Please come and talk to me. Just for some general writing chat and support...

[BiglyBadgers]

I am about a third of the way through editing my stupidly long book (this'll teach me for writing epic fantasy) and need some chat!

I really loved the chat and support on the nano thread, but now novel writing month is long gone and I am alone! There must be other people out there bumbling along needing a friend to chat to...surely....I can provide coffee, cake and excellent free WiFi

Three novels! That's amazing. I still think it's amazing I finished one MG one

Hello carpet.

Do jump in, the water's lovely.

I wrote half a chapter and then realised today it was all completely pointless and unnecessary. Ho hum, it's all a learning experience.

Thanks Witch I figured my maternity leave was the only solid few months I'd ever get at really going for it! So I've churned out three drafts of stories that've been knocking around my head for a while.

The problem now is that I'm just flitting between them without any real focus. Which is an issue because I feel like I'm not really making any progress.

Hey Bigley we really must hurry along, our we'll have no headspace for nanowrimo this year!

I totally get the pointless chapter thing. But I guess it makes good practice, and helps you get to know your characters a bit better.

Wow bigly Epic fantasy must take some amount of world building. I've had to do a bit.... and I find it so hard. I really should stick to contemporary realistic fiction.

Witchend I'm the same, so pleased to have finished/edited. 3 novels s amazing carpet

The problem now is that I'm just flitting between them without any real focus. Which is an issue because I feel like I'm not really making any progress.

I'm a bit the same way over my one, if it makes you feel better. I've posted it all to Scribophile and got lots of critiques but editing is so difficult, so I'm procrastinating badly. Since I posted the last chapter up, I haven't really made much progress on improving it, even though I've been given lots of help.

I'm glad I'm not the only one Witch. I'm finding as well I'm just not making the best use of what time I do get to work on it. Like I'll sit and go over the same (perfectly fine) plot point for an hour, over and over again, night after night. It's like I'm banging my own head into a brick wall!

I love being able to build my own world caring. I'm pretty rubbish at the real world at the best of times though.

I'm already thinking about my nanowrimo carpet. I want to try and do a reasonably sized, self contained novel rather than my current carry on forever epic fantasy series. It's going to be set in the same world, but a part of it I haven't written about yet and will be a sort of prequal for one of the minor characters. I'm so excited about it, I can't wait for November.

Me neither Bigly I think I'll be writing during the commute and on lunch breaks this year though to fit it all in!

I'm going to crack on this evening. I need to start ignoring the housework and writing. DH does his hobby in the evenings, so there's no reason why I shouldn't be doing the same.

How's everyone else getting along today?

I hate writing about feelings. Or in particular a chapter where one of the characters is emotionally constipated and i need to imply that he has feelings that he won't name. Sod.
Also need to start first chapter of my original work. I've scribbled down a scene as a starting point.

Hi to all the new people!

I'm the same with editing. Got a more or less complete first draft, 70k of another and keep switching between them. I think the second book I actually wrote as a form of procrastinating when I was meant to be finishing the first one. Not made much progress on either recently and have decided I'm just too tired with kids not sleeping well. My new plan is to not do anything on either until the autumn when my eldest starts nursery. I'm giving myself the summer 'off' to work on splurging some short stories just for fun without the pressure of trying to make them good.

carpet, yes to ignoring the housework! Best bit of advice I heard about finding time to write is that you can't make time you can only reallocate it from elsewhere. So although it doesn't magically add five hours to the day it helps me cope with the guilt of writing when I 'ought' to be doing something else. I have chosen to write. I am prioritising it. I'm not being lazy or a bad mum etc etc!

I find it easy to ignore the housework. Only thing is that I am still not getting on with editing.
I do bits, and then feel completely swamped by trying to get it properly readable and stop.

I am also usually pretty expert at ignoring housework. Though I did spend a few days ignoring this huge battle scene I have to write and confess I got a lot of stuff done. Now I have some lovely new bookshelves up in the living room.

