My Fiction – Page 7 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Work does have it’s uses after all!

I’ve started work again, but only part time. Still, it’s already biting in to my writing time. I was in the middle of writing a story for my anthology last night, right in the narrative flow, when I realised it was gone eleven and I had to be up for work at six. Most irritating.

At work I tried to find some time to work on another short story for the collection. Luckily, the technical department tend to be very much ‘go with the flow’ and since there wasn’t much QA-ing for me to do I did a bit of admin for the manager instead. Mindless and easy, my mind wondered off to other worlds. Break time came and I started to write. Twenty five minutes concentrated writing and then back to the day job. Then later another twenty minutes scribbling away. It might not be any good but when I’ve finished it and typed it up I’ll play around with it and improve it.

I find work is a good place to let my creative side have free rein on the subconscious level, so that when I do write it’s all there waiting for the short spurts of writing I can manage.

Maybe, if you’re having a bit of writer block, that might be a way to break it. Set aside ten, fifteen minutes to just write anything. Go away for a few hours and then have another short session. The intervening time will allow your brain to mull over ideas started in the first session.

Work, for most of us, is a dull grind done so that we can afford to do the things we want to, so using the time effectively, to allow writing during the work day, is a must.

Going to nap now,

Bye,

Rose

I’ve been working on a few things…

While I was travelling to Nottingham last month I started writing a short story from a prompt I found on Tumblr – which has some great writing blogs by the way, go and look. I finished it a few days ago. The only problem I had was that the idea I went with wasn’t the only idea I had; there were three I wanted to do something with. Consequently I wrote another short story and started a third which I need to get around to finishing.

I got distracted by a picture prompt from another Tumblr blog and started writing a short story for that. Then I found some ‘opening paragraph prompts’ I wrote on the train home from Nottingham in December, in another notebook. So I started writing another short story. Yeah, it’s got a little out of hand now. So, I was thinking, since I’m writing shed loads of short stories right now why don’t I do something with them?

That’s my current project, take two written prompts and two picture prompts and write three short stories for each of them. It’s going to be an interesting exercise for my creativity.

I suppose it’s a good job I have a few new notebooks about the place, because I’m using them up rapidly at the minute. I find I’m more likely to finish a story if I hand write it than if I type it straight away on my laptop. I think it’s probably psychological. It also allows me to do a first edit as I’m typing up.

There’s all sorts of things in my notebooks. I rarely let other people see them though. Not that anyone can decipher my handwriting; when I’m in full scribble mode my writing is terrible.
I’ll stop rambling now, and get some writing done,

Bye,

Rose

See, I told you my writing was scrawl, although that’s actually not too bad…

I’m awake rediculously early…so I’m going to write.

Unless I’m going somewhere I’m not usually awake at this time on a Saturday morning but today I can’t sleep. I’m on call at work and it messes with my sleep patterns. Anyway, since I’m awake I thought I’d make a blog post. For the fun of it.

Yesterday I got all the stuff I’d written on the train to Nottingham and back typed up. It turned out to be quite a substantial amount of writing. I don’t know why but I find it quite easy to write while I’m on the train, especially if I get a table seat. I can spread myself out and just write. I think the motion of the train must be relaxing, and for me at least the novelty still hasn’t worn off.

Am I the only one who finds trains conducive to writing, any type of writing?

There’s a great tumblr blog, prompts-and-pointers.tumblr.com, that I follow and on Sunday I wrote down one of their prompts in my notebook. It kept me busy on the train, I came up with three possible short stories. I started on the first one on Monday and continued it quite easily yesterday, once I’d got everything I’d scribbled in my notebook typed up. I think its about 3,300 words long now and maybe half finished. I had an idea to work on all three story ideas and compare the results at the end.

I’m going to have to go for another train ride soon.

I’m actually going to attempt to sleep for a while now,

Bye

Rose

Editing my novel

I spent a good eight hours yesterday working my way through the unfinished novel I started writing for NaNoWriMo in November. I haven’t looked at it since the end of November. I found so many errors! It was mostly spelling and grammar in parts where I had been typing as quickly as possible because I had to get the story written down.

I also found that bits I had laboured over and struggled to write, and fully expected to have to throw away or re-write, weren’t actually bad when read through. I’m quite happy with what I have so far. I need to finish the story now, and then go back and fill out the place that are a bit sketchy. And then edit again.

Lots to do then!

