Lack-of-progress update / IT Crowd

Moss - not your typical M&B hero

This summer has been such a wash-out that you'd think I'd have stayed in, writing. Well, I have stayed in, but to cheer myself up, I've been watching re-runs of the IT Crowd. The trouble is, I've now watched so many episodes that whenever I try to add more to my new Medieval romance, in my head, my hero sounds just like one of the IT Crowd characters - Moss. Not exactly the effect I'm trying to achieve with my alpha male, twelfth-century warrior...

So I have made some progress since my last update, but it's been painfully slow. Hopefully now that there are some breaks in the rain, I can get out for some walks and bike rides, and clear my head.

Can I learn anything from my experience? Umm...(sounds of barrel being scraped out)...I suppose that I should aim to create characters who are so strong that I can predict what they would say or do in any given situation. Just as long as they don't sound like Moss.

A long overdue update

This summer has been a complete washout - in more ways than one. Why is it that I always think I'll have more time to write over the summer, when it always turns out to be the complete opposite? I've had a lovely time visiting people I haven't seen for a while, but I've fallen badly behind schedule with my first draft. Ah well, I'm back to work now and getting back into my writing routine too.

I got some good news yesterday, though - I found out that I've won a copy of Pamela Hartshorne's first time-slip novel - Time's Echo. I love her Mills and Boon romances (writing as Jessica Hart) and I also love time-slips, so I'm really looking forward to reading it.

As an additional bonus, it's set in York, where I lived for nearly ten years. It's always fun to read stories set in familiar places. I can picture the action more vividly if I've seen the sights that the characters are seeing.

Of course, I also love the way that books can take you to a place you've never been before. What do you prefer - reading about new or familiar places?