Absence

I kept meaning to come back to update my blog, but never quite got around to it and then today I started browsing some random blogs and it made me realise how much I missed blogging. So I searched for my blog (having completely forgotten the title & my log in details – amazingly I somehow managed to remember my password) & was shocked to find my last blog was in September 2009! 22 months – that’s crazy! I thought it had been maybe a year at most…

Looking back over the past 22 months a lot has happened. I had 2 operations, which I’m now fully recovered from. I got a new job, which I really hate, but it has paid for a volunteering trip to Zimbabwe, a holiday to Florida, a writing course, a horse whispering course and two little kittens, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much. In fact, the awfulness of working there has been entirely worth it just for getting to do this:

I’ll write more blogs in the future about my travels, courses and 2 remarkably annoying, but infinitely cute kittens &, of course, my writing, but, speak of the devil, it’s time for my daily writing session.

Happy travels!

Ever closer

Friday’s Words: 253

Today’s Words: 2,555

New Total: 22,218

Over 20k! Weeee!!! *does a little dance of celebration* I’m at the point of no return for my MC and I’ve left her heading out into a danger mostly of her own making, although she has other thoughts on the matter! I think I’m about 5-10k from the end, or maybe nearer, but I have skipped quite a large chunk of the middle of the story, which will most likely be another 5-10k as well. Naughty of me I know, but this section was calling to me today and I couldn’t resist. It’s also helped me to figure out the previous section, which was quite fuzzy to say the least, so it can’t have been all bad. 🙂

I think the total will probably be nearer to 40k than 4, but I wont update the target word count until I’m a bit nearer to the end.

I’m very excited about payday being just around the corner as I’m going to be signing up for Holly Lisle’s How to Think Sideways  course and using what I learn to work on my next novel. I can’t wait to get started!

Word Count:         

Slowing down, but not stopping!

Only 361 words today. Not great, but still better than 0!

Total is 19,410. Maybe 20k tomorrow. 😀

Sleepy, sleepy thanks to kitty, but hopefully a more detailed update tomorrow.

Happy writing everyone! 🙂

Word Count:         

Tricky middle

The pesky middle has still be causing me trouble, but I have made some progress:

17,516

Monday: 621

Tuesday: 391

Today: 521

New Total: 19,049

Heading to 20k 😀 I’ve never got this far with a story before – I’m very excited and am giving myself a little pat on the back.

I could have gone on longer today, but the end of lunchtime came around far too soon. Hopefully I’ll pick up the thread tomorrow and keep on going. 🙂 I just got to the start of a good scene and am looking forward to getting stuck back into it.

Word Count:         

Planning Ideas

As I said yesterday I’m looking for a new planning method to try and avoid getting lost in the middle again.

I’d been thinking about joining Holly Lisle’s How to Think Sideways course. I’ve used some of her free courses before and always with great results so I headed over to the website to find out a bit more. I’ve always been a bit wary that planning might take the fun and spontaneity out of writing and don’t want to take a course that might lead that way, so I was really inspired to find this quote on the site:

“What sets Think Sideways apart is that it gives the student tools to transform the process of writing from something mechanical into a true expression of heart and mind.”

— Jane Kennedy

This as well as looking through other people’s opinions on the course has convinced me that it’s definitely the kind of course for me. I’ll be singing up and most likely using it to help me with the Sarcaia Trilogy as it’s been bashing its way into my mind again recently. I’ll let you know how I get on with it, but wont start it until I’m finished with the Horse Story. Speaking of which, here’s what I’ve done today:

Today’s Words: 575

Progress: Chapter Four, Scene One completed. Planning for the next scene done. I also read through some of the hand written bits and the middle is getting clearer all the time. I have a lot of events to fit in though, poor MC’s a busy girl!

Inspiration: I went shopping (for cake – you can never have too much:D) and saw a bottle of wine with the same name as my MC’s new home, which made me smile. 🙂

Word Count:         

Getting there

637 words today, bringing my total to 16,941.

I went back to the middle today and after a moment or two of finding distractions I plunged in and got working. I’m quite happy with the scene I got out and have a good once ready to get stuck into tomorrow.

Off to bed now as pesky kittie decided to wake me up at 4.30 and then every 10 minutes onwards… cute, but annoying! I might read through some hand written notes I found for the story in bed if I can keep my eyes open, but the way I feel at the moment it’s not looking likely.

