Music for writing 

Generally if I’m writing, I try not to listen to anything with English (or Spanish, as I also speak that) lyrics because it’s distracting. That said, I’ve got better at this with book 2 so never say never. Sometimes it can be a bit boring sitting in silence. And it’s often how I spend my day job when I’m not in meetings so it’s nice to vary things. Creating writing playlists has helped me to get into a different mindset and delineate my writing work from my day job in marketing.

The other key reason I used music to write Kololo Hill. was because I wrote a lot of the first draft on my commute. London Underground is not the quietest of places so I’d turn on my noise cancelling headphones and pump up the writing music!

I love piano, both modern and classical. My favourites include Yann Tierson and Philip Glass. I also quite like cinema soundtracks as they’re often emotive. If I feel like listening to something a bit more modern, I’ll go for Sigur Ros (again, partly because it’s not in English).

You can find my writing playlist on Spotify or listen below.

Playlists for novels and characters

Although I’ve spent a lot of time in East Africa, in particular, family holidays in Kenya and a year in Tanzania when I was a toddler, I’m London born and raised. Getting into the mood and tone of a novel set in hot Ugandan while commuting on a packed tube in the middle of winter wasn’t the most helpful place for immersing myself in my story, That’s why ‘mood’ playlists were so helpful.

I didn’t know much about traditional Ugandan music but I researched it during my first draft. I also found some relevant soundtracks, Last King of Scotland and Queen of Katwe for example (both fab films set in Uganda by the way). It’s good to be wary of soundtracks though because they might not be entirely authentic to the period or the country. That said, they can be helpful for evoking a particular feeling or mood.

As my main characters are all of Indian heritage, I indulged in lots of classic Bollywood from the 1940s to the 1970s. The spread of years helped me to distinguish characters of different generations too. For example, Jaya and Motichand would listen to older music while Asha, Vijay and Pran would tend to listen to the contemporary Bollywood music of the 70s.

Vijay is also an avid music buff and he has an eye on the West. So although my tracks are not strictly historically accurate (Tusk by Fleetwood Mac for example), I included British and US music from throughout the 70s. This also helped me to create the story’s transition from Uganda to Britain.

For book 2, I’ve also created specific playlists for each character. I’ve found this helpful for developing distinctive voices and viewpoints for my main characters.

You can hear my Kololo Hill playlist on Spotify.

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Diary of a Debut Novelist

Find out how taking part in writing competitions has helped me and other authors secure publishing deals. Join us on Wednesday 24th February at 7pm. 

The Literary Consultancy Online Writers’ Day

Hear my reading of Kololo Hill as part of this fab Writers’ Day on 13th March. This event has a special significance because I won the The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor Live competition in 2017 after pitching and reading from Kololo Hill!

Jericho Writers Getting Published Month

Jericho Writers offer a range of help and support for unpublished writers. I was lucky enough to go to their York Festival of Writing in 2018 where I cam runner-up in the Best Opening Chapter competition. It’s such a thrill to take part in their Success Stories event on Saturday 27th March at 7pm!

Kololo Hill launch!

Last week was the launch of Kololo Hill. I cannot describe how wonderful it’s been and the publication day itself on 18th February was one of the best days of my life. I’ve had so many lovely messages from readers, writing community and book community, I’m overwhelmed! I spent most of the day on social media but managed to celebrate later with afternoon tea followed by a virtual party with writing friends. The night before, I had an amazing launch event hosted by Sarah Shaffi and organised by Picador. Sarah was brilliant and made me feel totally at ease. Despite the challenges of lockdown, I’ve had the most wonderful week!

Where to find me…

I’ve enjoyed to some lovely people about Kololo Hill. You can read and listen to my interviews below.

Babble Show video

An interview with Pamela Power

The Literary Sofa including a piece I wrote on my research trip to Uganda and a wonderful review for Kololo Hill!

A radio interview with Ellie Kumar

An interview with the SWWJ

The post Kololo Hill launch and Spring literary events – join me! appeared first on Neema Shah Author.

The opportunity

• A 1 hour phone call or Zoom session to discuss your work, how to achieve your writing goals & to get an insight into the publishing industry from a debut author
• Review and written feedback of up to 5,000 words of your WIP, plus synopsis and covering letter 

The mentoring will take place between 15th March and 1st July 2021.

You can find out more about my writing skills and background on my About page.

Eligibility

Any unpublished and unagented writer who self-identifies as underrepresented. This includes:

• Having a low household income
• Being black, Asian or from a minority group
• Being disabled
• Being neurodiverse
• Being a primary carer
• Being from a working class background
• Being LGBQT

I primarily write and read literary, historical, contemporary, crime, suspense, thriller and non-fiction work but I’m happy to mentor writers from any genre.

How to apply

Please message me via my Contact page with:

• Up to 150 words about you and what you’re hoping to achieve from mentoring
• Up to 500 words of a sample of your WIP
• Your email address and at least one social media handle (Twitter, Instagram etc)

Don’t worry about the formatting, I’m interested in content! The deadline for applications is 11pm Friday 26th February 2021.

