I bought two copies of the Telegraph this week so I could see 'Memoirs of a Geisha ' for free, (there's still time for you to do the same if you buy it today and tomorrow)and this title in the Arts&Books section caught my attention. The full-page article by 'acclaimed novelist Louise Doughty' ( half the space is taken up by a photo of the winsome writer and her laptop)introduces the author and her works, is stuffed with sensible if well-worn advice and familiar quotes from better-known authors about the craft, but soon disillusions anyone tempted to take the title seriously. It's the literary equivalent of those 'Lose 10 Pounds in a Week' magazine articles. You soon learn (if you didn't know already)that a year is not enough to write a novel. The most interesting thing about it, though, is that it's the first of a whole twelve-month tuition series linked to a website where would-be novelists can post their efforts according to Louise's tuition (she used to teach a creative writing evening class).I can see this could be quite a distraction. Louise writes 'Every now and then, I'll be dropping in, just to check how you're getting on'. Unlike a real tutor that you have to pay for, she won't read individual manuscripts or give advice on how to get published. The first exercise just involves completing a sentence. Check it out at:www.telegraph.co.uk/novelinayear

Sheila

PS Ypu can get free comedy DVDs all week from the Daily Mirror?



<Added>

The last sentence should read: You can get free comedy DVDs all week from the Daily Mirror

Cornelia,

I can't help but notice that wry grin on Miss Doughty's face. It made me think that she's holding the pen, deep in commercial thought; and if we were to pan down the cropped photo, we'd see stacks of filthy lucre from all the money she's made from 'A Novel In A Year'

One of the links doesn't work on the website, though, so she's lost a few quid there - surely.

Anybody can write a novel in a year - it's a huge amount of time, and there's probably no technique in it, save 'you must write a minimum of 220 - 275 words a day'.

The Guardian is giving away a free DVD of 'Let Him Have It' today. A very good British film.

Ste

Steve, I think you are right. In 1987-88 I wrote a novel in a year, and it still needs a lot of work.

Thanks for the DVD tip-off. It was advertised on TV last night but I'd forgotten. I hope I'm not too late to get it.

I look forward to when your website is up and running- everything seems to be 'under construction'. Part of my interest is in the whole business of having a website - I've just paid out £10 to go to a Society of Authors seminar the end of Feb, to find out more. How did you do yours?

Sheila

Sheila,

I look forward to when your website is up and running- everything seems to be 'under construction'.

I call that "dramatic irony" - the thing is, though, that when you have a website, you spend more time on that, than you do your writing. I'll update it this week - thanks for reminding me, I'd completely forgotten about the thing.

'Let Him Have It' - they've re-mastered the image, too, so it looks really good quality.

Well my background in Media Studies came in handy for the website. I use a html encoder and editor called Dreamweaver MX. It can be quite expensive, but there are simpler ways to compose a website. Simple HTML can be just as effective. I'll cook up some links and email you them over the weekend.

It depends on how good you want your website to look like. What you do is, you buy yourself a subscription to a web host and a domain name at the same time - so you kill two birds with one stone. You pay a yearly subscription fee for a set amount of web space and the name (domain) of your personal website. www.yournamegoeshere.com kind of thing.

Once you've got the space, you simply update code for each web page and you have a website, linking it all together.

You don't have to pay for space, though, you can get free space on the internet, but you won't get your own exclusive domain name. You'd get something like: www.freewebspace/yourname - which is just as good for a start.

It's much simpler than it sounds once you get the hang of it.

Ste

Thanks, Steve - that's very helpful.

Sheila