Writing Goals - On Target?

Well, as we start to enter a new month, I thought it was time to review my writing goals. These were written three months ago, long before life got in the way, but that's the world we writers live in. I only posted these on the blog about 6 weeks ago, but I think if you have goals you need to assess where you are at least monthly, so running behind on those terms...

1.      To write at least 5000 words per week, towards any project (a bit behind on this one for various reasons) I'm not sure - I'm rewriting the Dukes Shadow at the moment so I am writing new stuff but not recording it as such. I've restarted my morning journalling which means I probably write about 750 words at least 5 days per week. I'm not sure if a wordcount is the right way to assess progress, but how else can one do it

2.      To edit 'The Dukes Shadow' (my 2011 Nano project)

a.       First edit by Feb 29^th

b.      Second by March 31st Well I'm only at stage a. with this one but I've made the start and really enjoying it. Have posted first edits to WA with some great feedback and just joined an Historical critique club for the second edit... so progress is being made.

c.       Third by April 30th

3.    To revisit 'The Morning Gift' (Historical novel set in Saxon times, written 2011) and devise plan for editing. I'm going to print this off and read like a reader, then start the re-writing process.

4.      To revise at least one Penny and George story per month, with a view to completing series by the end of the year – December 2012 I've started to edit my fourth chapter, I had to take time out to re-visit it as I haven't actually worked on it for some time, but it's a fun project.

5      To participate in the 100k in 100 days challenge for 'Wolf Moon' (fantasy story started as Monday Muse – Xanthe submissions) but will start Feb 1^st. This hasn't happened. I have penned around 13k and need to get it onto Scrivener to assess where I am.

6      To research options for Nano 2012 and make decision by June 2012 I have plenty of ideas, so hoping something will pop out.

7.      To submit short stories to the Telegraph book club on monthly basis Mmm not happening - I managed it in January but I'm shelving short stories because I don't have the time with the other projects ongoing... decided I can only split myself so many ways... and already feel like I have multi personalaties!

8.      To submit at least two Monday Muses a month on Writers Abroad I have reached this target this month but would like to increase it as it's good writing practice.


So off centre but not way off beam. Let's hope April is as productive, if not more. So key tasks are

• Continue rewrite of The Dukes Shadow , at least one chapter per week and seek feedback.
• Maintain Morning Journal which includes writing the Monday Muses and hopefully complete one
• of those per month
• To read The Morning Gift through once as reader and then identify gaps
• To Scrivener Wolf Moon and plan for completion of first novella (30k)
• To continue marking progress on this Blog, at least weekly if not more (I can hear the yawns now!)

Until Later.....

Writers Toolkit

My Man Friday just loves gizmos and gadgets. In fact when one of those pamphlets arrive with just about everything ever thought of in a gadget, like a talking tyre gauge, I try and get it hidden away in the recycling bin for he could browse for hours. But I do speak ill, because he does invest in very useful gadgets, like the strimmer and the chain saw for instance and which he takes great care of overwintering, cleaning and making sure that they have enough and the right fuel. I wouldn't know where to start!

For a writer the need for gadgets and gizmo's is a little more limiting, though I'm sure there are many of you (probably those who are far more technical than I a confirmed and happy Luddite) who have plenty! I try not to make too much room for them in my writing life, because I'm wary of them becoming just another distraction, and I have enough of those. However, I will be blogging about my favourite three things over the next few weeks.

1. Fountain Pen and Paper - you can't have one without the other!
2. Reference Books - Dictionary and Thesaurus particularly
3. Scrivener - a software programme , way off beam for a Luddite I know, but I'm learning that it can be very powerful for writers

So what tools, gadgets or gizmo's do you have lurking in your toolbox?

Until Later...

Researching the Past

Researching a novel in any genre is quite a big undertaking. But when writing in the historical genre, getting facts right is a golden rule. I know that I'm allowed some room to make things up and perhaps even place characters based on a real person appear somewhere they've never been. However, the essence of the historical era you are writing about must be based on some base of fact. I'm discovering that it's very important to develop a sense of place when writing an historical novel.

