NaNoWriMo

Well it has been a while since I did this and that's because I have been very busy indeed.

Firstly, we are moving house. It was decided at the end of October and we move on 1st December. I cannot wait! The house is half the size, but currently we are being plagued with severe damp and to be honest it is quite depressing! Wet clothes and mouldy shoes... yum!

Secondly, I have been taking part in NaNoWriMo... the aim? To write a novel (or part of one) of 50k words or more!!! Argh, I know- crazy!

Well I am on day 19 and I am waaaay behind... but for some reason I don't feel disheartened... because I have written 21k words in two weeks and that is awesome!!!! I am so proud of myself for sitting and writing most days (minus weekends when the kiddies are home all day...) and I can see my writing has become stronger and more fluent. It has made me realsie that writing every day (if possible) makes a massive difference to the quality of writing. 

I know that I am just piecing together the bones of the novel right now, but at this rate I will be fleshing it out from January!

I have decided to take December off... unless the urge arises... I will put my book away and enjoy sorting out the new house, getting ready for Christmas and generally enjoying a break so that I can feel refreshed and clear headed in January to pick that book back up again and smash it!

So yeah, on a high because I'm trying my best and it is paying off... to all those NaNo-ers out there, here is one big high five!!! Keep writing! xxx

Time

So, I have had a conversation with a friend several times... always about the same thing...

Basically we both do art-based work (I write, she paints) and both of us wonder whether people think we do much all day when we have 'free' time (child-free). I always wondering whether people think I drop the kids off and go and watch Jeremy Kyle, or whether I just go back to bed, or watch a movie or go shopping...

I worry a lot about what people think about me, something I am learning to change... but it does make me wonder, am I alone? Does everyone writing their first book have these thoughts? They are of course coupled with feeling like a fraud (not being paid to write the book kinda puts a dampner on things) but what I am doing I am doing out of love-

Love for writing.
Love for my story.
Love for the chance to be able to write whilst my husband works all the hours he can...
Love for myself to follow MY dream.

As it happens, I don't have the tv on in the day, I also only tend to spend time catching up with facebook/emails etc when I am eating lunch...

I drop the kids off, take the dog out (this week the morning dog walk has been accompanied by a hot cuppa with my mother who has just moved bakc to the village), go home, tidy (a tiny bit), then do one or more of the following: read my novelicious book, write my novel, plan my novel, read a book for my novel, read emails, enter writing comps, research my novel, fit in lunch... then I go for a second dog walk and then it's time to collect the kids.

The days seem to fly by so I am now only at 45k, but I am still going... I have to work out part of the plot soon so will probably be doing less writing and more scribbling and planning in a notepad... I love handwritten stuff more than typing and I find a good long walk can settle the ideas and thoughts that are all jumbled in my head.... anyway, I digress...

I guess what I am trying to say is if you meet a writer who is writing their first book, or who has very little published, don't treat them like a fraud. They already feel like one anyway... Ask them how it's going... ask them what they're writing is about... don't presume they lie in bed all day with pizza boxes scattered across the floor... just be kind... we don't get paid or pushed by our boss to do it, yet we keep doing it in the hope that one day we will see our book on the shelf in Waterstones... in the hope that it might just change one person's life... we have hope... all we need now is support, love and understanding. A hug now and again would also help :)

To those friends that ask me questions, that show a deep interest, that say positive things- thank you!!!! I need it and I appreciate it.... always xxx

43k and counting

So although it has been a slow burner sicne the kids returned to school, I am getting there. Even though the work count isn't as high as I hoped, my characters are becoming more and more real...

I wanted to share a film I watched last night, it's called 'Stuck in Love' about a family that has fallen apart, writing, love, music and trust. I totally fell in love with this film and suggest that everyone watch it! You will be truly moved.

It made me love writing even more... there is a scene when Greg Kinnear is typing away so so fast and in the moment, and I was like "I love that feeling!" When everything else around you disappears and the worlds is the story, the words, the poem... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

So, I guess the bug is back and I need to get a move on, because in November I am taking part on NaNoWriMo and writing a different book in a month... arghhhh

Keep writing dudes... x

Well...

Well indeed. What a summer... how fast did that go? Guess what? I didn't do much writing at all... do I feel bad? No, of course not! I had a blast and spent quality time with the little ones... Also, I realised something over the summer and it was thanks to my children in a way...

I realised that a break from the project (my novel in this case) actually helps... I noticed that by the end of the hols my son was choosing to write words, of his own accord, as if the break had allowed all the information from the previous term to sink in... and I think the same happened to me! It gave my brain a rest to think and for ideas to form and for thoughts and words to sink in and now... well, now I am back..!

