My body decided to throw my for a loop by making me think my appendix was going to blow up. As it turns out, it was my sneaky ovary making all the fuss.
So I’m home now, but I’m sore, exhausted and having a bit of a hard time catching up with things.
Slowly but surely…
They say that when you give into one reason for not doing something, then it becomes much easier to say no the next time. And the time after that. Like with exercise: you’ve been doing well but you don’t feel like doing it one day, so you don’t. The next day, it’s incredibly easier to think of all the reasons you are too busy or just can’t. You might not even get the guilt trip the second day.
I had the best of intentions to sit down and write today. I was going to get all my work done as fast as I could (while still doing a good job), only do what I had to do for today instead of jumping ahead a bit like I usually do, and then I would write. Simple, yes?
What do I do instead? Well, I’ll give you a hint: my kitchen is now a kitchen of clean awesomeness.
My kitchen did need cleaning. The floor, the stove, the oven, some dishes, three boxes we hadn’t unpacked since moving in April of this year… Ahem. [Insert shifty eyes.] But did it need cleaning today? Today of all days when I can feel my ‘lead’ in NaNoWriMo slipping from my grasp?
No.
Of all the things I could have done to procrastinate, I’m glad it was cleaning and not sitting at the television with a bowl of crisps. Not that I have crisps, but you get the picture. I feel like I can breathe again in my kitchen, which is always good. But if I don’t settle myself back down to write (after taking yesterday ‘off’ writing because I was tired – after taking a couple days off because I was sick), I am going to lose that hard won lead.
So tonight, even though I’m tired from a day of washing, scrubbing, unpacking, repacking (mostly for donations, thank goodness), etc, I will write. Prepare to see that counter over there -> rise by at least 1667 words tonight. Huzzah!
I meant to post this sooner, but, you know, life happened.
My appointment and the paranoia-inducing spot on my thumb update:
I’m so ready to punch my GP right in the balls. Yeah, I said it. You see, when I sat down to get The Spot looked at, I told him that I had concerns about cancer. Breast cancer that morphed into liver, bone, etc cancers killed my grandmother. My mother has a freaking brain tumor. Weird little spot in the country where skin cancer is the big cancer?
I’ll take ‘how to freak JM out for $500, please’. Instead of reassuring me, my GP had me freaking out even worse. That’s why I was so nervous! And why I wanted my appointment moved ahead. He told me how weird it was to get a spot on my thumb and how it looked odd, etc, etc.
Lo and behold…
I went to the dermatologist who didn’t even think it was worth removing. ‘Just a mole. Looks like any other, and it’s not odd to have it on your thumb. If it keeps getting bigger and you’re worried, come back to see me.’
Simple as that!
So on one hand, I am relieved that I don’t have anything to worry about. At least for a long time yet. On the other hand, I don’t want to see a doctor who is just going to play up my fears. I wonder if he got some sort of referral fee…
Life moves on and the typing is as fast as ever. Phew!
I recently read an article (that I, of course, can’t find again) discussing the habits of successful authors. One of the habits mentioned is that most successful authors write in the morning.
I had to stop reading for a moment on that. I didn’t see the survey about author writing times, did you?
This statement only annoys me, I know, because I write at night. The morning – the times I consider morning – are for sleep and then work. Writing? I’ve written all of Echo Falls (look to your left) at night. Some of it during early evening, but that’s as early as I got. Am I a successful author? Well, I’ve been published in major anthologies, but maybe I don’t qualify as successful just yet.
So where are all the night writers? Or am I just missing out on some magical writing time because I loathe getting up early as much as I loathe pineapple on my hamburgers?
If anything, for me, morning is a time for exercise. Exercise is the thing I need to do straight away because I simply can’t be bothered as the day wears on. I think about my writing when I exercise, but the most actual writing I would do until evening is write notes.
The exception would be weekends when the day is fine and my husband and I go somewhere to relax. I’ll write then. But it’s still not morning.
In the end, I’m curious if I just need to harden up and give morning writing a go because there is really something to it, or if I should accept that I’m a strange one amongst strange ones (all writers are strange, as far as I’m concerned) because I happily write during the evening instead.
When I was young (think preteen) I wrote my first novella – a work of fan fiction. Since then, I have stopped writing fiction but kept a love of seeing characters loose from the pages of their books and wandering free.
Usually causing trouble.
That is where the idea for my character blog The Plot came from. The Plot is run by Rose, a busty woman from the US south who is the older sister to four brothers and runs a pub. She’s also one of the many characters of mine who sit around waiting for me to complete their stories.
The Plot has hosted many characters from published books, and I’ve had a ball with reading all the interviews. However, I think interviews with characters are a great exercise regardless of whether you’re published or not. Or, whether you’re published but have a few characters running around in the world of Untitled that you’d like to get to know a bit better.
I’m thinking of starting an ‘amateur hour’ of sorts there on Wednesdays. I’d put up your interview with your character (or your characters interviewing each other – or whatever you can think of) along with links to your site(s). I could even put in your brief working synopsis at the top and a blurb from you about the background of the story (when you started it, etc). It publicity, it’s fun and it might just rescue some of those poor beings from Untitled.
