Unblocked

The post about my stickness did the trick - when I sat down with my ms that same evening the block had disappeared and my mind was teeming with ideas. Then yesterday I finished the paper edit.

Now comes the part I'm dreading - I'm planning so many changes that I'll be lucky if I get to use any of what I wrote before. This happened a few times earlier in the edit, but I (stooopidly) thought that my last story would go smoother, because hey, it's the last story right? Damn this writing lark.

Anyway I was going to start The Big Rewrite tonight but instead I'm packing for my weekend to London baybee! I'm going to put the book firmly out of my mind and just enjoy myself.

Have a great one whatever you're doing!

Teaching me a lesson

I'm well and truly stuck on this story. So stuck in fact that I'm posting that I'm stuck, which inevitably unsticks the stuckness.

The main reason I'm stuck is because this story, aka The Last One, is the pits. Here's me thinking editing and rewriting was getting easier, but in actual fact my stories were a little easier to work on. Alright, I had to rewrite 90% of the last three stories, but I had a solid foundation of premise, characters and motivations to build on.

I realised on Friday evening that not only had I made a hash of showing/telling (which came naturally to me when writing the first draft, so no surprises there) but the plot was thin, the characters were two-dimensional and the premise, while something that still grips me, cannot work within the current story.

I've picked it up several times since then but nothing doing. So I am posting this in hope that my muse comes back from her hollibobs or gets better from the flu or whatever is keeping her from my side.

Or perhaps she is staying away to show me that, despite my recent hopes of the opposite, that writing is and will remain hard work so I'd better show it the respect and time it deserves. Which means an hour or two in a quiet room with no television, laptop or music to distract me. More fool me for thinking I could do it any other way.

Today, repeat

After I shoved my naked goals for the year into the limelight for all to see, their bare knees knocking in fright, the gods of fate responded with a big boot up the arse for tempting them so blatantly.

I spent last Monday at work narking about how tired I felt to everyone unlucky to be in earwigging distance. When I wasn't whining to others I was berating myself for not getting enough writing done. At home I felt too tired and sad to do anything but watch television. Oh, how I wished I was back at home full-time again!

The next day I got my wish, albeit temporarily. I spent the next 48 hours being violently sick. The next 48 hours I was too worn out to leave the flat. I had absolutely no work to do, was too bored even to watch day-time tv, but still the words did not appear on the page.

Yesterday I went back to work with almost a spring in my step. I had a laugh with my coworkers and had a stroll in the sunshine at lunch. At home I sat down and got some writing done. Today, repeat.

2009

Happy new year everyone! Thank you for all your comments and support in the last year. Finding you all has been one of the best experiences of writing this novel.

My plans for 2009:

1. Finish the second draft of my novel
2. Brush up on English grammar/syntax/punctuation rules
3. Do a grammar/syntax/punctuation edit on my manuscript
4. Find a good editorial consultancy (preferably an Irish one) and send in my ms
5. Start the first draft of my second novel (better get an idea first!)
6. Accept the criticism from the editor with good grace without having a conniption fit first
7. Rewrite the manuscript of the first novel, taking the editor's comments into account
8. Submit final draft to agents/publishers

Just looking at that list exhausts me...

I'm hoping that these new steps will motivate me to post more, so please don't give up on me. I'll be counting on your help and support while I try to navigate this bewildering, fascinating and terrifying path that will hopefully lead to a published novel!