Writing Prompts…..How Do You Eat Yours?

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Apologies to my non UK readers who don’t recognise the title of this post. It’s in reference to the TV ads we have here in the UK for Cadburys Cream Eggs. Every different advert asks at the end, “How Do You Eat Yours?” as everyone eats their Cadburys Egg differently….apparently lol.

Anyway, back to the post lol

Writing prompts…..I love them, but I know some people don’t. I know that if I’m struggling, I can always rely on a prompt to get those creative juices flowing. Many of my followers will know that I’ve been doing a prompt a day since the 1st January, and it has turned me into a bit of a preacher lol. I cant help it, it’s something I’m quite passionate about. Even when I’m really not feeling it (regarding my WIP) I still write every day…..and it’s the prompts that have kept me going. Without them, when I’m feeling really down on myself, I could quite easily go weeks without writing a word 😦

Way back in February, I wrote a post Prompts, Good or Bad? because I was beginning to get the distinct impression that most people don’t like them. almost like, if you use them, well, you obviously can’t think for yourself.

So, as I’m a bit anal *coughs* I find myself collecting ideas to use as writing prompts. I recently stumbled across this idea from Amanda Webster on her Write On The World blog. Wow, that’s a goooood one. I’m really loving that idea.

Here are some of my recently used prompts:

From Judy Reeves
The colour of midnight
“That night I was happy”
It shimmers in the distance
What waits at the top of the stairs

I tend to mainly use photos (that I’ve taken or that I’ve stumbled across in magazines) and specific writing prompts. But, I’m interested to hear……tell me what method of writing prompts do you use? That is, if you use them….and if you don’t, to settle my nosey streak, why not?

By the way…..how would you feel about me posting some of my prompts?

Insecure Writers Support Day

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Sorry, two posts today, but only because it’s Insecure Writers Day 🙂

I’ve not had a great month to be honest. I decided to stop writing short stories so that I could concentrate on my novel. A good plan at the time, no, it’s still a good plan, I’m fed up with spreading myself so thinly lol. But, it’s not really worked out as I thought it would. The goal setting every week has been working well, to help me focus, but so far, I don’t think there’s been one week where I actually met them all. So this week, no goals…am I putting too much pressure on myself?

Perhaps I just don’t believe in my novel enough. Perhaps I don’t really believe in myself and that’s the problem?

I went to a Nano event last week, where I met Chris Baty (you can read all about that on Ayesha’s Blog ) and although I really thoroughly enjoyed the event (Chris was lovely) I kind of looked around the room and thought “Is this me? Am I really cut out for this? Am I just kidding myself?”

Last week I lost 20 pages of editing. They just didn’t save on my Netbook and I don’t know why. When I’m editing I usually hit ‘save as’ (and check the file name) every 2 or 3 pages. I did that, then the following day I did the same for the next 20 pages. So imagine my horror when I next opened the file to discover that the second lot had completely saved, but the first lot had disappeared! 😦 I just wanted to cry, and I haven’t touched it since. I’m too scared to. Or is that just an excuse?

Sooooo, there we have it, my insecurities lol. Is being a writer really me? How long do I go on doing this? Shall I just go out and get a ‘proper’ job? Lol. These are the questions going round in my head at the moment *sighs*

I hope all my fellow Insecure Writers are having a better month 🙂 Will pop in and see as many of you as I can over the next 24 hours.

Edited to add: I managed to visit 95 fellow IWSG Blogs (pleased with that) 🙂

So what are you feeling insecure about this month?

On A Hot August Afternoon

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Yes, yes, I know it’s not August, but I can pretend cant I? Lol

Today’s “Blog Swap” is with author Bridget Straub who knew she wanted to be a writer when she was a child.

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I have been entertaining my younger sister with stories ever since we were little and shared a room, so writing became a natural extension. By eight I was writing anti-war poems that had my mother worrying that I was depressed. There was just never any doubt that this was what I wanted to do.

What genre do you write in?
i always end up saying Chicklit for lack of a better word but I think just as with Romance that can make it sound like a manufactured bit of fluff. My books are insights to a particular time in the characters’ lives.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
I write off and on throughout the day. I have kids, so there are constant interruptions and scheduling conflicts to be juggled.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
I generally write on my bed listening to some music to block out surrounding noise. Of course sometimes if it’s a new favorite CD it’s hard to let it work as a buffer and I end up singing along and being totally distracted, lol.

