge emotional depth for acceptable and understandable reasons, rather than just being unreasonably broody, Sarah Tranter’s writing style is fantastic and electric, and I loathed the moments I had to put it down to go to my lectures.

Nate is a lovable and emotionally troubled Vampire, who you just want to drag out of the pages and give a big hug to, although he’s got plenty to keep him occupied from his thoughts what with his (rather awesome) friend James forcing him out onto supposedly deserted roads to race cars.

“Yeeeeesssss!! I just thrashed your anally retentive arse!”

I can not imagine a better first line than that. James is now my new best friend.

And what happens when immortal men think it’s a good idea to race cars? Yep. A crash happens.

Enter, Rowan Locke.

“You complete and utter moron.”

This is no weak and feeble Bella Swan, and straight away I’m hoping this will be Nate’s love interest. This is how I want to see a main female character; feisty, able to hold her own, and not content to let a man run her over (quite literally). This is what all girls should do if a man driving recklessly crashes into their car, get out, get angry and scream at them for being so high on testosterone they can’t use their eyes. Of course, in the interests of your personal safety (and that of your foot as illustrated by Rowan) you should probably wait for the police, but I for one was all for it. You go Rowan, make Nate grovel a little.

The fear Nate experienced feeling all of Rowan’s emotions as his own was beautifully written. You could feel his terror leaping off the page. Imagine having to live for over two hundred years without needing to feel any pain and then have an emotional woman’s every feeling hit you and become like your own. Now, as an emotional woman myself, I can announce that that would be painful.

I loved the development of Nate and Rowan’s relationship. How she could be stubborn and teasing, yet as shy and nervous as you’d expect someone to be when they find someone they like. But I love how she didn’t fall into his arms with a swoon (at his sexy and beautiful Darcy like speech), and she made Nate work for it a bit. That’s my kind of heroine.
And if you haven’t fallen in love with Nate already (which I can’t imagine personally) you will after this line;

“I have never tried Cat...I quickly dismissed the thought – too small, not remotely satisfying enough.”

Nathaniel Gray, I am officially in love with you.

I’m also loving Rowan’s Cat Tinks.

“Barking sometimes, I’d say.” Rowan added fondly. Tinks meowed loudly and leapt from her lap and stalked off.”

That’s right Tinks, you defend your feline rights to have no dog spoken of in your presence.

“Dear God! How the bloody hell could a two-hundred-and-thirty-year-old vampire, go to a human child’s birthday party, dressed as a bloody dinosaur.”

Think of the most romantic couple you can think of, fictional or otherwise. I can’t imagine even Damon Salvatore would dress as a dinosaur to make Elena Gilbert happy, and I’ve never seen someone more in love than him (If that made no sense, I urge you to go away and watch The Vampire Diaries and swoon at Damon’s bad-boy awesomeness.)

Yes, Nathanial Gray dressed up as Barny the dinosaur for Rowan. Now that is love right there. This chapter spoke to me so much. Nate had warned Rowan off making their relationship more intimate for the time being, fearing he would not be able to control his bloodlust, but I loved the simple chaste kiss he gave her. It was heartwarming and had me tearing up. It was simple, but beautiful and meaningful.

But Nate’s own humiliation at having to dress up as a dinosaur just couldn’t be complete without friends like James and Frederick to help you never live it down.

“Barney the WHAT? – Mama Mia! – Hamleys? – A HORNY KISS! – You dirty bugger! After everything you said to me...”

If I was Nate I’d take great pleasure in shouting “I know a song that will get on your nerves” on constant repeat in my head just to drive them mental, although I have to say Elizabeth’s own Vampire distracting techniques makes me whoop in delight for Team Girl Power!

“But I do have a great idea for protecting my thoughts from him and enhancing my marriage! I’ve bought a new book from Amazon. I’m going to read it and then simply think of it when he’s around.”

Can you guess?

“The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra. It’s a bit tame, obviously designed with human limitations in mind, but it will get his imagination going on how a Vampire might improve on the positions.”

