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

I just wrote 1500 words of backstory and it feels so good! Yay! I haven't managed to write this much in one sitting for ages. Phew, I was beginning to think I would never write again.

That's great bigly. Such a good feeling!

I'm enjoying writing my fantasy short story whenever I get 5 minutes peace. Really lowered the quality bar so it's complete drivel, but it's nice to relax a bit ...

Might not be around much for a bit as I'm going to ban myself from the internet as another tactic to reduce procrastination!

I think lowering the quality bar is vital at times. I am sure the reason I am enjoying writing this backstory so much is because it's not got any chance of going in the finished book so I can happily trot out complete rubbish and that's fine.

Good luck with the procrastination reduction plan. Though I will of course miss you awfully.

Where is everyone else? What are you all up to?

In my last post I said:

"In September I MUST MUST MUST focus on novels."

hahahahahahahaha! What a joke.

Ok, in October I REALLY REALLY need to focus on novels.

I did enter a couple of competitions last month, one with a short story and the other with the beginning of one for a children's writing comp, but achieved very little else.

But this month I've cleared a lot of other obligations and have no excuses.

Hope everyone is well! Inspired by your crime writing, Bigly. I'd actually love to do a cosy crime series but I think I'd have to plan so much in advance and I'd confuse myself very easily :)

Haha thanks bigly, nice to be missed. I haven't done too well so far at either writing or avoiding the internet but after my last post I've had a stressful time (family related) and my head has been a bit all over the place since. Strangely I've had loads of short story ideas though. So I've at least been taking note of them for when I am able to write again.

Focus generic, focus! When do you hear back from the competitions?

Mornin all. I'm venturing out of AIBU and Infertility to say hi. I've just started trying to write (trying being the operative word) my first novel. After 3 years TTC I need something else to focus on.
I'm looking forward to chatting with people who write :)

Hi Alice good luck with your writing. It can be such great therapy. I set my demons out on paper often

Hi Alice, welcome to the thread! Writing is absolutely therapy for me as well. What sort of novel are you writing? We have all sorts on this thread.

I'm really struggling with the planning generic. I'm just not a natural planner at all, but I'm trying to treat it like a good learning exercise as I really like the whole idea so want to give it a good shot.
So far I've writen 7500 word backstory for 1 character! So much for my 'quick one pagers'. It has helped sort out a few things in my head though about where the story is going and how it's going to pan out. I'm going to try and make the others a little less involved though...maybe..

Just take it easy for a bit Tippety. It sounds like your brain has other things on at the moment and needs a writing break. It'll come back and it sounds like you'll have lots of ideas to get started on once you're ready.

I'm trying to get back into good writing habits in time for nanowrimo in November, so am going to try and write everyday again even if it's rubbish. We'll see how it goes.

Tippety to me all that stuff 'around' writing, which includes taking notes on ideas, is still writing. It's still working on craft and letting ideas percolate and so on :). Hope the stresses get better soon. I think it's mid to late November the competition results come out. I don't expect anything from it but it was a fun project to play with (writing the intro to a kids fantasy book).

Hi Alice! Great idea to turn to writing - it can be very healing. I did get blocked at one point for a good few years during a difficult period of my life but rediscovered the fun of writing via fanfic and eventually came back to original fiction.

Planning for me can be fun before I start a project then starts annoying me. As an example - current book I outlined most of and wrote it just fine. But as part of my revision I've re-read the whole thing and have specific notes on each chapter that I need to incorporate. But every time I look at the notes my motivation curls up and dies!

I agree, when you put it like that generic. It's nice to think of all those bits as part of the writing and that you don't have to be sitting down to knock out a couple of thousand words to be "writing" as it were.

I did another characters backstory today and from that and the last one I've started a list of scenes, not necessarily in order, but it's something. I suddenly realised it's only a couple of weeks until nanowrimo so I'd better get a move on.

Hi, anyone still around? Or all busy doing nanowrimo?

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I have writer's block. Also reader's block. It's like a whole part of my brain shut down. I didn't even have dreams or daydreams! Quite weird given I've been living half in story land since I can remember.

Anyway, it's getting a bit better, yay. I joined scribophile and I've done a few crits. Was the closest I could get to writing without actually writing! Not sure how much help I am but I'm actually quite enjoying it. I'd be up for doing some crits/beta reading if anyone here has anything they want another pair of eyes on? Happy to do it over email or via scribophile if it's up there. Feel like I may as well make myself useful while I'm not working on my own stuff!

I'm on Scribe. I haven't anything needing critiquing at present, but am working through editing (I hate editing) my one that's been through scribe and will be looking for Beta readers hopefully in the new year. If you want to Pm me your scribe name then I'll favourite you.

I'm currently doing NaNo and finding it not too bad, mostly because dd2 now has her own laptop and so I'm not having to tip her off the computer to write.

Great, thanks witchend, will pm you.

Good work on nano! Are you keeping pace?

How did you get on with nanowrimo witchend? And anyone else who was doing it? bigly? It's all gone quiet here ... you probably all have RSI and need to rest :)

I won (just).Book finished at 51k.

How did you do?

Good work, well done. I wasn't doing it, just living vicariously... still seem to have writer's block.

Just popping in to pull up a chair...it 's all gone proper quiet in here!

I'm a (moderately) successful historical.fiction author - and no my name isn't rea!ly Russell, I'd be too scared to tell you what it is in case you all hate my books! - I've got a contract with a "real" publisher and the books are doing well with them, I've got a story in an anthology coming out for Valentine's, and I'm just.... not feeling like writing, currently. Which is gonna suck mighty-wise when my publisher wants the third book in the series.
Help??

Hi MrsRussell, interesting to hear that you have had a few historical novels published. I am just completing my first (and most likely last) novel which stretches across a few genres - womens lit, historical, fantasy and a touch of suspense. Initially, it was only ever written for my own enjoyment but now I've actually finished it (currently editing for the umpteenth time), I might send it off to a few agents - I have been scouring the writers and artists handbook to see who might be the most suitable recipients. I think whatever happens, I will self publish because I am desperate to see my book in print for my own contentment (but realise that it will be a costly exercise).

I have a 10 month old baby plus two older children (at school), so I am literally snatching time where I can.

@Lavenderdays - I know exactly what you mean. My first was written because I got so bloody miffed at only ever seeing one perspective in a particular period of history and I self published it because agents kept telling me it wasn't a period that sold well. Originally I self published through Lulu and it was a bit meh, and then I put it out on Kindle (which is AWESOMELY easy) and here I am.
I love the freedom of self publishing: I put a free story out for Christmas every year just because I can. Amazon's print option is free, you'd only need to pay for editing and a good cover? Saves you having boxes of books lurking behind your sofa....

I used to write sat on the toilet while OH and DS were in bed. I think I may be slightly less driven these days....

Oh gosh, it did go quiet in here. I haven't made much progress, though I do want to enter the contemporary romance-ish book I'm writing into a competition, so I've done a long synopsis for it this week that should make writing the rest of it relatively straightforward. Now I just need to polish the first 40 pages of the book and I can send it off. Not sure I'm going to have time to do it to be honest, lots of work and family pressures this week before the deadline. But even if I don't, getting the synopsis written was worthwhile.

I'm still editing the completed fantasy WIP too but so slowly it's barely worth a mention.

Hope everyone is well!

Hi MrsRussell. Congrats on your success! So nice to hear from the other side and see the dream can be real!

I didn't write for months then suddenly at end of January my brain started up again. I have to say a big thanks to bigly (hope she is still around!) for recommending google docs. It's so brill to have everything in one place and just be able to grab my phone and add things in the random 5 minutes I get here and there. I set myself a crazy target of finishing my abandoned novel by end of Feb and, if I don't jinx myself by saying so now, I might actually do it. Three chapters or so to go...

Which competition is it generic? Mine is contemporary romance too. I will tentatively suggest we could do a chapter exchange at some point and then run away in fright before my courage fails me ...

Hey Tippety! It was the Lucy Cavendish, which is looking for literary work which mine definitely isn't (I've discovered, when I started I did have more literary aspirations but the story didn't go that way), however I did get enough done to enter, so I'm pleased that I've polished the early chapters and synopsis. Happy to swap at some point if you want but I'm only about 16k in so I think I'm a long way behind you :)

If you finish yours by the end of the month and it's remotely funny, the Witty Women competition ends on Feb 28. You submit a few thousand words I think but are expected to have the rest of the book written for when they ask longlisted people for manuscripts so I definitely won't be close enough by then.

Thanks, I've not heard of Witty Women, will have a look. Not sure if my book is funny exactly. It's my sense of humour so probably quite odd!

Keep meaning to look at the Lucy Cavendish competition. Maybe something I can aim towards for next year. Good luck to you. Just having a synopsis is already a win. I find it easier writing the actual book!

Don't worry you'll probably be finished before me. Last time I spent 4 months writing the first draft then 4 years trying (and failing) to get it to a point where it was fit to be shown to anyone. Would be great though to have another pair of eyes on it. I was on scribophile for a bit last year with a different book and though the feedback was a bit variable just having to get it ready to post was a huge kick up the bum in terms of editing. Probably worked harder in the few days I spent getting those 2 chapters ready than I had in the last 4 years of dithering.

Finished the book. 93k, so roughly on target. Feel I should be more elated but I know I now have to spend the next year or more editing the bloody thing.