For example, The Duke's Shadow in reality spans two eras, the very late Regency and Victorian ages. Now, there are subtle differences that are important to both eras but which very much define them as being unique. Dress is one of them and moral attitudes is another. For the ease of my sanity and because the story actually begins on the cusp of a new time I have allowed myself some poetic licence and moved events so that they are set all in the Victorian era and so I can really concentrate on building a good 'sense' of place. I'm loving all the research, and if truth be known, I would have loved to have lived through this age, despite the restrictions put on women, I would have had fun trying to turn it upside down!  The one draw back is that it takes an awful lot of time and because I live abroad, access to a library is not available, which means I do everything online. And you know that not everything online can be verified, so a lot of caution is required.

So having had my first chapter critiqued over at Writers Abroad, I've got some very essential and constructive critiques to work with and I am trying to represent the world in which my characters live in. In my head, I know where they are but I have to somehow put this across on the written page.  Now off to readjust that timeline...

Until Later...

The Good Life...

One of my WiP's (that's works in progress if you haven't read this blog before) is a blend of fact and fiction. Okay, I know that is not uncommon, but this project - referred to originally as The Good Life but now only as 'Penny and George' - has been based on the diary entrants regarding our decision to move to Italy and the first year here. It's a humorous take - well it's meant to be - and started life as a joint writing project with my luomo chi fa (my man that does). The first draft was way too literal, so now I'm reviewing the whole project, creating additional and fictional characters and having quite a time making a load of stuff up, which upon reading, even close family and friends will not know whether to believe or not.

I'm not sure if it will ever come to the dizzy heights of publication but it does represent the real trials and tribulations along with the many, many benefits of moving to a new country, with a new language and new culture to learn. Whenever I say to people where I live, I see that dreamy look cross their face as they imagine me lying by an azure filled swimming pool, heated of course, with a glass of something fizzy in  hand and a bronze tan deepening by the minute. The only real bit of that vignette is possibly a glass of fizzy, now and again. Definitely need to think more Tom and Barbara style with muddy wellies, animals in the kitchen and home made haircuts...

It's been gathering dust a lot lately, although I have had two or three pieces critiqued over at Writers Abroad and been received with some enthusiasm. Hence my determination to finish what I started.

Until Later...

Spinning Plates is an Art

I've decided to expand my blog entries to three a week - I can hear the groans but it's more for me than anything else. Thing is I have three fairly big projects I've chosen as priority for my writing goals (well, there are more but I may combine them for reporting progress purposes). So, to help keep the momentum swinging and my motivation singing, I thought I'd blog about progress on them.

Wolf Moon is a story which began as a Monday Muse on Writers Abroad. Monday Muses are essentially creative writing prompts designed to encourage writers to... that's correct - WRITE!

So Xanthe is a young girl, not of the earthly kind but she doesn't know that yet, who was born through a muse and she has a mission to fulfill on the Island of Tasosia. Yes, you've guessed it, it's a fantasy genre and perhaps more targeted to young adults, though I'd quite like to think that older readers would welcome a bit of escapism too. I've outlined three novella's, around 30k words in each and I'm halfway through the first draft of the first story. I'm loving the fantasy genre, making up worlds and beings and just being able to really let loose on the imagination. Contrast that with my love of the historical genre which has to have some degree of fact in it, fantasy is quite liberating in a different kind of way. I think I was born in the wrong era, either historical or another land would be really my cup of tea, but I do live a little of those lives, through my writing.

I suppose my point is that it's useful to have more than one writing project on the go. When your words dry up on one, they may spill out for another and it helps to free the mind to allow things to develop. But it's also quite an art I think, in terms of dedication and focus, which requires some skill that I probably will never perfect. So how many plates do you have spinning?

Until Later...

The Editing Journey Has Begun...

