We've had some sunshine this last week and trees are coming into blossom, daffodils are opening so fast you can almost watch the petals unfurl and on Saturday we saw the first butterfly of the year!
Mr Prue caught another bug and has been badly affected again so we had to cancel some outings. However, we did get to a film of a live performance of The Comedy of Errors from the National Theatre. I can only say it was weird to watch a play on film and hear the 'live' audience in London reacting differently from the audience in the Midlands! Distracting when you hear people laugh and you wonder what they're laughing at :)
Writing
I collated the responses from my beta-readers for the short story. I felt a little overwhelmed and decided to put it to one side for a while.
Work on the second revision of Mystery in Morocco is going well, and I'm sorting out the remaining serious plot problems.
At present, everything has come to a halt because an essay which I thought had to be handed in in a couple of weeks is due in on Wednesday. Eeep! I blame my new diary. It has a week to a page with the page opposite a picture of a garden. It is beautiful but seems to confuse things and I get the weeks muddled up.
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Monday, 12 March 2012
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Sunday Summary
Life
It's been cold this week! The temperature plummeted and I've been swathed in my thickest pullover and a fleecy blanket trying to keep warm while typing. Yesterday we went to the theatre in the afternoon and came out to a world made white by falling snow. Consequently the road past our house has been quiet today as most people have hunkered down and stayed home.
The roads didn't seem too bad so we went out into the Cotswold Hills to take some photos. This one was taken as we were returning to the car late in the afternoon, the light fading fast.
Writing
I finished revising my short story this week! It seems strange to have done with my characters, especially Jess the dog, and the wonderful setting of an isolated Scottish glen. After spending so long writing and revising, it is impossible for me to assess the story, so it is now with three people who are going to read it and pass comment.
Since sending the story on its way, I've been unable to settle on anything other than the essay for my ancient Egyptian evening class :)
It's been cold this week! The temperature plummeted and I've been swathed in my thickest pullover and a fleecy blanket trying to keep warm while typing. Yesterday we went to the theatre in the afternoon and came out to a world made white by falling snow. Consequently the road past our house has been quiet today as most people have hunkered down and stayed home.
The roads didn't seem too bad so we went out into the Cotswold Hills to take some photos. This one was taken as we were returning to the car late in the afternoon, the light fading fast.
Writing
I finished revising my short story this week! It seems strange to have done with my characters, especially Jess the dog, and the wonderful setting of an isolated Scottish glen. After spending so long writing and revising, it is impossible for me to assess the story, so it is now with three people who are going to read it and pass comment.
Since sending the story on its way, I've been unable to settle on anything other than the essay for my ancient Egyptian evening class :)
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Sunday Summary
Life
Here in the middle of England, it's a bone-chilling cold day with grey skies and mist. In spite of this, I saw a few hawthorn leaves fully opened yesterday, and patches of golden crocuses. The delicate white heads of snowdrops are appearing too so spring is not far away. Freezing temperatures are forecast for the week ahead so I won't be putting my winter woolies away just yet :)
Today we did The Big Garden Birdwatch run by the RSPB. We sat in the warmth of an upstairs room overlooking the back garden to count the birds seen in one hour. As usually happens all the birds disappeared, but after half an hour watching there were a few unexpected visitors like a flock of goldfinches who came to eat the seeds from the birch tree. Even this early in the year they are brightly coloured and a real treat to see on a grey day.
Writing
Life has been hectic, energy low (I caught Mr Prue's cold) so I've had a break from writing.
Tomorrow I get out my short story again and sort out where those chapters should go!
I seem to work for longish periods, writing or revising regularly - and then there's a break. I don't know if I need it or whether other things push it out?
Here in the middle of England, it's a bone-chilling cold day with grey skies and mist. In spite of this, I saw a few hawthorn leaves fully opened yesterday, and patches of golden crocuses. The delicate white heads of snowdrops are appearing too so spring is not far away. Freezing temperatures are forecast for the week ahead so I won't be putting my winter woolies away just yet :)
Today we did The Big Garden Birdwatch run by the RSPB. We sat in the warmth of an upstairs room overlooking the back garden to count the birds seen in one hour. As usually happens all the birds disappeared, but after half an hour watching there were a few unexpected visitors like a flock of goldfinches who came to eat the seeds from the birch tree. Even this early in the year they are brightly coloured and a real treat to see on a grey day.
Writing
Life has been hectic, energy low (I caught Mr Prue's cold) so I've had a break from writing.
Tomorrow I get out my short story again and sort out where those chapters should go!
I seem to work for longish periods, writing or revising regularly - and then there's a break. I don't know if I need it or whether other things push it out?
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Sunday Summary
Life
Mr Prue has had a cold and this brought back some of the symptoms he had with pneumonia. He had been making such good progress too. I'm hoping he'll get over this setback soon. In spite of this we've seen two films - Las Acacias and Habemus Papem; both subtitled, both intruiging and entertaining.
