Russell's Writing Blog

  • Home
  •  
  • The Author
  •  
  • Contact
  •  
  • Sneak Preview
  •  
  • Russell's Blog
  •  
  • Pandora Wolfe
  •  
  • Pandora's World

About Me

Russell Sanderson
North East England

I'm 46, Married with two sons. This blog will document my attempt to get my children's novel published.

Tags

writing
agent
sequel
editing
word count
book
pandora wolfe
update
iron golem
submission
manuscript
novel
rejection
advice
agents
author
blog
book launch
bridge
chronomancer
competition
mg
new book
pandora
short
waiting
wolfe
alfie bloom
author blog
back to work
billy goat
bloomsbury
chapter
crow moon
cutting
day job
edit
edititing
editor
editorial
event advice
facebook
faqs
fiction
first chapter
first post
full manuscript
ghost
google
gruff
guest
guest blog
interview
introduction
literary agents
london
man flu
moon
motivation
new blog
new writing north
new year
new year's resolution
of
open submission
paranoia
planning
procrastination
professional edit
progress report
prophecy
prophecy of three
publisher
publishers
publishing
russell sanderson
sam
sam whitehouse
search
second novel
self-doubt
setback
short story
signed
steampunk
stories
story
support
target
the
three
time travel
timeline
train
victorian
web
website art
what if
whitehouse
wolf
writers and artists
writing blog
writing progress
writing update
ya

Categories

  • Agent update (15)
  • General Writing Advice (2)
  • Guest Blogger (1)
  • Introduction (1)
  • Short Stories (2)
  • Website update (3)
  • Writing update (33)

Recent Posts

  • A small Pandora update
  • Thoughts from a distant shed
  • Christmas, setbacks and perseverance.
  • Submission (what it means, what it feels like...
  • Lessons I learned from Alfie Bloom

Blog Archive

  • January 2013
  • March 2013
  • March 2013
  • April 2013
  • May 2013
  • June 2013
  • July 2013
  • August 2013
  • October 2013
  • November 2013
  • December 2013
  • January 2014
  • March 2014
  • May 2014
  • July 2014
  • October 2014
  • November 2014
  • March 2015
  • March 2015
  • April 2015
  • June 2015
  • September 2015
  • December 2015
  • July 2016
Subscribe to this blog   Subscribe to this blog
 
Tweet
Enjoy the blog. To comment on any of the posts, just click on the title of the post you want to comment on.  Play nicely!
Tweet

Browsing Archive: January, 2013

....Then two come along at once.

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Friday, January 25, 2013, In : Agent update 
Well a second agent has got in touch and has told me that she's really enjoyed the first three chapters and wants to read the rest. I sent her the manuscript tonight and she replied immediately saying that she was looking forward to reading it.

Sounds promising!  TTFN



Continue reading ...
 

Confidence and Competition

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, In : Writing update 

A chance reading of an article in a writing magazine has led me to do something I've never done before and entered the book into a competition.  The Northern Writer's Awards is for new (i.e. unpublished) authors living in the North of England and winners will be rewarded with prizes ranging from cash to editorial support and contacts in the publishing industry.  The closing date is 31st but I won't hear anything until the summer. I've only really had the confidence to try since letting people...


Continue reading ...
 

Write On

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Sunday, January 20, 2013, In : Writing update 
Despite a potentially fatal bout of Man Flu (or as my wife cruelly refers to it "a mild cold" - she'll feel ever so guilty when I'm gone) I've heroically continued to plan this weekend and have reached chapter 41.  The story is hotting up now and I've added the first bit about Lord Morland's (the leader of the bad guys) magic powers.  Not long now before what's really going on becomes apparent to the main characters.

Only maybe 15 or so chapters to go to the end of the plan but I already know ...
Continue reading ...
 

Paranoia and Progress

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, In : Writing update 
A month after sending my manuscript I succumbed to my inner OCD which kept saying "I bet they never got your email and you're waiting in vain" and emailed the agent to check it had arrived (while being clear that I wasn't checking on progress or being pushy).  They got back straight away and said it had been recieved and was in a queue, so I can relax.

On the plus side I haven't been idle and have continued plotting out book 2 - up to chapter 34 so far. I've invented three new magical items fo...
Continue reading ...
 

Likes for the site pass the century.

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Saturday, January 12, 2013, In : Website update 
57 Likes on the Facebook Page and 100 likes of the website. Not too shabby for a week old site with no rude things on it! Thanks for the sharing and recommending everyone. :-)

Continue reading ...
 

Time travel

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Wednesday, January 9, 2013, In : Writing update 

Firstly, welcome to all the new people who’ve found their way here.  We’re up to 52 likes on the Facebook page and 96 on the website so thank you all and I hope you’ll stick with us until publication and beyond.

 

Today is a planned night off writing so just a quick post. I won’t be giving away massive spoilers to say that The Chronomancer’s Daughter involves time travel, as does the sequel.

 

And it got me to wondering just what people’s views were on time travel (except t...


Continue reading ...
 

The power of shame.

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Tuesday, January 8, 2013, In : Writing update 
Another productive evening.  Despite coming home feeling like an arthritic octogenarian from my first couple of gym visits of the year, I sat down and immediately cracked on with the planning.  A couple of hours later and I had another 3 chapters plotted out which is enough for one evening. 

I'd originally thought the blogging, the facebooking etc would prove a massive distraction from actual writing (and so it did while the novelty of constantly hitting the refresh button to see the extra li...
Continue reading ...
 

Finally, some progress.

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Monday, January 7, 2013, In : Writing update 
Maybe it's just the fact that I had my first day back at the day job, perhaps it's because I went for my first run of the year today, quite possibly it's just the potential embarrassment of blogging yet another day of time wasting but whatever it is, I actually did enough work on the second book today to feel like I no longer have to hang my head in shame.

I'm still at the planning/plotting out stage, which is my least favourite bit (if you don't count proof reading - something my volunteer re...
Continue reading ...
 

The ingenuity of the procrastinator

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Sunday, January 6, 2013, In : Writing update 
I've been looking through my plan now for over three hours and have somehow managed to do almost no work on it other than a few minor changes to about 3 sentences despite being busy for the whole time. On the other hand I've spent ages on Facebook and this website, checking the "likes" and chatting to friends to encourage them to visit. The facebook page in particular has proved an immensely successful work avoiding mechanism, especially since I am still technically doing work "for my book", ...
Continue reading ...
 

Google

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Sunday, January 6, 2013, In : Website update 
Google has now found the website so people can search for it.  Another small step in the right direction.

Continue reading ...
 

Another update

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Saturday, January 5, 2013, In : Writing update 
The new year is well and truly here and I've decided I'd better crack on with the work on the second Pandora Wolfe book.  I've read that publishers and agents like you to be well on with a sequel because almost all book deals are for at least two books.  If someone reads and likes your book, they want to be able to pick up a sequel fairly soon before they lose interest.  Besides that, I've got a story to tell and I need to get it down on paper or it'll drive me bonkers.

I've plotted out an ove...
Continue reading ...
 

Website feedback

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Saturday, January 5, 2013, In : Website update 
Thanks to everyone who's fed back on the website.  I'll be taking your ideas on board and I appreciate the encouragement.  On the good news front, a very talented artist I know has said he's interested in doing some artwork for the web page, which will do a lot to improve the look.  I'll update you on the progress with this.

Lots of friends have shared the link to the site on facebook. Thank you for that.  Using the "six degrees of separation" theory, friends of friends of friends of friends o...
Continue reading ...
 

Hello and welcome!

Posted by Russell Sanderson on Friday, January 4, 2013, In : Introduction 
Well, this is my first foray into the blogosphere. Congratulations on finding the site and I hope you'll find it interesting.  I've spent the last two years writing and polishing my children's/YA novel, The Chronomancer's Daughter and now I've decided to blog my progress as I take the long road to try to get it published. 

First, a little background. I'd been writing on and off my whole life and have even completed a couple of novels, though nothing that was ready for publication (I can admit...
Continue reading ...
 
« Back to posts