How I Started Writing a Christmas Novel by Dora Bramden

It all began when I decided to participate in a Melbourne Romance Writers Guild online writing challenge. The first consideration was, what can I realistically commit to? I hadn’t written any new words for a long time because I’d been reworking a book I wrote earlier. To fire up my creative spark, I needed the excitement of a fresh story. Also, I craved trying to write something unlike anything I had ever done before.

What would give me joy? What would be a pleasure to immerse myself in? Christmas in July came to mind. I love Christmas shops, the ones that are stuffed full with happiness decor. Elves and Santas, fairies and angels, nativity scenes and forest animals, I love them all. Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I love Christmas decorating. I have posts about it on my blog: Dora’s Romantic Lifestyle.

It wasn’t long after I started imagining a cute Christmas shop that Samantha Bell, the shop’s owner, made her appearance behind a counter tucked into a corner. She turned and looked at a staircase that led to a mezzanine area full of boxes crammed to the ancient oak beams. Then she looked out the shop’s front glass door. The street outside was in an English village that was paved in brick and lined with  Tudor style shops. I have my heroine and the setting. I have the beginnings of a Christmas novel.

Samantha Bell has been struggling to keep up Jingle Bells, her father’s Christmas shop, since he passed away five years ago. I wondered, in author style, what is the worst thing that could happen to her? I imagined her arriving at the shop one morning, coffee in hand, ready to open up and start her day. It’s the first of October and the official start to her Christmas season. New stock will start arriving today, and the town’s people will be calling in to see the new displays she’s setting up.

But someone has put a piece of paper on the front door with a big red X on it. On closer inspection, the fine print declares that her building has been condemned. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Jingle Bells. Her life, as she’d always known it, would be finished too. How would she provide for herself without the shop?

Samantha heads straight to the council offices to sort out what must be a terrible mistake. It’s here she meets Nicholas Grant, the super organized and efficient manager of the building department. He excels in administering the department codes. Following the guidelines suits him perfectly. Oh, and he doesn’t do birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas. He spends those days with his model railway, which he’s very proud of.

But there’s something about blond curls and red cheeks and tears in blue eyes that make Nicholas look a little closer into Miss Bell’s situation. It seems a fire report has been the cause, strange that it hadn’t been flagged until now. Then he remembers how her father, always came to the orphanage where Nicholas lived for six years, dressed up as Santa Clause to give presents to the orphans. Miss Bell had accompanied him, dressed as an elf. She was all grown up now at five feet tall, but she still has blue eyes, bouncing blond curls, and red cheeks.

Before Nicholas knows it he’s up to his armpits in helping Miss Bell to unravel the council’s building codes that apply to her shop

I have an idea where the story will go from here, and I’ve been uncovering a lot of this lovely couple’s back-story. I’m enjoying my time in the Christmas shop world of Samantha and Nicholas and I’m getting to know the villagers who are their friends and supporters.

I hope to have it finished and ready to release in time for this Christmas, but it could end up being a Christmas in July story for next year. I plan on including that kind of information in my newsletter that I'll have up and running soon so if you'd like to be on the list, email me at dora@dorabramden.com and I'll pop you on it.

 

Don’t forget to check out my Christmas decor posts on my blog. Just follow the link below and choose the Christmas Category to see them all.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate, romance.

http://www.dorabramden.com

Follow me on:

Amazon Author Page

Instagram @dorabramden

Facebook Dora Bramden Author Page

Dora’s Romantic Life Blog

 

How I Got Into the Christmas Spirit by Julie Cameron

Several years ago, while I was working with my manager in Los Angeles for my screenplays, she asked me if I had any that were holiday themed.

“They’re really looking for holiday movies right now,” she told me, which wasn’t great news for me at the time. I struggle mightily with the holidays.

But I didn’t want to lose momentum with my manager, so I said, “Uhhh… I can put one together.” Never say, “No” to your representation when you’re first starting out, right?

I ran away from home and holed-up in a condo in Winter Park, Colorado for a week to get it done. I brought in food, wine (lots of wine), and stayed in a place without internet access so that I could focus entirely on writing the screenplay. The pizza delivery guy and I were on a first name basis.

My first idea was to expose the commercialism around Christmas and make it an enlightening expose on how it’s all about the money.

Did I mention that I struggle with the holidays?

Or that I actually write romantic-comedies?

I wrote frantically at odd hours of the day and night, almost never leaving the condo for the entire week. When I finished the first draft, I was really excited about it. And so was my manager. And that was the birth of Christmas Spirit in screenplay format.

But, here’s the thing: It didn’t end up being about commercialism. I had interwoven all of my favorite family traditions and turned it into a love story, not only between the hero and heroine, but about Christmas itself. I realized that I love my family traditions, and that family is the very best part about the holiday season. My new screenplay was an homage to the holiday season.

The problem came, however, when I realized that, if I sold the screenplay, I would lose the rights to the story. I had become very attached to my story and the characters.

No problem, I thought. Simply “plop” it into novel format, put it in past-tense, add more detailed descriptions around all the dialogue, and voila! Instant book. Easy-peasy.

Not so much…

I did all of that, then sent it to my Content Editor for input. His response? “Yeah, you write like a screenwriter.” We worked, and then we worked some more. The book finally came together and was the beginning of a whole new series – and a whole new way of writing – for me.

Christmas Spirit is the first in the Landon Legacy series. The second book, Family Spirit came out in 2017, and also has a screenplay. The third book and screenplay, because, yes, I tend to write both at the same time now, is in-progress (I’ll probably need to run away from home again).

The screenplays for both Christmas Spirit and Family Spirit are currently with a production company in Los Angeles. (Nope, not Hallmark.)

Keep your fingers crossed for Christmas Spirit as a holiday movie in 2020. Putting it out there, gang. Wish me luck!

Julie Cameron is an award-winning author and screenwriter of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. She sits on the Boards of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW), and Writer's Guild of Astoria.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), the Rose City Romance Writers Chapter of RWA, Willamette Writers, and Oregon Writers Colony. 

As a content editor, writing coach and instructor through her company, Landon Literary, Julie is also a member of Independent Book Publishers Assn. (IBPA), Colorado Independent Publishers Assn. (CIPA), Editorial Freelancers Assn. (EFA), and Northwest Editor’s Guild.

When she isn’t writing or working with clients, Julie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and fellow authors in the literary community.

To learn more about Julie check out these links:
Landon Legacy series
www.JulieCameron.net 
@JulieCameronAuthor 

@JulieCameron.writer