And we were up early on Saturday for a geology meeting arranged by the West Midlands OUGS (Open University Geology Society). Five speakers, all very good; three of them were excellent. I love listening to talks by people who can speak about their work in an informative and entertaining way, and whose enthusiasm shines through. It's infectious and energising :)
In a few spare moments, I've been reading about the First Intermediate Period (2160 - 2055 BC) in ancient Egypt. Historians try to piece together what happened in those far-off times using small amounts of information which have survived, against all odds. It's like working out the picture from a 5000-piece jigsaw where ninety-nine percent of the pieces are missing.
And I find it fascinating! :D
Writing
Typing-in all the revised words and sentences for The Green Ribbon. It's finished but there's the not-so-small-and-very-confusing matter of breaking it up into chapters. Sometimes the break is clear; sometimes it isn't. More information can be found here.
Mr Prue has had a cold and this brought back some of the symptoms he had with pneumonia. He had been making such good progress too. I'm hoping he'll get over this setback soon. In spite of this we've seen two films - Las Acacias and Habemus Papem; both subtitled, both intruiging and entertaining.
And we were up early on Saturday for a geology meeting arranged by the West Midlands OUGS (Open University Geology Society). Five speakers, all very good; three of them were excellent. I love listening to talks by people who can speak about their work in an informative and entertaining way, and whose enthusiasm shines through. It's infectious and energising :)
In a few spare moments, I've been reading about the First Intermediate Period (2160 - 2055 BC) in ancient Egypt. Historians try to piece together what happened in those far-off times using small amounts of information which have survived, against all odds. It's like working out the picture from a 5000-piece jigsaw where ninety-nine percent of the pieces are missing.
And I find it fascinating! :D
Writing
Typing-in all the revised words and sentences for The Green Ribbon. It's finished but there's the not-so-small-and-very-confusing matter of breaking it up into chapters. Sometimes the break is clear; sometimes it isn't. More information can be found here.
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Sunday Summary
Life
One of my unwritten New Year goals was to try different receipes. Yesterday I cooked Stuffed Tenderloin of Pork; a lengthy receipe but well worth the time spent. It's from the first cookbook I bought The Cookery Year , thumbed so often that it's falling apart.
The stuffing has a bread-crumb base, dried fruit, orange zest, parsley and tarragon with a smidgeon of garlic. There's also an apricot sauce subtly flavoured with spices more commonly found in Indian receipes. I was dubious but it turned out to be a stunning combination with the stuffed pork! It looked colourful too :)
Writing
I began the final lesson of Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel for my short story - details on my writing blog. A pleasing feeling to be on the home straight and yet I also feel bemused that the end is in sight as I've been working on it for so long.
My plan is to finish typing-in by this time next week.
As the end approaches, my internal editor, quiet for so long, has kicked into action and gives me no peace.
"Trash. Utter trash. It's no good. Just press the delete key, and don't even think about letting anyone read it," and similar comments are frequent occurrences.
Maybe that's why I took to the kitchen yesterday afternoon and made that wonderful meal? Never has prevarication been so pleasant :)
One of my unwritten New Year goals was to try different receipes. Yesterday I cooked Stuffed Tenderloin of Pork; a lengthy receipe but well worth the time spent. It's from the first cookbook I bought The Cookery Year , thumbed so often that it's falling apart.
The stuffing has a bread-crumb base, dried fruit, orange zest, parsley and tarragon with a smidgeon of garlic. There's also an apricot sauce subtly flavoured with spices more commonly found in Indian receipes. I was dubious but it turned out to be a stunning combination with the stuffed pork! It looked colourful too :)
Writing
I began the final lesson of Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel for my short story - details on my writing blog. A pleasing feeling to be on the home straight and yet I also feel bemused that the end is in sight as I've been working on it for so long.
My plan is to finish typing-in by this time next week.
As the end approaches, my internal editor, quiet for so long, has kicked into action and gives me no peace.
"Trash. Utter trash. It's no good. Just press the delete key, and don't even think about letting anyone read it," and similar comments are frequent occurrences.
Maybe that's why I took to the kitchen yesterday afternoon and made that wonderful meal? Never has prevarication been so pleasant :)
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Sunday Summary
Life
Our old oven is on its way out, so we spent some time this week looking for a replacement. The variety of ovens available is bewilderingly large, and we found ourselves beguiled by the high-end space-age ovens. They can even be turned on while you're still at work by sending an email to the oven! As the price is sky-high we reluctantly abandoned these awesome machines; but there's still a lot to choose from. It will be after Christmas before we get an oven so I hope the old one keeps going - or we might be outside barbequing the turkey on Christmas Day :)
Emily Casey and her post about cooking a new reicipe (eggs benedict) inspired me to make something different, so I tried panna cotta. I first had this desert a couple of years ago while on holiday. It was gloriously creamy, with a subtle flavour of vanilla, served with raspberries.