I have spent a week helping the house recover from two kiddies, yet it still looks a bit unkempt I know it was a lot worse pre-September term.. I have had to catch up on odd jobs and letter writing and today I had a cuppa with some lovely mums...

So, this afternoon I have written a little, thought a lot and also felt very sleepy (I blame the poverty challenge!) and since my fingers began tap-tapping away this afternoon, I realsie I have broken the block that is 'starting up again after a break'... which logically means on Monday I will write my ass off... doesn't it?

Let's hope so...

xxxxx

Holiday time...

Well, today the kiddies break up from school for the summer hols... and I have reached 38k!!! Wahooooooooooooo!!

I really thought that over the summer I would just leave my book to one side, but this week I have realised something, I can't not write it ... even if it's five hundred words here or there, I am writing every day and I love it!

So what's my plan with the kiddies home everyday? Well, I think I am going to do an activity with them in the morning (crafts, baking, reading whatever) and then set them up with their own activity or let them watch tv (has to be done!) whilst I write for an hour, then I am all theirs (minus housework hahaha) and I am hoping this will work... if not, I will make sure I am keepnig notes of any ideas and write them up in the evening! :)

Hopefully by the end of the Summer I will be on at least 50k...

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!

Happy holidays!!!

Focus at last..

So, finally the word count is picking up and I couldn't be happier. On the downside, our house is a tip. I wonder how other writers with children do it? Is there a daily balance or is it a case of winging it? I feel as though my writing is my main priority once the kiddes are in school and the dog has been walked, but my house does look like world war 3.... does this matter?

I do find it harder to work in a messy space, but if there is one thing I learnt from the book 'What Milo Saw', it was that tunnel vision is a great thing when all you want is to concentrate on what is in front of you... This and advice and tips from the lovely Helen Redfern  means I am concentrating most of my energies on my laptop :)

I do have to have a break now and again and go in the garden or tae the dog for a walk but that's just me...  I get too sleepy if I am sat in front of a computer all day haha!

This far into my word count I feel that at least one of my characters is real (which is why I a sticknig with her storylnie for now)... I feel that she is out there somewhere, that I know how she ticks and what she feels, how she dresses and her smell (that sounds weird, but you get what I mean???) This is a goooooooooooood feeling!

I am aiming to be at 40k by the end of the week, but we'll see, maybe 35 is more realistic...

mwah xxx

30,037 words and counting...

Yay! I have finally learnt how to up my word count...

1. WRITE everyday and 2. Bugger the housework hahaha!

I have been putting my timetable ot good use and I am feeling very positive today. I have finally made it over the hurdle of 30,000 words and I feel I could keep typing all day now... but unfortunately I can't...

I have a dog to walk, lunch to eat, a house that needs a bit of a tidy and then school activities this afternoon...

But I still managed to fit in at least an hour's writing this morning (maybe a bit more tehe)

I feel relieved that I do have a detailed plan of the book, so I know exactly where the story is going.  Because I am writing a multi-narrative, I have lately been writing the first narrative alone, without the other one slotting in... this is helping because I really kno the voice for this part and less so for the other... I am hoping that this summer I will be reading lot of sci-fi and fantasy books to help me with my second narrative which is set in the future... I am particulalry looking forward to reading Island and I am Legend... amongst many others...

So, here's to a celebratory weekend with a bit of fizz and lots of smiles :)

I DID IT!

Timetable...

Yes, it is time I made myself sit and 'do' and a timetable is the way forward... I think????

Warren said it would be a good idea to focus in on what needs doing as I often get distracted. Between school runs and dog walking, I need to find a balance... cleaning the house is less important than writing, right?

YES, IT IS!!!!!

But again, I am a very good procrastinator... so I probably need the timetable ot kick me up the bum!!!!

So I have devised a timetable to fit in all the parts of my life, so reading, cleaning, reading at the school, tv time and most improtantly writing! weekends and hols are all about the kiddies os will have to write in the evenings then... but it looks good so far and gives me a minimum of 9 hours a week to write... now if you know me and how fast my mouth moves, my fingers move jsut as fast!

I have also given myself another 5,000 word target for this week... so wish me luck!!!!

xxx

Words, words, words...

So I have hit the milestone with over 20,000 words and to be honest, with all the stuff going on right now I am pretty pleased with that! The kiddies have been ill, we have been away and we have had lots of housework to do (yet it still looks like a bomb has hit it haha)

I guess at the moment I am thinking more and more about procrastination and how it can affect your motivation to write...