Bye

Rose

NaNoWriMo – final update for this year.

Well, it’s all over for another year. And yet again I failed to complete my 50000 words. The fates, and a bloody persistent virus, conspired against me this week. I spent two days asleep.

However I have made progress over last year. And I will get this one finished, eventually. I like the story too much not to finish it off.

I hope everyone else did much better than I.

Must go, there’s an archery range to take down. Bye

Rose

NoNaWriMo update 4: progress halted

It hasn’t exactly been a very successful week. Today has been the first day I’ve had time to write at all. I’ve managed to write about 4000 words today.

I got distracted this morning. Since I hadn’t written anything all week I decided to read through what I’d written. That was a mistake. I started editing. First 3000 words or so deleted. Then I went through looking for all the inconsistencies and re-wrote a few things. I’ve managed to get back to 27,545 words and move the story forward, but I’m so far away from the 50,000 words its getting ridiculous. However I shall push on and try to stop editing before I’m finished.

I hope everyone is doing better,

Bye

Rose
xXx

NaNoWriMo update 3 – I’m getting a bit behind!

Hello,

Well, this week hasn’t gone so well. I managed to get a few hundred words written on Tuesday and Friday and the a few thousand yesterday. I haven’t written anything today, I need time to think out how I’m going to proceed, I’ve got to a crucial point in the plot and it’s being a bit of a git.

Minimum word count: 30,000

Preferred word count: 36,000

Actual word count: 27,376

I’d have to write 2,624 words today just to get to my minimum word count. I’m beginning to feel a bit pressured. Ah, well, I shall just have to push on and hope I can make up my word count in the next few days.

Bye for now

Rose

xXx

Midweek moan

I wasn’t planning to write an update until Sunday, but I feel the need to write something. I’m at work so I can’t work on my novel so I’m going to have a moan instead.

I have barely written anything! I’m still recovering from a cold and I’m exhausted from work. Finding the energy to write is hard. If I have a post work nap I can manage it but then I don’t start writing until late in the evening. That limits me to two or three hours at most.

I’ve also got to a point in the novel where I could go in a couple of directions. The overall result will be the same, its just getting there that’s giving me difficulty. I think some of my problem is that I don’t want to tackle the problem but I have to or the novel is not going to get finished.

I need a swift kick up the arse to get going again.

Right, back to the day job I go,

Bye,

Rose

xXx

Weekly NaNoWriMo update 2

Hello,

Well, it’s been an odd week. I’ve been ill, I spent most of the week asleep. However I have tried to work on my novel. I managed to write on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and I’ve written a just over fifteen hundred words today.

My total word count is 20,761.

My goals:

minimum – 18333 words

preferred – 22000 + words

I’m pleased I managed to pass my minimum word count and there is still a chance could manage my preferred word count of 22,000 but I’m getting tired and I have to get ready for work tomorrow. I write best from about 8pm to midnight or later, It’s difficult though, because I have to get up for work at 5 am and therefore work in the afternoon. It hasn’t been an problem so far because I’ve been off sick and could write when I felt up to it, except for today. I have had to write this afternoon and it hasn’t been as productive as I would have liked. However, since I am aware that this is a problem I can try to work around it.

When I go back to work I shall make notes on my breaks in my notebook and then when I get home I shall type the notes up and hope that this stimulates my writing. I am determined not to give up this year.

As for my novel’s progress, I have my main characters together in the place I need them to be and their next steps are forming in my head. I have an overall plan but it is the detailed steps in between that is taking the time. I think this novel is going to be a few more than 50,000 words. I feel that I am only just finishing the beginning portion of my plan, there is still the middle and end thirds to write yet.

Well, I’m going now, so good luck with your writing, and I shall be back next Sunday with another update.

Bye

Rose

xXx

NaNoWriMo – First update

Well four days in and after a marathon writing session that lasted in to the early hours of the morning – I found my muse and wasn’t giving up until my shoulder, wrist and hand hurt – I have managed to get myself ahead of my schedule. I was going for 2000 words a day, meaning I would be up to 8000 words today. Instead I have written 9412. I already know that the first couple of thousand words will go in the first edit. They were just my starting point and everything in that bit can be worked in with more subtlety later. I now have all my main characters where I want them, and now I shall let them get on with it.

Well, I’d best be off, more writing to do, among other things.

I’ll be back next Sunday with another update. Good luck everyone,

Rose

xXx