My first effort was a disaster. Too much gelatin set the cream so solid it could have bounced off the floor! The second try gave a soft just-set cream, and the raspberry sauce was a tangy foil for the richness of the pannacotta. It really cheered me up :)
Writing
I'm half-way through Lesson 19 and feel excited by the way this lesson increases awareness of words. What a difference changing a single word can make to the meaning of a sentence or phrase. It's slow going but satisfying, and exciting.
Mystery in Morocco, my first and still seriously flawed novel, has been in my thoughts again. Yay! I spent a couple of hours working through and identifying what the problems were. Amazingly I've solved two serious plot problems. Even more amazingly, I achieved this by making only small changes to the plot! There are still some serious problems to work on but I feel encouraged by finding solutions which won't require major rewriting.
Our old oven is on its way out, so we spent some time this week looking for a replacement. The variety of ovens available is bewilderingly large, and we found ourselves beguiled by the high-end space-age ovens. They can even be turned on while you're still at work by sending an email to the oven! As the price is sky-high we reluctantly abandoned these awesome machines; but there's still a lot to choose from. It will be after Christmas before we get an oven so I hope the old one keeps going - or we might be outside barbequing the turkey on Christmas Day :)
Emily Casey and her post about cooking a new reicipe (eggs benedict) inspired me to make something different, so I tried panna cotta. I first had this desert a couple of years ago while on holiday. It was gloriously creamy, with a subtle flavour of vanilla, served with raspberries.
My first effort was a disaster. Too much gelatin set the cream so solid it could have bounced off the floor! The second try gave a soft just-set cream, and the raspberry sauce was a tangy foil for the richness of the pannacotta. It really cheered me up :)
Writing
I'm half-way through Lesson 19 and feel excited by the way this lesson increases awareness of words. What a difference changing a single word can make to the meaning of a sentence or phrase. It's slow going but satisfying, and exciting.
Mystery in Morocco, my first and still seriously flawed novel, has been in my thoughts again. Yay! I spent a couple of hours working through and identifying what the problems were. Amazingly I've solved two serious plot problems. Even more amazingly, I achieved this by making only small changes to the plot! There are still some serious problems to work on but I feel encouraged by finding solutions which won't require major rewriting.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Sunday Summary
Sunday also summery! For the 2nd October 26 degrees C is extraordinary.
Writing
Plodding on with revising my Scottish short story. Lesson 9 of Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel. I can hardly wait until I can start the rewrite.
My novel Mystery in Morocco is still on hold but has started to demand more notice. It seems my muse has been working on it unknown to me and now a few ways of sorting it out are starting to surface. Yay!
The Big News this week is the publication of my piece of 'nano-fiction', The Importance of Interruptions for a Writer, in an anthology (see yesterday's post). A small but satisfying start to my writing career.
Life
A busy, sleepy and fun-filled week. It's been broken up by lots of one-off events and I went from one to the next dripping quietly in the heat! It's been too hot and humid to sleep at night - unusual for this time of year.
The week ended with the Warwick Words Literary Festival and collecting my copy of the anthology. To celebrate Mr Prue and I went for lunch at Catalan and had tapas with pink bubbly Cava. After a post-prandial snooze we enjoyed the new film version of Jane Eyre at the local arts centre
Writing
Plodding on with revising my Scottish short story. Lesson 9 of Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel. I can hardly wait until I can start the rewrite.
My novel Mystery in Morocco is still on hold but has started to demand more notice. It seems my muse has been working on it unknown to me and now a few ways of sorting it out are starting to surface. Yay!
The Big News this week is the publication of my piece of 'nano-fiction', The Importance of Interruptions for a Writer, in an anthology (see yesterday's post). A small but satisfying start to my writing career.
Life
A busy, sleepy and fun-filled week. It's been broken up by lots of one-off events and I went from one to the next dripping quietly in the heat! It's been too hot and humid to sleep at night - unusual for this time of year.
The week ended with the Warwick Words Literary Festival and collecting my copy of the anthology. To celebrate Mr Prue and I went for lunch at Catalan and had tapas with pink bubbly Cava. After a post-prandial snooze we enjoyed the new film version of Jane Eyre at the local arts centre
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Sunday Summary
Life
Autumn is coming, leaves are changing colour and the sun is shining while the air is cool and fresh. We've taken advantage of the good walking conditions and been out and about. Lots of other things to do too. Now Mr Prue is getting better, it's been lovely to go out to a film or concert and go out with friends.
