Anna Aden Writes

Finally I've revised the first chapter of my novel and put it up for peer review.  I've also roughly completed the second one.  I think I just need to sit back and relax.  I've got about 12 chapters in total and lots of gaps but I'm happy so far. Here is my word cloud for the second chapter. -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

So I started to look at my grammer and then I quickly zoned out. However I thought I would keep on and try and find free online checkers. So I belong to Scribophile an online writer's workshop and for now they are promoting a site called. Grammerly.   Well I'm price sensitive when it comes to writing and need things to be free. Anyway tempted I went for a free trial but they want creditcard details so I decided no matter how useful I'm just going to slug it out. http://www.grammarly.com/ Then I found Paper Rater - this is free - which suits me! http://www.paperrater.com/free_paper_grader  and after that is 1Checker . So I guess I'll just plod along doing my edits -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day...

So I'm still struggling with editing my novel. I took some time out to have a break doing other things. One of them was moaning about editing on this blog and other was looking at ways to tell the story. Now I realise the problem with my story is I have nothing to say. It's as simple as that.  I don't really have anything to say give I've completed a novel. To write something you must have something to say - well I don't really. So there lies the problem. You can only revise and edit something if you have an aim in mind. All I want is just to complete the novel which I have. So maybe now I just have to figure what the novel is about. So I discovered Chuck Wendig a novelist and games designer  ( Terrible Minds blog ) who swears like a trooper in his blog however has given freely valid and great advice on how to edit a novel. His post called How To Karate Your Novel And Edit That Motherfucker Hard: A No-Foolin’ Fix-That-Shit Editing Plan To Finish The Goddamn Jo...

So iI've being banging on about not being able to edit so I decided to take it back to basics.  Not wanting to waste paper I've decided to do it on my blog. So I'm looking at something called a compound sentence with a semi colon. Okay I don't recall this in grammer class but so far so good. They rattle on about run on sentences - something I've being accused of but couldn't careless about. And the famous comma splice which also is meaningless.  Oh this is getting boring - it goes on about fragment where I recall all the blue line in Microsoft word telling me about fragments. I'm getting bored now.  Is it a wonder I don't remember my grammer classes as school. Or maybe I've blocked out the trauma. Okay I'm nearly losing the will to go with this book. I want to toss it aside - it keeps bleeting about what's wrong with grammer.  I like I really care! I just want solution, people! This is going to take more time than I have on schedule. I ...

So I'm still not editing because I get the story together however I've decided to take a break and then focus on sentences. So I've had a huge moan about what I writing but now I'm going to focus on writing exercises.  So I'm going to practise sentences.  Maybe by doing this sometime magical will happen. I also lost my phone in at college but someone found it and handed it in. Editing not happening I'm taking a break here. I'll just focus on the National Novel Writing Month. My Guilty Pleasures Well not I'll need to rate them in terms of shame and guilt and indifference. Waitrose Pea and Wiltshire Cured Ham Soup. Well not so much guilty but it's rather price at £1.99 but it's very tasty.  I'm rather price sensitive so I discovered it when a batch of it was reduced.  I tried to recreate it at home but then just decided it better to get from Waitrose. There is also Tesco's Finest Pea and Ham soup but that tastes a bit too...

Well I'm not so sure about I'm suppose to be writing about. Writing about writing is boring. Okay. So yesterday I went on a massive rant about writing a romantic novel and how most of the heros I've read are twats. Well dickhead to be precise.  I've got a potty writing manner which comes over due to my lack of vocabulary.  That is a challenge in writing believe me. Anyway about ranting and moaning about editing this novel and not wishing to part with cash for the most famous novel revision online course by respected author Holly Lisle - I decided there must be a way. So I remembered I downloaded Scrivener a while back. I was using it for job hunting then stopped using it for some reason. Anyway it's a trial version with 30 days - non conservative use! Now editing is really about making sense of my first draft.  And my story. My first read was okay - I like it. But the characters are shallow. Noah is an arrogant dickhead.  I peer reviewed my first chapter on Sc...

