I write the first draft of my novel by hand
When I begin writing a novel, I find it easier to kick-start my creative juices by writing by hand. It’s a case of the pen is mightier than the Qwerty keyboard! There’s something nice about holding a pen - a Bic, a Parker, anything with a good old fashioned nib really.
Jade Winters
My childhood ambition was to be a scriptwriter and make films
As a child, I longed to be a screenwriter and turn my scripts into movies. I used to send pages of ideas and scripts to anyone listed as a ‘producer’ in the Yellow Pages. I must have single-handedly kept the postal service afloat with all my letters! As I still loved writing, somehow as an adult I ended up writing novels instead. But never say never.
I started writing at the age of 7 because I wanted to write the script for the sequel to Grease.
When Grease was released in 1978, I became obsessed with the film and, more importantly, Olivia Newton-John. I was determined to have her star in a sequel, so set about writing it myself. I saved my pocket money each week and used it to send my script to various people in the movie business.I only ever received one response and that was from a producer who told me to never give up.
I write the kind of books that I would like to read
I don’t write run-of-the-mill romances. Instead, my novels often have underlying themes that tackle issues prevalent in society. As I use Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s independent publishing programme, I have complete control of the direction of the story. I like to add a bit of meat to the bones of romance—that doesn’t sound very romantic at all, but you get my drift.
I have hand massages to relieve the stress from writing so much
The more I write the more my hands ache. I often write for ten hours a day and this takes its toll (cue violins). The perfect antidote is a hand massage. It’s soothing and relaxing and gets my little digits back in shape sharpish.
I’m forever scribbling storylines only for me to be unable to understand what I’ve written.
I have hundreds of notes for storylines that I can’t decipher. I tend to scribble down story ideas whenever they come to me, which means they might be on scraps of paper, napkins or anything else I have to hand. I don’t think I’ve gone as far as writing them on toilet roll, but who knows where inspiration might strike.
I can’t get the hang of writing tweets
I’ve always had great difficulty condensing sentences (just ask my editor), which makes Twitter my ‘bête noire’. Mind you, that was quite a condensed sentence!
When it’s raining, I pick snails up off the pavement and lay them in a safe place.
I can’t bear to see crushed snails on the pavement. I have a compulsion to move them whenever I see them in harm’s way. I’m sure some of them have been moving for days, only to have me place them right back where they started. Sorry, snails.
I’m claustrophobic
I suffer from claustrophobia and in particular have a problem getting into lifts. For years I would use the stairs instead, regardless of the height of the building. Six months ago I vowed to overcome it, so I now get in a lift at every opportunity—even when I don’t want to go anywhere! Let’s just say, I’m a creature of extremes.
I love cats
I have three of my own and if I had more space, I’d have more. One of them bears an uncanny resemblance to Charlie Chaplin—complete with micro tache. They make me feel extremely relaxed and I love their independent spirits. I’d love to open a cat sanctuary one day, though I will have to see what my wife thinks of the idea…
Jade Winter’s book Lost In You is shortlisted for the UK Kindle Storyteller Award, a prize recognising newly published work across any genre.
The winner will be announced at the end of July and will receive a £20,000 cash prize, a marketing campaign and the opportunity to have their book translated.