Saturday 22 August 2015

August 2015

Now I realise that this is at least a week early, but off to sunny Spain in a few days so wanted to get this done before we went!

Reading over all my previous posts, I found that I had started with a certain voice, almost like I was telling a story, and feel this has been lost over time and become more of a 'I did this...' I think a blog almost needs a bit of both. After all, my main reason for starting this was to share my own writing journey and opinions, so I guess that I need to just try and get the balance right! I feel that I'm still trying to find my voice in anything that I write, unsure of what that is yet, so will just keep writing in the hope that it comes out.

'Don't make nothing of what you've achieved'

Its so true, and something that I find as a writer hard to do! I'm constantly beating myself up if I don't think I've done enough, or indeed anything at all! I always start out with plans of what I want to do, and feel all fired up, but then (much like me sitting here doing this) carrying them out is the hardest part. I'm the kind of person who gets easily distracted with excuses such as 'I'll just do this..' and I've lost half an hour already and not written a word. Its so frustrating. I think its just the way I am, as I'm like it at work too (and where as I get bored at work, I love writing), so maybe a change in my mindset is required if I'm going to move forward!

'Write to suit yourself, and keep on writing and re-writing until you can do more. Oh, and read. Never stop reading' Rachael English

Just one of the useful pieces of advice I have found and followed recently. So simple, but so effective to live by. Typing up what I've done so far of my 'novel' has brought back all the love I felt for the story as I was starting to write it. It's still a work in progress, but I can now see what I've got so far, so the next job is to edit some more, but into some kind of order so I can see clearly where to go next. I'm proud of what I've done so far though, as its the most I've written on one thing, and still not finished! I've also found renewed enthusiasm for my Oxford story. Like with many of my unfinished projects, I'm over excited at the start and love the idea, and then a little way in, hit a wall of some sort and don't come back to it for a bit. Thanks to a tip from my sister, this was a project I decided to pick up again and have done lots more research and looked at areas that I want to work on and include, in order to have a clearer idea of where I want the story to go. That's my trouble, I rush into getting all the thoughts down onto paper without much thought at the start of where a piece will end and what will happen. Something else to continue working on. That said, I've tried to make time to work on a variety of projects rather than just getting stuck on one, in order to try and keep the ideas and writing fresher, and seems to be working!

One thought to try and get me more focused on my writing, and blocking out everything else would be to go on a writing retreat or workshop of some description.Inspired by fellow writers, there's plenty available, its just a case of having the funds available to be able to take part in something like this.I would love to be able to spend a whole week, maybe longer in somewhere like the Gladstone Library or on one of the Arvon retreats, using the time just to write, nothing else, inspired by my surroundings as well as other attending writers. That's something that will have to wait for now, but never say never! I've had a month of small discoveries, the main one for me is setting myself up on Twitter. I knew it was there, just not the advantages of using it. Spurred on by a good friend and fellow writer (thank you!) I am now a tweeter and using it as a new way of expanding my social media and reaching a wider audience. I'm still a bit of a novice, but enjoying it so far, sending messages to other authors, and even getting some replies, so all very exciting! I've learnt that we are now in a time where if you want to do anything in life, you have to get yourself out there, which I'm slowly doing. Following other authors, some new to me and others who I have long admired, I've found that they too have their own blogs, to share thoughts and opinions as well as a place to do a bit of publicity. Like me, it is a way of getting things down and sharing the journey.

A few new ideas sparked over the last few weeks, thanks to a cultural and inspirational trip to London with a couple of fellow writers, lots of things to see and do, and sharing of ideas and thoughts. Sometimes all it needs is a change of scenery to get the pen moving! The next column was written, submitted and printed, I've done six in total now and still enjoying the moment when I see what I have written in print, knowing that a wider audience will see it. It may only be a small thing, but its a good start!  Writing magazine has also been a fountain of knowledge that I've been delving into over the last few weeks, finding plenty of useful tips and information, as well as the interviews with other authors, which I find helpful in my own writing and where I'm going.There is a free competition that I'm hoping to enter, and the plan is to finish the pieces over the next couple of days, ready to submit before the deadline. Competitions can be useful, as they usually have some kind of theme, sparking new ideas and at least giving a specific direction of where a piece needs to go, we will see if I can do it, but I'll certainly try, submitting to a deadline is something I will need to get used to for when the day comes that I have a publishing contract and an agent! In the words of a favourite author, I was a dreamer, but now I'm a doer and that day will come if I keep working at it.

So with my holiday fast approaching, (and I can't wait!) I already have my notebook packed, with an idea of a story floating around in my head, I hope being on location will only inspire me further as I discover the place behind the story, we will see!