I'm writing a romance novel. I've completed the first draft and now I'm doing the edit though I spend all my time surfing the internet and googling terms that will make it easy for me. I am procastinating and I'm not sure why.  I'm still thinking and mulling over doing Holly Lisle's course - How To Revise Your Novel but firstly I can't afford it and even if I could I think I'd see procastate over it. I am also mulling over doing another course - a bit cheaper with a tutor and lastly joining a critique website. These are just thoughts and I don't expect to act on them otherwise that will cease to be procastination. So I'm looking for an easy way to edit but nothing seems to come to mind. I think deep down I want a perfect draft and I feel my skills may not be up to stratch. Or I'm looking for a formular instead if trusting my own gut instinct. Characters and romance Romance. Well to be honest I thought it would be a great writing exerc...

I've decided to  try and salvage a novel I'm writing. It's in the editing process and I'm thinking of taking a course.   I was thinking of taking Holly Lisle's course but that's expensive and it's mostly selfstudy as in there appears to be no tutor guidence. Then again I'm getting a stressed about this process and stress is a trigger for comfort eating.  This means I got and eat lots of cakes and pasties and stuff myself silly. Then I get a feeling of self loathing and feel bad. So I've decided the fun seems to have gone from writing. I've always written for fun but now it seems there is some self-pressure I guess from getting so many 'how to' books on fiction. I don't seem to enjoy writing any more and sometimes that even stretches to reading. So I'm taking a deep breath and going to write for FUN. This means taking pleasure and not getting all 'this is not good enough' about my writing.  I already have career thank...

womagwriter's blog: Authors for the Philippines : Bidding is now OPEN for all sorts of writer-related goodies, in an online auction in aid of the Philippines. All money bid will go to the Re... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

The Character Therapist: T3 - Motivation Reaction Units : Two weeks ago, I posted on the Rational Brain v. the Emotional Brain . In that post, I mentioned that a person can do things that seem to ou... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

womagwriter's blog: Guest Post - Sam Tonge - From Novels to Shorts and... : Womagwriter Samantha Tonge 's first novel is to be published tomorrow - Doubting Abbey . Here she talks about her writing journey from n... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

womagwriter's blog: Guest Post - Helen Hunt gets competitive : As I mentioned a little while back, Helen Hunt is soon to take over the competitions column in Writers' Forum. Here she blogs about how... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

I'm not a fan of asking about feedback to improve my interview performance however it seems to be the thing but this article is worth a read on it. http://opportunitiesproject.com/2011/04/26/three-reasons-not-to-ask-for-feedback-when-you-dont-get-the-job/ -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

Neil Webb - illustrator: Agony Aunt column - the last straw -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

Draw Adrian, Draw!: Close Your Eyes... : Close Your Eyes. A collection of A3 giclee prints are now for sale at the Eastwing Shop . More illustrations at   www.adrianvalencia.com Adrian Valencia is my favourite illustrator so check out his site! -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

Byron's Club: Byronic Hero Influence : Lord Byron’s creation of the Byronic hero has been greatly used during the course of his life to ours. T... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

Kathy Writes Books: Time For Review - Rocking My Revision : According to Cathy Yardley's Rock Your Revisions , the first thing to do, after at least a two-week cooling off period, is to perform ... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

womagwriter's blog: Short Stories and How to Write Them : I'm delighted to announce publication of my second How To book - Short Stories and How to Write Them . Now available from Amazon as a... -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

Former model and reality show star Deanna Jones was used to attention but now has fallen on hard times.   She works as a dancer/stripper but one look from bad boy NBA player Zak Lucas sets her on fire. Zak is the original bad boy player used to beautiful women falling at his feet but there is something about Deanna that gets under his skin and haunts his mind. Zak reckons there is only one cure for that and that is bed her! -----------------------------------------------------------  Check out Bigga Day's books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11 Barnes and Nobles http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Bigga%20Day&fcsearchfield=Author

womagwriter's blog: Freebies for Halloween : Lots of goodie ghost stories will be available for free this Halloween, so get your clicking fingers at the ready to snap them up! Let&#39...