Important things to note

A successful mentee will be selected based on writing potential and whether I think I can provide you with the mentoring guidance you’d need.

Once you apply and hit ‘send’ on my Contact page, you’ll see a message on my site confirming receipt. As I work full time, I won’t unfortunately have the time available to respond to all applicants, I’ll only be able to contact the mentee (or mentees, if there’s a lot of take up) who’ve been successful. I’ll also share the names of successful applicants on Twitter and other social media once selected.

If you’re chosen as a mentee, I’ll provide at least 1 page of written feedback on your WIP, synopsis and covering letter for agents.

If you’d prefer not to speak on the phone or via Zoom, alternative arrangements e.g. email correspondence will be agreed between us instead.

At the end of the mentoring period, I’d like to share an update on my blog. With permission from mentees, I’d also include a quote and/or information on their writing.

While I have relevant experience of writing and publishing, I’m not a trained expert nor do I have any professional qualifications, but I have worked extensively both as a mentor and mentee through my day job in marketing.

The mentoring session will take place at a mutually convenient time between 15th March and 1st July 2021.

Your data will be deleted in accordance with GDPR after the deadline (except for successful mentees during the mentoring period).

I’m looking forward to reading your work. Good luck!

• Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog to make sure you’re always the first in the know.

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Proofs for early reviews

I absolutely love my  book cover and my proof also looks fab as a result. Printed proofs or PDF copies were sent out to authors, journalists and book bloggers in Autumn 2020 so that they could read and prep reviews. It was also put onto NetGalley, where users sign up to become early readers and can ‘request’ to read books that they like the sound of, before they go out into the world. I’ve got a 4 star and above average rating on both NetGalley and Goodreads so I’m really pleased.

Audiobook recording

As a huge audiobook fan, I was thrilled to be sent a selection of voices to pick from for my audiobook. I can’t say just yet who will be reading Kololo Hill and bring the characters of Jaya, Asha, Vijay and the family to life, but let’s just say, I’m very excited. I was also able to hear some of the reading and discuss the narration approach with the reader (e.g. what kind of style, what accents should the main characters have etc).

Early praise

As a result of my publicist Kate Greene’s hard work, I can’t quite believe it but Kololo Hill has been picked as a 2021 Pick by Foyles, The Daily Mail, The Irish Times, Cosmopolitan and Eastern Eye! It’s wonderful to get early recognition.

I’ve also been lucky enough to get some wonderful reviews from authors I admire greatly. Here’s a selection!

‘Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean.’ – Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

‘A moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself grippedto this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant.’ – Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

‘Kololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. – Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty Friend

‘A searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it.’ – Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours

My writing tribe got even bigger

I’ve been fortunate to have made some brilliant new friends in real life (pre-Covid) through social media and writing courses. In particular, the @virtwriting group have been amazing. Anyone is welcome to join, just following them on Twitter and you’ll see all sorts of posts about writing and interacting with other writers.

But beyond that, I’ve also made another group of friends, the @DebutsUk2021’s, yep, all of those authors who, like me, find themselves published during a pandemic. They are a lovely group with some beautiful books coming your way this year so follow them on Twitter to hear all the latest.

And finally, I’ve learnt loads from those debut authors who had to deal with Covid this time last year, the @TheD2020Authors who can be found on Twitter as well as Facebook (where they’ve hosted a series of brilliant events full of tips on becoming an author).

Book 2 – eek

I wrote Kololo Hill while carrying on with my day job in marketing. Now, I’m juggling promotion for my debut novel, my day job and also writing book 2. One tip I have all aspiring authors is to try and get as much of book 2 drafted during the agent subbing process as possible. This has been a godsend for me, as I’ve not necessarily had the pressure of writing that ‘difficult book 2’ while promoting book 1. That’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult though LOL.

Either way, I’m delighted to see my dream becoming a reality and I’m definitely not complaining.

The post Becoming a debut author – Behind the Scenes Part 1 appeared first on Neema Shah Author.

Technology can be both a help and a hinderance

I was in danger of drowning from all that research I did, but then I came across Evernote, which lets you ‘save’ any weblink, piece of writing, image, video or even electronic handwriting and keep it in order through tags and virtual folders. You can also search all the things you’ve saved. Scrivener has also been a help with keeping track of research, electronically plotting novels (you can drag and drop chapters and scenes around) and do all sorts of useful novel writing things.

But, let’s face it, being on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Insert-Your-Chosen-Social-Media Here can be just another distraction. I’ve resorted to using apps such as Freedom that allow you to set times when your laptop or phone can access the internet or other apps.

You won’t require as much research as you think

Before I wrote a word, I did a ton of research for my debut Kololo Hill. I read books, watched documentaries and films, used Google Maps, looked at photo archives and took a research trip to Uganda. I’m exhausted just writing all that! While it was all helpful to get a ‘feel’ for the period and culture, I became so bogged down in facts that it became difficult to keep the story at the forefront. I took a different approach when writing book 2, with just enough research to get a flavour of setting and history. Then I just wrote. This saved a fair bit of time , because in subsequent drafts I only had to research the specific facts that were in the story.