Who inspires you?
Musicians. I love music and the ability to tell a story or paint a scene in just a few minutes. Also movies, again because I’m very visual, which leads to art. Of course my twelve yr. old is in here telling me it’s my kids that inspire me and they do too!

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
That’s tough. Bits of Jane Green or Jennifer Crusie maybe?

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
I published my first novel “Searching for My Wand” in December as an ebook. My next book, “On a Hot August Afternoon” is coming out this month and is being released in both kindle form and paperback.
“Searching for My Wand” is about a woman struggling to repair past mistakes she has made. She was named (incorrectly) after Glinda the Good Witch and has spent most of her life trying to live up to that fictionalized image.

On a Hot August Afternoon” is about marriage, trust, family and the warped perceptions that fame can bring.

I love Bridget’s drawing 🙂 And it made me ask myself the question….. If you’re a writer, and hence, creative, does that mean you have other creative talents? I used to do collages (check out my Flickr page if you want to have a look) and I’ve seen quite a few writers, showcasing their ‘art’ on their blogs.

So my question to you today dear reader, is…..Do you do any other ‘creative’ activities on top of writing?

Nip on over to Bridget’s Blog to see my post for today 🙂

I Used To Write…..

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Some of you may remember my review of Jeff Goins You Are A Writer e book last month. No? Ok, find it here

Jeff held a competition but I didn’t have the guts to enter lol. A couple of days ago, the winner was announced. Dustin M Smith who blogs at Propensity For Curiosity won with this brilliant video 🙂

Now, doesn’t that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? 🙂

As for me, am I still trying to believe I am a writer? Well, I managed to put it on my Facebook profile, that’s a start isn’t it? Lol 😉

Dustin talks about the fact that what he used to write was safe. Ahhhh, yeah, I think I’m very much the same. There is a lady in my writing class who is writing a novel that is a mixture of 2 different POV’s. When I asked her why, she said she was experimenting. Hmmmmm, I never experiment. So perhaps I should? do you experiment with your writing? And if you do, what kind of things have you tried? *goes off to attempt some deep and meaningful poetry*

Tonight, I’m going to a Nanowrimo event to meet Chris Baty…..yep, IN THE FLESH!

This Weeks Goals 28th to 3rd

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Yesterday’s postcard from the Tate prompted a story for me about a guy who had been thrown out of his apartment, on to the street. All he has left in the world is the sofa and some black bags. The question is….why has he been thrown out? I’m kind of thinking along the lines that he’s divorced, and lives with his son. His son has got involved with some very dodgy characters, which has resulted in the fact that he’s taken all his dads money to pay the debts off….and now he’s disappeared……

I’m guest posting today, over at Creative Writing Studies for the lovely Anthony Haynes. Go and have a peek to read me talking about why I blog, and what I LOVE about it! 🙂

I’ve had a pretty productive week 🙂

Last weeks goals were:

1. Turn the prologue back into 3rd person (again lol).
DONE!

2. Try to nail chapter one, so that I have something to read out at class on Wednesday night.
DONE!

3. Finish sorting out the formatting/layout of the whole thing.
HALF WAY THROUGH!

4. Have another read through and work on the ending. I think I’ve worked out where I want it to go, I’ve just got to write it now, which means changing stuff in other places. So yep, I’ve been avoiding that lol.
NOT EVEN ATTEMPTED!

Oh dear, well ok, it wasn’t that productive. I don’t know why I’m avoiding it so much. No, yes, sorry, I do….because its hard work, because I’m confused and don’t know exactly what I want to happen, because I know it will mean changing other stuff that I’ve already written 😦

So this weeks goals are:

1. Finish sorting out the formatting/layout of the whole thing, and I mean REALLY finish lol.

2. Have another tinker with the Blurb.

3. Try to do something constructive towards the ending, even if it’s only 500 bloody words! Lol.

4. Get Chapter 2 sorted, polished up and in ship shape 😉

I’ve come to the conclusion that overwhelming myself with a to do list doesn’t achieve anything, so I’m trying to be a little easier on myself (ha ha ha).

so what are your writing plans for the week?

