Although I have been totally exhausted over the last few weeks – a big birthday and pregnancy takes a lot out of a girl – I do feel I have done a fair bit with regards to my ‘writing’. By this I mean reading…….and I have had enough strength over the last few days (which I have not been working) to be able to take stock of what I have done and what needs doing to achieve my 3 goals for this year. I have decided NOT to enter the CWA Debut Dagger this year but think a few short story comps might ease me back in. Firstly however, I have a couple of poems I have tweaked which I am going to enter into a humorous poetry competition. This will achieve the goal ‘enter one competition a month’ for January.
I have also decided that while I am still working for the library services I am going to take advantage of one of the perks and try and borrow as many non-fiction books I have been wanting to read – and read them – before I leave at the end of February. I have already borrowed 4 books this year and have another 3 at the moment that I have ‘reserved’. I happen to know there is one waiting for me when I get back tomorrow……
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
How NOT to Write a Novel
Article from the Times - Saturday 17th January 2009 : http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article5565968.ece
Sunday, 25 January 2009
The Temptations of Procrastination
After Christmas I decided to treat myself to Focus: The Power of Targeted Thinking, written by Jurgen Wolff; Pearson Education Ltd (2008).
He discusses the Temptations of Procrastination;
"One reason is that the attractiveness of the ‘bad’ option is very strong in the here and now. The attractiveness of the ‘good’ option (or the punishment of ignoring it) tends to be weak in the here and now, and strong only in the long term. The ‘bad’ option therefore is stronger in the moment e.g. if I chose to surf the web for the next couple of hours that is fun right now. If I don’t work on the project that is due in 2 weeks there is no immediate punishment or drawback. The punishment will arrive later… The short term option often engages our senses and emotions whereas the long term option – because it is not present right now – only engages our intellect i.e. cream cake now or losing weight…
The secret of choosing the ‘good’ option is to make as vivid, emotional and compelling in the moment as the ‘bad’ option. Use your imagination to see, hear, taste, smell and feel the ‘good’ choice even more strongly than the ‘bad’ choice. Close your eyes and visualize the outcome (end result) of your ‘good’ choice. What will you see, hear, feel? The more vivid and exciting you can make this, the more energy you will free up for getting started.
When you’ve visualized whatever is most motivating for you, stay in that state of excitement after you open your eyes, and suddenly watching TV or surfing the internet will seem pretty boring by comparison. Launch into the task while the feeling is still fresh."
He also says:
Think: What would it be like to be the person who does what you dream of (writes)? What qualities do they have? Imagine you are that person…..
Imagine who you will be if you Don’t do it!
He discusses the Temptations of Procrastination;
"One reason is that the attractiveness of the ‘bad’ option is very strong in the here and now. The attractiveness of the ‘good’ option (or the punishment of ignoring it) tends to be weak in the here and now, and strong only in the long term. The ‘bad’ option therefore is stronger in the moment e.g. if I chose to surf the web for the next couple of hours that is fun right now. If I don’t work on the project that is due in 2 weeks there is no immediate punishment or drawback. The punishment will arrive later… The short term option often engages our senses and emotions whereas the long term option – because it is not present right now – only engages our intellect i.e. cream cake now or losing weight…
The secret of choosing the ‘good’ option is to make as vivid, emotional and compelling in the moment as the ‘bad’ option. Use your imagination to see, hear, taste, smell and feel the ‘good’ choice even more strongly than the ‘bad’ choice. Close your eyes and visualize the outcome (end result) of your ‘good’ choice. What will you see, hear, feel? The more vivid and exciting you can make this, the more energy you will free up for getting started.
When you’ve visualized whatever is most motivating for you, stay in that state of excitement after you open your eyes, and suddenly watching TV or surfing the internet will seem pretty boring by comparison. Launch into the task while the feeling is still fresh."
He also says:
Think: What would it be like to be the person who does what you dream of (writes)? What qualities do they have? Imagine you are that person…..
Imagine who you will be if you Don’t do it!
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Happy Birthday!!
40 wasted years....
I must remember to write off December and January as not a lot gets done because of Christmas and the amount of birthdays that take place within the first few weeks of the year - including mine. And this year it was a big one!!
This time last year I was appearing in the staring role as part of the Lincolnshire Echo Resolutions feature. Strange then that the paper should ring again yesterday - NOT to ask how the resolutions went - but to get a quote regarding the new Health in Pregnancy Grant.....
Sad to say that the novel did not get completed but at the same time I do feel I have done an awful lot to move my writing as well as my general life forward.
It is amazing how time flys......
I must remember to write off December and January as not a lot gets done because of Christmas and the amount of birthdays that take place within the first few weeks of the year - including mine. And this year it was a big one!!
This time last year I was appearing in the staring role as part of the Lincolnshire Echo Resolutions feature. Strange then that the paper should ring again yesterday - NOT to ask how the resolutions went - but to get a quote regarding the new Health in Pregnancy Grant.....
Sad to say that the novel did not get completed but at the same time I do feel I have done an awful lot to move my writing as well as my general life forward.
It is amazing how time flys......
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Writers and Artists Yearbook 2009
Thanks to Michael and Hannah for buying it for my Christmas Present.
Kate Mosse makes a few observations (rather than advice):
There are no tricks of the trade that work for everyone. Be a jackdaw. Take lots of advice, then figure out what suits you and stick with it. I plan, plot, research, first; then write last. I’m a lark not a nightingale, so prefer the early morning, alone at my desk with a cup of strong sweet coffee and the white glow of the computer screen. Others do late nights with a bottle of Glenmorangie or spend afternoons at their keyboard with tea and Marmite sandwiches. Be yourself.
Accept that writing is a job like any other. 5 minutes writing a day is better than no minutes. And it is hard work. When asked, towards the end of his life when he was the worlds acknowledged greatest living artist, Pablo Picasso was asked why he still went every day to his studio. His reply? ‘When inspiration arrives, I want it to find me working’. Some days are harder work than others.
In the end, that’s the only advice you need. Just write. Start now. And, if you’re lucky, the rest will follow.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Happy New Year - Part Two
May your new year be filled with books. The kind that you actually read, not the ones that even up furniture legs or gather dust on your coffee table.
May your new year be filled with delight. Not surface varnish that only seems like delight, but the delight that reaches deep down into your soul and scratches the itch.
May your new year be filled with joy. Joy that makes you wake with a smile and doze off with a satisfied sigh.
May your new year be filled with: Relationships that enrich your life. Peace that stretches beyond circumstances. Truth that settles your heart, soul and stomach. Blessings beyond your imagination. Paths that take you to new places and introduce you to wonderful surprises.
http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/ Link courtesy of the MsLexia Diary 2009. Another link was to http://www.sarahsalway.blogspot.com/ where Sarah Salway shared her wishes for 2009, including: Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. I like that!!
May your new year be filled with delight. Not surface varnish that only seems like delight, but the delight that reaches deep down into your soul and scratches the itch.
May your new year be filled with joy. Joy that makes you wake with a smile and doze off with a satisfied sigh.
May your new year be filled with: Relationships that enrich your life. Peace that stretches beyond circumstances. Truth that settles your heart, soul and stomach. Blessings beyond your imagination. Paths that take you to new places and introduce you to wonderful surprises.
http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/ Link courtesy of the MsLexia Diary 2009. Another link was to http://www.sarahsalway.blogspot.com/ where Sarah Salway shared her wishes for 2009, including: Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. I like that!!
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