Anyone fancy a collaboration?

[briggsy's girl]

i would probably write the book you're wanting to write, and maybe have an associated preg diary, rather than having it within the book itself. i think it would be too confusing to be reading fiction, and then have your own notes inside it - would prefer to have it seperate kwim?

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

So would you prefer reading a novel or a diary with a "what's happening" bit in it too then?

[Aimz]

IMO I think you should stick to one or the other i.e. fact or fiction.

Personally i would want to read the novel/diary part more than the factual bits. Another woman's view and experience would be more interesting to me.

[briggsy's girl]

ditto what sarah said - i think i'd find it frustrating to go from one to the other. you could incorporate factual information on growth of bub into the journal as part of discussion between person and doc if you wanted to i guess..

[suse]

:yeahthat:

What BG said - there are many ways that you could incorporate the factual stuff directly into the narrative if you want to include it. Doctor/protagonist conversations, research undertaken by the protagonist, etc. As long as it is part of the narrative flow it will be readable.

Although, if you are writing it in the format of a pregnancy diary in the first person, then with appropriate typography your idea could work. If the 'what's happening section' is actually part of the narrative, and the character responds to it, then it will flow as if the character is simply writing in a pre-purchased pregnancy diary. Eg:

'13wks - your morning sickness may subside by now. Your baby is the size of your little finger... etc. etc.

30th July
Not bloody likely. Still chucking my guts up morning noon and night. For something the size of my little finger it sure knows how to make me feel sick as a dog. It amazes me that I haven't starved it (or myself) to death with all of this vomiting, but my midwife says that [insert more factual stuff here]'... etc. etc.

Or something like that.

But I wouldn't incorporate something that the reader can fill in into the narrative, it will be too disruptive and would feel like a text book. It could be included at the back of the book, but publishers may not go for the idea (publishers don't like putting in blank pages if they can possibly help it).

So, do we get to proof-read for you?

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

You've already got the first draft, LOL! Just need to change names, re-apprropriate the odd quote and add a couple of jokes really. And I'm being so creative with the names - my heroine's husband's parents are named Phil and Millie. Dear me, I'm original.

And face writing the birth too - may let you all proof-read that one and re-write it for me.