The Story Template: Amy Deardon: Motivation Reaction Units (MRUs) : Dwight Swain first described these. MRUs are the smallest units by which a story is told, and when these are consistently used correctl... Check out my books on Smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/biggaOn Apple iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11Barnes and Nobleshttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day

I've just finshed a rough romance story where the hero is a basketball player and the heroine is someone he met a long time ago.  I'm trying to clean it up. As in editing it but I'm not sure how to go about it. It's complete but needs to be polished like a penny before I release it.  I also need to learn how to do book covers. I'm not sure if I should just focus on writing and bother about covers later on.  I'd rather design my own than get a professional since I'm self publishing. It's just getting the time for the ideas. I'm pressed for time because I've got a lot on at the moment. Check out my books on Smashwords.com  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga On Apple iBooks  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bigga-day/id595585425?mt=11  Barnes and Nobles  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bigga-day

I've given an interview on Smashwords so you can read it whenever you fancy. https://www.smashwords.com/ interview/bigga

so I'm writing a new novel or novella. i'm not sure on the length yet.  Something short and simple with some hot scenes in it. Right now I'm writing the getting to know you scenes.

womagwriter's blog: Guest Post - Cally Taylor on How to Self-Publish : Everyone's at it these days, and the latest short story collection by a writer-friend is Cally Taylor's Secrets and Rain, which is s...

I've followed Womag writer's blog - basically a writer who writes for women's magazine - for years. It's an area I've aspired to write in for years but I just don't have the knack nor patience nor perseverance to write those kinds of stories. Basically check her out - she writes regular updates on the writing UK scene and is worth reading. Even if you don't want to write for the UK market - she's just good on fiction tips and sources. She also has guest posts and is very informative on trends and all that kind of marlarkey. http:// womagwriter.blogspot.co.uk/

 Kanye West keeps us entertained.

So I want instant hits but it does take some time to build up an audience. I guess it's just to keep on going and going and going. That's all I have to say today.

I'm not really sure the purpose of this blog . I just want to write but apparently I need one. What the heck am I suppose to fill it with. Boring is the name of the game. I'm thinking very hard. Probably too much. Maybe I'll just fill it with pictures. That might be cool. Yes write about pictures and things that are happening. OK Read my work on Smashword.com and I write as Bigga Day. http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bigga  

 I've got mixed feelings about this book. At first I thought it was just about whinging, moan and complaining. The main character Frances Shore is a bit of a pain in the neck but then I realised it was just how real person could be. It's funny in a peculiar way and written with some very dry humour.  Hilary Mantel is a good writer and I loved the prose but the book seemed about exposing hypocrite in everyone including the main character. It's basically about a woman who moves with her husband to the Middle East and has a hard time adjusting to the culture and restrictions. She becomes slightly obsessed with an 'empty' flat above her and suspects it's not empty but being used for something. As the story goes on it gets more interesting and though not a 'page turner' Hilary Mantel keeps you hooked and turning pages.  It ends quite messily and not as neatly packaged as the normal trashy novel where all loose ends are tied nicely in a bow but Hil...

So I started with Bigga Day as a pen name then I changed back to DA Brown but I'm going back again to my orginal pen name. Why - well D.A. Brown is boring. It looks boring on the cover and sounds boring and I used to get more downloads. This means I'm changing my site yet again. Oh well...

My aunt passed away today - this morning. My cousin rang to tell me and then in turn I rang to tell my sister. I came home on time despite a lot of things to do at work. Yes I work and writing is a hobby. My thoughts are with my cousins as she lived with them until quite recently. :( Sad. Very sad. I'm sadden. Now I must ring another cousin to pass on my condolances - these things are hard. Difficult to deal with because there is nothing one can really say. So now I while the time away surfing on my computer. I'll have to ring my cousin soon. I must ring now.