Mr Prue was told that the lung infection he's had for so long has gone but its after-effects could hang around for another 18 months! I want to wrap him in a large, soft duvet and cosset him all winter. Going out for walks to increase his fitness, strength and appetite is probably more useful :)
Writing
Revision of Will Ye No Come Back Again creeps forward. I love my characters and am enjoying revising this short story. It's helped to keep me sane this year so I want to polish it so it shines.
Time to start thinking of another story. I'd like one story in revision, one being written and one in the planning stage...but first, I need to take control of my week. I have Monday and Thursday free to do some writing - in theory.
Problem !
Plenty of space in the diary on Mondays and Thursdays. If anything needs doing, I put it down in these 2 days. So I allow my writing time to be eaten away.
Solution
For the next few weeks, I've put WRITING in big letters in Monday and Thursday and scribbled in the space around that word. It is now impossible to write anything in for either day. That should work!
Autumn is coming, leaves are changing colour and the sun is shining while the air is cool and fresh. We've taken advantage of the good walking conditions and been out and about. Lots of other things to do too. Now Mr Prue is getting better, it's been lovely to go out to a film or concert and go out with friends.
Mr Prue was told that the lung infection he's had for so long has gone but its after-effects could hang around for another 18 months! I want to wrap him in a large, soft duvet and cosset him all winter. Going out for walks to increase his fitness, strength and appetite is probably more useful :)
Writing
Revision of Will Ye No Come Back Again creeps forward. I love my characters and am enjoying revising this short story. It's helped to keep me sane this year so I want to polish it so it shines.
Time to start thinking of another story. I'd like one story in revision, one being written and one in the planning stage...but first, I need to take control of my week. I have Monday and Thursday free to do some writing - in theory.
Problem !
Plenty of space in the diary on Mondays and Thursdays. If anything needs doing, I put it down in these 2 days. So I allow my writing time to be eaten away.
Solution
For the next few weeks, I've put WRITING in big letters in Monday and Thursday and scribbled in the space around that word. It is now impossible to write anything in for either day. That should work!
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Alice in Wonderland?
That's me!So much to do, so little time and I end up feeling as if I'm running fast just to stay in the same place.
I've found that I don't say 'No' enough. All those interesting things people want me to do or suggest I might like to do look so fascinating that I say 'Yes' before thinking of the consequences. Must learn that if I take on more, there will be less time for writing.
Writing
Talking of which, I've managed to do a little more revision of Will Ye No Come Back Again, my sweet romantic story set in a remote Scottish glen.
The golden labrador has become a real character. She's wonderful, good humoured and brave, and was a complete surprise :)
How's your writing going? Had any wonderful surprises which you wonder where they came from?
I've found that I don't say 'No' enough. All those interesting things people want me to do or suggest I might like to do look so fascinating that I say 'Yes' before thinking of the consequences. Must learn that if I take on more, there will be less time for writing.
Writing
Talking of which, I've managed to do a little more revision of Will Ye No Come Back Again, my sweet romantic story set in a remote Scottish glen.
The golden labrador has become a real character. She's wonderful, good humoured and brave, and was a complete surprise :)
How's your writing going? Had any wonderful surprises which you wonder where they came from?
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Old but Still Relevant?
I've been cleaning out my Favorites' list and came across this from years ago Evil Overlord - How Not To. I remember how it made me laugh.
Since then I've got into writing and still read - SF and Fantasy amongst other things - and it seems to offer some good advice. It made me laugh again too!
Enjoy :)
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Tuesday Tip
What Story Do I Want to Write?
Whether pantsing or plotting out scene cards, sometimes I find my self in a position where I can see the story going one of two ways. It can hold me frozen while a flick back and forth from one to the other.
I guess one way of dealing with it is to toss a coin!
What seems to work better is:
Take a piece of paper (working with pen and paper somehow helps me think more clearly but that's just me) and turn it landscape.
Then divide it into two columns.
Across the top of each column I write a short summary of each scenario eg JV fell in love with her at the ball at the beginning and JV fell in love with her much later in the story.
Under each heading I brainstorm all the consequences of that heading.
Usually, it becomes clear fairly quickly which is the better option.
I'd really like to have a clear, fixed idea of the story I want to tell; to be able to make quick decisions about where the story is going. Instead, I need to spend time working it out.
How does your storytelling go? Clearly? And if not, what steps do you take to winkle out that story that your Muse is hanging on to?
Whether pantsing or plotting out scene cards, sometimes I find my self in a position where I can see the story going one of two ways. It can hold me frozen while a flick back and forth from one to the other.
I guess one way of dealing with it is to toss a coin!
What seems to work better is:
Take a piece of paper (working with pen and paper somehow helps me think more clearly but that's just me) and turn it landscape.
Then divide it into two columns.
Across the top of each column I write a short summary of each scenario eg JV fell in love with her at the ball at the beginning and JV fell in love with her much later in the story.
Under each heading I brainstorm all the consequences of that heading.