High five Elizabeth. And this round goes to the girls.

And I’m going to take a moment here to rave about how much I love the relationship between Nate and Elizabeth. You find out later in the book the reason for why they were both turned, and the respect I felt for Nate after finding out the reason behind his transition was overpowering. It’s very often in fiction that the sibling relationship is overshadowed by the romantic elements of the story, so I love that Sarah Tranter wrote such a beautiful, heartfelt relationship between Nate and Elizabeth that lets you know that they’ll always be there for each other in their times of need.

“We hugged, surrounded by giant cuddly toys and helicopters buzzing around our heads.”

This had me tearing up. Such a beautiful image, and if I can ever drag my own brother into a toy shop I’ll make sure to hug him by the cuddly toy stands in homage to this beautiful moment.

Seeing sadness in these characters is something that I love. Not because I like to see the characters in pain (I’m not that mean), but because of how they express it.

I am always furious when I read books and the heroine never cries during a hard time. We are women, that’s what we do best. We get emotional and we have a good sob to make us feel better.  So I was thrilled to see Rowan crying when she was cruelly denied the right to change projects at work to avoid Simeon Frey.

“I could hear the rustle of the tissue as she wiped her nose. ‘I’ve been working here for eight years and have never cried in toilets before!’”

And speaking of Simeon Frey *shudders*...keep an eye on him. He’s far too slimy for his own good.

And when the moment we all dread arrives, I am strangely relieved that Rowan is scared of Nate.

“Do not be scared? Do not be scared? You’re a fucking vampire!”

Finally! As much as I love Twilight’s Bella, I’ve always thought she was incredibly stupid for just shrugging away the fact that Edward was a vampire as though he’d just told her he was a rock star. Even if the guy has been nice to you, take a moment to show a little bit of fear! Nate is amazing and I love him to bits, but Rowan is right to be afraid of him. She doesn’t know anything about him, doesn’t understand the way he lives or whether he has control over his bloodlust. For all she knows he could be out every night scoring with drunk girls and drinking the night away on B positive.  So thank you Rowan for being sensible about this, and for that reason I will not be too angry at you for hurting Nate.

The confrontation scene between Simeon Frey, Nate and his friends, and the Fay was electric. I was on the edge of my seat as Frey and Nate battled it out.

“Rowan,” I choked. “Rowan, my love, you cannot leave me in this world without you. You cannot.”

This just killed me. One of my favourite classics is Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and the comparisons with this just blew me away. Heathcliff’s famous line, “Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you” came to me the minute I read this heartbreaking scene with Nate. Nate and Rowan are such a beautiful couple, and just like Cathy and Heathcliff, they could never be happy with anyone else.

The final scenes of this fantastic book are the ones where you shake your head in despair at how hopeless Nate is when it comes to understanding women. Even when Rowan is desperately crying “I love you!” after him he still thinks she’s terrified of him.

“NO. NO. NO.  She hadn’t just said that. She could not have. She was terrified of me.”

Just go and kiss her you hopeless, adorable man.

“You are not terrified of me?”

Finally he gets the hint.

Nothing makes a better ending than with Nate giving us some beautiful Darcy-like speech that has me giggling and swooning in equal measure.

“We need to talk, my love. Then if you still feel able to consider...a more physical relationship...then I would be honoured...so truly, irrevocably...unquestionably...honoured...to oblige.”

Oh Nate....Oh wait you weren’t talking to me...*sigh*

“Then talk – fast, Nate!”

Another high five to Team Girl Power.

5/5 stars. A definite recommended read!

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Sarah Tranter

~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~

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NaNoWriMo. Round Three. Write!

Add your thoughts here... (optional)

NaNoWriMo...I reached 50,000!

Just had to share my excitement at having reached 50,000 words of NaNoWriMo! All thanks to a scene that I've been dying to write since I started that ended up being 2000 words longer than any of my other scenes...so some editing may have to done in due course ;)

NaNoWriMo Progress.