I have lots of things that can get in the way of facing the 'blank page', for example I will go and do some washing or washing up or chat for too long with the lovely Mums at the school (I blame them, I really do... hahaha) but after a while you do just have to get on with it. You have to go to the place and be that person's voice and jsut write!

I guess the point is, it is never going to write itself. However, good reasons to have a break are:

1. If you are fallnig asleep! You may have burned yourself out, so catch a quick nap and come back to it.

2. Research... you may need to find out some facts before writing the next chapter, so get on with it! Go to the library or google or whatever you need to do... but just do it!

3. Sometimes it is healthy to have a proper break. Bake a cake, paint your toenails... do something positive and for you... Remember this is your reward because there is no boss saying "Well done!" at the end of each day, you need to keep yourself motivated.

4. If you need to take the dog out/collect the kids/meet a friend/do a spot (but not too much) cleaning... get it done but make these things short and sweet and then get back on the writing bike!


You have to live a life alongside writing, but you also have to write!

So, I am going now and I will leave you with my final wordcount for today... 24,533!

I hope to make it 30,000 by next week. xxxx

So far so good...

Well, I feel in the writing zone right now... I am really enjoying editing my work, reading it and adding or taking away bits... I am also writing more instead of procrastinating and without rewards at the moment which is good... I do believe that having a plan ahead of the writing game is key, I knew my main character well enough, but then I found a characterisation tool online that basically guided me through backgrounds, looks, personality etc for each character. Even though most of it doesn't go into the novel, it all helps to build a backstory and give extra dimensions to characters...

I noticed recently that my desk is littered with pieces of paper that say things like 'Rose: red curls, freckles, fair skinned' and 'maybe they don't know about the pit?????' and lots of other notes that I think of when I am cleaning, cooking, reading or just daydreaming that make me stop and write these thoughts down in case they slip away... Last night I had an idea and I didn't write it down, I naively believed that I would remember it when I woke up today... HOW WRONG WAS I????? I really do need to keep on top of thoughts and notes....

I am at a point in my life where I totally LOVE being a writer, and I feel like I am finally doing it... I am over the 20k mark and I never thought that would happen.. now the next milestone of 30k... I can't wait!

'I AM A WRITER!!!!'

The Art of Procrastination...

Well, April has been a writing write-off! In between illness and the Easter Hols I have done very little in the way of novel work and I do feel a tad guilty... However I have been poorly and I have had a lot of fun with the kiddies, so not that guilty hehe

Anyway, I wanted to share an idea for the more distracted writer... the writer who NEEDS to do the washing up first, or HAS TO put the DVDs in alphabetical order and definitely the writer who thinks that the ironing should come first! Yes, this is me and perhaps it is you too... I know I use a lot of excuses to avoid sitting down and writing... I think my real reason for this is that my mind feels more focused once the mundane tasks are complete, and also when I do sit and face my writing I can feel very daunted by the prospect of writing a novel.

It is a HUGE undertaking and the whole concept of creating a world and the people to live in it is... well, it's freakin' terrifying!!!! I think it is anyway... so my clever husband has devised a little plan to make me 100% motivated... and I think it is going to work.

Basically, I am treating myself like a child. We have decided to set up a rewards system in exchange for word count. Now, I am not saying that this is what everyone needs, but I really do... I need to stop distracting myself from the real job I have, I need to put down the cleaning products, leave the hoover where it is and start writing!!!! However, making an abundance of tea to keep me warm and focused along the way is okay!

My first challenge is to write 5000 words in two weeks. Now that may sound easy to you, and perhaps it is... but to me that is quite a challenge. In those 2 weeks I have 9 days to myself, 6 hours a day... but I have to minus 1 hour a day for school runs and 1-2 hours for dog walks... so that kinda leave 3 and a half hours, oh and lunch so that's 3 hours a day... in total that is 27 hours... BUT I also have to do other things like reading books and making plans for the story, I do have to do some washing up and I do have to wash clothes and clean the house BUT I am going to save those tasks for the evening OR write more in the evenings... something I avoid as I am normally too tired... But I know I can do this challenge... and if I do do it, I get to buy myself something nice. Hence, work equals rewards- yay!

Now for the procrastinating writer, a reward is the perfect way to get things back on track. Maybe you want to eat out, go to the cinema, have your nails done? Then write 5000 words in two weeks and then get your treat! I promise you I feel so much more motivated now I have a reward... I know also that to some people this will sound daft, but those people are probably highly motivated and less distracted than me... and that's okay, well done for being so... motivated and focused... but some of us jsut need a that little bit more incentive, especially when the plot-line, the characters and their motivations are making your head swirl...!

