Tag Archives: Writers Resources

Lost Moments

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I love having so many e mails hit my inbox every day, I get to see link after link after link lol.

The Writers Knowledge Base is one I could spend hours on lol…..in fact, sod actually writing, I’ll just do lots of writing research instead 😉

But that’s the problem isn’t it…..you can so easily get bogged down with reading articles, blogs, emails, FaceBook (the list is endless) that before you know it a whole morning is gone and you haven’t written a thing 😦

Yesterday morning I was up at 7.30 and still sitting in my PJ’s at 9.50 having just finally caught up with online stuff lol. My timetable really isn’t working for me, probably because I haven’t looked at it for a week lol.

Hubby bought me this a couple of days ago……

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So what was I doing at half past 12 last night?

I’ve not started reading it properly, just flicked, but it looks great!!!! I especially like the character profile list (characterisation is my favourite part of writing…..I can sit for hours making up characters) and the way that it’s advice from lots of different authors. Will definitely be keeping an eye out to see if Vanessa Gebbie is doing any workshops in the future 😉

……and here I go again…… Just stumbled across this great resource to create characters. On Manon Eileen’s site you fill in a form and can print out your characterisation. How good is that? Oh dear…..I don’t think much actual writing will get done today now lol 😉

I did, however, manage to do part of my course…..all about beginnings…..so here are some beginnings from my existing short stories. The point of the first exercise was to have the beginning of a story where the sense of location stands out to the reader. The second was to start with dialogue and introducing the characters by name. I hope they worked 😉

Yesterday’s prompt about the binoculars inspired the start of a story of a bird watcher lol. Today’s prompt is someone is whistling.

Plotting

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I’ve recently subscribed to The New Writer magazine. Really impressed with it, lots of info on competitions etc. I shall be reading my copy cover to cover and possibly submitting, if I can find the time 😉

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I did some more work on my course yesterday, which was to look at all the different techniques people use for outlining their plot. For example:

Diagrammatic Maps (web/spider or cluster)
Lists
Index Cards
Whiteboard
Fragmented Notes
Storyboarding

I guess, at the moment, I’m a fragmented notes kinda girl….but, I can see the benefits of using the other methods. My next exercise is to actually use one of the techniques I’m not familiar with…..that’ll be fun.

I have managed to get up to date with my prompts. The one about the button being undone turned into a sordid little tale about a guy in a hotel with an obsession for the receptionist and the crack in the door one is about a woman who goes for a job interview. Yesterday’s one, about the instrument was hard…. I spent some time researching Stephane Mallarme, hoping that would inspire me, and it did. I ended up writing about a guy in a wheelchair committing suicide lol

Today’s prompt is write a twilight memory and all I can think of is Edward 😉

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E Mail

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I spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to catch up reading my e mails. I must get about 60 a day from all the different blogs and web sites I’m subscribed to, and that’s not including Face Book notifications lol. On one hand, sometimes, I feel a bit overwhelmed, but other times, I’m so glad I subscribed to a particular blog as I get to read some fantastic posts 🙂 So I won’t moan ok lol.

One of the emails that hit my inbox yesterday talked about Henry Miller’s On Writing book. Now, obviously, I’d heard of Henry Miller but I didn’t know he’d written a book about writing. Seeeeee, I learnt something lol.

Apparently (I say apparently, as I haven’t personally got a copy of the book, although I have added it to my Wish List lol) Miller had what he called his ‘Writing Commandments’ which were:

1). Work on one thing at a time until finished.
2). Start no more new books, add no more new material to Black Spring
3). Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
4). Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
5). When you can’t create you can work.
6). Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilisers.
7). Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
8). Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
9). Discard the program when you feel like it – but, go back to it the next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
10) Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
11) write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

Thanks to Gretchen Rubin for Miller’s list :o)

I could relate to almost every point, but I especially like No 7 😉

I managed to catch up with the prompts last night so I’m pleased 🙂 Today’s one is write about “The instrument of the sorrowful” (after Stephane Mallarme

Hmmmmmm…..interesting…….

A Productive Day

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Yesterday was a good day on the writing front 🙂 I managed to get up to date with my prompts and do some studying!

