Do you find writing tiring?

Thought I would share this letter and advice I re-discovered in Writers News - October 2009 http://www.writersnews.co.uk/

Q: I have begun to find sitting down at my computer and writing more and more tiring ......the more I stayed at my desk, the less I did ......I want to write. Why should this be? Any tips on this?

A: You need variety. It's much easier to be productive if
a) you have a definite routine (maybe 3 hours at your desk in the morning every day, then stop) and
b) you have a variety of activities during the day. These should include writing, walking, something creative and different (perhaps drawing, painting, photography, cookery) and reading or watching. It's important to use all your senses every day. If you begin to do this, you will not find writing tiring. In fact its not the writing that's tiring you, but the 'monotony' of it. If you include more experiences in your day - one of which should include something physical - you will be longing to get to your computer instead of finding it a chore.

Ideal Conditions...

"A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper." - E.B. White (1899-1965).


Elwyn Brooks was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The Elements of Style, popularly known by its authors' names, as "Strunk & White."

The Prerequisite...

‘The prerequisite for me is to keep my well of ideas full. This means living as full and varied a life as possible, to have my antennae out all the time.’

Michael Murpurgo

Michael Morpurgo, author of more than fifty books, has an unparalleled reputation in the world of children's books. 'Wombat Goes Walkabout' (Collins) was shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. 'The Butterfly Lion' (Collins) won the 1996 Smarties Book Prize and the Writers' Guild Children's Book Award 1996. It was shortlisted for the Young Telegraph / Fully Booked Children's Paperback of the Year Award 1996 and The Children's Book Award 1996. 'The Dancing Bear' (Collins) was shortlisted for the Writers Guild Children's Book Award 1994 and the Young Telegraph Children's Paperback of the Year Award 1994. He won the 1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award for 'Wreck Of The Zanzibar' (Reed).

The Pram in the Hallway

Jamie is out this afternoon with Nanna and since I am no longer employed I am trying to use the time productively. Today started with having to sort out all the Child Tax Credit stuff and then trying to make sense of all the paperwork I seem to have accumulated recently. It is hard not to spend precious time 'fire fighting' i.e. having to do things that need to be done or else i.e. paying bills, shopping, filling in Child Tax Credit forms, but I feel I have begun to focus more when time allows.

I recently watched Maggie O'Farrell on The Book Show (SkyArts) see: http://thebookshow.skyarts.co.uk/authors/463188/maggie_ofarrell.html

She gave me inspiration as she discussed the quote from Cyril Connolly "There is no more sombre enemy of good art than the pram in the hall." Firstly, children deepen your connection with the world and cause you to feel emotion.

And secondly, however difficult it is to find the artistic impulse through the fog of motherhood, children are great editors. She highlights the danger of having too much time. With children you know you have a certain amount of time (usually while they are asleep) and so you must focus on writing in that time.

Is this what women really want?

Since I had that strike of inspiration and have started thinking about writing a Chick-Lit novel I have been amazed at how life accommodates you with possible ideas, events happening in mine (and others) lives, and of course the need to read more books.

A few weeks ago I spied a 'bestselling' Chick Lit novel being sold for 50p, and so I thought I had better use some of the nice weather - and Jamie's nap times - to do a bit of research into the genre.

Perhaps the 50p price tag should have warned me, but it was total tosh! I gave up at page 38; just as Chapter 5 started. I felt that the story was quite ordinary and I didn't really care about what happened next. I suppose I am used to crime novels, and a series of questions being posed in the first few pages which always get me hooked and reading. There was nothing to cling to in this novel and I am sad to say I gave up!

I think it was the characters themselves that bored me. And therefore I didn't care what happened to them next. I know this novel got published, but it wasn't the authors first. Perhaps it might have been their last.....