Usually, it becomes clear fairly quickly which is the better option.
I'd really like to have a clear, fixed idea of the story I want to tell; to be able to make quick decisions about where the story is going. Instead, I need to spend time working it out.
How does your storytelling go? Clearly? And if not, what steps do you take to winkle out that story that your Muse is hanging on to?
Monday, 7 March 2011
Monday Musings
Owing to a walking-cum-geology trip yesterday, Sunday Summary has become Monday Musings.
Life
Owing to sunshine and life speeding up things have been hectic.
Convinced that Saturday was 12th March I dragged us off to a geology day we were helping with at the local museum - only to find that it was next week *blushes*
It's been like that recently. Perhaps I need a holiday.
Writing
Owing to life being as it is, my carefully prepared writing timetable has gone out the window recently. As always, if time is short I find it easier to drop into learning mode. So even though Mystery in Morocco has gone on the backburner, I've turned my attention to How to Write a Series.
Reading
When circumstances throw me into the fast lane of life, things can get stressful. Under these conditions, some people comfort eat. My appetite fades away, so I 'comfort read' instead.
Comfort reading books have to have the following qualities:
They are easy to read
Nothing very terrible happens in them
High feel-good factor
Preferably a happy ever after end
Often have an element of gentle humour
Some of my comfort reads are:
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith (or anything by her)
The Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters
I was wondering if anyone else 'comfort read'? And if so, what helps you to unwind/escape/tune off from hectic modern life?
Life
Owing to sunshine and life speeding up things have been hectic.
Convinced that Saturday was 12th March I dragged us off to a geology day we were helping with at the local museum - only to find that it was next week *blushes*
It's been like that recently. Perhaps I need a holiday.
Writing
Owing to life being as it is, my carefully prepared writing timetable has gone out the window recently. As always, if time is short I find it easier to drop into learning mode. So even though Mystery in Morocco has gone on the backburner, I've turned my attention to How to Write a Series.
Reading
When circumstances throw me into the fast lane of life, things can get stressful. Under these conditions, some people comfort eat. My appetite fades away, so I 'comfort read' instead.
Comfort reading books have to have the following qualities:
They are easy to read
Nothing very terrible happens in them
High feel-good factor
Preferably a happy ever after end
Often have an element of gentle humour
Some of my comfort reads are:
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith (or anything by her)
The Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters
I was wondering if anyone else 'comfort read'? And if so, what helps you to unwind/escape/tune off from hectic modern life?
Friday, 4 March 2011
Fabulous Friday
It's fabulous because the sun is shining! :D
There has been continuous grey cloud sitting over Britain for some time so this is glorious.
It's also fabulous because I've finished an entry for a writing competition. I've had a rough week in some ways, derailed from some of my routine, so I was astonished when details of a local competition came through (Warwick Words Book Project) and I planned and wrote a 200 word story in a couple of days!
Ok, I admit to having a prevarication pixie sat on my shoulder for half an hour but after I shrugged it off the writing got done.
The story is printed out and put in a drawer to be read next week. There's plenty of time as the closing date is April 16th. I'll be submitting next week and, in a sense, I will have won when the work goes in. I will have broken that first hurdle all would-be writers need to get over: submitting their first piece of work, however short.
It would be difficult to write a shorter piece - haiku perhaps? The sense of achievement and pleasure I feel is out of proportion to the word count involved :D
There has been continuous grey cloud sitting over Britain for some time so this is glorious.
It's also fabulous because I've finished an entry for a writing competition. I've had a rough week in some ways, derailed from some of my routine, so I was astonished when details of a local competition came through (Warwick Words Book Project) and I planned and wrote a 200 word story in a couple of days!
Ok, I admit to having a prevarication pixie sat on my shoulder for half an hour but after I shrugged it off the writing got done.
The story is printed out and put in a drawer to be read next week. There's plenty of time as the closing date is April 16th. I'll be submitting next week and, in a sense, I will have won when the work goes in. I will have broken that first hurdle all would-be writers need to get over: submitting their first piece of work, however short.
It would be difficult to write a shorter piece - haiku perhaps? The sense of achievement and pleasure I feel is out of proportion to the word count involved :D
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Further to Tuesday Tip
Ok...here's what I've done. It's untried and untested but I'm going to go with it although it reminds me of being back at school :D
A Writing Timetable
I have so many projects on the go that I'm losing track. Mystery in Morocco is getting attention but all the others are fading away.
Days of the week down the side.
Across the top are the following headings:
M in M (HTRYN) - 10.30-11.15 11.30-12.15 every day except Tues and Fri
HTWAS - Fri 10.30-11.15
Short story (HTTS) - Thur 2.00-3.00
Holly's online workshops - Mon 2.00-3.00
Mini Series - Sat 2.00-3.00
Critting - Wed 2.00-3.00
Blog tba
Tuesday is my day off except for doing my blog - I'm elsewhere all day.
