Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

A playlist for Venom and Blaze

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I love it when people take the trouble to put a playlist together for me to listen to. So, my little present to you is a series of songs to listen to while you read Venom and Blaze. Every song has a link (in my head) to the story of one of the characters.

Venom

Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me? – Taylor Swift

Venom is a complex character who has the potential to choose between right and wrong. Her upbringing and situation has made her feel powerless in life and there’s a very clear moment in the story where she has to choose which way she wants to go and whether to to what she knows is right or embrace her darkness.

This song, by Taylor Swift, reminds me of Venom’s personality and the descent of compromising who she is in a desperate bid for survival.

Blaze

Thunder – Imagine Dragons

Blaze is a dreamer who doesn’t fit the mould. Irrespective of the jeering of his contemporaries, he has his own path to forge and he does so with relentless conviction.

This song, by Imagine Dragons, reminds me of Blaze’s fearlessness in the face of all odds.

Thorn

We Could Be So Good Together – The Doors

I can’t say too much about why this is Thorn’s song without giving away some key plot details. Sufficient to say, if you study the lyrics to this song by The Doors, it fits Thorn’s motivation and actions surprisingly well!

Viper

you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish

Power is what drives Viper – and what better song to celebrate his unhinged actions than with a spot of Billie Eilish?

There are, of course, other characters in the book. Once you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what songs you think would suit their personalities.

My first draft is completed!

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My first draft of my latest WIP has just been completed!

This story has been simmering away for several months, having been started (and then unceremoniously dumped as Mirrordom demanded attention) and then re-ignited again over the month of May. I then decided to meticulously map out what was going to happen in the story so I could have a plan in mind. And then, at the end, it didn’t matter because a twist happened that even took me by surprise.

Most brilliant writers say their process involves having a basic plan and then writing what comes. I wish I could do that, but unfortunately being a careful planner, I need to write down, chapter by chapter, what is going to happen next. In spite of this, however, I still get taken by surprise by things that happen.

Completing the first draft

Now the first draft is done, I’m going to…

…do absolutely nothing with it.

The fallow period, where I let the work sit for several weeks or months, is an important part of the process. It allows my brain to change gear and then come back to the manuscript afresh. Invariably, this means I pick up a ton of faults that I have to change.

Once the fallow period is over, I’ll go back in and edit it to within an inch of its life. I already know I need to do a lot of character developing and flesh out some of the villains to make them more threatening.

As always, I will format the book for print (which is another good way of encouraging my brain to look at it in a different light, rather than just reading a Word document.) I’ll be looking out for typing errors and inconsistencies, as well as a healthy chunk of developmental editing – which basically means ensuring the writing itself is as tight and gripping as it can and should be.

Will it ever get published?

Who knows? At this stage, it’s not on the radar in the immediate future because there’s far too much work to do to get the manuscript up to scratch. After that’s done, I do have a few publishers I’d like to send it to but nothing is ever guaranteed.

What’s the point of mentioning it then?

This blog has always been about documenting my journey to getting published – and that includes mentioning all the ones that may not get there. I have loads of WIPs at any given time – this is just one of them and it may or may not see the light of day. What I can say is that this is one of my current favourite stories and I’d be really proud to see it on shelves at some point in the future. Until then, there’s a lot of work to do.

(But first, a nap. I have just finished the first draft of a novel, after all!)

The next project

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The year 3034 is the setting for my current work in progress, a novel about a dystopian future. I’m working on this as we speak and really enjoying making predictions about how the world might be a thousand years from now.

I had the idea for this novel based on a BBC programme from the 1960s where a group of adorable youngsters were interviewed about what they thought the future would be like. Something one of the young lads said got me thinking and sparked off an idea.

The novel is told from dual points of view and has a host of new characters and lots and lots of robots!

Currently, I’m 20,000 words in and on the tenth chapter. It’s been one of those that I’ve picked up and put down a few times so there’s no prognosis for when it gets finished – but I know that it will get finished (unlike the many, many other drafts that remain in various states of abandonment on my laptop!) I needed to take a break from it while I processed ideas and figured out what might happen next.

I like to plan all my books out, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, so I have at least a loose grasp on what might happen next. I don’t find this inhibits me at all, as the story does its own thing regardless of how carefully I plan it.

What is the premise?

It’s 3034. Society is structured into three tiers, with the lowest tier having virtually no rights. Naturally, this highly unfair system causes quite a lot of discontent. There’s a robot to perform virtually every task, from gardening to nursing to teaching.

The protagonist is a girl called Serena who attends the highly-elite Lynwood Academy, which just so happens to founded by the man who created the tier system for modern society. And when one of the robots is found deliberately destroyed on the front lawn, it sparks off a chain reaction of consequences. Who would want to do that? And why?

What genre is it?