I've been writing like a maniac for the last few days, only realising after I'd reached 40,000 words of this years NaNoWriMo that I still have another 19 days remaining. So now I'm taking a moment to slow down.

I've finally reached the chapters set during World War I and World War II which gives me the perfect excuse to slow down my writing, as I set about researching these war's in as much detail as I can.

Inspirational Picture of the Day...Day 9

This photo was taken during the 2011 Vancouver riots. The story goes that this couple were knocked down by Police when attempting to get to safety, the girl hit her head and started to panic and here shows her boyfriends attempts to comfort her. Such a beautiful photo!

Writing Prompt of the Day...Day 2 - Tears

Recently, whenever I have read a book in which a woman is badly treated by someone, or they feel upset about something, I've always felt furious that they never cry, and instead carry on as normal.

Maybe it's just me, as I know that I'm quite an emotional person, but I hate that characters don't seem to cry enough!

Crying is important. Everybody needs a good cry once in a while, it's therapeutic and makes you feel so much better. So why is it that so few heroines seem to cry?

I'm not suggesting that a character should cry every time something goes wrong, but why shouldn't they cry when something really affects them, and they feel at a loss of what to do.

So give your girls some therapeutic crying and venting time. They deserve it just as much as we do!

So here is my writing prompt of the day: Tears.

Whether they are happy or sad tears is up to you, but tears are important and everyone has the right to cry.

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Writing Prompt of the Day...Day 1 - Separation

Feeling a little uninspired? The first thing I do when I can't get the words to flow when I'm writing is to find a new prompt.

Grab a dictionary (every writer should have one) and turn to any page. The first word you set eyes on is your prompt. (see my post: The Dictionary Game at http://oldvictorianquill.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/dictionary-game/)

Today my prompt was 'Separation'.

Just this one word has got my muse running riot, I sat in my lecture thinking of all possible short stories or short drabbles I could write purely from the inspiration I had from that one word.

Does the prompt 'separation' get your creative juices flowing?

Inspirational Picture of the Day.

This photo really inspires me to write a short story about drinking hot chocolate when it's a chilly day outside and you're curled up under a blanket next to the fire.

NaNoWriMo. Will you be writing?

November is fast approaching and for the second time I’m planning away my NaNoWriMo project for 2012
I’ve always been sceptical at the idea of me rushing to finish a 50,000 word novel in the space of 30 days, especially as I can’t spend whole days at my computer, having to go to uni and plan my dissertation and assignments. The general idea is a good one, as it allows you to take one month out to focus solely on a novel when it may have taken you years to ever have taken the time out to even start it, but can you honestly write a good novel in 30 days?

Of course it entirely depends on the type of novel. Creating a fictional land in a sci-fi or fantasy setting means you can make up your own world and how the characters can behave, but is it as easy to write say a historical based novel in 30 days?

I myself have been writing a novel set in the Victorian era for nearly five years, with two years of this suffering severe writers block. After all, writing a historically accurate novel requires more research than writing, because in my view, if you’re going to write a historical novel, you have to write it properly. Would I have been able to research everything their was to know about the Victorian era and write a well-written 50,000 word novel in 30 days? Definitely not, and I wouldn’t even attempt to.

It’s different for all writers of course, as I know some writers work best on a deadline, not having time to doubt what they have written and constantly delete paragraphs at a time in annoyance of their writing skills. But I personally never feel happy with anything I have had to rush and always think; “what if I had just added in this bit?” Or “I wish I had had time for someone to proofread it for me.” I really admire all those writers out there who manage to write brilliant novels in NaNoWriMo, as I know I myself could never achieve it.

But as I did last year, here I am planning on entering NaNoWriMo again, as I know I will then have to make time to do some writing rather than having to fit it in around my uni work. But having said everything I have, I don’t plan on writing a novel, I know that I’d be severely disappointed with any story I had to write in such a short space of time, therefore I am approaching NaNoWriMo from a different angle this year.

