Holiday

Monday motivation.

/ lizziechantree / 4 Comments

Morning coffee meme by Lizzie Chantree.png

Hello everyone. I hope you had an amazing weekend. I have just finished my first chick lit author blog hop. It had 417 comments and well over 600 engagements and people are still commenting, on one single post. Phew! It took a lot of time, commitment and effort, but I met lots of new readers, some of whom have already downloaded the summer read, Babe Driven, from the FaceBook hop and I would definitely recommend for other authors to give it a try. I can’t wait to chat to the people I met there about my books and to let them know about my new manuscripts.

I really enjoyed the gifs people posted. I asked the question: What would you do if the world’s hottest rock stars moved into the villa next door and invited you to a party, as Babe Driven is set on exotic island and full of exciting celebrities who are out to cause mischief. The resulting posts were hilarious and my husband kept asking my why I was giggling at my phone every day. The way everyone jumped in with good humour and the fact that they were open to learning about a different author that they might not have heard of before made it even more fun.

I hope that all of the new subscribers to this blog enjoy it and I look forward to chatting to you here.

Babe Driven beach meme





 

Have work, will travel.

/ lizziechantree / 3 Comments

It’s holiday season and I’ve been trying to be organised, as the term finishes for this school year. Fitting writing into family life can be great fun, but also a challenge. I write all of my books by hand in A4 green Tink notebooks and then transcribe them onto a computer. This means that I can easily pick my work up and carry it anywhere with me. This made me think about travel and holidays. I do like to relax on holiday, but also find it a great inspiration for my work. Different scenery and a change in temperature can make you feel more at ease and able to let the words flow. I particularly love to write in Spain and France as I enjoy looking at the countryside and the architecture. The U.K. inspires me with it’s history and eclectic styles too.

If you are stuck in any kind of writing rut, perhaps a change of scenery is all you need. I don’t mean two weeks in Cannes, but even working outside or moving rooms for a while with your laptop if you have one, or taking your notebooks and sitting on a beach nearby or somewhere with a good view, might be enough to change your mood and give you fresh ideas.

Lizzie Chantree blog 7

Top tips for utilising the views nearby. 3 Quick Tips. 

  1. Plan a day where you can take your writing tools to a new location. Sit and take in the scenery and draw inspiration from your surroundings.
  2. If you are already on holiday, keep a notebook in your bag or pocket. You never know when you might see something interesting, or notice a location that could fit seamlessly into your latest book, blog or article.
  3. Take photos. These photos can become your own stock photography. Keep them in folders on your computer and instead of buying stock images for promotion, upload your own images into software like Canva to keep costs to a minimum for your own designs. These photos might also come in useful when you are writing about locations for descriptive reference.