Writing with Haircuts

This morning I was reminded of something I had read in Write to be Published  by Nicola Morgan  I had waited at the hair dressers for fifteen minutes (even though I had an appointment), had my hair washed for nearly as long (WHY? It was clean when I got in!) and then had to wait some more before a seat opened up.

The hairdresser had finally come to cut my hair and I was subjected to the horrible but socially demanded small talk. I never seem to have anything in common with my hairdressers and they never seem to understand what I’m talking about. Usually after about ten minutes of small talk we spend the rest of the time in awkward silence while I can see her looks of “you’re weird” in the mirror.

Which is sort of true and besides the point.

What reminded me of Morgan‘s book was when I told the hairdresser I wanted to be a writer after I finished my studies (I didn’t bother to explain that I already was a writer, didn’t need to finish my studies to be published and did, in fact, strive to be published). After she exclaimed how great that was she asked a question I always dread: “So what is your story about?”

I haltingly and awkwardly told me some of the basic plot lines without giving to much away and lamely ended in the “…but it’s kinda hard to explain like this” excuse. (To my defense my story is in English and I had to say all this in Dutch. Had not prepared for that).

This resulted in some funny looks, a disappointed “Oh” and the observation that I probably found it very easy to write my thoughts down on paper. I agreed (wondering why she asked) and she nodded and said “It’s probably easier for you to write your thoughts down than to say it like this right?”

…. She’s good.

Sufficient to say the rest of my haircut was very awkward, even more so when she asked if I had published anything yet, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

The point of this deliciously embarrassing story is something that Morgan calls a hook. As she says in her book (which you HAVE to read. Seriously. Buy it. Now!) “A hook is a way of describing your book in a concise and enticing way.”

It has to persuade people that your book is awesome and worth buying/reading. And it has to be short. Like one maybe two sentences short.

It’s not only handy to know if your story is working (if you can’t think of a hook at all, maybe there is something wrong with your plot. Maybe there is no plot) and handy in getting an agent/publisher. But it is incredibly handy in avoiding embarrassing and horrifying events like the one I had this morning with my hairdresser.

I had read this book by and by and did think about a hook for a while, but when faces with the task of quickly translating it within Dutch, I was lost.

My lesson in this is to create a Dutch version of my hook and learn it by heart. And rewrite my first hook to begin with. I felt the need to explain more to her, like my original hook wasn’t enough because I could see she wasn’t “wowed” by what I was saying.

Do you have a hook for your story? Do you think you need one?
Leave it in a comment below! J

We were celebrating my dad’s (60 yesterday) and brother’s (22 tomorrow!) birthdays today! And for the record, everybody loved my new haircut (and they thought short-ish hair looked really good on me, when I had just decided to let it grow long again… sigh…).

I hope that everyone is happily writing away at their stories! My #insanonano update: ca. 23.000 words at this moment. Should have around 30.000 by now…. O.o…. If you want to know more please follow me on twitter! @Lordkiwii

With that said I am going back to my writing!

If you still haven’t had enough of my ramblings here’s an interview I did recently with writer M.R. Jordan on her blog: http://www.mr-jordan.net/2/post/2012/03/noortje-de-graaff.html

Keep Writing!

Xx Noortje 

Lazy Sunday

It is Sunday already. How is it that some days (usually school or work days) time just seems to slow down to a point where it drags on, making the day painfully long--whereas other days (usually free days) seem to have less hours in them?


I swear that my free days feel like this: I wake up around nine, somehow have my breakfast at 12 and eat lunch at 3 and dinner around 10 at night. Then I have one hour left before I start to think about sleep.
Yet of course my days aren't (always) really like that. Free days just seem to go by with a few bits and pieces missing and before you know it you have to get back to work or school again. 


When I woke up this morning I got rushed so that we could go to my grandmother before it would snow again. Just when I was wide awake and ready to go (having hurried everything) did my parents inform me that the weather would probably be too bad to go, so I could just relax and take it slow.


...So I decided I would. 


I was reminded of an Italian sentence which seems perfectly fitting for today:  il dolce far niente. Basically it means “The sweetness of doing nothing”.
And I thoroughly enjoyed doing pretty much nothing all day: I sat around, thought about a great number of silly things and talked with my mom about everything and nothing. 


We watched Eat Pray Love together (where I got reminded again of the phrase and which awakened once again this irresistible urge to just pack my bags and go into the wide, wide world and travel. Fortunately this feeling is not so strong in winter, when it’s cold and grey, and stronger with my in spring and summer. So I’m good. No travelling for now).


(By the way the ice cream she is eating in this picture is from a store called Blue Ice and its The Best Ice Cream EVER! If you ever come to Italy try it!)


I read some (will come back to this). I played a card game. I surfed lazily on the internet and now I’m sitting warmly wrapped in some blankets on the couch writing this blog post while listening to soundtracks (Eragon at the moment) and wondering whether or not I have the energy to get up and exercise a little on the home trainer.


Sometimes we just need days like these, where we don't feel obliged to do anything and can just relax and take some time for ourselves and our family.


Do any of you get days like this? Do you feel like you need them?
My body has this not so great mechanism where, whenever I feel too pressured or am too busy with school and friends and life--in other words when I don't get these free days--my body shuts down and I become ill. I'm forced to take some time for myself.

Trust me this isn't great when you're in an exam period. But it does show that we should all take a break once in a while. 


About what I am reading (told you I would get back to it), it's a book called Write to be Published by Nicola Morgan. I'm not sure I ever told any of you this, but I'm a sucker for "how to write" books. I really enjoy reading them, even if I heartily disagree with whatever the author tells me to do, or if I already know everything in the book.

I like reading new and different ideas and to find out how other authors handle the business of being an author (whether unpublished or published). It often gives me inspiration and new courage to get back to my story.


This book in particular I really really like. A lot of things Nicola talks about are crucial points and warnings that I have yet to encounter in other "how to" books.  


I'll talk about it a bit more once I'm finished but for now I encourage people to go to her blog. I haven't had much time yet to look at it properly but if it's anything like her book, it's got to be good. 
http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/

It's time I go back to my tough decision whether to read something or to exercise before diner. I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and are ready for next week! 


Keep Writing!

Xx Noortje