My graphic is a painting I did of the Glasgow Coat of Arms.
My novel written in a month, ‘Hawk, A Human Hunter’ was completed for the NaNoWriMo in November 2011. Due to concentrating on other projects like writing short stories and assisting a very good friend with the setting up of a blog, I’d left my novel’s re-write on the back-burner. All trace of it has now been removed from my blog whilst I completely rewrite the tale.
- Glasgow – Coat of Arms
A competition has reared it’s head that I can’t resist so I have until the end of March to get Hawk (or at least three chapters of it) up to a publishable standard. It’s okay toying with the idea of doing these things but just like the NaNo challenge I believe it’s time for me to go for the big one.
The original idea saw Phil (The Hawk), returning to Edinburgh after a distinguished military career in the Special Air Service. I used that city because I know it well enough to write an overview of a thriller story based there. My hometown is Glasgow and mainly because I have a far greater knowledge of the city and it’s people I’ve decided to reset the story there. It’s a sprawling city and will give me scope to do a little more with my characters. Other locations I used in Scotland will remain as they were and Edinburgh may even be brought in to balance the books a little in one or two scenes.
Research will be easier by virtue of the fact that my first hand knowledge of certain locations is already good and merely needs refreshing. I’m looking forward to the challenge and to give me a realistic chance I’m refreshing my characters on my story board ready for a start date of Monday 30th January. It gives me almost two months to achieve my goal so most other things will now be put on hold.
My mentoring of a good friend will continue and it will help to keep my feet firmly on the ground as I’m reminded that it’s easy to write, but it’s not so easy to write well. How much I’ll post regarding this venture I don’t know so I make no promises.
tombensoncreative.com 
I’ve read your novel, Hawk, so I know it won’t take you much to get to ‘publishable standards’, as what I have read is compelling and well written….then again, I am no expert. I know you will want it to be perfect. The change of setting will be an interesting experience, especially since you are going to visit the area again. It’s almost a nostalgic journey back in time. I envy your opportunity to be able to have a novel to submit to a major magazine. I feel the excitement that such a situation must bring to a writer. I know you have been published before, but I am not sure if you have ever published an entire novel. Congratulations, dear friend. I know your novel will be seen in high regard in the competition. x
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Good luck, Tom. It’s not the GH/Orion Books competitions is it? I wouldnt’ have thought Good Housekeeping was usual reading material! Anyway, whatever it is I’m sure you’ll give it a good shot and I’ll be waiting to hear your news eagerly!
I too am re-writing my NaNo at the moment. But for me it’s more like writing the first draft from a loose collection of notes!
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Hi Chloe Yes it is the GH / Orion competition … and thank you for checking out the post. Why would I be reading it? It’s one of the two magazines my wife has subsribed to for years, the other being Woman and Home. I have a flick through with article writing in mind. I’ve redone my story board in my ‘study’ so that I can totally immerse myself in the task of writing Hawk. Instead of going at the job as we did for the NaNo’ I’m only going to work on the first two chapters, the synopsis and the ending. My theory is that if I can get the first two chapters up to my best writing then I can take my time with the remainder, win or lose. Obviously I’m not building up my hopes but I am going to give it my best shot. I have a few days off in mid-February so I’m taking in a couple of days in Glasgow to soak up the atmosphere of the city centre, certain areas I want to use early on and places I want to rehearse driving to and around. I’m sure it will be a labour of love. I also have a few days off in March so I may take the wife with me to Glasgow on another trip, to celebrate our 35th anniversary there – it’s where I’m originally from and where we got married – she is from Londonderry (what a pairing!). My bio is what it is, so getting the right information included in there is the key I believe. Well my friend I’ll get back to my task and I’ll contine to check your progress. Tom x
email: orderlyman@yahoo.co.uk blog : http://tomfoollery.wordpress.com/
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Great! 35 years, huh? That’s ages! We’ve just celebrated our 3rd anniversary.
Sounds like you’ve got the whole research thing all sorted. I think it makes such a difference to how realistic a book is. I’ve been constantly asking my older friends on facebook for advice on minor details of the sections of my novel that are set in the late 1950s. Some things – ilke popular cars – I can look up, but attitudes expectations are much easier to get by asking somebody.
Sounds like your novel is going to be a cracker!
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