I’m looking for a new method of planning for my next story as my current method is haphazard to say the least. I’ve been finding the planned scenes so much easier and more enjoyable to write and I don’t want to meet this kind of fuzzy middle again if I can help it. I’ll have a look at a few techniques over the next few days and see if any methods take my fancy.

Happy writing!

Word Count:         

Working Backwards

As my middle is still causing me problems (not my actual middle – the cake hasn’t caught up with me yet!) I decided to work from the final scene backwards in the hope that it would inspire the right path to get there.

I wrote the climax scene today and it was a really fun scene to write. I played a few tricks on my MC too, which is always fun! The end of lunchtime came too soon, as always, but I’m looking forward to getting stuck in again tomorrow. 🙂

Words for today: 812

Total Words: 16,304

Word Count:         

Serves 8?

I went around the shop earlier and bought a cake. I had every intention of sharing said cake. The box, after all, had declared the ‘sponge cake filled with luxurious buttercream and raspberry jam, finished with a sweet dusting’ as appropriate for feeding 8. I’m looking at the box now… it’s empty and I’m feeling rather sick… no pudding for anyone else tonight! I don’t feel guilty though – it was a very nice cake. 😀

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While waiting for the cake-induced sickness to die down I surfed the web and found there’s a new Warcraft expansion coming out!! Unfortunately my celebration dance didn’t do much to improve my nausea… still a new expansion!! With new playable races too!!! Wahooo!!! (I’m a little bit excited, can you tell?) For any other nerds like me there’s a guide on the WoW forums to the Cataclysm here. Also if you can handle the excitement (I couldn’t as poor kittie would testify – she ran off at my squeals of excitement hehe!) there’s a video trailer for it:

I’m all goosebumpy after watching it. I can’t wait for it to be released! I can’t find a confirmed release date anywhere, but I’m hoping it’s not too far away! Am getting too rambly now (not like me I know) so will have to stop talking about WoW.

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For my writing, I didn’t do any over the weekend as I’ve been trying to sort out the middle bit. Annoying, but it has taught me a valuable lesson and for my next novel I’ll definitley be making a thorough plan. I’m leaning back towards the Sarcaia Trilogy once this one is done, as it’s been trying to barge its way back in. Not politely either!

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Today I worked on the final scene and have increased my word count to 15,492. I felt as if I was really in the scene today and it flowed really well, just a shame that I had to go back to work after lunch! There’s always tomorrow though. I have the scene penciled down soit should be nice and simple agan – just typing up and fleshing out. I like plans. 🙂

 

Word Count:         

This Week’s Words

I haven’t been able to write as much as I’d like this week as work’s been a bit mad & I’m still ironing out some planning issues. I have the beginning and ending pretty well planned, but the middle’s a bit of a muddle at the moment… I thought I had it all planned ok, but it turns out I have 3 different middles planned! Now I have to work out which one works best in the story and then plan it out before I can carry on towards that finish line. I have a 2 hour train journey tomorrow and an evening to myself so hopefully I’ll be able to get somewhere with the planning and get back to the writing. 🙂

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Progress for the week is 2,834 words, which brings my total to 14,999, so I’m about a third of the way there. 🙂 I think some of it might have to be cut once the new middle is in place, buy that can be decided later. Middle to be planned first, then write it, then I can go back and fiddle… no backtracking! 😀

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~~Word Count:               ETA: 27-Sep-2009~~

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In other news: I’ve been trying to influence kittie into become a gamer like her mum with some success:

Weekend Word Count

My word count for the weekend was 2,456, which brings my total to 12,165. It’s pushed my ETA forward to 27-Sep-09, but I don’t mind as long as I keep heading in the right direction.
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Those words have brought me to the end the first scene of chapter three. They also mean that I need to revise my planning however as I’ve shuffled the sequence of events around quite significantly so I needed to find the best way to carry on from where I left off.
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I had another look at the 6-Step-Outline I came up with from following THE GAY MAN’S GUIDE TO WRITING FANTASY FICTION and a chapter and scene summary I have and have penciled in a few changes. I’m happy now that I know where to head for tomorrow’s session. I was tempted to print out what I have so far and read through it, but no going back until the end!
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I hope your writing’s going well.

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~~Word Count:               ETA: 27-Sep-2009~~