In spite of all the robots, I really wouldn’t call it sci-fi. Probably more dystopian YA, which seems to be my favourite to write. I love creating a flawed world and having characters that are idealistic enough to try and fix it. I feel that premise allows me to explore different facets of humanity and how good intentions can lead to differing consequences.

What has been the most fun to write so far?

The little predictions for the future have been the most fun. I love anticipating what technological advances could be achieved by then and how they might impact everyday life.

Who is my favourite character?

My favourite characters are always the villains. They’re the most fun to write, in my opinion, and it allows us authors to unleash our dark side. So, I can’t wait for you to meet Scorpio Lynwood and Governor Blake.

What next?

Next, I have to finish the writing part! After that, the editing part. After that, more editing. And more. And more until I wither away completely.

Not all novels I write are intended to be published – quite a few of them I simply write for fun. This may well be one of them, but I thought it would be worth sharing this part of the journey so anyone interested can get a feel for what’s going on behind the scenes.

I also have to think about promotion for Venom and Blaze, editing for Fable and Legend, editing for City and Shadow, finishing off Flame and Phoenix and then editing Quiver and Arrow. So, along with my day job, I do have plenty to keep me out of mischief.

Can I write two books simultaneously?

Yes, I put a pen in each hand and off I go!

The non-facetious response is actually, yes, I can. I don’t find it too much of a problem – perhaps I’m not doing it properly and immersing myself in it as I should be – but it almost seems to me that the process of doing two together unlocks different parts of my brain. Or perhaps the act of switching tones of voice and changing tack allows me to unconsciously solve problems I’m not deliberately thinking about? I’m sure it’s not the done way to go about things, but I do enjoy having multiple projects on the go at once. So I’m currently working on more books in the Mirrordom Legends and my futuristic novel. Watch this space*!

*If, after ten minutes of watching this space, nothing has happened yet, you can always read other blog posts or take my quiz to find out which City and Shadow character you are. Then come back here and post your results so I can see them!

What’s involved in writing a book: making the cover

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A very exciting email landed in my inbox this week. I opened it with trepidation and trembling fingers.

Because this email was from the very talented lady who is designing the cover for Venom and Blaze. The cover is so important to me – I really wanted it to look dark, engaging and professional.

When Venom and Blaze got accepted by the publisher, I had to fill in a form. This form ultimately went to the designer and the information was used to shape what the final cover would look like. I wrote down how I envisaged the cover, how I pictured the main characters and what the important themes were in the book.

I’ve just had my first look at the cover and I was absolutely blown away. I had high demands – and it far exceeds them. I have a few tiny tweaks to ask for but, in the main, I couldn’t be happier and I can’t wait to show it to you all. I could hardly stop staring at it and grinning like a twit for an entire day.

I am so appreciative of the time and effort that went in to understanding the brief I gave and translating it into stunning imagery and concepts. When I compare this to what I might have tried to come up with if I’d gone down the self-publishing route, it really makes me appreciate talented, skilled designers.

So the big question is: when can I show it off?

Watch this space, but it won’t be long. And it’ll be worth the wait.

What’s involved in writing a book: editing the formatted version

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It was as I suspected. More editing was required.

This time, I was sent the formatted .pdf for review. Lo and behold, I found a handful of tiny errors that had slipped through the first billion edits. (Seriously, was I reading it with my eyes shut the entire time??)

Instead of marking up the .pdf with comments, this time I had to note them down in what was called an errata. Basically, I typed the page number, a short note of what needed fixed in parenthesis, the offending sentence or paragraph and what the correct version should read, with the new bits in a red font.

Once again, I was grateful for writing such a short book. Imagine how many errors there would have been in a longer one. (I’m looking at you, City and Shadow.)

What happens next?

This was my penultimate chance to find errors. My next and final chance will be in the actual physical copy! Yes, my publishers are going to sent me a printed proof to read and I’ll get to hold it in my hands!

At some point after this, I’ll get to work with the designer to create a cover. This is probably the part I’m looking forward to most. Creating the perfect cover was a major factor in why I decided to submit the books to the publisher I did, as I really like their previous examples and their approach in terms of working with the author.

Talking of images, the girl above is very close to how I picture Venom – except Venom probably looks a little more ruthless and she’ll have a ton of spiders with her.

Anything else happening?

Not really. I’m balancing the day job with writing, but I’m constantly plotting for the next novel. I also have a few works in progress, so we’ll see if I can make anything of those.

What’s involved in writing a book: yet more editing

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It’s all hands on deck, as we get closer to publication day!

What stage are we at?

Venom and Blaze has just been through the second editor. (Yes, even after being through the first editor about twenty million times, there’s still more to fix.) My second editor caught a few things that didn’t make sense and formatted the book to their house style.

What happens next?

After this, it’ll go to the formatters where I’ll get sent a print .pdf for review. I get two chances to spot any other minor things to change (the time for developmental editing has passed.)

Once that’s done, I’ll start working with a designer to come up with a cover that encapsulates my vision for Venom and Blaze.

In other news, the first draft of Fable and Legend is with the publisher and she is currently reading it. I think Fable and Legend is one of the most mature books I’ve written in the series (I don’t mean mature in the sense of content, but in the sense of being written with maturity.)

Is anything else happening?

I’m glad you asked. Yes. I’m currently working on plotting the fourth book in the series, which has a working title of Flame and Phoenix. Whether it ever sees the light of day is another matter. And I’m also editing a YA novel I wrote over lockdown that I recently revisited and found to not be entirely dross. Again, whether that ever sees the light of day, I am unsure. It’s totally separate from the Mirrordom universe.

Oops – I did it again

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The blog has been extra quiet lately. This is because I’ve been working on another story set in Mirrordom (once which is likely going to muck up the trilogy concept because it’ll make four in total. And I’m not even going to mention at this stage that I have plans for a fifth.)

I’ve been working on this one over the winter, simply because I felt the character of Quiver’s mother deserved her own story. And because I ended up writing a throwaway remark in Venom and Blaze that I later realised was quite a cool concept I wanted to explore further.

I can’t say too much at this time – and, of course, there’s no guarantee this book will ever see the light of day. Frankly, if I were my publisher, I’d tell me to go and have a good long think about my actions because I seem to have no concept of the words “chronological order.” Other seasoned authors seem to manage to write their books in the order things happen, rather than my haphazard Oh-I-Think-This-Character-Needs-Their-Own-Story-So-I’ll-Go-Back-And-Write-It-And-Give-No-Heed-To-The-Fact-It-Mucks-Up-The-Planned-Order sort of way. Because this book would come directly after the events of Venom and Blaze so it would become the second in the series, bumping City and Shadow down (again) to third in the series.

I know we’re not supposed to have favourites but this one might just be my new favourite. In a way, it’s quite fitting that Quiver’s mother gets her own story because the very first Mirrordom book I wrote began with her. Although she’s largely overshadowed by other characters, it’s her actions that end up setting a chain of events in motion. Writing about her in her own right gave me a chance to explore her complexities and develop her character.

So what can I say about this book?

Well, we have some new settings. Most of the action of the other books takes place around the castle and the caves. This book features the Glittering City, a farmhouse on the edge of the woods and a lot of taverns – all brand-new locations.

We also have some brand new characters, like Cobalt, Legend and Ballad. Every one of them has their own secrets and Fable finds herself caught up in their stories. We also get to see the return of another familiar character, but I can’t say too much about that.

Part of the reason for writing this blog has always been to document the whole process of writing books and aiming to get them published. At the very least, it’ll be something for me to look back on later and perhaps learn from. So here’s another stitch in the tapestry of working on Mirrordom: throwing yet another novel into the mix. I daresay everyone will be quite used to that by now.

What’s involved in writing a book: more editing

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Editing, as it turns out, is one of those processes that could go on indefinitely. It is, I fear, only the deadline that will bring the matter to an end.

And, of course, I had to go and make the process even longer by changing my mind mid-way through about what I wanted.

Something wasn’t working and I couldn’t put my finger on it. And then the answer came to me in a flash. Cue a rather large re-write which I’m currently in the process of. My editor is being very patient.

What’s my process?

Listening to my instincts. If something feels off, there’s no point in glossing over it, being lazy or pretending no one else will notice. Readers are sharp and they’ve given up their time to read my book. The very least I can do is give them the same courtesy and put time into editing. Tempting though it might be to tell myself I’m overthinking/the book doesn’t need these drastic edits/it’ll all be fine, I didn’t. And I think the book is going to be much better because of it.

How do I edit?

I have gone through my editor’s suggestions and then, using tracked changes, taken an axe to some portions and a quill to others.

I find my brain can’t process the novel in a Word document format, so I change it into that of a professional book (using Reedsy’s editor) and then go over it on my phone, scribbling down any notes in the margins. So far, I’ve done a lot of scribbling. I then go back into the Word document and make those changes.

At the moment, I’m especially looking to improve the flow and make the novel feel less like non-stop action and more like a cohesive story that won’t leave readers feeling like their brains have just been mangled.

When is the deadline?

11 March. Which isn’t very far away.

What’s left to do?

I’m going to finish up this round of reading the formatted book and then making edits. Then format it again with the new edits and read it another time. Then send back to Emma, my lovely editor.

Emma will go through what I’ve done, see if she agrees, make any tweaks to spelling and grammar and I’ve asked her particularly to make any suggestions about improving the flow.

What would your editing process would be? Have you any tips for me? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments.