Gill Paul's Writing Toolkit

WRITING TOOLKIT gives you an idea of an author's writing process through the tools they use. The tools can be anything (real or virtual) that they think is essential for their writing - serious, fun or even a fetish (that they're willing to own up to)! 

I am delighted to welcome 

GILL PAUL

AUTHOR OF 
ANOTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

Post-its

I go through dozens of packs of these per novel, usually (but not exclusively) yellow ones. I rip each post-it into three raggedy pieces and use them to mark paragraphs I want to remember in my research books. The best books end up with hundreds, like a bizarre kind of plumage. It saves writing on the pages, which I hate, but it’s a real pain taking them off if I decide to donate books to a charity shop. 

'Work hard' sign

This hangs behind my desk as a reminder. I used to have a hand-scrawled sign until a lovely friend painted this on wood for me. My dad was a workaholic and I think he’s passed on a bit of a gene because I’m not good at taking days off. Even on holiday I’ll be doing research or scribbling notes on odd scraps of paper. 

Notebooks

I carry these around and make notes like “Henry needs to be more charismatic”; “don’t forget about the camera”; “how does she find out?” Either that or I’ll describe things I notice as I wander around during the day, like pigeons having sex on the path in front of me, or a ravaged couple smoking a crack pipe on the top deck of the 24 bus.

Herbal teas in big mugs

There’s always a tea beside me as I write, and wandering to the kitchen to make the next one helps me to think of the next line. Twenty cups a day would not be far off the mark.

Swimming cozzie

Most days I toddle up to the Pond on Hampstead Heath to swim with the ducks, heron, kingfishers and other women. This is where I’ll work out plot points, character traits, and what is going to happen in the next chapter. The changing room is useful for finding experts on a wide range of different subjects.

Writing desk

If I showed you a photo of my desk, Louise Beech (author of Maria in the Moon) would have a conniption fit so I’ll describe it instead. It’s got an iMac in the middle, a big industrial printer on one side and a scanner on the other, several open books lying face down, umpteen scribbled notes to myself, a mug full of pens that don’t work, a box of tissues (Sainsbury’s Basics), a spotlight, an exploding address book and diary, a globe, dozens of business cards from people I can’t remember, several general stationery items and a thick coating of dust.

Thanks for having me on your wonderful blog, Vicki!

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, GILL!

About Gill Paul

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in relatively recent history. Her new novel, Another Woman's Husband, is about links you might not have been aware of between Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, and Diana, Princess of Wales. 
Gill’s other novels include The Secret Wife, published in 2016, about the romance between cavalry officer Dmitri Malama and Grand Duchess Tatiana, the second daughter of Russia’s last tsar, who first met in 1914. Women and Children First is about a young steward who works on the Titanic. The Affair was set in Rome in 1961–62 as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fell in love while making Cleopatra. And No Place for a Lady is about two Victorian sisters who travel out to the Crimean War of 1854–56 and face challenges beyond anything they could have imagined.
Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects, and a series of Love Stories, each containing fourteen tales of real-life couples: how they met, why they fell for each other, and what happened in the end. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.

Find Gill on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @GillPaulAUTHOR

About Another Woman's Husband

Published by Headline Review (2 November 2017)

Publisher's description

Two women who challenged the Crown.
Divided by time. Bound by a secret...

1997
Rachel's romantic break in Paris with her fiancé ends in tragedy when the car ahead crashes. Inside was Princess Diana. 

Back in Brighton, Rachel is haunted by the accident, and intrigued to learn the princess had visited the last home of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, only hours before the crash. Soon, the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson leads Rachel to the truth behind a scandal that shook the world.

1911

At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal...

To read my review, click here.

To read more Writing Toolkit features, click here.

My writing and editing process by Dinah Jefferies - Before the Rains Blog Tour

I am delighted to welcome Dinah Jefferies to my blog today to talk about her writing and editing process for her Blog Tour. Before the Rains is being published by Viking on 23 February 2017.

My writing and editing process

By Dinah Jefferies

I’m going to tell you about my own process of writing and editing, but please remember that everybody has their own way. The main thing we all have in common, is that any published novel will be the result of a group of people working on it as a team.

I’ve found that as I write more books the process changes, so really nothing is constant. For me the most difficult and sometimes painful part is getting the first draft down. During this period, I feel very much on my own. I may or may not have a contract to write a particular book, but it makes no difference, I am still faced with the task of writing approximately 100,000 words and, if I have a deadline, I often write even when I don’t feel like. It can be tough. I write new chapters in the mornings and catch up with research, emails, Q&As, and write blogs like this, in the afternoons. I can’t work at night as I run out of energy and, by then, my eyes and brain have had enough screen time.

I try to write the first draft quickly, because once the basis of the story is down I can then begin to dig deeper. I often don’t even know what I’ve got until somebody else sees it, and that first person is usually my agent, Caroline Hardman. She’s a terrific agent who’ll come back with essential feedback and it’s often only then that I begin to see the wider themes of the novel. The feedback can be quite surprising but this is when the first real editing begins. This is where the glaring issues are dealt with. For The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, I agreed with my agent that I would cut two point of view characters, and that meant cutting 49,000 words. Not a happy experience. For Before The Rains, I just had to add three chapters, so it’s different every time. I do enjoy the editing, because I feel I can really get to grips with the novel once I have a better idea of where I am.

Once this stage is complete, the manuscript goes to my editor, Venetia Butterfield, publishing director of Viking/Penguin. She will want to put her own stamp on the book and will usually come back to me within three or four weeks. She’s very experienced and I completely trust her judgement but, if I don’t agree with something, we’ll talk it over and reach a compromise. For Before The Rains, she suggested a final chapter I hadn’t previously considered. Her editorial suggestions are usually focused on characterisation, plot weakness, or maybe certain aspects of the story that need drawing out more fully.

Once these edits are finished, the copyeditor gets her hands on the script. This is when the nitty gritty of punctuation, any inconsistences, or timeline issues are dealt with, and I have to agree or disagree with all her proposed changes. Finally the page proofs arrive. They come to me and two other proof readers, and it’s amazing what tiny things you still find. 

So that’s my process of writing and editing. I love the pulling and shaping of a story to try to get the very best out of it. That’s what we all try to do and we couldn’t do it without a team behind us.

About Dinah Jefferies

Dinah Jefferies was born in Malaysia but moved to England at the age of nine, travelling widely throughout her life and always maintaining a love of Southeast Asia. She spent time living in a musicians' commune, and has had work publicly exhibited as an artist. Dinah’s first novel The Separation was published by Penguin in 2014. The Tea Planter’s Wife is her second novel. 

The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, was published in February 2016 and also entered Sunday Times Bestselling list. After living in Andalusia for five years, she now lives in Gloucestershire with her husband.

Find Dinah Jefferies on her official Facebook page and follow Dinah on Twitter - @DinahJefferies

About Before the Rains

Before the Rains

By Dinah Jefferies

Published by Viking (23 February 2017)

ISBN: 978-0241287088

Publisher's description

1930, Rajputana, India. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself.

But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule. Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts. . .

Follow the Blog Tour