I have finally buckled down and made a start after accepting that I am just going to end up rewriting it a gazillion times so it doesn't really matter if it's terrible. I just need to get something down.

Currently trying to write a chapter and it is killing me. I can't get it right no matter what I do, and I need to cut lots of stuff I thought I should include just because it doesn't fit in anymore. I've ended up leaving what I thought I should write behind and asked my main character what she would do. And the answer is actually confront and shout. Which sounds fair.
Did I mention I hate writing?

ok, so just had a weird encounter. Because I post online I get to talk to my readers sometimes, through comments and twitter etc. I'm a member of a Star Wars facebook group and someone posted a link to a story they loved. Read the first few lines and thought 'hmm, that's familiar' only to realise it's one of mine.
That was strange.

and of course the second thing I thought was 'oh god that sentence is terrible, whatever was I thinking?'

Honeybooboo that must have been amazing feeling to see that link.

Well, until you saw that sentence anyway.

witchend it was a weird feeling. Posting online has its up and down sides. Getting positive feedback is great but sometimes you can feel like you are killing yourself over something and there are only tumbleweeds.

Also very aware that when I start my original novel (SOON) I won't get feedback until the end. I might need to feed my fan fiction habit on the side (but not a massive novel length one!).

I don't know how you real writers do it...

One of my main characters just died unexpectedly. She was going to survive this battle, but no, she just straight up decided she has had enough and died. I am in shock. Pantsing can be emotional.

Seeing that link sounds lovely and also surreal, honey. When do you plan on starting your original novel? I am still unsure if I ever want to publish any of my fiction at all in any form. I'm not sure I can take the pressure.

That's cool honeyboo. It must be nice to have that sort of validation (and appreciation!). No one but my husband has ever read a word I've written. I don't tell people I write. It's been a guilty secret for nearly two decades... It does feel a bit like I'm just shouting into the dark though? In space no one can hear you scream...

Haha bigly, do you think your character will stay dead? I've only ever managed to kill off one character and they were fairly minor. Too soft.

Just read this, which feels relevant to me at least: www.writersandartists.co.uk/2017/09/beating-comparison-itis

Except I often read these peppy 'You can do it if you just try' articles and still have that horrible wormy doubt: But what if I'm just pants...

For me my writing is a therapeutic activity more than anything else. I am wary of turning it into something where I feel a pressure to write a certain way as I don't think it would be as helpful for me. So I'm sort of like you Tippety in that while I have shared a few chapters on scrib I don't really mention of share it widely.

I'm pretty sure she will stay dead. She seemed very insistent about it and it sort of feels right, even if I hadn't planned it. Kinda makes a few things interesting in other areas though, I have to say. Just hoping it will all work itself out.

for me writing is....something I want to share. I was going to say 'life' but that sounds a bit over the top. I didn't write for 15 years and have only been writing for the last 7-8 months but seriously addicted.

I want people to read it. Yeah, sometimes it's hard to not get feedback or to get negative feedback, but I love having readers who get something out of what I write.

It's the hardest thing I've ever done. Had writing class last night and I was almost in tears, IT IS SO HARD I moaned, I need to get across all these emotions and tensions between too characters AND ITS TOO HARD!

Her message was that writing is like driving, at the start you don't know what you don't know so are ok and happy being crap. Then you realise there is a better way but have no idea how to be better (that's me) until you get the skills and you are better and then you find another thing to feel down about...

I know I need to show, not tell. I know I need to use description and themes and imagery. ITS JUST SODDING HARD

It is hard, but it's amazing seeing yourself get better at it. Even though I don't really share much I still want it to be perfect and know I have a long way to go. I love that feeling when you read a bit and think 'wow, that's actually pretty alright!'

I only started writing fiction at all a year or so ago, never been able to get into it before, and then only seriously when I did nanowrimo last November. Now I can't live without it. I get twitchy if I don't write for a couple of days. It keeps me sane.