There’s lots of scope to discuss the course and writing in general, both with me and with your fellow students. The course is run via a private forum as part of the Writers’ Workshop discussion forum, The Word Cloud (it’s well worth signing up to join this, regardless of whether you decide to do the course or not – it’s a great community, and it’s totally free).  Only course members can access the discussion, so you don’t have to be concerned about putting your work up in public.  Each week I post a new set of course notes, which follow this order:

Week One: Ideas. Week Two: Character. Week Three: Story, plot and narrative. Week Four: Structure. Week Five: Style. Week Six:Editing and the business of publishing.

Each contains a homework exercise, related to the week’s topic, which you send to me and which I then post in the forum with comments.  It’s not compulsory to have your work posted for the rest of the group to read – if you really don’t want me to then I won’t – but I strongly encourage it.  Students often find that they learn as much from reading their peers work, and my comments on it, as they do from the feedback on their own work; it also gets you into the habit of reading other writers work critically and assessing its strengths and weaknesses for yourself, a skill that you’ll find invaluable in your future writing.

Do contact me via the website if you have any questions about the course.  I’ll be running another one in the Spring.  You can book a place on the January course here: http://bookwhen.com/writersworkshop

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Mr and Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell

One Fine Day by Mollie Panter Downs

The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle

Middlemarch by George Eliot

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Notes From an Exhibition by Patrick Gale

We Had It So Good by Linda S Grant

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins

The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman

Diary of a Mad Housewife by Sue Kaufman

Rose Madder and Gerald’s Game by Stephen King

Comfort & Joy by India Knight

War Between the Tates by Alison Lurie

Greenery Street by Dennis Mackail

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

American Pastoral by Phillip Roth

Happenstance by Carol Shields

Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee by Meera Syal

The Adultery Club by Tess Stimson

Anna Karenina by L.N. Tolstoy

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

Couples and Roger’s Version and the Rabbit novels by John Updike

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Complicity by Iain Banks

The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin

We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen

The Way to Paradise by Mario Vargas Llosa

Afterwards and Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

A Pagan Place by Edna O’Brien

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Ablutions by Patrick de Witt

Money by Martin Amis

A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth

The Wasp Factory, Espedair Street, The Crow Road, by Iain Banks

The Book of Evidence by John Banville

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Curious Affair at Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Endless Night, by Agatha Christie

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield

David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Bleak House by Charles Dickens

To the White Sea by James Dickey

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle

Submarine by Joe Dunthorne

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Collector by John Fowles

The Fantora Family Files by Adele Geras

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

Something Happened by Joseph Heller

Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

When We Were Orphans, The Remains of the Day and Floating World by Kashuo Ishiguro

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Ulysses by James Joyce

A Disaffection by James Kelman

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester

The Horned Man by James Lasdun

If This is a Man by Primo Levi

The Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit

The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

Asylum, Spider, Trauma, Martha Peake, Port Mungo, by Patrick McGrath

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Last Weekend by Blake Morrison

The Story of You by Julie Myerson

Pale Fire, Lolita and Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

Life: An Exploded Diagram, by Mal Peet

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

So, fellow writers, what are you pleased to have achieved in 2011, and what would you like to get done in 2012?  Here’s my list.  Do leave yours in the comments if you feel so inclined…

2011:

Published To Touch the Stars to very nice reviews and celebrated with an excellent party.

Took part in some fantastic events around the country, from Worksop to Wimbledon, with brilliant authors such as Penny Vincenzi, Jojo Moyes, Adele Parks and Fiona Walker.

Wrote a six week novel writing course and started teaching this online for The Writers’ Workshop.

Wrote my third novel, The Darker Side of Love, a contemporary inspired by Come for Dinner, the serial I wrote for The Lady magazine.

Wrote initial outlines for four television projects.

2012:

Publish The Darker Side of Love and plan some exciting publicity happenings to coincide with this (watch this space…!)

Finish my fourth novel.  This is an interesting one for me as it’s the first novel that I’ve written that contains any significant amount of first person writing, so that’s a new challenge.  I need to do some reading of first person viewpoint to really hone what I’m trying to do with it.

Send out and continue to develop the television drama ideas I’ve been working on.  This is my big goal for this year really, in terms of new things – to make some proper headway in this direction.

Continue my teaching work (starting with two new courses in January and March – booking info here: http://bookwhen.com/writersworkshop).

Continue to build up my journalism and expand the number of publications that I write for.

And I feel like there should be another ‘new’ goal in there as well – some kind of new project or skill, though on the other hand, I have to fit having a baby in there as well, so maybe that’s enough to be getting on with…

Do let me know what you’re working on and hoping to get done this year!

Lies: we all tell them.

To protect those we love, to disguise failure, to hide disappointment. To mask betrayal, or deceit. But what happens when those lies start to catch up with us? When our lives begin to be shaped by the lies of others?

The late ‘noughties’. A global recession looms. A group of old friends, all leading outwardly successful, interesting lives. All in apparently loving, secure relationships. Yet all, in some way, lying to those closest to them, concealing secret worries, jealousies, desires. This group of friends is about to discover that the truth won’t stay buried for ever…

Welcome to the darker side of love.

PRE-ORDER NOW

This newsletter comes to you from my new home by the seaside – since I last wrote I’ve moved house, which is one of the reasons I’ve been a bit quiet recently… We’re now ensconced in Hove, and absolutely loving it.  Partly because living five minutes walk from the beach allows for evenings spent like this…

Also, I’ve been head down getting my third novel written, and am happy to tell you that it’s finished – just working on some edits now and then it’s there.  Title and cover still aren’t quite finalised, but as soon as they are I’ll put them up here.  Other than that…

I’M LAUNCHING…

Well, Luxury is launching a new imprint by Norwegian publishers Cappelen Damm.  It’s the first title of their new imprint ‘Strawberries and Champagne’.  Here’s the lovely cover they’ve given it.

I’M READING

I had a bit of an amazon binge recently, and I also found a load of unread books when I moved house, so my current ‘to read’ pile is bigger than usual.  It contains:

The Spoiler by Annalena McAfee – set in the late ’90s, this is about two female journalists and sounds sparky and sharp.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly – just finished this, and it’s great. Atmospheric, creepy, beautifully written.

After the Party by Lisa Jewell – I loved Ralph’s Party when it first came out, so can’t wait to see what Jewell has done with her characters.

A Dry Spell by Clare Chambers – Chambers is a seriously under-rated writer – do check her out if you haven’t discovered her yet.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffery Archer – Oh God, I know, but I have a no-so-secret soft spot for Archer. No one plots like him.

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe- Set in 1950s New York in a publishing company – this is what I’m going to read next.

The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets by Sophie Hannah – I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Hannah’s, so look forward to discovering her short stories.

There’s more lurking in my shelves, but that’s my list for the next little while… do let me know if you’ve read and enjoyed any of them.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO…

Warrior, the forthcoming cage fighting (or ‘mixed martial arts’) movie starring Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte.  I can’t say I’m a cage fighting afficionado, but I’ve recently joined a gym owned and run by a former champ, where alot of mixed martial arts goes on, and am kind of fascinated by it.  I also loved The Fighter… oh, who am I kidding?  It’s all about Tom Hardy, as these photos will attest…

I’M LUNCHING…

At Wimbledon Bookfest – on 5th October I’ll be at The Lighthouse with Penny Vincenzi and Adele Parks for a ‘Glittery Literary Lunch‘.   Tickets cost £30 which is for a two course lunch (I’ve eaten there lots of times and the food is delicious) and a glass of wine.  The event starts at 12.30 and there’ll be plenty of opportunity to chat and ask us any questions you like.

I’M LOVING…

True Grace‘s roomsprays – they have the most wonderful scents that don’t smell anything like ‘air fresheners’.  I’ve got Moroccan Rose and it’s so lovely I want to wear it as a perfume.  Am also dying to try the Hyacinth and Apple Blossom, and Library, Secret Garden, Velvet… And their room diffusers… Delightful.

Have a lovely summer and see you next time…

Jessica

I’VE BEEN TALKING…

To lots of lovely readers at Girls’ Night Out events in Basingstoke and Worksop.  Thanks so much to all of you who came along and bought books, drank wine, ate cupcakes and got make-overs!

I had a great time at both events and I hope you did to.  Here’s a little write up and photo about from the Basingstoke Gazette about that event.

I’M READING…

And loving, Leaving the World, by Douglas Kennedy, one of my all time favourite writers.  It’s the story of a woman called Jane Howard (Kennedy writes women impressively well) who vows, on the night of her 13th birthday, that she will never get married or children, and how she later discovers that life doesn’t always turn out as you planned.  Douglas Kennedy does that unusual thing of writing beautifully within the framework of a cracking good story, and his novels are hugely varied in style and topic.  Do check him out.