Well, time for celebrations. Just edited my first chapter of 'The Duke's Shadow' and submitted it to my Writers Abroad mates for their perusal. It is one of the most scariest writing moments of my life. Not that WA members are witches or unkind critique-ers, far from it, it's just that there is a high standard of writing in our Chapter Group already. I'm not sure I'll make the mark but I'm willing to learn.

I think that is what I need to keep in mind during this 'rewriting' phase. It is a learning process, a big one and one which I've avoided so far in all five (or is it six) of my big writing projects. Of course, I've edited short stories and flash fiction but thousands of words just seemed a step to far. But it feels so good to have made a first step and I'm not in any doubt that it's a hell of a long road!

So what are the learning points this week from the process?

• Read through the manuscript first, familiarise yourself with the writing as a reader would do
• Don't permanently delete anything. Always keep a copy of the original work - I work with versions so I can always retrieve something if necessary
• Back up you work and remember where! I use Scrivener and had a fit today when I couldn't find the revision I'd done yesterday. Finally found it lurking where it shouldn't be
• Make the first step and don't expect to get it all right in the second draft. I'm sure that this chapter will change again before I'm happy with it. Getting started and thinking about improving the writing is quite invigorating
• Remember this is the real writing! The other stuff is just preparation, but as always a good preparation  helps

So, now I've made a start I'm hoping that the flow will continue and that I don't bore you to death in the meantime...

Until Later,

Kindles,Rewriting and Polishing

And no, I don't mean the feather duster type of polishing. 

As some of you may know from my previous rambles I have at least five and a half 'works in progress' sat around my desk. I hesitate to call them novels, because they aren't, but they could be. Perhaps. They are all in first raw draft. Some written for the NaNo challenge, others, particularly the first painfully scribbled over the first few years of my serious writing endeavours and probably the one that should be sent to the writing refuse bin in the fire.

I have written about editing (what I call rewriting) before, but as you can see I waffle on about it to my hearts content but actually getting down to the task has proved really difficult. I don't think this is because I can't do it from a skills point of view, I think it's more psychological. I'm not sure why it should be but I have a sneaking feeling it's to do with confidence. 

So following a recommendation I purchased a copy of 'Revision and Self-Editing'  by James Scott Bell. The person recommending this book has written real novels, and ones that have been published so it was based on good experience. But I didn't buy a hard copy - with the dreadful weather at the time not even efficient Amazon could have got the book here in time to sieze the moment. I downloaded a... Kindle Edition. What! I hear you say - but you don't have a Kindle. No, I don't but I do have the Kindle App for  my PC. I shall report on that particular experience later.

Anyway the recommendation was sound, it has bitten through my fears of approaching what seems an impossible task and has helped me understand my 'stories' at a deeper level. So much so I now can't stop thinking about the rewriting - of all of them! But one step at a time. I'm starting with the most recent and have committed to submitting chapters to my faithful gang of writing supporters over at Writers Abroad. So I have to get on with it. And the polishing? Well that can always wait, can't it?

Until Later...

Beware the Ides of March

Or not. Did you know that there is an Ides in every month? Apparently it's just a way of saying the 15th of the month but Shakespeare developed the saying to warn Caesar of his impending death.

Anyway, March is also a month of new beginnings. It is the time for renewal, rebirth and new life which is quite an apt way to think about my writing. After a period of little, okay then, zero activity I start the first day of this new month with a good word count on my new project, Wolf Moon. My plan had been to have written the first of a trilogy of novellas. I've written 13500 words which is not so bad considering that February has been a difficult month to get back into things.
And I've started 'editing' my NaNoWriMo novel, The Dukes Shadow. I hesitate to use the word editing as it implies that the story is complete and it's not, no where near. It is in fact going to be I think more of a rewrite -which for me probably represents the process of editing much more realistically.

So I'm feeling pretty positive now that my writing 'freeze' has started to thaw (I refuse to call it block, sounds so terminal) and in the month that also displays the activities of the mad March hares, I'm going to continue my fight for the right to write!
Until Later...