Every Day in May – 6.5.16

What a gloriously sunny and warm day we’ve had. It’s been hard to get into the right mood for the story today – it needs dankness and fog!

Still, another 600 words added and I give you this quote:

It worried her, living in approximates: she was a woman who needed certainty.

My lead character is immersing herself in a story she would really rather avoid, and soon she’ll regret it enormously. If this was a film, the audience would be yelling at her not to get out of her car…

I might not get time to write tomorrow but I will try really hard to keep going because this is working really well for me, and the story is progressing nicely.  Well, as nicely as a crime story can progress, anyway!

Happy writing,
EJ
🙂

Read Full Post »

Week 168 – Slow-motion mind

This is going to be my last proper Sunday post for a while – for about 3 weeks, in fact. My plan to pass the blog over to someone else has hit a small technical hitch – I’ll pre-arrange some posts just so you don’t forget me while I’m gone, instead – as if you could 😉

So, with this being the last Sunday post before my blog holiday, you would hope for something moving, meaningful, or just interesting. However, today is not the day for that. Today my mind is like thick treacle. Today, I am thinking in slow motion.

Instead of any great wisdom or enlightenment I have a few messages for you all.

Firstly – thank you for staying tuned even though, from a writing point of view, I tuned out: I know this blog isn’t supposed to be about wedding shenanigans but you have been very good about it 🙂

Secondly – for anyone attempting NaNo this year – good luck, but don’t sweat it.  Whatever you produce as a result of setting into a pattern of writing will be worth it.

Thirdly – I am sorry I have neglected my blog visits and will get looking and liking again in December

Fourthly – I have been working on poems this week but still have to finish.  That’s all I can bear to say about it!

And that’s it from me for today.  I will be back on Tuesday and then back on the 23rd November with actual updates…

Have a marvellous few weeks,

EJ

🙂

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Week 120 – A little bit busy!

This week has been another where things haven’t gone quite as expected – or, more honestly, I hadn’t taken into account all the things in my diary when I planned my work!

Not only did I forgo one working day to spend with my mum Christmas shopping (what a hard choice that was…) but I’ve been away since Friday and spent my time completely laptop-free!

So looking back at the targets I set last week, I have to admit to not quite making them:

two chapters edited – I managed one
prep for writing group – done
winter poetry – not done.

In other words – 50% success rate.  I guess after the last few weeks, it’ll take time to build up to full speed!  But I got some information together for Thursday’s inspiration post (there will be a photo!) so I can count that as an extra job…

This week, I’m going to carry on with the editing, and get the next chapter completed, get on top of the poetry review and go to an open mike night.  If I have time, I’ll continue editing beyond that chapter.  We shall see – shopping may trump working again!

In other news – If you were one of the 309,000  who took part in NaNoWriMo this year, I hope you found it positive and useful. Congratulations to everyone who met their target 🙂

Also – I read this article, which reports that 16-24 year olds prefer a hard copy book to an e-book.  I was quite surprised by this, but it does give me faith that the value of physical books is recognised, even among some of the most technology-aware consumers.  It makes me feel less like a dinosaur!

And finally – There’s no new book listed this week for the 100 best novels at the time of writing, but there is this review of progress so far.  I also find many books (and songs, and paintings) transport me back to a more youthful me, looking forward and not backwards as I sometimes do now.  Nostalgia is part of reading, and the experience of revisiting something tied into the complexities of growing up, the strangely delightful moment of understanding something of the world, is one of the reasons I will always want to re-read books I love.

I hope that someone will think of my work in the same way, one day.

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 20

Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.

This quote is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and was found at Writer’s Digest.

Well done on 30 days of NaNoWriMo – have a rest tomorrow!

Happy writing

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 19

With just a couple of days to go, you might already have met your target – whether that’s the 50k set by NaNoWriMo or a more personal target.

But if you haven’t, take a moment to think about what more you can realistically do by the end of the project and set a new target.

It might be to finish a particular chapter, or plan where the story goes next, or to reach a certain word count, whether it’s another 500 or 3000 words.  Whatever it is, own it, and acknowledge how far you’ve come this month.  My first attempt it became clear that I’d never reach 50k, so my personal target was 35k; I was really pleased to reach it because I’d never written so much in a month before.

At this point make a few notes about the direction of travel, and highlight decisions you’ve made that weren’t in the plan; and have a character list so any new recruits to the story aren’t forgotten!

Whatever you’ve achieved, be proud of yourself; so many people think about writing, or have ideas they could express on the page, but they don’t take the chance to find out what they can do.  You’ve taken that chance, and in a couple of days you’ll have time to celebrate!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 18

Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.

This quote by Samuel Johnson was found at Write to Done.  If anyone knew perseverance in writing, it must have been Johnson, so I hope this is a really inspiring one for you all.  After all, his most famous work took nine years…

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 17

As you close in on the end of the month, remember that this isn’t necessarily the end of your story – think about where you want your characters to go next, and how you’ll get them there. Start laying the path to the ending if you haven’t done so already, and make yourself some notes about how you’ll signpost your way.

You can change your mind, and you can change your plan; but if you don’t think about it at this point you might find that the plot gets a little floppy and that can be extremely difficult to resolve.

Trust me, I speak from experience!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 16

You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have. 

This quote by Maya Angelou, courtesy of Forbes

Keep using your creativity!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 15

You can make anything by writing.

This quote by C.S. Lewis was found at Goodreads

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »

An added extra – Keep on NaNo’ing through, Part 14

I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.

This quote by Charlotte Brontë was found at Inspirational Quotes

Keep looking upward, guys: you’re two-thirds of the way there!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

Read Full Post »