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Tag Archives: regency

Launch of pattern books

Came across this today while doing unrelated research: From the London Times, 7 January 1809, page 3 ACKERMANN’S Repository of Arts, &c. which has just appeared, has adopted a novelty, we are surprised not to have been long since thought of, that of making a periodical publication the vehicle to distribute patterns of different articles [...]

Posted 23 November 2011 † nickyp § History ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Where do you get your ideas?

As part of my prep for National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org), which starts next week (eek!), I’m reading through issues of the London Times from 1808. My story this time will be that of a British journalist sent to Spain to cover the start of the campaign there against the French. Amongst the reports on [...]

Posted 25 October 2011 † nickyp § History § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , ,

It’s a story

Look! Second-draft is done! No pages remain on the bottom shelf, no scene notecards above them. All pages on the top — done, done, done! I used up all the 500 loose-leaf notebook pages in my pack, so had to switch to the yellow pad for the last two scenes. Structure is solid, promises are [...]

Posted 12 September 2010 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Making the turn

So yeah, it’s taking longer than I thought, but this story is even better than I thought, so there. I’ll be running silent, running deep until vacation in a couple weeks. I really want to be done with this pass and take a complete break, but as the parents say, “we’ll see.” On scene 50 [...]

Posted 14 July 2010 † nickyp § Learning § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Off-line, on deadline

So, I’ll be running silent, running deep for a bit (like, 4-5 weeks) as I plow through the big second-draft revise. This pass includes the massive plot revise, character sharpening and combining, story rearranging, scene setting, and fluff cutting. I’m finding this nearly as hard as the scene-for-scene cards I did in April, and for [...]

Posted 11 June 2010 † nickyp § Learning § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Second draft hurtles into view

So, after a sluggish start and some mild howling about the first draft of my Manchester story, I managed to build a weekend’s-full of space to get down to reorganizing and shaping this behemoth. This is the revised sentence-for-scene outline, all 15.5 pages of it. It took me 17 hours over two days and the [...]

Posted 07 April 2010 † nickyp § Learning § Reading § Thinking § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , ,

How the Net changed my reading

I have a small streak of the obsessive: Last summer I read every Sharpe book by Bernard Cornwell except the Chile one (21+?), in order, over two months in the summer. Or maybe it’s a need for immediate gratification: I sometimes like to wait until every book in a series I’ve found I like is [...]

Posted 28 June 2009 † nickyp § Reading ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , ,

Title-storming, part four

Truth be Told A Proper Scandal The Deceitful Truth A Lady’s Lies A Lady’s Truth Story of a Lady Tales of a Lady

Posted 30 May 2009 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , ,

Title-storming, part three

The Deceitful Truth The Truth of the Matter

Posted 04 May 2009 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , ,

Title-storming, part two

[see part one below] More choices: …Sheets, Scandal Sheets, Press, News … Press Relations Miss Delancey and the Publisher, The Persistent Publisher, The Lady and the Publisher Passion’s Secret, Passion’s Truth Melody of Desire, Desire’s Melody Scales of Scandal Truth, Justice, and the Lady Truth, Justice—or the Lady The Lady and the Scribbler, Scribbling and [...]

Posted 27 April 2009 † nickyp § Marketing § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , ,