Prompts Can Help...

You can find
out more 
here.   

       

March has arrived and spring beckons- thankfully. I may get rid of my lingering cold too...

Do you use prompts to get you writing?

They're a good way to get inspiration during those lean spells, but they can also jog the memory and recall those filed away ideas that you said you would do when you had time...

If you find prompts helpful, then I have two recommendations for you. I have bought both books myself.

First, Prompts 2020 from Chapeltown Books. Alongside several prompts there're pieces on writingcraft and editing a completed piece of writing, along with other helpful items. With 366 to choose from, there will always be something to dip into (and it lists all contributors).

It's only available as an ebook for now, but it's great value and less than the price of a cup of coffee in many high street coffee shops.

You'll find my Christmas prompts in July (there is a reason); one each day from the 18th to the 27th.

By Patsy Collins

I created my list of prompts last year for an exercise at the writers' club, but they remained unused. I'm delighted they have found a home in this book.

~ ~ ~

The other book is by Patsy Collins, A Year of Ideas... 365 sets of prompts and exercises. It's available as a paperback and an ebook.

I bought the paperback for myself as I enjoy having a physical copy available to open at random or browse; you can do that or start from page one and work through, or just choose that day's date...

Have you read any other prompt books that you'd recommend?

Dropping By...

A quick update.

Making progress on the novel draft for now, which explains the lack of posts currently.

Sadly I've had to remove the contact form as it's being used for spam. But I can still be contacted via Twitter or on my writer page on Facebook.

I'll be back here on Sunday...

This is now...

image:pixabay.com

Filler Words... What's Yours?

Ask any group of writers what their filler words are and 'just' is certain to appear. They're those words we write without thinking and don't help the clarity.

Those pesky filler
words...

I'm guilty of using filler words, but I'm picking them up better than last year. Now, even stopping mid-sentence and asking myself, do I need to use that word? The answer, no.

There will be others that need removing in the editing process, but if I can reduce known repeat offenders along the way, it saves time later...

We use many of the filler words in everyday conversation, and according to an expert, in this 2017 article from the Independent newspaper online, those words have a purpose- politeness and processing.  (That explains my use of 'well' in conversations...) :D

Perhaps that also fools our brain into giving filler words a pass card when we're writing drafts?

My top three: so, well, and just. I'm working on negating very.

Which filler words do you have to edit out?



Image created with canva.com

The Self-Doubt Gremlin...

The decorations came down on Sunday and a normal regime began on Monday- my snoozing creativity woke up, but the rest of me was failing to keep up.

I've been dealing with the self-doubt gremlin for a few weeks now. It nearly derailed the mini workshop I was putting together for the writers' club meeting (last night), but I got through it and the gremlin has scarpered.

Weeks of disturbed sleep haven't helped; caused by strange disjointed dreams that had no clear meaning or any sense. I assume my brain was deleting unwanted junk in the memory...

Amazing how beneficial eight hours' undisturbed slumber can be.

There's still lots to catch up on, besides getting back to the novel rewrite; I need to make notes on new scenes before I forget why they're needed and get on with finishing the book I'm reading for research.

No Self-Doubt Gremlins
Allowed...

Meanwhile, avoid gremlins...












Image: Pixabay.com with additions in canva.com

Happy New Year...

A brief message to all readers of my blog posts, thank you.

Finally, my total word count for 2019 is 52,488.

Balloons image by Shahid Abdullah from Pixabay.com with additional text and decoration via Canva.com

Merry Christmas...

The next few days will be even busier than they have been so far- Muffins, and Fairy Cakes are done, but the fruit cake is still to do.

On the present side I'm trailing behind; at least I have the wrapping paper and labels ready...

Whatever you may have planned, I hope you enjoy the Christmas break. And for anyone suffering from the winter bugs that emerge at this time of the year, I hope you feel better soon.

Merry Christmas...

Christmas message postcard via Canva.com

Review of 2019 - Did I Meet My Targets?...

This is a slightly longer post...

2019 I was concentrating on my novel manuscript for the Romantic Novelists Association's New Writers' Scheme...

This year has been more about writing, learning, and developing my skills, but then writers never stop doing that.

This year...

I made a quick start on my 2019 plans, when at midday on the 2nd January, my email requesting a place the RNA's 2019 New Writers' Scheme (NWS) was submitted. Then, a few hours later I received the confirmation I was successful and had one of the available places.

Exciting and scary at the same time.

I began a 30 day trial of Scrivener in January, and by early February I was a convert. As the first nine chapters of my second draft were still in the (now) unsupported Word 2007, Chapter Ten onward was on Scrivener.

Scrivener helped me feel more confident and in control of my manuscript, as I was at the point where I was adding the scenes and elements absent from the first draft.

Mid-March was the Spring #SelfPubCon2019 (online conference) via the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). Consistently interesting and worth setting time aside to watch/listen...

~ * ~

By April I'd made inroads into the new chapters, but there was an issue that I couldn't resolve and I had to consider adding a short prologue to the novel- a controversial point for many writers.

(I used a short one, but only once I'd completed the rest of the draft.)

May and June were the two bad months of the year, stress and then more stress when our change of broadband and phone supplier went badly. It's when you don't have instant access to broadband that you realise how much of life has moved online, and how vital it can be when you need to check a simple thing such as a bus or train timetable.

Fortunately, I could still access Scrivener, but it was time-consuming looking references up in books, and those times when the saved link I needed to refer to was in the bookmarks on my browser. All I could do was make a note for checking it later...

~ * ~

July was much needed fun with the RNA Conference in Lancaster. Beneficial in lifting the emotions, learning, socialising and saying hello to online friends who you've not met in real-life before- this year it was the lovely Rosemary Gemmell...

August was long hours on the manuscript as the countdown to the NWS deadline loomed at the end of the month. I don't think you can ever know how you'll deal with the situation until you face it.

I've learnt how I write and how I can do better next year.

September was a mixed month. I had the good and the bad. Good was meeting up with friend and blogger Patsy Collins, who stopped off in Nottingham to deliver a workshop to Nottingham Writers' Club members and visitors.

Two weeks later, I had my reader's report back from the New Writers' Scheme.

~ * ~

The second half of October was busy; there was an opportunity to hear from Amazon KDP (arranged by the Society of Authors) at the Nottingham Mechanics in the city centre. An interesting evening...

Following a link on Twitter I discovered the Romance Writers Summit, and it was worth the time as several sessions helped me resolve a few of the issues identified in my NWS manuscript.

The Nottingham RNA Chapter held an afternoon workshop on being social media savvy.

I was back in Leicester at the New Walk Museum for the book launch of Rosemary J Kind's latest novel, Unequal by Birth. A good event and lovely to meet Rosemary, whom I've been online friends with for many years, but never met in person until this event.

November has been carrying on the tasks I began in October. I've been improving my knowledge, identifying my writing weak spots and working on them. I'd begun loading two other novel drafts onto Scrivener and updating the notes, character bios and research points along with the chapter outline of a contemporary first draft.

Now it's December and I've renewed my New Writers' Scheme membership for 2020.

Across the year I've continued to attend regular meetings of the Belmont Belles, and the Nottingham Story Weavers- the Leicester, and Nottingham RNA Chapters. Wonderful and supportive writers in both.

Belmont Hotel
in Leicester...

I'm still part of the team running Nottingham Writers' Club, so nothing changes there.

~ * ~

Did I meet my 2019 targets? Yes.

I got a place on the NWS and kept working on that second draft for August. And I also took up opportunities that came along (even though they weren't necessarily writing).

My annual word count aim was to break through the 50,000 point. My word count is now at 51,429 with two weeks and one day to go...

~ * ~

2020 targets

I'm following my original plan for the RNA's NWS; submit my historical in 2019 and one of my contemporaries in 2020. (I'm just finishing some necessary research for it) and I have begun rewriting the first chapter of the 2nd draft.

(As soon as I complete the contemporary, it will be back to rewriting the historical.)

Again, I'll be open to writing and writing-related opportunities throughout the year.

I'll continue to learn new things and improve my writing.

Next year's word count target is 60,000.

I didn't think I'd done much besides writing, but reviewing the year I realise that I have done much more than I thought...


Belmont Hotel image: Carol Bevitt
2019 image: Ulrike Leone via pixabay.com