I’ve recently discovered my love for writing short stories when I feel I need to escape from the world for a bit. I love creating a character and telling their story in only 1500 words, who they are, where they are in life, and whether or not they will get there happy ending. It’s comforting to know that there can be a happy ending to a story just because I chose that I would like those characters to have one. Therefore, this year I have decided to write a collection of short stories for NaNoWriMo, which if I write up to 50,000 words of in November, I’ll be able to order in book form and have for my own collection.

So what are your thoughts on writing 50,000 words in 30 days? Will you be joining thousands of other writers in NaNoWriMo this year? What do you plan on writing? Could you manage a novel, or would you stick to short stories? Share your thoughts in a comment.

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year and wish to add me as a ‘writing buddy’, my account is: oldvictorianquill

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NaNoWriMo 2012 - Will you be writing?

November is fast approaching and for the second time I'm planning away my NaNoWriMo project for 2012

I've always been sceptical at the idea of me rushing to finish a 50,000 word novel in the space of 30 days, especially as I can't spend whole days at my computer, having to go to uni and plan my dissertation and assignments. The general idea is a good one, as it allows you to take one month out to focus solely on a novel when it may have taken you years to ever have taken the time out to even start it, but can you honestly write a good novel in 30 days?

Of course it entirely depends on the type of novel. Creating a fictional land in a sci-fi or fantasy setting means you can make up your own world and how the characters can behave, but is it as easy to write say a historical based novel in 30 days?

I myself have been writing a novel set in the Victorian era for nearly five years, with two years of this suffering severe writers block. After all, writing a historically accurate novel requires more research than writing, because in my view, if you're going to write a historical novel, you have to write it properly. Would I have been able to research everything their was to know about the Victorian era and write a well-written 50,000 word novel in 30 days? Definitely not, and I wouldn't even attempt to.

It's different for all writers of course, as I know some writers work best on a deadline, not having time to doubt what they have written and constantly delete paragraphs at a time in annoyance of their writing skills. But I personally never feel happy with anything I have had to rush and always think; "what if I had just added in this bit?" Or "I wish I had had time for someone to proofread it for me." I really admire all those writers out there who manage to write brilliant novels in NaNoWriMo, as I know I myself could never achieve it.

But as I did last year, here I am planning on entering NaNoWriMo again, as I know I will then have to make time to do some writing rather than having to fit it in around my uni work. But having said everything I have, I don't plan on writing a novel, I know that I'd be severely disappointed with any story I had to write in such a short space of time, therefore I am approaching NaNoWriMo from a different angle this year,

I've recently discovered my love for writing short stories when I feel I need to escape from the world for a bit. I love creating a character and telling their story in only 1500 words, who they are, where they are in life, and whether or not they will get there happy ending. It's comforting to know that there can be a happy ending to a story just because I chose that I would like those characters to have one. Therefore, this year I have decided to write a collection of short stories for NaNoWriMo, which if I write up to 50,000 words of in November, I'll be able to order in book form and have for my own collection.

So what are your thoughts on writing 50,000 words in 30 days? Will you be joining thousands of other writers in NaNoWriMo this year? What do you plan on writing? Could you manage a novel, or would you stick to short stories? Share your thoughts in a comment.

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year and wish to add me as a 'writing buddy', my account is: oldvictorianquill :)

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A Day of Writing...

The house is empty and quiet, outside is autumnal and chilly, and here I am inside wrapped up in a blanket, drinking tea and writing. That's what I call a perfect day :)

Talk it through...

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the long delay in updating. Although I told myself I'd make time to update my writing blog whilst I'm at uni, I'm afraid that was easier said than done. It seems I forgot just how much work there is to do *sigh*.

After skyping my Mum last night, I finally realised how excited she is about the fact that I'd like to become a published author one day. Our conversation consisted of her squealing with excitement when I told her that I've finally broken through the writers block I've had with my novel for two years, and she immediately asked if I need any more books on the Victorian era to continue my background research. Unfortunately I had to decline the offer, as I have far too much reading for University waiting in a pile on my desk without me being tempted away by far more interesting reading ;).