I’d like to at least get a few people interested, however, before I go ahead with it. I only have a few voices in my head to work with, so I don’t want to try to shoulder this on my own.
What do you think? Anyone game?
(PS. If you have a published book and would like to do this, then I have Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday spots available.)
I’ve only just realised that it’s been quite a while since I actually talked about any of my writing projects.
At the moment I am working on an urban fantasy. I gave a hearty go to writing women’s fiction because I was in love with the idea of being a women’s fiction writer (and have read a lot of books in that genre) but it’s just not for me at this point of my life. Maybe it will be in a few months or years.
I started writing my first novels as a pre-teen in the fantasy genre. I decided that I should go back to my roots while also incorporating one of my big loves: the city of Melbourne. Lo and behold, urban fantasy. I’m staying firmly away from vampires because, frankly, there is nothing I can add to that subject at the moment. I have a plot involving werewolves knocking around in my head, but I’ve written down all the notes and will continue on with what I’m working on.
I don’t have any fairies, demons, succubi, gods or goddesses or angels. I’m writing about something I haven’t read about or heard about yet in the UF world, so that either means I might have a semi-original idea (all the original ones are taken, right?) or something that will never sell. But I like it, and that’s what matters in the first draft.
I’m less than 10,000 words in, though, so that might change…
I’d love to hear about what everyone else is working on, if you care to share. We can swap first draft woes, talk about motivation and even ask questions if you like. I’m here all night. 
I wrote this post for Naturally Curvy, but I wanted to share it here as well…
In another life, I’m a wannabe novelist who reads a lot. In my writer shoes, I know that reading a lot is one of the ways to become a good writer. From reading, you absorb what it means to have your own voice and style. Reading in your genre teaches you what works and doesn’t work. Reading also gives you a wide appreciation of the craft.
When I am working on a novel (which is pretty much at any given time) I am usually reading at least one book. It helps me to focus on writing.
Now picture me walking up the street to my place, shopping bag with fish in hand, and pausing for a moment as I have a lightbulb moment.
If I read fiction to keep the craft fresh in my mind and to help me stay dedicated to keeping up my writing, then what about the health side of things?
I had my lightbulb moment the other day and, while wishing I had thought of it much earlier, I went to the library for some books. I grabbed what I could find on emotional eating, body intelligence, basics of healthy weight loss, etc.
And you know what? It’s been working.
Reading these books hasn’t stopped me from doing some silly things or eating things I shouldn’t, but it has kept my health in the forefront of my mind. As someone who spent most of her life not giving a chicken’s butt about herself, I need help getting into the habit of thinking about me and my well-being on a daily basis. Reading books on health have helped.
The first book (review coming next week) didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, but reading it every night before I went to be and sometimes during the day kept thoughts of a healthy me fresh in my mind.
In a strange way, it was a sort of accountability, too. I wanted a chai latte, but I felt a bit hypocritical having it and reading about how I should cut my sugary drinks at the same time.
Call it a weird strategy, but if you live a busy lifestyle, this could be the thing for you to do until you get in the habit of thinking of yourself every day…
Kim Baccellia swears by her big white board. Fleur McDonald? She prefers large pieces of butcher paper.
Personally? I always used to be a note cards kind of girl, but that’s not working for me so well lately. I’m slowly moving over into a freer way of outlining/note taking, but I have yet to buy a whiteboard or get some butcher paper.
Whether they are plotters or pantsers, I don’t have any writer friends who don’t have some sort of note taking procedures they use when writing a novel. Some, like Kim and Fleur, prefer space to spread out. When I was younger, I liked note cards for the important bits that *had* to happen and I considered it to be my job to build the bridges that linked those concrete points.
What do you use for your writing? Do you even keep track of notes? (If no, then how to you make sure that Susie’s eye colour doesn’t turn from brown to blue three fourths through the book?) Do you prefer an open piece of paper or are you a little more organized with lined notebooks filled with notes?
I’m curious about the process for other people because it seems like I am finding my way once again for finding what works for me.
I need a group name for baddies. I know there has been “The Trust”, “The Faction”, etc, but I’d like something that hasn’t been done heaps. Anyone want to help me get my mind going? Right now the working name is “The Pantheon” but I don’t like that one bit – especially for a group of bad guys…
Yesterday I talked about how novels are more organic than solid. Yes, novel writing is taught, but there is no one way to write a novel (or short story). Even in your personal experience, one idea may come to you quietly while some may smack you over the head and drag you along for the ride.
How do you encourage your stories to be unique and organic? Here are five tips on how you can encourage the full organic experience from your novel or short story:
Always carry a paper and pen with you. I know I always say this, but there is a reason I say it.
Write in different places. Comfort isn’t everything. Some writers need perfect conditions to write but that dramatically decreases the amount of time you can actually spend writing. It’ll be good for your writing for you to get out and about as well.
Let your novel lead. I said this yesterday and I’ll say it again: You never write a novel the exact same way twice. Don’t base decisions about your current work in progress on your last project.
Don’t be too controlling. Experiment or try things you. Even if you write yourself into a dead end or a place you didn’t expect, no material need be wasted. Maybe you can use it for something else.
Have fun. If writing is always work for you, then you’re doing the wrong thing.
