Kirsty Carse
So far, What Was Kept Inside has been a great success — since I put it on the website last month 227 copies have been downloaded, which has astounded me (I don't have that many friends!) Thanks to everyone who has shown such an interest in the book. Of course it's still there for you to download now if you haven't got your copy yet.
I have done loads of writing this month, so I've been in my element. Bodies, my second novel, has grown by another 60 pages and I am very excited about it.
I have also got a new short story for you this month, entitled 'Christmas is Cancelled'. It's all about a Christmas Eve haunting - well, you might have known my Christmas spirits would be ghostly ones! I have entered this one in a competition run by Writelink.
At last! You can now get your hands on What Was Kept Inside. You can download it or order a hard copy by following the link.
Although I haven't heard back from that last literary agent, I think it is safe to assume that they've used their copy as hamster bedding by now, so it's onwards and upwards with my second novel - Bodies. I have written 170 pages of a first draft, which equates to about two thirds of the story. I'm hoping to post some extracts on here early in 2006. Be warned...you'll need a strong stomach!
I hope that you won't be too disappointed that there's nothing new to download this month. I have a lot of projects in progress, and none are yet finished. Bodies, my second novel, is coming along well, though I will soon take a short break from it to write a film treatment for Blood Bond (thanks to the encouragement of a few of you — you know who you are!) and to write two short stories for forthcoming competitions. Apart from all of that keeping me busy, I am also turning thirty this month, so I might just treat myself to a couple of hours off for cake and champagne.
Only one more literary agents' verdict is awaited now for What Was Kept Inside... and if they decide that it's not for them, I will be self-publishing it. Thanks very much to everyone who's said they'd really like to read the rest of it. You may not have very long to wait!
I have received a few more rejections for What Was Kept Inside since last month, although one agent only rejected the book after requesting more chapters to read — so I must have been close! There are still a couple of agents who haven't got back to me yet, so keep watching this space.
I hope you enjoyed reading Blood Bond, my novella, last month. I'll be entering it in a competition this autumn so it will disappear from the site for a while...so why not download it now while it's still there?
My second novel, Bodies, is at the hundred page mark already but still in first draft state. However, lots of people have been asking me what it's about, so I have posted a little something here.
My half sister, Candy, is also a writer. She is only sixteen but is already in the midst of her first novel (as yet untitled) about a school for teenage vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. Go to the links page to visit her website and read an extract.
My novella, Blood Bond, is now ready for you to download. Go to the novella page to find out what it's about and get reading.
So far I have had fifteen rejections from literary agents for What Was Kept Inside. There are still a few out there though! Nearly every rejection was a polite letter explaining that client lists are full and they can't take anyone new on. One agency were more ruthless, telling me that they felt neither enthusiastic nor confident about my book! And another said that although it wasn't possible for them to represent me right now, they'd like to see my second novel when it's finished, so that was great news.
My second novel, Bodies (working title), is in progress. I am devoting as much time as I can to it, and enjoying every minute!
I am staggered that so many of you downloaded the first 3 chapters of What Was Kept Inside last month, and thanks for all your enthusiasm about it. It really is appreciated! I had a record number of visits and downloads during July. Thank you very much indeed for your support.
What Was Kept Inside is now finished and in the post to literary agents. You can download the first three chapters if you head to the novels page. There are also extracts from all the other chapters for you to read.
Thanks to all who read 'Bad Dreams' last month. It has now been entered for The Bridport Prize so I have taken it off the site for the time being.
You may remember that I entered 'The Boy Who Painted the Future' in a competition to write a short story for children. Well, I didn't walk away with a prize but I did get a letter telling me that, of 3000 entrants, I placed in the top 300. So I won't be giving up my day job just yet, but every bit of encouragement is valuable!
My next job is to edit my novella, Blood Bond, which I will post on the site next month. After that, I'll be embarking upon novel number 2!
I am now heavily into the final editing stage of What Was Kept Inside. I have been making revisions with my proofreaders' advice in mind, and inevitably spotting a few other things I wanted to change. It's going well, however, and I am honing my shortlist of the first 25 literary agents that I think might be interested in the book. I am hoping it will land on their slush piles by this time next month.