My Mum has probably heard more about this novel than anyone, and after the amount of complaining I've been doing for the past two years when the characters, storyline and history refused to cooperate, I'm surprised she still wants to hear any more about it. But no, instead she listened attentively when I tried to explain my new storyline, and felt relieved as she told me that she honestly thought it was a much better way of approaching the story and seemed much more realistic.

So anyway, the point of this rant is to find someone to talk through your ideas with. I can never discuss my ideas with other authors, having always felt the need to protect my story fiercely against anyone who could very easily write the same idea much better than me, but it can always help to talk through the thoughts in your head, and if you can find someone you trust to do that, I find it a really useful tool.

See you all soon :)

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Fanfiction = Good fiction?

I was flicking through the October edition of 'Writing Magazine' when I noticed an interesting letter somebody had sent in.

As I myself am I big fan of both reading and writing fanfiction, it was great to discover that although there is some hate for fanfiction in the writing community, that some writers have also found it has its advantages.

"As a writer who creates fanfiction, I know how gratifying it is to receive the comments and criticism from other subscribers. The criticism is valid and well thought out, aiding my development as a writer."

I was excited to see this in writing. As a fanfiction writer, I can't tell you how exciting it is to see reviews from my readers even if they do contain criticism, after all I have no novels published or reviewed therefore I don't know whether my writing style is something that people enjoy to read. Thanks to some lovely reviews I've been given, I've been able to assertain who my main audience is and what they like the most about my writing, helping me in developing my skills as a writer.

"However, one shouldn't lose sight of the fact that it is a lazy way of writing. The characters are fully formed, with personality traits already familiar to readers."

True, fanfiction can be labelled as 'lazy writing', however isn't that what all writers need some times.
I find that I write my best work after I have taken time out to write a fanfiction. The characters in fanfiction are characters that you feel familiar to. Maybe you grew up seeing them on your screen or in a book series. They are a fully formed character and do not need you to develop their entire character for them, as they already exist. I find it is a great way, if you're struggling with your own stubborn character, to get back into the flow of writing, before you return to your own novel.

"Take heed: there is more talent on the internet, unpaid and providing pleasure for millions, than is coming thrugh publishing today."

This again is so true. Some of the best stories I've read and written have been fanfiction's, and should anyone truly be sneered at for writing fanfiction, when it's somebody working hard to develop their writing skills in any way they can?

For example, take E.L James the writer of the bestselling 'Fifty Shades' trilogy. Fifty Shades of Grey was originally uploaded on a fanfiction website before it was published, and whilst I readily admit it is not the best written work by any stretch of the imagination, it appears to be what people want to read, and if that idea was inspired by a book or film it doesn't matter, because the idea existed and has now worked it's way into the minds of many reader's.

So what do you think about fanfiction? Is it just 'lazy writing', or is it a more important tool in the writing community than people realise? Share your thoughts on the subject by leaving a comment.

And if you're interested in reading any of my fanfiction *smiles and waves* please check out my fanfiction account and leave a review if you read any: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1723787/OldVictorianQuill

Sorcha x

Dictionary Game.

Maybe this is something that all writers do...or  maybe not, but I thought I'd share something that I do when I'm really struggling to write, or feel I have no inspiration for my current work in progress.

Open a dictionary and pick the first word you look at.

This is your prompt.

Now write a short story of up to 1500 words on this prompt and see where it goes.

My word: department

Share below what your prompt is if you want to. I'd like to read them.

Better get writing :) x

Hello!

Welcome everyone to my new blog. Thank you for stopping by :)

I'm a 20 year student and writer currently working away on three novels and dealing with any thudding plot bunnies by indulging in a little writing of fanfiction. Here's my fanfiction account if you are interested:
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1723787/OldVictorianQuill

As I'm going back to University at the end of next week, I've decided to create this blog as a way to make sure I keep up to date with writing and reading, especially as I know that's going to have to be put on the backburner whilst I finish my final year which unfortunately comes along with a dissertation.

So that's all for now as I fiddle around and figure out how to use this blog...technology of any kind is not my strong point.

Sorcha x