Its not forgotten

Its the focus of June. ´Lily is developing into a stronger and somewhat more sinister character - less puritanical - and she needs more time to be digested. What do you think would be the worst thing that Lily could do to Max? Bear in mind 1. in a relationship 2. she already left her fiance for Max and 3. he is a drunk. Let your minds go wild...make some suggestions! Lets see what I can achieve for you.

On holiday in australia...

Will add more after May 1st when I´ve returned. Come back then...

Why I´m not using the word fuck for my opening word

Some excellent thoughts from The Book Doctor herself:

"Taking the 1st sentences out of context I agree that the dialogue opener looks strong. But in the context of the entire first paragraph - which was the context in which I read the 2 comparisons - I was instantly drawn to 'Max was blind drunk and angry.'

3 reasons. Firstly, Elizabeth has quite a descriptive style and so the short, sharp sentence contrasts with the rest of the paragraph. Secondly, it stands out without trying to stand out. And thirdly I feel that opening sentences should mirror some of the content of the book. A huge part of the novel is Max's alcoholism, by getting this into the opening sentence, his character is set up immediately.

So for me, I find it difficult to grade an opening sentence if I can't see what follows."

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OK - so i know better than to just follow blindly what one person says but the reasoning is exactly as my own. I could make an impact with the word fuck opening my novel - but if it creates less impact - why bother, right?

Can I really start a novel with the word fuck?

1. Do you think I would lose an audience because of it, or do you think they´d be thankful for a book with balls?

2. Is it realistic, or is it trying too hard?

3. Are there any other books out there that start with fuck as a first word?

What do you think of this passage? Please leave comments below. Be brutal - I can take it.

Together Max and the kitten went back to the bedroom. He hauled off his shoes, tugging at the laces and then finally scooping one shoe off using the toes of his other for leverage. The prize gift was deposited on the floor and Max kissed his finger, and then pressed it to the creature’s head. The alcohol filled him too much now, giving him heart burn and earth shattering belches that erupted with precision timing and made the kitten shake.

“Time for a piss.”

A sound like a distant car door slamming ricocheted through the emptiness. Max cocked his ear, and stayed still for a moment.

“Is that you, Lily?”

The thick black blanket of stairwell and corridor was filled with his voice. Max groped the bathroom door handle and shoved it, relieving himself a little in the wrong direction firstly, and then with his eyes closed he swayed to the tune of his own piss splattering the floor. He heaved an appreciative sigh, shook, zipped up and started back towards the emptiness. It was then that he found her.

“Fuck” he screamed, almost too loud to be heard. “Fuck”

The curdled tones echoed throughout the flat. His hands clutched his hair and again he screamed. The tiny kitten crawled under the bed and lay down, trembling.

poll results - what ruins a book for you?

The voting has closed and there were 23 votes. Apparently, what ruins a book for you is overly complicated language, a weak ending and a lack of suspense; so i´ll be ditching the thesaurus (well, not quite!) and making sure the plot thickens and the twist and turns are in abundance.

In addition, the most popular name for the book keeps coming up as Tasting Freedom and Moribund...the original title of Chastise and Compromise is a slow runner - a bit of a lame donkey in fact. But I was playing with the idea that "Moribund?" is better as a question, rather than just plain old "Moribund". The poll opens again...

And in terms of book length, you´re an avid lot. A book is not a book if its not at least 150 pages long. Looks like the length is hitting the correct target!

break from novel - redraft in february - until then...

Please take my polls on the right hand side and help me figure a few things out?