Word of the week (9)

I’m too cold to think. My brain is in its hibernaculum.

(Wondering what my Word of the Week is about? Click here for an explanation.)

Making plans

The problem with New Year Resolutions is that it only takes one slip to break them.

You resolve to adopt a healthy diet, and then find a box of chocolates left over from Christmas …

You resolve to write 1,000 words a day, but on the first day the sun’s shining so you go for a walk first, and have a potter round the garden, and then it’s time for lunch …

I much prefer to start a new year by writing down a list of goals I hope to achieve over the next 12 months. Some are specific (I will finish that novel!); others are vaguer (I’ll try to read more modern poetry).

If a writing goal doesn’t already have a deadline attached to it, I’ll add one. I also put a start date on some projects because I tend to waste a lot of time thinking about what I want to write instead of actually sitting down and putting words on paper or computer. The important thing is that most of these dates are flexible, so if I’m a day or two late I don’t feel that I’ve failed.

But I’m always looking for ways to be more productive so this year I’ve accepted the Write 1 Sub 1 monthly challenge. The idea is to write and submit one new story each month. There is also a weekly challenge for more ambitious writers.

Do you make resolutions or aim for goals? Do you have any tips or tricks for keeping on track? 

Christmas greetings

Wishing you all a magical Christmas!

Does it count?

One of my goals is to be published in Mslexia, so I was thrilled to see my name in the current issue. Unfortunately they hadn’t chosen one of my short stories for their New Writing feature, they had only printed a comment I made on their blog. Oh well, it’s a start!

P.S. Mslexia are running a free prize draw for some very useful books for writers. Closing date 31^st December. Find it by scrolling down to the bottom of their home page.

Word of the week (8)

She was luminescent with bright ideas.

NaNoWriMo – the end, or a beginning?

I gave up all hope of reaching the target 50,000 words of NaNoWriMo about halfway through November, but I kept writing right up until the evening of the 30th.

My final total was 23,791, not including some handwritten notes and all the words still churning about in my head! I confess that I couldn’t resist slowing down and doing a bit of editing as I began to see connections between random scenes and plot threads, but it was still a lot more words than I usually produce in a month of ‘normal’ writing.

Was it worth it?

Definitely!

By the end of NaNoWriMo I had the very rough outline of a new novel. 

I can’t call it a first draft because it’s so muddled, and padded out with a lot of waffle, but I’m confident there’s enough material there to shape into a respectable first draft. It has a definite beginning and ending, plot points to lead me through the middle and, most importantly, a cast of characters who are all very real to me.

I’ve saved the whole thing but I probably won’t look at it again for many months. I first need to get back to real life and catch up with everything I put on hold at the end of October. (I haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet!)

Word of the week (7)

gumption

If only she’d had the gumption to use that word before!

(Wondering what my Word of the Week is about? Click here for an explanation.)