The Rushford Times - A weekly newsletter from Jodi Taylor
Sent on Wednesdays to paid subscribers and Fridays to free subscribers
This week we have:
Jodi Taylor’s - Writing Dilemmas
NEW audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time
Short Story of the Month: Roman Holiday - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories
There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.
OK – here’s the thing.
I’m head down working on St Mary’s 15 which will almost certainly be entitled – That Could Have Gone Better. And it’s the usual problem.
I’m about 45,000 words in and suffering what I always think of as the Awful Phase.
The story’s awful.
It doesn’t hang together. In fact, it’s rubbish.
The characters are being difficult.
Should I scrap it all and start again?
Or perhaps take up a different career? Is 73 too old to start again?
Could I learn to cook?
Or should I do nothing? Just slob around all day and work my way through Amazon’s entire catalogue. No more staring at the screen clutching a mug of cold tea. No more waking up at 3:00 AM to write a couple of paragraphs of dialogue because I know I won’t remember them in the morning even though I won’t be able to get them out of my head and go back to sleep.
I could actually get my walls back. I could hang pictures on them like a normal person instead of pasting up bits of paper, plot notes, maps, reminders and cryptic notes in different colours whose significance I obviously can’t remember now.
Before anyone panics – this is perfectly normal for me. I start a book full of enthusiasm. The first 30,000 words are wonderful and I’m already rehearsing my speech for a major literary award as I write.
From 30k to 60k everything goes wrong. Every time. You think I’d be used to it by now, but no.
From 60k to 90k things pick up a little. Perhaps it’s not so bad after all.
From 90k to 120k it’s OMG – stop writing. It’s too long. There’s far too much story in this. And it sags in the middle. Just stop writing now.
From 120,000 words to 12,002 words – which is me typing The End, there’s a huge sense of relief. Let’s just hope people like it.
This is my life, people.
Or, I could just spend my time watching daytime TV and eating giant plates of toast.
Except that I know the voices in my head won’t let me go. Damnation! Hazel always says I’m not to mention the voices in my head and I forgot so please don’t read that last bit. Sorry, Hazel.
What is the point of all this whinging? I hear you ask.
So back to the thing that’s the thing. In every book there’s always a scene I particularly want to write. In Out of Time it was the Callen/Hay scene. Usually, when this happens, I keep it back until I’ve nearly finished the book as a kind of reward for working hard and getting the story completed. That nearly always works.
But I’ve been wondering whether it might be better to write it now and using it to inspire me for the rest of the book and get me through the Awful Phase.
Reward or inspiration?
Your thoughts?
We have started to post some entries to the competition. CLICK HERE to view the entries so far. A poll will run from 4–12 February to choose the winner, who will be announced on Valentine’s Day.
It’s not too late to enter!
Hearts Through History Writing Competition
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to announce a brand new writing competition created especially for fans of Jodi Taylor. CLICK HERE for more information.
Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time
Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.
Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.
Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER - the winner will be announced on 1st February.
Roman Holiday - ideally read or listened to between A Second Chance and A Trail Through Time. Available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology
In Roman Holiday, the ever-adventurous historians of St. Mary’s find themselves amidst the political intrigues of Ancient Rome in 44 BC. Tasked with observing an infamous moment in history, they inadvertently become embroiled in Julius Caesar’s domestic affairs—specifically, the delicate situation of housing his mistress, Cleopatra VII, under the same roof as his wife, Calpurnia. As tensions rise, the team encounters a series of unexpected events, including attempted murder, stampeding livestock, a bowl of venomous snakes, and a minor riot. With their characteristic blend of wit and chaos, the St. Mary’s crew must navigate the perils of ancient politics and ensure history remains unaltered.
Jodi Taylor says…
‘This is the embarrassing one. I wrote it because I couldn’t work out how to operate the door in my offspring’s flat, so I was trapped. All day. I wrote almost the whole story in one day. Ten thousand words, people! And everyone laughed at my predicament because children today have no respect for their elders.’
Inspiration. It’s good to mix things up if you feel like you’re in a rut.
I would totally go with inspo. i was just talking with someone last night who felt the same way which is which is we start writing (history nonfiction) and write sort of generally until that thing that you definitely want to capture hits. Ah ha! you say and then the rest makes sense. Bless you for working so hard for us and for your characters!