The Hazards of Writing About the Past...

It's Monday so it must be catch-up day.

I really don't know where the weekend went to, but I didn't get my regular blog post done, or my word count totals for the week recorded.

Glad to say I managed to exceed my minimum word count again last week, but it was slightly down on the previous weeks totals- only 815 words this time.

I'm one of those writers who needs quiet, with the minimum of interruptions- if any, when I'm writing.

Sadly my first session last week came to an abrupt end when after two phone calls, I was disturbed by music so loud I could actually hear the lyrics clearly. It was permeating through the walls from my next-door neighbour, and that was enough to drag me out of 1802 completely...

Every writer has their personal writing routine. I need coffee- and often toast- to get me settled.

I keep a log of every writing session I do. So I have one just for the novella, another for short stories, and another for my novel. Before I start any writing I note down the session, date and time started, and the intended work.

Then I read through the previous chapter, make minor adjustment, and make a note of anything major that occurs to me as I go along. So by the time I get to where I left off, from the previous writing session, I'm 'in the zone'... :-)

The best way to describe it, is as if I'm an observer to the scene I'm writing. I can step back a little and decide that, say, a piece of dialogue or an action would be better done this way, rather than that way, but I'm still tied into the scene in my mind, aware that the 21st century world is still going on just over my shoulder, but in the scene in my mind I'm in 1802...

I can get up to look at a reference book to confirm something, or go and make another cup of coffee, but I don't lose that link, an invisible cord between my characters and myself.

Often I don't realise how much time has gone by, until I get to a stage where my concentration wavers, or I start to feel hungry- you can use a lot of energy without realising it. Once I reach that stage my characters start to slip away from me, and I know it's time to stop.

I save my work, and if I've completed a section then I'll print it out. I'll see how many words I've done in the session and make a note on my time sheet, and the time I've finished at.

Within 5-10 minutes all the modern sounds of the surrounding world start to consciously register again and I'm totally back in 2013...

But it really isn't a good idea for anyone to ask me a question about anything, or ring me, until I'm totally back in the present.

If you write about the past, have you found anything that helps you with any stage of the process?


Current Word Count 

Work In Progress
image courtest of Salvatore Vuono and http://freedigitalimages.net

 

Total for January: 3,084                          

Two New Short Story Competitions with Added Appeal...

This week there's been two new competitions brought to my attention, and both have appealing prizes.

First we have National Express who are highlighting a competition in association with Little Brown Book Group, and the author Jenny Colgan.

Here's the brief: "We're offering you the chance to become a published author. To enter, we would like you to write a short story no more than 2,000 words long with the premise of 'take us on a journey'. You can use your own creativity to elaborate your journey into a literary masterpiece."

The winner's story will be published in the back of the e-book edition of Jenny Colgan's next book, published in August 2013.

The Competition runs from 28th January until the 28th April 2013. For this competition you must be 18 and over, and a UK resident.

You'll find the terms and conditions here, along with a registration form. You fill in your details and submit the form, where you will then see the e-mail address and closing date for your entry, so don't forget to make a note of it and put it somewhere safe.

The Second comes from Kobo Writing Life  (via Talkback writer SusieM .) Enter the Jeffrey Archer Short Story Challenge!

Now this competition is for those who are writing a novel. " One lucky winner will be awarded the grand prize of free enrolment in an upcoming Curtis Brown online novel writing course. "

"Authors should submit a 100-word short. The short can consist of any genre of fiction, as long as it stays within the 100-word limit. "

The deadline for submissions is the 15th February 2013.

The 20 semi-finalists will have their 100 word story, name and photo in a free anthology from Kobo.

And 3 finalists will be chosen (from the 20) by Jefferey Archer, and announced at the London Book Fair. Those 3 will be asked to submit a 3,000 word excerpt of their novel in progress to Curtis Brown Creative who will judge them, and give written feedback.

The winner gets the free enrolment on the Curtis Brown course.

Read the terms and conditions for the competition here.

The good news is that you can enter (even if you are not in the UK) as long as you live in the areas specified.

"The Contest is open only to legal residents of the forty eight (48) contiguous United States, District of Columbia, the United Kingdom and Canada (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their respective jurisdiction at the time of entry (each entrant, an “Entrant”). Void in Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and where prohibited by law. The Prize consists of free enrolment in one (1) Curtis Brown writing course. The voucher is valid until December 31, 2013. "

Good luck. :-)