Monday Must Do’s 20th to 26th May

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Good morning! (or afternoon/evening depending on where you are and when you’re reading this

I’m BACK! Did ya miss me? I’ve missed you guys

Ok, that’s enough lol….I guess I better tell you what I’ve been up to. I’ve had a pretty good 2 weeks to be honest. It was my birthday and i went stationery shopping, i went to the Romantic Novelists Summer Party (click the link for the photos including one which featured my red shoes! lol) and went to see RJ Ellory read from his new novel which isnt out for a few months (must buy that one!). I haven’t touched the WIP (Still), haven’t done much writing at all, although I did do a few prompts which was fun. Most of you know, I’m a huge fan of prompts and writing exercises to get the old creative juices flowing. I stumbled across Bonnie Neubauer’s website last week (she’s the lady who wrote The Right Brain Workbook) and here’s what she has to say about prompts:

“Because exercises (also known as prompts) remove the expectations and judgments you have about your own writing. The goal of an exercise is get you to write for the sake of writing so you can discover or rediscover the joy of writing. Exercises are all about filling the pre-allotted time or the pre-allotted space on the page. Do that, and you have met your goal. Nothing else matters. Not content, not plot, not characters, not spelling. And, to exceed your goal all you have to do is write one extra sentence.”

“Do enough exercises (The number is different for everyone; for me, it happens to be 2 exercises a day for 3 to 6 days), and you will find yourself excited about doing your ‘real’ writing. When this happens (and don’t force it), it’s totally okay to abandon the world of exercises and write what you want to write. Just remember that if you ever find yourself stalled, immediately put your regular writing aside and do some exercises. The exercises will relieve you of the pressure to produce and will once again, get your right brain primed to spew onto the paper without letting your left brain (the nasty editor) get in the way and stop you.”

And that’s what happened see….I fell out of love with writing, so I’ve been trying to claw my way back….and I think it’s working. I’ve missed doing prompts and I should never have stopped. As from today I’m taking Bonnie’s advice, and going back to committing to daily writing

So the coming week looks like this:

And how I’ve missed the structure of a ‘to do list’ because when I haven’t got one, nothing gets done.

You’ll see I’m working on another project. My second novel, entitled “Tangled” is what I’ve decided to submit to the RNA New Writers Scheme for critique, but it still needs some work. It’s complete, has a beginning, a middle and an end (go me!) but is only 52,000 words lol. The first novel (Still) is such a bloody mess that I really don’t know where to go next, so I’m putting it to one side (for the moment). There’s only so many times you can bash your head against that wall

So I’m feeling pretty good, pretty confident and actually raring to get suck in! I’m hoping that my new pad from Paperchase will help.

Great post about self doubt here on Mandy Websters blog. Struck a nerve with me as its just how I’ve been feeling lately. Now, I’m off to turn a prompt into a ghost story

So what are your writing plans for the week?

How To Be Happy In 5 Easy Steps

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Ok, I know, I shouldn’t be here right? But I just had to get involved in Rebecca’s Meme, because I’ve been feeling a bit down (what? On a lovely relaxing break?) which I think has been induced by the looming birthday next week. It’s not that I’m scared of age, just that birthdays are bittersweet nowadays and the whole stressy writing business has taken its toll.

Anyway, back to being tagged by Rebecca in her “How To Be Happy Meme”

I’d been thinking about this recently, after a session at Happy Club with Peter Jones (if you’ve not read How To Do Everything and Be Happy I highly recommend it!!!!) where we were making lists of things that made us happy and trying to find ways to incorporate those moments into our lives.

I went straight home, opened a brand new journal and wrote this on the first page.

I now have a journal dedicated to living the best life i can. So far I’ve written about 20 pages!

So thank you Rebecca, this is exactly what I needed right now.

Vikki’s How To Be Happy in 5 Easy Steps

1. Eat cake! Things are always better after cake

2. Have hobbies and interests! Do things you enjoy – make the most of every moment!

3. Make sure there is ALWAYS someone who is pleased to see you! Friends and family are important.

4. Buy a new pair of shoes! Gorgeous new shoes always make us girlies happy

5. Own a pet! Unconditional love, from a furry friend is just the best!!!!!!

Just writing those down has made me smile

So those are my 5 top tips on how to be happy, or what makes me happy. Now it’s your turn. Give me your 5 in the comments box…make me smile And if you want to post this on your own blog, please link back to Rebecca’s and feel free to tag.

Must Do’s 25th to 31st March

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Sorry for the lateness of this post….I’m having Internet problems *mutter grumble* which should be sorted tomorrow….yeah, we’ll see!

