Lynne Sears Williams' The Comrades and Insecure Writers

aNo Day Two.

Insecure enough yet?

Actually, there's no reason to be insecure when writing during NaNo - turn off that inner editor and get scribbling!

I think fears never leave us - c.f. Joanna Bourne's first comment in her latest blog post - but we can learn and relearn ways to quiet those fears and work past them. On of the best ways is to arm yourself. You've got your pen, paper, computer, research books, library card, and so on. But what about the words? What about the grammar? In a recent interview, Grammar Girl talked about new approaches to teaching grammar, and how important it is to know the basics for clear thinking and writing.

So, fellow insecure writers, stockpile your arsenal and you'll feel braver. If it's the writing itself that's got you blocked, take a look at the 30 Questions Writers' Exercise that Ron Wodaski set up last September on the Forum. It's the quickest springboard to getting to know your story and your characters.

Speaking of characters you'd like to know, Lynne Sears Williams has a new release, The Comrades, available now on Amazon.

[That quote on the cover is from Diana Gabaldon: "Three more engaging Welshmen have never been written! By turns hilarious, poignant, bloody - and bloody accurate - historical fiction seldom gets as good as this."]

"9th century Wales...

Evan, king of Powys, returns from a wedding to find a village ransacked, with women and children dead. Neighboring Gwynedd has broken the peace, crossing the mountain to pillage and murder. The dead babes tear his heart, and Evan vows to break the heart of Gwynedd.

Gwynedd's most guarded treasure is a pampered princess. In a bloody raid, Evan's comrades return to Powys with Gwynedd's heart. Evan knows holding the princess will be dangerous and her safe-keeping may mean the difference between the lasting peace he desires and a bloody war. He's prepared for her to be kept safe but unprepared for the girl's intelligence, compassion and damnably kissable mouth.

Morleyna's secret gift of Sight reveals a cruel betrayal that sends Evan on a mystical journey where he discovers his only chance for redemption rests in the hands of his captive. Her brothers will arrive to claim their sapphire-eyed sister. Will her kinsmen, bent on revenge, destroy Evan and his comrades? Or will destruction come from Morleyna, who may be the reincarnation of someone whose beauty captivated a nation?"

That just gives you a taste... There's a lot in this book you'll want to read and savour slowly: from manly men to wise cats, scenes that make you weep to dialogue that has you bubbling with laughter. Of course, I'm also a sucker for stories set in Wales. The names roll off one's tongue, and the world - the Keep, the crofts, the food and feuds, the hills and heights - are vividly realised.

I'm trying to find a wonderful line to quote, but don't want to throw out phrases out of context. Here's a lovely bit:

"'I admit I made a mess of this, dragging you here the way I did. I have no regrets; I never in a hundred lifetimes would have visited Gwynedd and met you. Yet, here you are.'

...

'All right, then, I will do it.'

'Which?' he said, in a half-strangled voice. 'Be impertinent or marry me?'"

If you would know the answer to that question, read The Comrades! But meanwhile, you may watch the trailer: