It is now just over 6 months since I started this blog so I feel it is time for a review. In November, I kick-started my writing by taking part in the Write a Novel in a Month Challenge (NaNoWriMo). The idea is to write 50,000 words of your novel - from scratch - during the month. The challenge started well. I simply began to write. Ideas came to me as I typed and I just went with them. However, I went and burnt myself out!! My final word count was 18,377 words. But I started a novel and proved to myself that sitting down and just writing can be done. And then Christmas arrived and I can’t believe the amount of excuses and time wasters that appeared! My brother getting married was certainly a good excuse for not writing, but then - on January 12th 2008 - my photograph stared out at people from the Lincolnshire Echo. ‘Is 2008 your year to write a novel?’ Suddenly, this writing lark became serious!!
In 2007 the closing date for the Debut Dagger was the end of April, so I had anticipated finishing the novel first. However, this year the date was February, so after Christmas all my efforts went on writing a synopsis and polishing the first 3000 words. I never realised how hard writing a synopsis is, but I do feel that this helped me to really tighten up the plot. After sending off the entry to the CWA I promised myself I would complete the novel in the first half of 2008. This has not happened. Reading The NLP Coach by McDermott and Jago recently made me realise that I have begun to avoid writing because I am avoiding my own feelings. A lot of my novel is based on my own experiences and avoiding the writing could be avoidance of contact with my emotions. What this blog hasn’t mentioned until now is that in September 2007 I suffered a miscarriage and then a cyst was discovered (last measured at 6cm) in one of my ovaries. This means that while trying to write a novel I have had to endure numerous Doctor and Hospital visits, therapy sessions, not to mention acupuncture, chiropractor, and dentist appointments. At one stage it was suggested I might be 'suffering' from Depression. Overcoming Depression by Paul Gilbert, helped me to understand how I was feeling at the time, but also my writing progress with regards to Shoulds, musts and oughts. We feel very disappointed when things don’t turn out as the ‘should’ says. Depression is commonly associated with blocks to major life goals. But, are your ideals realistic? Are you disappointed because you feel ashamed at not making your ideals? I am certainly guilty of this.
However, looking on the bright side, in the last 6 months I have attended and be involved in many writing related activities and must have read around a hundred (fiction and non-fiction) books; as well as my monthly subscription to Writing Magazine and Writers News. I have also started two blogs and kept them (relatively) up to date and as well as the Debut Dagger, I did enter a mini-crime story for the February edition of Writing Magazine. I also started a Teaching Assistant course and have begun working in a school one morning a week.
God knows I have wasted too much time on FaceBook, Emails, Junk emails / mail, Newspapers and definitely daytime TV!!
However, Personal Trainer Matt Roberts in The Times Body&Soul 3rd May 2008 gave a little pep talk to those flagging in their dieting and gym goals. I thought that some of what he said could be applied to writing:
Think like a beginner again. Remember how you felt when you started and you set your inspiring goals. Put what you have achieved so far out of your mind for a moment and reset the way you approach your goals. This is a fresh routine and a new set of goals. Focus on putting struggles behind you. Focus on today and your plans to improve from now on.
Reassess goals and expectations. Look at what you have achieved and gauge how fast you may be able to change realistically.
Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up. If the results are a little slower to show than you had hoped, focus on how much you have completed and how you have changed. Success can be a stop-start process, so give yourself a pat on the back for having worked so hard so far.
What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do!!
In 2007 the closing date for the Debut Dagger was the end of April, so I had anticipated finishing the novel first. However, this year the date was February, so after Christmas all my efforts went on writing a synopsis and polishing the first 3000 words. I never realised how hard writing a synopsis is, but I do feel that this helped me to really tighten up the plot. After sending off the entry to the CWA I promised myself I would complete the novel in the first half of 2008. This has not happened. Reading The NLP Coach by McDermott and Jago recently made me realise that I have begun to avoid writing because I am avoiding my own feelings. A lot of my novel is based on my own experiences and avoiding the writing could be avoidance of contact with my emotions. What this blog hasn’t mentioned until now is that in September 2007 I suffered a miscarriage and then a cyst was discovered (last measured at 6cm) in one of my ovaries. This means that while trying to write a novel I have had to endure numerous Doctor and Hospital visits, therapy sessions, not to mention acupuncture, chiropractor, and dentist appointments. At one stage it was suggested I might be 'suffering' from Depression. Overcoming Depression by Paul Gilbert, helped me to understand how I was feeling at the time, but also my writing progress with regards to Shoulds, musts and oughts. We feel very disappointed when things don’t turn out as the ‘should’ says. Depression is commonly associated with blocks to major life goals. But, are your ideals realistic? Are you disappointed because you feel ashamed at not making your ideals? I am certainly guilty of this.
However, looking on the bright side, in the last 6 months I have attended and be involved in many writing related activities and must have read around a hundred (fiction and non-fiction) books; as well as my monthly subscription to Writing Magazine and Writers News. I have also started two blogs and kept them (relatively) up to date and as well as the Debut Dagger, I did enter a mini-crime story for the February edition of Writing Magazine. I also started a Teaching Assistant course and have begun working in a school one morning a week.
God knows I have wasted too much time on FaceBook, Emails, Junk emails / mail, Newspapers and definitely daytime TV!!
However, Personal Trainer Matt Roberts in The Times Body&Soul 3rd May 2008 gave a little pep talk to those flagging in their dieting and gym goals. I thought that some of what he said could be applied to writing:
Think like a beginner again. Remember how you felt when you started and you set your inspiring goals. Put what you have achieved so far out of your mind for a moment and reset the way you approach your goals. This is a fresh routine and a new set of goals. Focus on putting struggles behind you. Focus on today and your plans to improve from now on.
Reassess goals and expectations. Look at what you have achieved and gauge how fast you may be able to change realistically.
Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up. If the results are a little slower to show than you had hoped, focus on how much you have completed and how you have changed. Success can be a stop-start process, so give yourself a pat on the back for having worked so hard so far.
What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do!!
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