Well, last week was a bit up and down. A mixture of highly productive and complete procrastination. On the plus side I now know all about the first ever legal brothel in America and what the expression “Bugger Bognor” means lol….don’t ask!

Highlight of the week was a luncheon on Friday with some RNA ladies

So last weeks list looked like this:

1. Continue to work on Still. I’ve been using prompts fairly successfully recently. To get me back into writing as I was really struggling. What I’ve been doing is using the prompts to prompt (lol) scenes for the novel, some of which will never actually appear in it. But I’ve found it good practice and its got me back in the mood. So no official word count as such, but I’ve probably written 5000 words that are fragmented scenes. I’m pleased with that

2. Finish 250 word Synopsis for Faber. Done, but it still needs work (thank you Jane!).

3. Do some work on the A-Z Challenge – Research. Nope, I must confess, I didn’t. No, actually that’s not true, I did have a look at some web sites, and bought a book, but that was as far as I got.

4. Catch up with blogs I haven’t read yet. I did, but I’m behind again

Before I forget, thank you so much to everyone who’s commented on my character sketches. It’s been really helpful to hear other people’s opinions about Laura, Ruby, Ronnie & Daniel. I’m going to print them all off and stick in my “Still Bible”

So this week is looking like this:

I’m going to work on a timetable, but rather than dividing my day up, I’m going to have specific days for specific things, and see if that works lol. I’m finding that reading is taking a huge back seat and I don’t want it to So perhaps if I can allocate different days for different things….that might work eh? Lol….wish me luck!

So what are your writing plans for the week?

Must Do’s 18th to 24th March

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Firstly, thanks to everyone for their comments on Janes Saturday post….personally, I still can’t make my mind up

It’s been a good week, the highlight being meeting up with Pauline Conolly (who was visiting from Australia) and Madalyn Morgan for lunch at The British Museum followed by cake at The Cordon Bleu Cafe

So here’s what I managed to achieve last week:
1. Faber homework. There wasn’t any lol. Tonight’s session is with an agent.
2. Add/do 1000 words on Still. Well, I didn’t do 1000 words, but it was about 500.
3. Do the 250 word synopsis. I now have 95 words lol
4. Catch up with blogs and emails. This is such an ongoing thing that I’m not going to add it in future. Just be aware that I am always behind
5. Have a play with Scrivener. Well, I did open it, did start reading the guide, all 539 pages of it! *gulp*
6. Finish my book. Epic fail But only because I’ve done quite a bit of writing this week. I’ve gone back to basics and been handwriting every day. It’s worked with getting me inspired again. I’ve been using the prompts to write scenes for the novel

Must Do’s for this week are:

I really must make a start on the research for the A-Z challenge!

What are your writing plans for the week?

Must Do’s 11th to 17th March

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Last Mondays critique at Faber threw me into a bit of confusion, as my To Do List was compiled the day before…you’ll see what I mean when you read on.

So last weeks list was a bit hit and miss

1. Faber homework. Done!
2. Sort out notes from Faber critique. Hmmmm, well, I did, kind of, but I’ve been toying with what to do all week. I’m still unsure of what way to go, but, I need to make a decision. I think I know what I want to do, whether it will work or not is another matter
3. Work on Faber Synopsis. Nope…how can I write a synopsis when I don’t know how it’s going to be structured? Lol
4. Add 2000 words to Still. Nope
5. Catch up with E Mails and Blogs. Done, but I’m constantly behind!
6. Do some studying. Yep, I’m enjoying Celia Brayfields Bestseller

So this week is looking like this…

Lets hope I’m more productive this week! Lol

What are your writing plans this week?

Must Do’s 4th to 10th March

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Well, after 2 separate illnesses in the last 7 days I will be going to my Faber class tonight even if I’m dying…because tonight they’re critiquing the first 5000 words of Still ARGHHHHH!

In light of what happened last time, as you can imagine, I’m bloody nervous lol. But lets not dwell on that at the moment

Last weeks list was…not a complete wash out surprisingly enough. I was shocked that between a nasty cold and a stomach bug, I did actually manage to get something done!

1. Faber homework, inc working on the 250 word synopsis. Nope
2. Add at least 5000 words to Still. I added 2000, which is better than nothing. I’m finding that around 600 words each day I’ve added to it, seems to be comfortable for some reason.
3. Catch up with e mails & blogs. Yep, but this is ongoing every day of every week. Doing it every other day or 3rd day seems to be working better though.
4. Do some work on my goals etc for Happy Club. Done!
5. Do some studying. I managed to finished the James Wood book (How Fiction Works) and I’m just about to start Bestseller by Celia Brayfield.