The best way to learn the craft of writing is by writing (and reading)

I am a writing craft junkie. I devoured all the books I could find, read blogs, scanned author interviews for every tidbit on writing and paths to publication. Books such as Into the Woods and Reading Like a Writer have helped me, but there comes a point when you’ve read so many that they become nothing more than another procrastination method. The most important thing is to write. Write without judgement and without fear. Worry about how you’ll edit the damn thing on the next draft. And when you’re not writing, read books. Any and all genres, including non-fiction. Work out how other writers have created great – or indeed terrible – books. Learn from those that have gone before but then forge a voice and style that’s all your own. Just write. Sounds simple, right? There’s a reason that Hemingway said ‘All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.’ But for me, a lot of writing is psychological. You have to overcome the doubts that every writer has and just write. And write. Then write some more.

There’s no ‘perfect’ time or way to write

I dream of having a room of one’s own, with beautiful bookcases and a velvet chaise longue to which I can repair. But the reality is that, I couldn’t have written Kololo Hill until I let go of the idea that I needed the perfect conditions in which to write. I have a full time job and like most writers, various other commitments. I wrote whenever and wherever I could. In fact, most of the first draft was written on tube carriages during my commute, straight into my smartphone. Adding more restrictions and rituals to our writing process is a sure fire way of writing less, not more.

Writer’s block happens to everyone but there’s a method for keeping it at bay

I’ve been lucky to only have experienced writer’s block for a couple of days. I’ve learnt that the more I try to ‘force’ the words, the harder it becomes to find them! Instead, as I’ve talked about on other posts, I use a technique called free writing that requires you to write down whatever comes into your head, even if it’s not directly related to the story, and not looking back over your work. I find this eventually unlocks something so that writing flows. It takes some discipline, but this technique is the first thing I learnt in the online creative writing course and I doubt I’d ever have written a novel without it. The words won’t be perfect the first time we write them but that is what 2nd, 3rd and 18th drafts are for! Trust your ‘future self’ to go back and polish them later.

The post 5 novel-writing mistakes I made and how to avoid them appeared first on Neema Shah Author.

This is one of the areas that I struggle with the most. I love to read thrillers and I’m in awe of people that can create compelling plot-driven stories. How do you even begin to create something that is a page-turner while also weaving in all the other strands such as the great characters, setting and prose?

I’m still learning and it remains challenging for me (except for dialogue – I hate that with a vengeance and even typing this is making me annoyed LOL). However, one of the key things that’s helped with my plot and structure is my first book recommendation.

Into the Woods by John Yorke
This book breaks down story into acts and goes through the different act structures that a story can have – most commonly three acts or five acts. It’s primarily about film and television there are lots of interesting and useful techniques that can be applied to novels and even short story. Into the Woods talks you through the different elements of a story from inciting incident right through to resolution. Some of the films used include Thelma and Louise and the Godfather but he also uses examples such as Romeo and Juliet. Yorke shows that no matter how distinctively different two stories seem to be from each other on the surface, they all have similar structures. And this structure applies to chapters (or episodes in the case of TV) as well as scenes. There’s lots more including how to create cliff-hangers and how to avoid sounding too expositional when you’re trying to convey information to a reader through dialogue, which was particularly useful for Kololo Hill. It’s still my favourite book ever on writing, I’ve re-read it with each new novel as I write a zero draft.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Now on to a book that is brilliant in many regards, but in particular, it’s clever structure. This is also one of my favourite novels (OK I know I say that a lot). There’s only one main character point of view but there are lots of factors at play because the story is all about would happen if we could go back in time and change the past. There is far more to it than time-travel but the thing I like most is the way interesting way that Atkinson tells the story.

Plotting timelines
This tip will be particularly useful for those of us who have complicated plots with numerous characters and timelines. I read that an author (I’m really sorry because I’ve forgotten who it was now) writes their key plot points out on a long piece of paper. I take it one step further because my stories tend to be quite complex. You can basically plot the points of key moments in the novel. You can start by plotting out the key moments for your characters for example when the inciting incident, then mid-point and so on. Then you can overlay that with other factors such as the timeline of key political events or other things external to the characters that need to happen at particular moments. I added these along the bottom of the chart. The reason that this approach worked particularly for me was that it enables me to see the story arcs for more than one character at a time. It’s also more interesting for the story where the story arcs of two characters aren’t in symmetry. In fact, the most interesting stories will be those where the characters vary so where one character is down on their luck while the other’s fortunes are rising. You could also try it with your main plot versus your subplot.

If you want even more book recommendations take a look at my latest YouTube video.

The post How to plot your story – novel writing tips appeared first on Neema Shah Author.

When I first began writing, I thought that characters had to be larger than life and jump off the page. Despite the fact that some of the books that I’ve loved most have featured characters who are unusually quiet or have interesting inner lives, I felt that in order to capture the attention of a reader, agent or publisher, my own characters needed to be the life of the party, show-stopper, grab-the-limelight types.

The post How to create compelling characters – novel writing tips from author Neema Shah appeared first on Neema Shah Author.