Miranda Writes 3 - Your Questions Answered!

All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I'm well into writing the new first draft of Book 5 and have started to ask for your help...

Last time I told you I was going to invite you to get involved with the new Book 5 - and this week I asked my first question:

What is the name of the San Francisco cabbie in the story?

I had fifty awesome suggestions on Twitter - so thank you so much if you sent one! I announce the winner in this week's vlog below, so fingers crossed and enjoy! There will be more chances to get involved - watch out for the #getinvolved hashtag on my twitter profile and special requests on my facebook page. And if I use your suggestion, you will get a thank you in the acknowledgements of Book 5!

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'La-Laaaaaaaah!'
p.p.s. I also mention some fantastic writing retreats - find out about BookCamp here

It Started With a Kiss episode 25: Waiting for the edit notes...

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. This week, I've been thinking about other projects while I'm waiting for the edit notes to come back on the first draft, buying new funky hats (oh yes!) and answering your fab questions!

Questions this week come from Kath, Jo and Lisa and cover everything from keeping the love of writing alive to writing in different genres and my plans for my new office. Thanks so much for your fab questions - please keep them coming! You can ask me anything about writing, editing, publishing or anything else. Just leave a comment on this blog post or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled 'Funky New Hat Smirk'

It Started With a Kiss episode 20: new hats, book launch and dream sheds!

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I'm out and about enjoying the gorgeous October sunshine and talking about favourite quotes, dream sheds and swanky book launch plans...

...and I've even got a brand new hat! so it's a very exciting episode all round!

There's still time to enter my competition to bag tickets for my very swanky book launch - all the details are here - so you could be sipping wine with me at a gorgeous 5-star hotel in London and nattering all things book-y. And, as I explain in the vlog, your favourite quotes from Fairytale of New York or Welcome to My World could feature in the presentation film that's going to be playing on the night - just pop them in the comments box below or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com to let me know!

Enjoy! xx

p.sThis week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'Non-plussed smile'

It Started With a Kiss week 8: Structural edits, big decisions and writers' block...

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 3rd November. This week, I'm back in the living room (they wouldn't let me stay in Cornwall, boo!) and the hard work of editing begins in earnest.

I'll tell you about one of the major changes that I've already made to the initial draft and also let you in on a bit of a challenge I'm facing with the first chapter. Plus, of course, your amazing questions - thank you so much and keep asking!!

Your fabulous questions this week include overcoming writers' block, how I've changed as a writer and an editor, how long Coffee at Kowalski's - my original novel that became Fairytale of New York - was on Authonomy.com before it was discovered and how I started writing. Big thanks as ever for your questions, especially the very lovely Joanna Cannon, who as JoannaCannon is one of my Twitter tweethearts and quite a brilliant writer to boot - make sure you go to her blogand say hi!

Oh, and hope you like the hat. I couldn't resist it in the January sales and this it its official World Premiere...

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube generated freeze frame is entitled: "(slightly scary) Easter Bunny"...

It Started With a Kiss week 4: finishing the first draft and more...

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, I'll tell you what it feels like to write the last 6,000 words of the first draft - and complete it (woo-hoo!), show you the German edition of Fairytale of New York, discuss first/third person viewpoints and reveal what books I love reading - not to mention the ubiquitous HAT OF THE WEEK!

So, it's Week 4 of the vlog and finally I've finished the first draft of It Started With a Kiss!!!

I wanted to share with you the emotional, almost subconscious stage of completing the final 6,000 words to the end - it's something I've heard Stephen King and J.K Rowling discuss in the past and it's quite a uniquely strange and beautiful thing for a writer to experience...

Thanks so much for your questions! Keep 'em coming - literally anything you'd like to know about being a writer, publishing, hats, what I like for tea... it's up to you! This week I answer questions from Dot and Leah - and fabulous questions they are, too.

So enough of the waffling (can you tell I'm demob happy after two months of frantic scribbling?) - here's the vlog in all its glory!

E-e-e-e-e-enjoy!

p.s. This week the YouTube chosen still shot makes me look like I should be a guest on Newsnight. Serious, me? ;o)