Choosing a pen name is really hard. I was under Bigga Day which forms part of my real name but the family thought it was a joke. So I changed it sometime else. D.A Brown.  It doesn't really affect anything becuase I haven't much downloads any way. My lastest book is doing quite slow well 30 at the current time but we'll see.

Now available on Smash hits. It's about an older woman who becomes trendy.

Great stories and some really touching. Most were very real so it more a study of human nature and how people grew older. He probably wrote these towards the latter part of his life because the average age of the characters mostly male were about 60 odd years old.

I'm not a creative writing teacher nor do I spend analysis prose for the benefit of others. I do the rare critque on a website called Scribophille but apart from that I don't really know what to say. So I'm not sure for this blog's prupose. I'm not profilific as I'd like to be mainly because I have to earn a living and have other things I need to do.  I have no real interest in reading and reviewing books for others. I guess I may be plain boring. Or just very busy. Okay I'm just going to write about stuff I'm reading till I publish.

This is a great book and one of the best reads I've read all year. It's a collection of stories by a writer called Tim Gautreaux and contains some beautiful stories. Somewhere sad and others funny but all maintained an honesty and openess. The courtship of Merlin LeBlanc and Welding with children are two about grandfathers having a second chance in bringing up children after messing up first time. License to Steal is about a no good useless man who's long suffering wife runs out on him and he's left to fend for himself.  And there are a few others that are good as well. Take your time to read and enjoy it however beware it's not about excapism or fixing things because Tim Gautreaux maintains a realistic truthness throughout. Great story!

So I've nearly completed my writing course.  Yes, hard to believe I'm taking one but I am. It's an email course where I've to submit a number of assignments. Anyway my last assignment came back with issue of Story Logic. I'm non the wiser because though these 'creative writing' terms or jardons are flung about it just seems there is no real definition. So I think that means the story needs to make sense. However I'm long past the stage of stories making sense when real life doesn't. That may be an arguement I guess. We want our fiction in neat packages not ramdon events like life. We want to know what to expect and how things will happen to a degree. Steve N Lee of  'What If'  blog http://www.steve-n-lee.com/ defines in his story logic blog post as In order for a story to work it must be believable, no matter how fantastic it is. To achieve that the people, places, and objects must all ...

Yes, i'm culprit but it's not as if anyone is reading my blog. I feel I have nothing to say but right now I'm writing a new book. Well drafting the structure to one.  It's a Young Adult read and the honest reason I'm doing it is because I can.  You can sell my selling skills - not! Anyway things are pretty stressful because a lot of going on in my life. I lost my father in January. Yes Daddy just decided to stop breathing. Well, it wasn't that easy. Got the call he was in a bad way. I had rang earlier and told he was weak but still breathing. Well that should have been code but I thought well Daddy had survived so far and I thought he was getting better.  But the time we got there. He was dead. Simple. So with that a lot of fuckery is going at work. I'm not even going into that. But it's fuckery of fuckery of fuckery. Yes that much fuckery. I gues work is always going to be about fuckery so I just need to get well paid so at least whatever fuckery is...

Beautifully written prose. The words glide off the page. As for the story - well it's a story about two worlds  past and the present colliding with a few hidden depths. Galgut is what I'd call a fine writers who pulls no punches in his narrative. Nothing is out of bounds for him - he's pretty fearless and truthful. Sometimes it can be an uncomfortable read but nonetheless it is a truth. Personally, I'm one for happy endings and escapism fiction so after a while despite his writing I stopped reading when I saw how things were going. As I said I like happy ending rather than studying human nature. It is as Christopher Hope writing a review in the guardian gives a longer outline and as he concludes 'Damon Galgut has written a lovely, lethal, disturbing novel.' Another word is haunting. Check out his review. Christopher Hope http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/sep/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview 17 ## Read my work on Smashword.com and I write...