My next OCA exercise was to take a character you’ve created and apply a ‘What if?’ to them. I had a choice of four ‘What if’s’. I chose a character I’d created recently and one of the prompts just completely jumped out as being the obvious one to use. So I then, had to write how that would affect my character. Really enjoyed doing this….my ideal writing task. Creating a character and then completely mucking up their life *evil snigger*

Go have a look at how poor Stephen Saunder’s life is just about to crumble around him. Does he deserve it d’ya think? 😉

The prompt about watching someone sleep ended up being about a jilted boyfriend who appears in a woman’s bedroom. She wakes up to find him sitting there holding a knife. The one from yesterday about the grandmother, a sorry tale about a girl being warned about men who’s eyebrows meet in the middle (what film did I get that from? Lol)

Today’s prompt is her button was undone which sounds very interesting.

Went to see The Importance of Being Earnest in London last night, and I have to admit, I wasn’t too impressed with the first half. The second half was much better, but all in all, very good 🙂

I’m off to Southampton today…..more about that tomorrow 🙂

Daily Reads

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I write every day, and I try to read every day. The two other things I try to do every day are 1) be a better person, inside and out 😉 (What? I’m a woman, I want my outside to be slightly acceptable as well! Lol) and 2) learn.

Sooooo, these are my bibles 😉

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Judy Reeves is absolutely essential for my writing prompts, Victoria Moran is helping me become the woman I want to be, Iyanla Vanzant is encouraging me and Sutherland & Fender are teaching me 🙂

Occasionally I manage to fit a bit of fiction reading in, but I seem to be stuck on a Maeve Binchy at the moment lol.

I did my timetable yesterday *groan* and already, on day 2 I’ve not stuck to it LMAO ;o)

I didn’t even manage yesterday’s prompt as I was concentrating on characterisation for my OCA course. Did a couple, tidied all my writing stuff up, looked at some competitions and fart arsed about basically *slump* Today the prompt is this is what my grandmother told me so the plan for today is to catch up with those and continue with my characterisations.

I’m off out tonight to see The Importance of Being Earnest I’ve never seen it before so I’m looking forward to it 🙂

Belief & Technique

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Yesterday I was reading Jack Kerouac’s Belief & Technique for Modern Prose – List of Essentials, which was written in 1958. Some of the items went straight over my head I have to say, but a couple stood out……

1) Scribbled secret notebooks and wild typewritten pages for your own joy
Oh yes, I love the images that conjures up

4) Be in love with your life
I try to be, I love experiencing new things

13) Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
Ha ha ha….my OCA tutor would say I definitely do that

24) No fear or shame in the dignity of your experience, language and knowledge
I’m a ‘sowf eas Lunden’ girl, what can I say 😉 I’m not highly educated, I don’t use long words that I don’t know the meaning of, so ner!

25) Write for the world to read and see your exact pictures of it
I like that! Everyone interprets the things around them differently, I find everyone and everything fascinating

And finally……..
29) You’re a Genius all the time
Thanks Jack, yeah, I bloody well am! 🙂

If you want to read the full list, you can find it here *goes off to dig out her copy of On The Road*

I like Jack….he sounded like my kinda bloke 😉

Had a great morning with The Maidstone Writers yesterday, and actually managed to do the longest day prompt. It ended up being a ghost story *snigger* Didn’t manage yesterday’s one though *deep sigh* Today, the prompt is driving the coast road which is a coincidence, as I’m off to Margate today 🙂

Research

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I went to Baggins today and managed to, ahem, buy a couple of books lol

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5 books, to be precise…..about local history and local ghosts. Creeping myself out a little bit reading all this ghost stuff lol

I managed to finish the summer garden prompt. The start of a short story about a young girls discovery in her absent fathers shed (don’t ask me what she finds, I haven’t got that far lol). The word unspoken ended up being an argument between a married couple, the word unspoken was the word gay. Yesterdays prompt, the longest day is proving difficult, I’ve gone completely blank, and, as I want to stick to my goal of writing every day, I did 2 character sketches instead 😉

Watched Mud Men this evening. A new TV show all about searching for artefacts in the mud of the Thames. Some great ideas for stories 🙂

Before that I watched Crimewatch as I haven’t watched it for years. Another couple of ideas for stories 😉

It amazes me that it doesn’t matter what you watch on TV, you can always get a story idea from a programme…..great fun 🙂

Today’s prompt is write about a shade tree and, as I’m going to a Writing Group meet this morning, I’m hoping to get there early, to get some writing done before everyone arrives 🙂

That Spark

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As I’ve now submitted my assignment, I can move onto the next part of the course……which is about inspiration (haven’t I already been thinking about that recently?).