That's based on the times I write now. It isn't perfect, it may not work but I'll give it a go.
At least it ensures I work mainly on MinM but do something of all the other projects on one day a week.
Watch this space for an update.
A Writing Timetable
I have so many projects on the go that I'm losing track. Mystery in Morocco is getting attention but all the others are fading away.
Days of the week down the side.
Across the top are the following headings:
M in M (HTRYN) - 10.30-11.15 11.30-12.15 every day except Tues and Fri
HTWAS - Fri 10.30-11.15
Short story (HTTS) - Thur 2.00-3.00
Holly's online workshops - Mon 2.00-3.00
Mini Series - Sat 2.00-3.00
Critting - Wed 2.00-3.00
Blog tba
Tuesday is my day off except for doing my blog - I'm elsewhere all day.
That's based on the times I write now. It isn't perfect, it may not work but I'll give it a go.
At least it ensures I work mainly on MinM but do something of all the other projects on one day a week.
Watch this space for an update.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Tuesday Tip
The Time Sink
There are actions in my life which seem to act as a time sink. When I do these things, it's as if time speeds up and flows down a big hole. You know how it is...you sit down, you only mean to spend ten minutes or so...you look at the clock and half an hour has gone, or a whole hour - and it comes as a surprise or even a shock.
My Time Sinks are:
Surfing the Internet:
It's so interesting and I love doing research.
Bootcamp forum:
But only if I stop to answer a post.
My Blog:
Writing new posts eat up time quicker than anything!
Writing:
When I'm in the story and words are flowing.
Talking to friends:
In person or on the phone.
Playing the piano:
Like writing, it happens only occasionally.
Time sinks are not to be confused with those activities where I have a conscious awareness of time passing. These time-consuming activities are not nearly as enjoyable as Time Sinks.
Time Sinks pose a problem because I have a lot of committments.
The only solution to Time Sinks is to set a timer.
Often, I forget.
So, I'm wondering how you manage your time. Do you have time sinks? Does a timer work for you? Or have you found a different solution which works better?
There are actions in my life which seem to act as a time sink. When I do these things, it's as if time speeds up and flows down a big hole. You know how it is...you sit down, you only mean to spend ten minutes or so...you look at the clock and half an hour has gone, or a whole hour - and it comes as a surprise or even a shock.
My Time Sinks are:
Surfing the Internet:
It's so interesting and I love doing research.
Bootcamp forum:
But only if I stop to answer a post.
My Blog:
Writing new posts eat up time quicker than anything!
Writing:
When I'm in the story and words are flowing.
Talking to friends:
In person or on the phone.
Playing the piano:
Like writing, it happens only occasionally.
Time sinks are not to be confused with those activities where I have a conscious awareness of time passing. These time-consuming activities are not nearly as enjoyable as Time Sinks.
Time Sinks pose a problem because I have a lot of committments.
The only solution to Time Sinks is to set a timer.
Often, I forget.
So, I'm wondering how you manage your time. Do you have time sinks? Does a timer work for you? Or have you found a different solution which works better?
Monday, 21 February 2011
Monday Musings
Life
The weather is grey and dull and rain is pouring from the skies. Great that we went out yesterday and visited another snowdrop garden. I love snowdrops - green clumps with the dainty white heads hanging down, gently dancing in the breeze. You can see a selection of British Gardens open at snowdrop time here. As we race towards the end of February, crocuses and hellebores are in bloom and green shoots of a variety of plants are poking through the earth. It seems magical. It's been a long, cold winter in Britain this year and this show of new plant life gives me hope that the winter will end - right now it seems as if winter will carry on forever. I can't imagine what it would be like to feel hot sunshine on my face :D
Entertainment seems to be something which has been around for me this week. I want to entertain with my writing. I also want to be entertained and I'm getting a clearer idea of what I find entertaining (and what I don't).
We went to the geological society meeting and heard a young man speak about his work with the British Geological Survey. He gave a cracking good talk - lots of up-to-date interesting information, presented well. What I really enjoyed was his obvious enthusiasm for what he does and I found his talk hugely entertaining :) Some of his work involves donning a hard hat and harness, then abseiling down a cliff face with a high pressure water hose. He turns the water on and sprays the cliff face to clear away dirt and lichen - and of course, the laws of physics being what they are, he swings away from the rock face. That's not a problem until he finishes spraying. Turning the water off means he swings back in and has to make sure he stops himself crashing into the rock! All this so that imprints can be taken of fossil remains in the rocks. These fossils are some of the oldest on earth, from Precambrian times (over 500,000 million years ago).
