Four months later...

Writing, money maths, book competitions and the Kirkwall Ba'

It’s been a while, 4 months to be precise, although it feels longer and in the spirit of honesty, I started writing this a month ago and have just had to change 3 months to 4 months.

I wonder if I’ll come back to this post again at the end of January, it still sitting in drafts…

There has been a lot of ‘hustle’ this year, I have been working really hard towards my 2026 goal…to go very part time from June 2026 until September 2027.

What that looks like is trying to make more, spend less and squirrel enough away to keep paying the household bills, the business bills and of course, the taxman (always a man).

While I haven’t done all the maths, I know how much needs to go into the joint account each month and how much I need to pay HMRC in 2026. Unfortunately because I pay my income tax in advance of earning it, my tax bill will be as much as normal even in my non-earning year. What I haven’t done yet is work out my business costs…I like to spend. A course here, a 1-to-1 there, a new wall planner, but all these unexpected costs should disappear as I work less and aim to only be covering the basics…web hosting, insurance, google workspace, etc.

So there we have it, my excuse, as if I needed one, for not writing in for ages.

I have to admit that I was also wiped out by my entry into the Novelry competition in July, which is wild as having re-read my entry recently, it is shit…so crap that I have no idea how I expended so much energy and emotion on it. The problem is I wanted to convey the whole premise of the book in a paltry 1500 words, or in my case 1200, and I can’t.

A few weeks ago I met up with my writing buddy and while we both entered the competition and found it to be a useful exercise we lamented a little at the entry requirements - this is not sour grapes I promise. These 1500 words had a lot of heavy lifting - not only did they need to hook the reader in they needed to cover the following requirements:

Person (5 points):

This is the main character of the story. The judges will assess the strength of character development in the Submission. The character does not have to be extraordinary, heroic, or exceptional, but the judges will be examining how well the character appears as a real person with weaknesses and faults.

Problem (5 points):

A story is born when we have a main character in a tight spot. The judges will be assessing the drama and high-stakes nature of the problem, or “hook” of the novel. The problem is what makes the story a “page-turner.”

Place (5 points):

This is the setting of the story. Whether it is a specific place or time, the choice of where and when the story takes place can add drama and dynamics to the story. The judges will assess how well entrants use their imaginations to travel through space and time in order to create a specific setting for the story.

Plot (5 points):

This is the progression of the story. The judges will consider what keeps the readers invested in the story. It is important to pace the story to take the character on a life-changing journey, facing their fears to arrive at a new understanding of their place in the world. Although you will not be expected to know everything about the plot at the beginning, it is important to demonstrate that you have considered the outcome.

Prose (5 points):

This is the language that you use to tell the story. The judges will assess how well you use your natural speaking voice to tell the story. It is important to consider what words to leave in and what to take out. The judges will be looking at the writer’s own unique brand and style, and how they are reflected in the Submission.

I don’t know about you, but rarely has the first chapter of a book covered off all those points and hooked me in all at once. Most books take me far longer than the first chapter to win me over and one of my all time favourites, Dracula, took a good few chapters and I probably didn’t fall in love with it until Mina became actively involved in the fight against Dracula around chapter 17. There are 27 chapters in the book, so that’s a long old while.

Has novel writing and reading turned into an extended version of a TikTok or Instagram post where you have to hook people in within the first 3 seconds, otherwise you may as well give up and hide in a caravan on an island in the north? I really hope not.

What I am now trying to do is read with a more appraising eye. Although I do wonder if this will take away from the actual joy of reading and immersing yourself in the story.

On my Christmas list this year is our January book club read Ann Cleeve’s most recent book - The Killing Stones - featuring much loved Jimmy Perez who has moved away from murderous Shetland to less murderous, or so I hoped, Orkney. What is easier to notice in a book that’s set in the place that you live is how repetitive and descriptive you can be with what is seemingly obvious. For example, the Ba’.

The Ba’ is a battle between the Uppies and the Doonies - a ball game played in the streets of Kirkwall on Christmas Day & New Year’s Day. It is CARNAGE! The Ba’ is a leather ball, handmade locally, and the two teams carry, kick, or smuggle the ball towards their goal. For the Uppies it’s against a wall called Mackinson’s Corner while the Doonies have to drop the ball into ‘the basin’ in Kirkwall Harbour. If the Doonies succeed it’s not only the Ba’ that ends up immersed in cold water!!

It looks amazing and one day, when we probably don’t have a dog, we’ll stay on Mainland to watch the drama unfold. Understandably there are no boats on either day, so we’d need to stay two nights to experience it. On Christmas Day the Doonies won after a two hour game. It is not for the faint of heart!

And this is the point, I think.

Not the Ba itself, or the descriptions of how we get about on Orkney between the islands, but the need to explain everything properly. To make sure the reader sees, smells and feels it. It’s comforting because now I’m seeing a way I can turn a 20,000 word idea into an 80,000 word novel…she says hopefully!