So, procrastinators unite, dig out your golden stickers, your reward charts and pens and bloody do it!!!!

Flu and other things...

I haven't written a sodding word for nearly 2 weeks. It is so depressing, yet I barely have the energy to make a cup of tea... Strange how illness, amongst other things can set the writing on hold. My mother said "You can focus on your writing still..." but my body said simply "Not today ,thanks..." and I promptly succumbed to the sofa.

Nearly two week's ago my lovely husband hurt his Achilles tendon and has been off sick ever since, (how very rude of him!), but seriously, I have been keen to spend as much time with him as possible since we rarely get the chance, the problem is that my pen  stays in its pot and my fingers have a break from the keyboard.

There are positives to these setbacks. Being ill isn't so bad because you just zone out from reality and the consuming feeling I have had has helped me with some anxieties (because I couldn't care less about flippant remarks or people not saying please or thank you when my legs won't move without real concentration!) Also, getting to be around my husband man has been fun, and if I wasn't full of coughs and his leg wasn't gammy, I am sure we would be re-living the pre-baby days! Hehe

There is also another perk to having an unexpected break from words, I am actually full of them compared to three weeks ago! I have so many ideas ready to flow and I have missed it sooooooooooo much! So on Monday next week (when life returns to normal) I will be returning to my little desk in the dog's room, and I will have a cup of steamy tea ready, and I will type and write and think and research!

Monday, Monday... I will be rejoicing with words, but I will oh so miss my husband man.

I think that sometimes it is best to go with the flow, enjoy life and if your body needs rest or your sick family member needs company, then do it... enjoy it... it's not forever. Laptops, computers and pens have all the time in the world. Plus, you might spark some new and interesting ideas along the way!

My story so far...

I remember the moment I knew that I wanted to write. I was training to be a primary school teacher at a University in Birmingham, and we were reading Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. We were given the task to respond to a chapter and when I completed the task I felt a rush of passion that I hadn’t experienced in years. I remember the lecturer advising everyone in the room, but of course I felt as if she was addressing only me, that if writing is where your heart is then you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue it. After a very bad teaching placement, I returned to University and quit my course, whilst simultaneously applying to study Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University.

I had no idea how to fund it, or how I would move my belongings from England to Wales, but I was determined and it happened! I felt like I was in a film, moving to a strange new land and meeting some new and very strange people. It was so exciting and over the three years filled with lectures, essays and booze, I never really looked back. When I finished my degree I moved to Cardiff, not really sure why… I think an old boyfriend convinced me, but thank goodness he did, because then I met my soon-to-be husband.

Warren and I dated for a while and then the urge hit me again. I was working full time fitting bras and although I loved my job, I loved writing a whole lot more! So, I started dreaming about studying my MA and before I knew it I was packing up and moving back into student accommodation aged 26. It was a great year of my life. I made some amazing friends and my relationship with Warren grew stronger, so much so that we got married the following year!

The day after our wedding I received the news that I ad passed my MA, but then the following day I had news that would really change my life forever. I found out I was pregnant. From that day on it seemed that everything paled in significance, even my love of pen meeting paper. Within just under three years, we had moved four times and had two lovely children. We were manic, we were a bit short on cash, but we were very, very happy.

Then came the day that my Dad died and suddenly the whole picture of our life smacked us in the face. I had been studying to be a midwife whilst Warren worked in excess of 55 hours a week, the children were in childcare from 7am-6pm most days and we lived in a built up city that had lost its heart and soul the day my Dad passed away.

I’m guessing you have already gathered that I certainly don’t mess around when a new idea or suggestion comes along, and well, neither does Warren. We make a pretty decisive and gung-ho couple, and I like that- a lot. We were sat trying to enjoy our Valentine’s meal and I had spent most of it crying into my wine glass, lost in my own grief. Then he said the thing that would change our world, change our future and catapult us into a new life. He said, ‘I think you should write your book…’ and he looked at me.

There was a quick discussion about where, how, when? Then two months later we were living in a new house in Wales, we had a new dog, new ‘sensible’ car and we were happy. We all missed my Dad, and we still do, but I believe he left us with a little gift when he died; a gift to make us want to live.

So here we are and here I am. Sat at my desk telling you I am going to write a novel. I have never written one before, and I am scared, excited, nervous, think I may have been sick in my mouth a few times just thinking about it, but I am going to do it. I am going to be a writer.