I’M WRITING…

Like a demon, trying to get my third novel into shape and deliver it to my editor.  This is always the scary (and fun) stage of writing a book for me, when I’m pulling it all together and hoping that I can pull off what I set out to do.  I don’t have a finalised title for it quite yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.

I’M MOVING…

Some of you may remember a piece I wrote in Red recently, about the often-painful process of trying to buy a house and my belief that houses find their owners, not the other way round.  It was written after I’d lost out on a house that I’d falled in love with, in Hove.  Well, not long after that piece was published, we had an offer accepted on another, even better house, in the very same street!  We got the keys last week and will be moving in before too long.  It’s a short walk to the beach, and I can’t wait.

As a result of my imminent move…

I’M HUNTING…

…Around junk shops and antiques fairs for furniture, having realised that the only pieces I own are a bed, a dining table and chairs, two sofas, a bright pink velvet armchair and – actually, I think that’s it.  And about 50 boxes of books, which I suppose could be fashioned into coffee tables and shelves if I really get stuck…  I had a great day pottering around Ardingly Antiques Fair, and plan to go back in July, and have become completely addicted to the Ebay app on my iphone.  I recently bought an antique printers’ tray like this one, which I plan to mount on the wall to display my little trinkets and bits and pieces in.

And, like most of us, on Friday…

I’VE BEEN CELEBRATING…

…The Royal Wedding!  I had a great time drinking English Rose tea and eating cucumber sandwiches at The Tea Cosy in Brighton, a suitably Monarchist themed tea room stuffed full of memorabilia.  I spent the morning watching proceedings on TV and casting a beady eye over the ladies’ headgear, on behalf of Violet.  Here’s what I think she’d feel were the best and worst of the hats on parade.

BEST

Elegant and classy, the hat provided a stylish twist without overwhelming her.

Violet would have adored the colour and shape of this 20s style cloche hat, which looked fresh and just right for Princess Letizia of Spain’s delicate frame.

It’s divided opinion, but I think Violet would definitely have approved of this Poppy-like flash of brilliant colour that Miriam Clegg is exotic and striking enough to carry off with aplomb.

Charlene Wittstock, Prince Albert of Monaco’s fiancee, looked stunning and extremely elegant in this wide-brimmed white hat.  Bit of a masterclass in understatement,this.

But my absolute favourite, both outfit and hat, was this, from Princess Maxima of the Netherlands.  The nude on blonde palette!  The unbelievably sexy Mad Men-esque Va-va-voom of it, while still managing to look Royal Wedding appropriate!  The extremely cool name!  And most of all, the TURBAN!  Princess Maxima, Violet Cavalley applauds you.

THE WORST

Oh dear, there were some shocker as well…

Top of the list of misguided choices – Beatrice and Eugenie.  I’m normally a huge fan of Vivienne Westwood, but can’t really imagine what she was thinking dressing Eugenie in this matronly, milkmaid-y number.  It’s the hats that are making Violet turn in her grave though.  Attention-seeking rather than simply striking, they’re too big,too showy and simply too silly for words.

I like the vivid blue of Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s dress, but the gloves tip it into OTT territory for me, and the hat drew attention to her nose – she looked uncomfortable in it.  And as Violet would tell you, the first rule of hats is that you must wear them, not they you.

Sally Bercow looked as though she had made little effort.  Her hat was fine, if uninspired, but the dress and amount of flesh on show made the whole effect look a bit cheap.

What a missed opportunity by Samantha Cameron.  Gorgeous teal ruched dress, but no hat?!  VC is not impressed…

Have a lovely May, and I’ll be back at the end of the month

Jessica xx

Tickets are just £3 including a glass of wine (and I hear there might even be cupcakes on offer…)

Get your tickets from Worksop Library.

The course is suitable for complete beginners, and you don’t need  to have any experience in novel writing to take part – just plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard on your ideas… We cover everything from how to build and develop characters and a compelling story to how to edit your work.  Each week you’ll get a full set of course notes including a homework exercise that you’ll complete and receive individual feedback on.  There’s also a private forum where you can get to know your fellow students, discuss the course and ask me anything about the course or writing as we go along.

Full details of the course and an introductory video can be found on the Writers’ Workshop site here.  Hope to see you there!