Must Do’s Monday 27th to 2nd June

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

I’ve had a hectic week, not helped by a few days of feeling rough. But I didn’t do too badly all told on the ‘To Do List’ which was…

1. Work on the synopsis for Tangled Ummm, ok, well this didn’t happen lol. I have a rough one that I did a couple of weeks ago, but it sounds like a blurb at the moment.
2. Edit first two chapters of Tangled Ok, I did the first chapter, but as I need to submit the whole novel to the RNA New Writers Scheme before the end of July I really need to step up a gear lol
3. Start planning some blog posts Done 🙂
4. Start going to the gym Didn’t happen, but as The Hubster’s chess is winding down now we’ve agreed to start going next week.
5. Plan my week every Sunday Yep, did that last week and used my new Paperchase pad. Really useful having my whole week on one sheet divided into AM’s and PM’s. I’ll be doing next weeks one after I finish this post.
6. Do at least 1 writing exercise every day Ahhhh, now this has been great, I’ve really enjoyed it! And at the moment I’m using Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind 🙂

So next weeks another busy one, but I’m looking forward to writing (thank gawd!). I’ve got a couple of opportunities for writing in coffee shops and then there’s Happy Club. The sun has been shining today and I’m feeling pretty goddam good 🙂

I’m loving filling in my ‘Experiences’ book, but I think I need to carry it around with me because I keep remembering things when I’m out and forgetting them by the time I get home lol.

What are your plans for the week?

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?

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 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:

Looking forward to Sunday and a trip to the seaside 😉

What are your writing plans for the week?

Monday Must Do’s 21st to 27th January

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Thank you to everyone who voted in my poll on the last post 🙂

I’m behind, way behind 😦 Because I went away for the weekend and I promised myself no blogging, no FaceBook, no e mailing and no, wait for it…..writing! I managed it, and although it was nice to get away, chill, I’ve found that coming back has me stressing when I look at my inbox (300+ e mails) and I’m beginning to think that something has got to give. But what? How on earth do I fit everything in and not feel that I’m chained to the laptop/iPad?

I also had an e mail from Faber, telling me all the things I need to have done and sent to them and deadline dates *gulp*

Just ignore me, I’ll be the mumbling heap in the corner while you read this post.

Last weeks list was ok:

1. Edit first 5000 words of The Last Word Cafe. Done, well, kind of, it’s still a mess so I’m going to give it another edit this week.
2. Faber homework, 3 pieces to critique. Faber was cancelled on Saturday, and I think it will be today too. So I didn’t read the 3 pieces (make that 4 now inc Mondays one).
3. Keep up with 1000 words a day. Yes and no, but only because I had days off when I wanted them. I’ve been away this weekend so had 2 days off, which has stressed me out, but I’ll make it up tomorrow.
4. Catch up with 300 odd e mails and about 4 days of blogs. I did, but going away for the weekend has meant I’m behind again 😦

So this weeks list looks like this:

So nothing too bad I guess and not much in the way of appointments next week. Hubby has a county match on Saturday so I’ll be having another mini writing retreat. I should be able to get it all done, shouldn’t I? Especially as this is now the view outside my window, so I won’t exactly be going anywhere lol 😉

Photo taken last night whilst I was writing this post. It snowed all day yesterday.

I think Faber will be cancelled again tonight so expect something un-Faber-like tomorrow.

What are your writing plans for the week?

Monday Must Do’s 14th to 20th Jan (the-view-outside.com)

Monday Must Do’s 14th to 20th Jan

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

My Mini Writing Retreat on Saturday was a resounding success 🙂 I netted myself over 7,000 words writing to prompts. Gave the old grey cells a real going over!

So the list for last week ended up like this:

1. Keep up with the 1000 words a day challenge. Done and exceeded!
2. Do the daily ‘small stones’ Done
3. Send off my RNA form Done
4. Keep up with my resolutions and daily timetable. Well, the timetable has been a complete disaster 😦 I worked out that if I do everything I need to it will take me 12 hours every day! Hmmmm, it’s just not gunna happen, I can’t live my life like that *deep sigh* So any suggestions on time management will be gratefully received lol
5. Faber homework There wasn’t any this week
6. Order ink cartridges. Done and received 🙂

I don’t struggle in motivation, by any means, I just need a 24 hour day to be much longer! Lol

So here’s this weeks list…..