Red Smith (who? Lol) once said “Writing is really quite simple, all you have to do is sit down at your typewriter and open a vein.” Yuk!!!!! lol….surely no such drastic measure is required? 😉

Many writers (famously including Charles Dickens and Margaret Drabble) believe that during afternoon walks, their stories shape themselves in their minds. Hmmmm, they obviously didn’t live where I do lol.

I’ve also read that doing mundane tasks can help you sort out the ideas going on in your head into some kind of order. Hmmmmm, sorting the washing doesn’t do it for me either lol 😉

Reading, watching plays, watching films, listening to people tell anecdotes of their lives, overhearing a conversation in a cafe, walking through an art gallery and listening to the news, can all spark an idea (and have all worked for me!)……and that’s why you should always carry your notebook 😉

As I’ve said before (yawn yawn) my favourite form of inspiration is images, but I guess now, I have to add ‘writing prompts’ to that list.

So, my next exercise is to choose an item from my notebook, one that jumps out. Then find another idea that I can marry it with. Then……

–List the words and phrases that spring to mind as you think about the two items
–Summarise the two items, and create free writes of both
–Look for links between them that you can use

I have an idea, festering away already 🙂

Then, polish my notes into a draft (short story). So that’s what I’ll be doing today, along with today’s prompt which is nearing midnight.

Yesterday’s prompt, about the tent, ended up being about a couple who are camping, in the back garden 😉

Oh, The Relief!

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Yesterday, I finally finished my assignment and sent it off…..I was getting so stressed over it lol. I’d chosen to write a story which, really, I should have given up on a long long time ago. Probably even with the initial idea to be honest lol. I didn’t enjoy writing it, and I definitely didn’t enjoy editing it lol 😉 Ok, ok, lesson learnt, never, ever write (or rather, try to) historical fiction again lol 🙂

You can read my Reflective Commentary at my other blog, and as you’ll see, it’s made me a bit, I dunno, whats the word? A bit bleugh about my writing. Which brings me nicely to……

My class Wednesday night. I was sooooo nervous!!! It was the first time I’d ever read out a piece of my work to a room full of people. They seemed to like it, not much criticism. Elaine liked my dialogue, so I came home with a smile on my face 🙂

So a rollercoaster of emotions over the last couple of days, and then this morning I read this quote by Kirsten Lamb “Fiction authors are brokers of passionate emotion” and that, it’s the way an author makes us feel (powerful, hopeful etc) that keeps us buying their work. *deep sigh* I’d give my right arm to be considered a ‘broker of passionate emotion’ lol…..not gunna happen if I can’t even write decent metaphors though is it 😉

Yesterday’s prompt, about a red headed woman didn’t inspire me to write anything, so I’ll be playing catch up with that one tomorrow.

Today’s prompt is ‘An immobile time not marked on clocks’ after Charles Baudelaire…… Wikipedia here I come! 😉

Playing Catch Up

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Ok, so I’ve caught up with both my prompts. The first one about describing something unfamiliar, I went for a gun…..because I went along the lines of thinking that if you put your hand into a bag and couldn’t see what you were touching, surely, most people would know the feel of a gun. Now, I have no way of testing that theory, so if anyone has, don’t hesitate to let me know 😉

Yesterday’s prompt, a place where wings unfurl, I came up with the idea of an old lady sitting in a tree, and all the people who walk by, not noticing her. Don’t ask me who she is, or how she got there, but I liked the image of it 🙂

Today’s prompt is what is seen through open windows

I’m liking that 🙂 and I already have some thoughts…..will tackle it later though, as first things first…..editing my assignment *groan* 😦

I hate editing! When I’m rich and famous cant I pay someone to do that for me?

And talking about being rich and famous lol, I’ve decided…..I’m going to finish my OCA course and then rather than enrol on anything else I’m going to concentrate on competitions and submissions. At the moment I feel that I’m writing what I’ve been told to write, instead of what I want to write 😉 I’m not sure I really am a potential ‘novelist’ I think I’m probably a potential ‘short story writer’ 🙂

Got sent this link through another Blog I subscribe to. It gives me hope that it not too late 🙂