My current read, recommended by Jeff Goins

Picture Postcard & Where I’m Guesting

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’m currently guesting over at Virginias blog Poeta Officium so do pop in and read my “One Most Important Piece Of Advice To Writers”

Now, where was I? Lol

I bought this postcard when I went up to the Tate Modern recently, because it intrigued me 🙂

It’s acrylic on canvas by a German artist, Martin Kippenberger and is called “Ohne Titel”. I thought initially it was a photograph!

I wonder what inspired him to paint it?

Would love to hear what story line you can come up with for this one?

I’ll share my ideas tomorrow 🙂

Why Do We Do It?

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

There’s been an image floating around Facebook, have you seen it? This one……

With a bit of investigation, I’ve discovered it’s come from The Weldon Owen Publishing blog and it seems to have inspired lots of debates.

One of my favourite bloggers, Roger Colby featured it on his blog a few days ago, and it made me ask my self the question….. If this writing and publishing malarkey is so goddam hard….why do we do it? Why do we put ourselves through it?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? Or is it just me?

I’ve been doing some Googling lol….from what I can tell (the figures vary) its less than 1% of all manuscripts that get submitted that actually find their way on to our shelves in book form. It’s a tiny amount when you consider the hundreds of thousands of MS’s that must land on agents and publishers desks every day.

So, here’s exactly why I put myself through it.

1. I LOVE writing and I love words

2. It’s escapism, a chance to get away from my own life and envelop myself in someone else’s lol.

3. To get down on paper the thoughts going round in my head.

4. It’s a chance to explore, learn and grow.

5. Because there’s still that tiny piece of me that hopes i might, just might, be in that 1% *snigger*

So I’m determined to stay positive, determined to continue on my writing journey, and if I never get published, so be it….I’m doing something I really enjoy 🙂

So why do you do it?

The Blooming Blurb

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

*sighs deeply*

Ok, so I’ve been working on my blurb for “But Not Forgotten” recently, and the current version is below…..See what you think…..

Married to successful accountant Daniel, Laura has it all. A nice house, nice car and money in the bank. But when Daniel kills himself, the events of 1984 re-emerge, threatening everything Laura holds dear, including her daughter Ruby.

Ruby and Laura need to learn how to rebuild their lives. But Daniel’s brother Ronnie tries everything in his power to reek revenge on his brother, and those he loved. Laura finds herself torn between the two brothers. Will she be able to throw everything away, to rekindle her love for Ronnie? And if she can, how will she cope with Daniel still controlling her from beyond the grave?

The Write Inspiration posted an excellent article recently, giving advice for blurb writing. Do have a read if you’re struggling like I am lol

So is it too short? Rubbish? Ok? Your thoughts would be much appreciated 🙂

My orchid is blooming, my blurb, unfortunately, isn’t lol 😉

This Weeks Goals 21st to 27th

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I had lots of ideas about The New Zealander, but in the end I decided that he had come to find his family in the UK. After lots of struggles, problems, highs and lows, he finally finds that his birth parents are dead and that he was in fact kidnapped when he was a baby. Perhaps the happy ending could be that he either finds a sibling, or the love of his life on his journey 🙂

Yet again, I didn’t get as much as I’d like done last week. I blame my birthday lol

I had some lovely comments about my prologue from my Writing Group, but the general consensus was, why was it in first person POV? Hmmmmm lol.

So the plan for this week is…..

1. Turn the prologue back into 3rd person (again lol).

2. Try to nail chapter one, so that I have something to read out at class on Wednesday night.

3. Finish sorting out the formatting/layout of the whole thing.

I’m going to a “write in” with some fellow writers tomorrow morning, so that should motivate me 🙂

On Saturday, I went up to Foyles in Central London (my favourite book shop!) to spend my voucher that hubby got me for my birthday. Here’s what I brought home…..whoops! Lol

so what are your writing goals/plans this week?

The New Zealander

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Last weekend I went up to the Tate Modern which is probably my favourite gallery, as I’m a huge fan of modern art 🙂

As if the art work inside isn’t enough, there is also art outside. Martin Karlsson has a display of drawings outside to enhance the building work that is going on there. I find his work fascinating and soooo inspirational for stories (I will post some more in the coming weeks).

So today’s photo is “The New Zealander” by Karlsson.