And our entertainment didn't stop there; we went to a local theatre at the weekend - usually a good evening out - but The Lieutenant of Inishmore was a black comedy with lots of gore. Buckets of it, literally! Fortuately we had a seat at the back, well away from the splash zone :D
I was impressed by the actor who had some sort of harness round his ankles and was winched upside down for at least 15 minutes! (He was being tortured). He managed to speak his lines and bring some humour into his acting.
This provincial theatre puts on plays of a high standard. This one just wasn't to my taste; too much violence to be entertaining.
Writing
I finished reading the revised Mystery in Morocco last night and while there are a still a lot of continuity mistakes and errors of various sorts, I liked it :)
So, I've achieved one of the things I set out to do: write the sort of book I want to read. One I find entertaining. Woohoo! :D
I'm now filling in my table of what each character knows and doesn't know, and what the reader knows and doesn't know - otherwise known as collecting my red herrings which I strewed so generously through the story. It's slow work.
For a mystery to be entertaining, I think most loose threads should be tied in. The book has to reach a satisfying conclusion; and while I can't anticipate what readers will find satisfying, the ending has to satisfy me. It also needs to be the ending which the story is heading towards. The 'wrong' ending can ruin a good book.
This book will be the first of at least two books. So Holly Lisle's new course, How to Write a Series came just at the right time for me to include the information in my revision :)
Over to You
As entertainment has been around for me this week, I'm wondering what you find entertaining. Is entertainment important to you? Do you want your book to be entertaining? Or are there other considerations which are more important?
The weather is grey and dull and rain is pouring from the skies. Great that we went out yesterday and visited another snowdrop garden. I love snowdrops - green clumps with the dainty white heads hanging down, gently dancing in the breeze. You can see a selection of British Gardens open at snowdrop time here. As we race towards the end of February, crocuses and hellebores are in bloom and green shoots of a variety of plants are poking through the earth. It seems magical. It's been a long, cold winter in Britain this year and this show of new plant life gives me hope that the winter will end - right now it seems as if winter will carry on forever. I can't imagine what it would be like to feel hot sunshine on my face :D
Entertainment seems to be something which has been around for me this week. I want to entertain with my writing. I also want to be entertained and I'm getting a clearer idea of what I find entertaining (and what I don't).
We went to the geological society meeting and heard a young man speak about his work with the British Geological Survey. He gave a cracking good talk - lots of up-to-date interesting information, presented well. What I really enjoyed was his obvious enthusiasm for what he does and I found his talk hugely entertaining :) Some of his work involves donning a hard hat and harness, then abseiling down a cliff face with a high pressure water hose. He turns the water on and sprays the cliff face to clear away dirt and lichen - and of course, the laws of physics being what they are, he swings away from the rock face. That's not a problem until he finishes spraying. Turning the water off means he swings back in and has to make sure he stops himself crashing into the rock! All this so that imprints can be taken of fossil remains in the rocks. These fossils are some of the oldest on earth, from Precambrian times (over 500,000 million years ago).
And our entertainment didn't stop there; we went to a local theatre at the weekend - usually a good evening out - but The Lieutenant of Inishmore was a black comedy with lots of gore. Buckets of it, literally! Fortuately we had a seat at the back, well away from the splash zone :D
I was impressed by the actor who had some sort of harness round his ankles and was winched upside down for at least 15 minutes! (He was being tortured). He managed to speak his lines and bring some humour into his acting.
This provincial theatre puts on plays of a high standard. This one just wasn't to my taste; too much violence to be entertaining.
Writing
I finished reading the revised Mystery in Morocco last night and while there are a still a lot of continuity mistakes and errors of various sorts, I liked it :)
So, I've achieved one of the things I set out to do: write the sort of book I want to read. One I find entertaining. Woohoo! :D
I'm now filling in my table of what each character knows and doesn't know, and what the reader knows and doesn't know - otherwise known as collecting my red herrings which I strewed so generously through the story. It's slow work.
For a mystery to be entertaining, I think most loose threads should be tied in. The book has to reach a satisfying conclusion; and while I can't anticipate what readers will find satisfying, the ending has to satisfy me. It also needs to be the ending which the story is heading towards. The 'wrong' ending can ruin a good book.
This book will be the first of at least two books. So Holly Lisle's new course, How to Write a Series came just at the right time for me to include the information in my revision :)
Over to You
As entertainment has been around for me this week, I'm wondering what you find entertaining. Is entertainment important to you? Do you want your book to be entertaining? Or are there other considerations which are more important?
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Revision, revision and forward planning
I'm so pleased with the regular writing I've managed to do since a group of us on Holly Lisle's Bootcamp have signed up for the '500 words a day or bust!' challenge.
Working my way through the rewrite of Mystery in Morocco - which is really a write-first-time for most of the scenes - I'm now on scene 42 out of 62. The rate of progress is slow but steady and that feels good.
What's more, I'm finding time to refresh my mind on the HTTS lessons I've done so far and planning to start HTTS afresh with a new idea and take it through...or do I take my original idea of iGenie? There's plenty of time to decide.
So while I'm flexing my writing muscles and getting my Muse to limber up and get used to the idea of delivering the goods on a regular basis, I'm also planning ahead. When I started with NaNoWriMo in 2009, all I wanted was to write a book. Since joining Holly's Bootcamp, and rubbing virtual shoulders with writers around the world, my sights are set higher; I have every intention of sending my ms out when it is finished, with a view to getting it published.
Now that I find scarey! I'm familiar with words but publishing? Editors? Agents? Pitching? Yikes!
So I'm doing some forward planning. Not a huge amount, just a toe in the water here and there to start with. One thing which has helped are blogs. Many of you writers out there share the useful links you've found. So here is mine, found on...sorry, I can't remember whose blog I found this on initially. It's http://queryshark.blogspot.com
I figure if I read it from time to time then I'll get my head round the sort of things which are required.
Hope you find it interesting.
Working my way through the rewrite of Mystery in Morocco - which is really a write-first-time for most of the scenes - I'm now on scene 42 out of 62. The rate of progress is slow but steady and that feels good.
What's more, I'm finding time to refresh my mind on the HTTS lessons I've done so far and planning to start HTTS afresh with a new idea and take it through...or do I take my original idea of iGenie? There's plenty of time to decide.
So while I'm flexing my writing muscles and getting my Muse to limber up and get used to the idea of delivering the goods on a regular basis, I'm also planning ahead. When I started with NaNoWriMo in 2009, all I wanted was to write a book. Since joining Holly's Bootcamp, and rubbing virtual shoulders with writers around the world, my sights are set higher; I have every intention of sending my ms out when it is finished, with a view to getting it published.
Now that I find scarey! I'm familiar with words but publishing? Editors? Agents? Pitching? Yikes!
So I'm doing some forward planning. Not a huge amount, just a toe in the water here and there to start with. One thing which has helped are blogs. Many of you writers out there share the useful links you've found. So here is mine, found on...sorry, I can't remember whose blog I found this on initially. It's http://queryshark.blogspot.com
I figure if I read it from time to time then I'll get my head round the sort of things which are required.
Hope you find it interesting.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Persistence
On 15th December last year, I read LadyQ's blog and took her personal goal as a challenge for me: 500 words a day or bust! I wanted to make writing a daily pursuit and to change my attitude from 'writing is something to be done when everything else has been done first' to a more professional attitude.
Then I went onto the HTTS forum and posted my acceptance of the challenge. It was a pleasant surprise when a number of people joined me :)
Since then, I've written something most days. Sometimes it's been less than 500 words, sometimes it's been more. And I've kept that up five days out of seven (two days off per week) with a bit of a stumble during the long Christmas/New Year holiday.
Know there was a group of people all with a similar goal in mind has helped me stay focused on writing. I find it energising seeing others saying what they have achieved whether words written or brainstorming or the next lesson of HTTS. It's all good :)
My total words since 15th December: 19,500!
Persistence pays.
So does being part of a supportive group :)
Come and join us.
Then I went onto the HTTS forum and posted my acceptance of the challenge. It was a pleasant surprise when a number of people joined me :)
Since then, I've written something most days. Sometimes it's been less than 500 words, sometimes it's been more. And I've kept that up five days out of seven (two days off per week) with a bit of a stumble during the long Christmas/New Year holiday.
Know there was a group of people all with a similar goal in mind has helped me stay focused on writing. I find it energising seeing others saying what they have achieved whether words written or brainstorming or the next lesson of HTTS. It's all good :)
My total words since 15th December: 19,500!
Persistence pays.
So does being part of a supportive group :)
Come and join us.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Trudi Canavan
Writing
'The Magician's Apprentice' arrived this morning. I didn't know where it stood in relation to the Magician Trilogy - it comes before; a long time before.
For anyone who wants to read about Trudi here's the link http://www.trudicanavan.com
Persistence is what is required; cartloads of it.
And some degree of sacrifice.
How do you score on the persistence scale? I have loads but writing is a new field and I'm no longer young. Words like 'fish' and 'out of water' come to mind :)
I need to crack on with that novel and keep writing, writing, writing :)
Happy writing everyone. Keep going. Believe in yourself!
'The Magician's Apprentice' arrived this morning. I didn't know where it stood in relation to the Magician Trilogy - it comes before; a long time before.
For anyone who wants to read about Trudi here's the link http://www.trudicanavan.com
Persistence is what is required; cartloads of it.
And some degree of sacrifice.
How do you score on the persistence scale? I have loads but writing is a new field and I'm no longer young. Words like 'fish' and 'out of water' come to mind :)
I need to crack on with that novel and keep writing, writing, writing :)
Happy writing everyone. Keep going. Believe in yourself!
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