Mick’s Musings: Torn Between Two Stories.

There should be a song in there somewhere. Set at some time from the seventies where all the ladies (and gentlemen) had big hair, knew it and weren’t ashamed (I know as I was one). Anyway, today’s story concerns a tale of two stories. Whilst waiting for the critique from the NWS reader – did I mention how wonderful they are? – I allowed myself to be persuaded to start the Children’s story I had the idea for a couple of years ago up in the Yorkshire Dales. I remember the day well, as my lady wife and I were on holiday and she was anxious to get an early start for a trip to (another) castle/ancient town/something else she wanted to see in case it fell down. I was sat at the breakfast bar whilst she was finishing getting ready and this single line came into my head from somewhere:

The Four Hedgehogs of the Apocalypse.

What followed was about thirty minutes of frantic scribbling as what came into my head, was desperately (and slightly illegibly) jotted down in a too small notepad; all the while with my lady wife looking over my shoulder and tapping her watch in a very meaningful way. Then, it got pretty much forgotten about until I’d finished the story that went off to the RNA NWS scheme. In the meantime, as happens, around three or four other ideas came from somewhere and vied for prime-spot in the ‘next to be written’ pile.

My heart and gut actually wants to write another romance, but I’ve decided to allow myself to give this children’s one a go. So far, there are only two and a half chapters written, so much slower than I was hoping for, but I think I’ve just had a minor ‘block’. I do love Walter the Henchtoad and his evil boss Greyback the Squirrel (grey of course), but I’m not exactly enamoured with a couple of the names I’ve given my hero Hedgehogs, but I guess they’ll do to let me keep writing, I can always change them later.

I guess it really comes down to – do I believe in what I’m now writing? Yes, I do. Can you sense the silent ‘but’? Will it be enough to keep going? I don’t know, but I do at least like the direction this is going, and at least I also have the ending – though not completely how I’m going to get there. After I’d started this one and completed the first two chapters, I went back to my notes (I know that was a little late) and found that I hadn’t actually kept very well to them. There are no humans in it as it is, and right now I can’t see here ever being any; would change the feel and direction of the story too much. Certainly the walking trees have had their entrance and won’t be ever more than a footnote as opposed to the large part they had when I jotted this down.

This just shows, at least here, that no matter how much planning you do, things rarely turn out as you thought. I’d told myself that I would actually plan things out for this story on cards see if that would help with the writing process and that’s certainly gone out of the window. It appears that the brain is willing to try a new way of writing, but then rebels and decides to wing it instead.

I guess I’ll find out soon how thing go. If the story keeps flowing, then I’ll go with it. I tend to jot down ideas on the pages as I type anyway and then use them for what comes next. You said it, I’m so organised! I’ll keep you posted on how the Hedgehogs come along. To all those of you who volunteered on Facebook to be my Readers, I thank you wholeheartedly and promise that I’ll buck up my ideas.

See you soon!

Every fortnight, Mick will be chatting about his experience as a male author in the romantic genre. Mick is a forty-something member of the Romantic Novelists Association, New Writers Scheme. He lives in Northamptonshire and is the proud keeper of a cat bent on world domination.When he’s not trying to write books, Mick has a deep-seated love of reading that he’s brought from his teens to the current day with no signs of waning. He’s also mad on the music of the Beach Boys and enjoys the theatre and humouring his Manchester United supporting wife. Mick can be followed on Twitter.

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.