Blood Bond, my novella, is now a complete first draft. I intend to start editing it once What Was Kept Inside is in the post, and I will also be entering it in a competition in the autumn.
There's a new story for you to read! Go to the short stories page to read 'Bad Dreams'. One reader who had a sneak preview told me that the ending gave her a cold shiver. Something I like to hear! The story will only be up for a month as I will have to take it off when I enter it for The Bridport Prize, so read it now! Be warned though: it is by no means a lighthearted tale.
I have entered two competitions this month. I entered 'The Boy Who Painted the Future' into the Writers Forum short story competition, and the first chapter of What Was Kept Inside into the Cinnamon Press Novel Award.
This month I have been getting on with other projects whilst What Was Kept Inside languishes in a drawer waiting for me to make final edits. I have written my Bridport Prize entry, 'Bad Dreams', a 5000 word short story about two students who wreak a unique kind of psychological revenge on the perpetrator of a vicious attack. I am also 13000 words into a 20000 word novella provisionally entitled 'Blood Bond'. Yes, I've been busy.
And so have my proofreaders. My thanks to Ian, Deniz, Juliet and Russell who not only read What Was Kept Inside very quickly indeed but also provided me with helpful and honest feedback. It's given me many useful starting points for the final revisions, which I will begin work on in mid-May. Also thanks to Frances, Sarah, Ewan, Cheryl and my Mum and Dad, who are still reading!
Good news about my short story, 'Last Orders'... an extract from it is to be published later this year in a book called 'Forever Imber' by Ruth Underwood. Many people have asked me about the setting for 'Last Orders' and I have been happy to explain the strange circumstances surrounding the real village of Imber in Wiltshire I based it on. Ruth's father led the campaign for the restoration of Imber in the sixties and when she read 'Last Orders' she was interested in the way that Imber had inspired my writing. See my links page if you would like to find out more about Ruth's book and the village of Imber.
At the meeting of the Cambridge Writers this month I read the opening pages from 'Blood Bond'. I got some advice on third person narrative voice as I am trying it out in 'Bad Dreams' and 'Blood Bond'... I do find first person narrative so much easier to write but wouldn't want to shoehorn myself into a rut so early in my career!
As for new stuff for you to read this month, I have posted two more 'teasers' from What Was Kept Inside - one from chapter 4 and one from chapter 5. See the novels page to download the PDF files. Although I have written a lot of new material this month, it's all in first draft state and not yet ready for sharing! However, that means I'll have a lot of goodies for you in June and July...
Over Easter I finished the first draft of my novel and also, after a great deal of agony, settled on a title - What Was Kept Inside. I am now putting the novel aside for six weeks so that I can come back to it cold for the final revisions before I send it out to agents. During that six week break, I've managed to get a couple of proofreaders to agree to cast their eagle eyes over it!
In the pipeline now that the novel is stashed in a drawer are two things: my Bridport Prize entry (provisional title Bad Dreams) and a novella centred around a hypnotic main character (yet to be titled).
At this month's meeting of the Cambridge Writers I read an extract from chapter nine of What Was Kept Inside. The group asked many questions about what was coming next and how the episode fitted into the plot as a whole. Unfortunately, with only ten minutes to read once a month, all any of us can do is give tasters of our work.
'The Boy Who Painted The Future' has now been entered in the Write a Short Story for Children competition. Results are due next month. A teacher friend of mine trialled it on her Year 7 class and they gave it the thumbs up. Would that they were judging...
Thanks to a great many friends, family and colleagues who visited this site last month and were kind enough to give feedback. The comments have really been helpful. Those of you who suggested including a photo - you can't take it back now!
My first novel is nearing completion. I anticipate approaching agents with it around June or July, once I've had chance to finish it, put it aside for a few weeks and then come back to it for the final revisions. In that gap, I plan to write a novella and, at some point before June, I will write my 5000 word entry for the Bridport Prize.
At the meeting of the Cambridge Writers Group last month I read an excerpt from the end of chapter five. It was well received as a "powerful piece of writing".
I am entering my short story entitled 'The Boy Who Painted the Future' in a competition this month. The competition is to write a story for children and my entry is aimed at teenagers.
And now I am in two places on the World Wide Web! Not only published on the Cambridge Writers website but, as will be self evident if you are reading this, I now have my own website.