So this coming week looks like this:

But not much is going to get done tomorrow I can tell you, my stomachs churning already!

Wish me luck! I think I’m gunna need it!

What are your writing plans for the week?

Must Do’s 25th Feb to 3rd March

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Apologies to those of you who have already seen this post. They’ve changed the way the WordPress App works on my iPad, so when I asked this post to be scheduled, oh no, WordPress decided to post it instead

After my mini melt down, last week was a bit more productive

1. Catch up with 100K. Sort of lol…I’m still ahead of schedule, but have missed a few days. I’m really missing my daily prompts that’s for sure
2. Faber homework. Yep! lots of reading for the critiques and editing my submission. I sent that over yesterday afternoon.
3. Catch up with Blogs and e mails etc. I did, lol, but it’s so easy to get behind again What I’ve decided to do is allocate two half days a week. I think that might work lol
4. Tidy desk. Done!
5. Finish book. Done and I’ve started a new one.
6. Do some studying. I did, but I need to get into a regular routine. I still have so much to learn

So what am I up to this week?

I’ve also got to send my payment off to the RNA Conference and sort out my application for Swanwick. Hubby is out at a chess match all day Saturday so I’m planning a Mini Retreat

What are your writing plans for the week?

Must Do’s 18th to 24th Feb

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

I’ve had a pretty bad week Not much writing, feeling a bit uninspired to be honest, or am I just tired? Focusing seems to be an issue.

So last weeks Must Do’s were a bit if a disaster

1. Faber homework. No class = no homework.
2. Edit first 5000 words of Still. I did some of it, but my critique has now been put back until March so I’ve been very lazy and left it
3. Submit to Faber. See above!
4. Keep up with 1000 words a day. A complete wash out! *sighs*
5. Catch up with other blogs. I was up to date but I’ve fallen behind again.
6. Tidy desk (again!). Nope and now it’s worse lol

Well, I haven’t had a week that bad in ages! I’m even behind replying to your comments on my blog! I’ve really gotta pull myself together, somebody kick me up the arse

This weeks list looks like this:

But I’ve got a really busy week…..

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can pull myself out of the mood I’ve found myself in.

What are your writing plans for the week?

Must Do’s 11th to 17th Feb

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Well, last week was a complete mare as you probably know. Much angst about the WIP which is now in it’s 3rd metamorphosis. I think it’s going to work well with the new structure so I’m relieved lol

Last week, the To Do List looked something like this:

1. Go through TLWC and make notes – where I need to add stuff. Well, I did start to do that and it was as I was reading through it, yawning, I realised that there was something missing
2. Keep up with 1000 words a day. Yep, I did
3. Do some studying. Nope, too stressed lol
4. Read more. Read more this last week than I have for a while, but still not enough really
5. Finish Draft Blog posts. Done!
6. Sort out and finalise guest blog posts. Nearly done, just got to add a couple of links to one of them

So it didn’t really go according to plan, but I did have a lot on my mind he he he!

This weeks list looks like this:

I’m going out Saturday night, The Hubster is taking me out for a Valentines Day meal. Can you beleive he’s deserting me on Valentines Day and playing chess? Lol…Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he makes it up to me at the weekend

I’ll also be trying to do some character sketches so I’ll post one of those every week

Have a good week guys….What are your writing plans this week?

Must Do’s 4th to 10th February

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

A quick reminder to those of you who enjoyed part 1 of Janet Govers Media Workshop. Part 2 went live yesterday

So how have I done this week? Not very well (be prepared for a really whiney IWSG post on Wednesday). I’ve discovered what my problem actually is, now I just need to work on overcoming it lol. So yesterday I printed off the whole of the WIP, and now, I just need to read it lol. It kinda feels like editing, but it’s not, I’m not actually gunna touch it. Just work out where I need to add things.

So last week the list looked like this:
1. Go through Mels Critique of TLWC. Done! Thank you honey
2. Keep up with 1000 words a day. Kept up, as such, but not on the WIP
3. Catch up with e mails and blogs etc. Done! But I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle lol. It’s a bit like when you have kids and tidy up….5 minutes later it’s messy again lol
4. Prep for the weekend (Writing Retreat). Done! Although, I didn’t get as much writing done as I’d hoped.
5. Sort out Blog Awards and prep post. Half way there, still working on them lol.

This weeks looking like this: