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Creative writing

Whether you enjoy writing sci-fi, fantasy or fiction, join our Creative Writing forum to meet others who love to write.

Write a book this year

322 replies

GlumyGloomer · 28/04/2021 08:03

I started back around February I think, and hoping to finish the first draft before the end of the year.
Anyone else fancy a chat/support thread?

OP posts:
AppropriateAdult · 28/04/2021 18:06

Me please! About 16000 words in and have stagnated a bit while working on some short stories, but need to get back to it.

GlumyGloomer · 28/04/2021 19:14

Yay, hello @AppropriateAdult
I'm creeping up on 30,000 words, but not feeling hugely confident about the most recent material.
What genre are you writing? Mine is a YA urban (only actually kind of rural) fantasy. Sometimes it flows beautifully, and sometimes I'm just plugging away a few sentences at a time. I'm writting on my phone though so it's easy to do a bit here and there.
Do you write a lot of short stories? I've never been able to write a good one, although I tried a few competitions back in the day.

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Nuffaluff · 28/04/2021 19:23

Yes please! I’ve been writing mine for three years and have thrown loads out, so probably have about 30,000 decent-ish words.
In a way it’s going well, but it’s going to slowly. I’m trying to write 5000 words a month, but ending up with more like 3000 at the moment.
I want to get my first draft finished by the end of the year. It’s lit fic, but more ‘uplit’.

Nuffaluff · 28/04/2021 19:23

*too slowly!

AppropriateAdult · 28/04/2021 19:37

I’m writing literary fiction; I’ve finished two other novels, but couldn’t get an agent to take me on (although the second one did get a few full requests and some positive feedback). Have had some short stories published and been shortlisted for a couple of competitions, so I’ll keep plugging away. Have an almost-1yo at the moment, plus two older kids, so writing time is scarce - it all happens during naps!

indieauthor · 28/04/2021 19:42

Oh yay! It'd be nice for some peers in the same boat!
I'm currently 30,000 words into my WIP and lately have been procrastinating far too much.
This could help me focus.
Thanks for the thread OP.

GlumyGloomer · 28/04/2021 21:57

Hello @Nuffaluff and @indieauthor Smile
Nuff it took me 7 years to write my first book, so 1 year seems like a stretch, but it's likley going to be a shorter story. Hopefully we can all finish a first draft this year!
Appropriate wow that sounds impressive. I sent my first book off a few times but didn't get anywhere. Are you still submitting your earlier works? I also have a 1yo and a preschooler, it's tough but I feel so much more myself when working on a story.
Indy hopefully we can encourage each other to keep going. What genre are you writing?

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MissingInActon · 29/04/2021 01:42

Hi, I'm up for a support thread. Thanks for starting it @GlumyGloomer.

I'm just short of 10K so far. I aim to write 1000 words a day but of course it doesn't always happen. I edit as I go, because I'm a bit anal by temperament and can't carry on unless any kinks in what went before are ironed out first, so that slows me down some days.

I also have two non-fiction projects on the go, so I sometimes get sidetracked by them or research for them.

I can't begin to imagine how anyone does this with a 1yo, @AppropriateAdult. Kudos to you for even trying.

indieauthor · 29/04/2021 06:49

Hey @GlumyGloomer
I'm writing a family drama / psychological thriller novel and have been delighted with all the twists and turns so far.

I think my current procrastination issue is because the subject matter is quite dark, I'm in a gnarly bit and need to write my way out to a resolution but in life personally I'm feeling really happy and light, and there's a part of me that doesn't want to get back into a dark mindset to finish the story, even though I know once it's done, I don't have to go back there again!Shock

Hearnoevilspeaknoevil · 29/04/2021 06:57

Yes please. I started a domestic noir/kitchen sink book and slammed out a first draft. I am happy with parts but others less so.. Embarrassingly crap. Sometimes, I try to hard, particularly with the opening chapters, I find the middle much easier..

Have struggled with finding time recently and need to re-instigate writing time each and every day.

ShortGranny · 29/04/2021 06:59

Have written 2 shorts.
Best..Childhood Dreams.
Whats minimum words for shorts.?

BaruFisher · 29/04/2021 09:33

This would be great. I’m about 16k words into a police procedural.

AppropriateAdult · 29/04/2021 11:13

@ShortGranny

Have written 2 shorts. Best..Childhood Dreams. Whats minimum words for shorts.?
Most journals that publish short stories have a word limit between 2000 and 5000, I’ve found. Anything under 1000 would be considered flash fiction rather than short story.
Nuffaluff · 29/04/2021 12:59

Thanks so much for starting this @GlumyGloomer. I need this. I need support in the sense of getting on with the writing.
I wrote 1500 words of my novel last week. Not bad, but not enough. Really I would like to do double that.
I work and have smallish kids, so that could be a good excuse, but I also waste time on my phone! I could be more disciplined. I make the choice not to write sometimes, even though I love it. Does anyone else do that?

GlumyGloomer · 29/04/2021 13:53

Hello @MissingInActon, @Hearnoevilspeaknoevil, @ShortGranny and @BaruFisher!
Missing a thousand a day! I'm happy if I do a couple of hundred 😅. I'm the opposite, I never edit as I go or I'd just come to a complete stop.
Indie I get what you mean. My current project is deliberately light and fun as I can't cope with anything too heavy right now.
Hearno I find the beginning hard too. I still need to rewrite the early chapters of my first book. It's easier when a story gets a bit of momentum behind it.
Nuff I absolutely waste too much time on mumsnet my phone. Even though I love writing I do often struggle with the initial mental effort to get in the zone. Quite often I'll start by re-reading a bit, then end up correcting a typo or two and giving up. At least now when I check my threads there'll be a reminder to get some writting done Grin

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Nuffaluff · 29/04/2021 13:59

Yes, it’s definitely that initial mental effort. I have to wait until the kids are in bed, but then I’m too tired!
Does anyone manage to find little pockets of time for writing or have any tips?
Actually, early morning I’d really good isn’t it, before they are awake.

GlumyGloomer · 29/04/2021 17:20

About 300 words today, which just inches me over the 30k mark and concludes the chemistry lesson I was writing about.
I use google docs and write on my phone, it's easy for finding snippets of time, like feeding the toddler or when watching the kids in the bath.

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MissingInActon · 29/04/2021 18:55

It's funny how differently we all work. I can't work in dribs and drabs - I find it to hard to 'get back in' to what I was writing if I stop all the time - and I have teenagers so I get interrupted a LOT! Whenever I've tried to write like that the quality goes right down. But if I can just clear the decks for some quiet time, I can easily write 1500 words without stopping, though it's more like 700-800, then a break, then maybe 300-400 more plus some tweaking. I don't make a lot of changes but I do have to do them before I can carry on. The thought of writing a novel on my phone makes we want to weep fgs. I don't know how you do it!

One of the things that motivated me was thinking about all the time I spend writing long posts on here or another forum I spend time on. It's pretty easy to write a couple of hundred words of well thought through polemic without even blinking. I've spent lots less time on here since I got serious about working on my ms, and in particular I've avoided AIBU, which is a shocking timesink!

I'm not really a morning person, but increasingly I've found myself getting up earlier than the slumbering teens on the weekend, which can give me some excellent quality time for writing or researching - something like 8 til 10 can be magically quiet, or even later. In the week, I tend to write in the late afternoon between about 4 and 7. Dinner's been getting later and later. Everyone in the house knows the book's been going well when 'mum's had another dinner fail'. It must be totally different if your kids are small though. 15 years ago, I was writing romances and used to do it when the eldest was at nursery and #2 having his nap. When he outgrew his nap, I used to put him in a playpen Blush and sit in the cupboard under the stairs with my laptop - until the day he learned how to climb out of the playpen, which is about the time my writing career stalled.

I'm writing crime now, which I guess is 20 years of marriage for you. Wink

MissingInActon · 29/04/2021 19:01

@GlumyGloomer

About 300 words today, which just inches me over the 30k mark and concludes the chemistry lesson I was writing about. I use google docs and write on my phone, it's easy for finding snippets of time, like feeding the toddler or when watching the kids in the bath.
30K is a nice milestone Glumy. If you started in Feb that's about 10K a month, which is a great average. What do you see your final word count as being in the region of?
BaruFisher · 29/04/2021 19:03

Missinginaction my writing style is more like yours (without the teenagers). My problem is motivating myself to do it every day. I’ve done nothing but faff today despite having plenty of time.

katienana · 29/04/2021 19:07

Hi I'd love to join.
Literally started writing a thriller today. I've also written a children's picture book which I'm currently submitting to agents.
How does everyone like to write? Do you outline and plan each chapter or do you have a rough idea and just go for it? I like to go for it but feel like I run out if steam so I should probably take the time to plan.

Trickytroggle2 · 29/04/2021 19:22

Hi All, This is such a good idea - I'm up for this too 🙂 I might not pick up the writing for a while though, but it'll be great to follow you all and see how you are getting on and join in when I can 🙂
I've got about 16000 words (mostly, but not all, consecutive!) of a speculative fiction novel. I've got a 9 mo who loves nighttime waking and short naps and I need my sleep...combined with various other things going on I've found I've not got the bandwidth to write as well at the moment (and am trying hard not to beat myself up about this!), but really hope to get back into it in the next couple of months, and will follow everyone else's progress keenly in the meantime!

MissingInActon · 29/04/2021 19:24

I write in scenes. I'm sooooo old school. I have a pack of 100 white lined index cards and I have a one or two line reminder of what's going on in that scene on each one. I have jottings on about 80 atm and about 20 spare. Any additional reminders (names, the order of things, jokes, clues I mustn't forget to insert) go on the relevant card. A card can represent a chapter, stretch across several chapters, or several of them can go into one chapter. I move the order around sometimes, like one of those decks of cards you jumble up to create different pictures.

Congrats on starting today @katienana.

Baru - I do lots of faffing too. I try to trust myself to know what's a productive day and what's a faffing day, and then enjoy both on their merits. I do get frustrated with myself a lot though, and even more with other people. I feel like writing a book is such an under-appreciated thing and it doesn't (usually) earn any money upfront, so it's easy for it to end up being the last thing on the list while everybody else's needs get met first.

BaruFisher · 29/04/2021 19:26

katienana I’m an outliner. I have a plan for the whole thing with all the turning points etc. Then I do more in depth plans for each ‘set’ of chapters as I come to them. I’d really struggle without it.

BaruFisher · 29/04/2021 19:42

Love the idea of the cards MissinginAction. Makes ordering things easier too. I think that’s one of the things keeping me faffing right now. I’ve a few chapters coming up that aren’t very exciting but are necessary set up. May well look at reordering to make things more interesting.