January, February & March 2017 #Writing Update

 

 

Happy time zones folks. Life likes throwing in surprises and spanners and that has led to me not posting here. Writing wise, I have been much more successful.

 

Save for any words I write today I am on 17,926 words for the year. My target for the end of this month (March) for the year was 7,500 words. Whilst it is good over all that I am nearly 10.5k ahead, it is even better with Camp NaNoWriMo starting tomorrow. It is looking the next month is going to be very busy for me so having a buffer that I can use is going to be very helpful. The buffer is intended for the end of the year but if I have to use some now, so be it.

 

Majority of what I have written in the last three months has been my FMC’s first week of school, meeting classmates, teachers and first lessons. Seems a lot of words to spend on it but I am also aware that this draft is an absolute plantser mess! I have accepted that. I am focused on getting it written, not getting it right. The next draft is for tightening up and getting the big picture stuff sorted. I have also written some stuff that happens a few months later in story time. It connects with what I had written in December.

 

When I have not been writing, my mind has been on world building, new ideas and solving certain issues that had come to mind. Particularly, my thoughts have been about certain secrets and possible plans for the future. I may actually write some of the future stuff now, if only to get the ideas out of my head. My focus though is on completing this draft though.

 

Plans for the next few months is to keep writing, keep pushing for one completed draft of this story. Right now, I am reconsider certain word counts. A certain life surprise means the original goals I had set are now unlikely or pushing it too far. Take next month for example. I had planned on getting 10,000 words written during Camp. That goal has had to be revised down to 5k to accommodate it whilst also giving me the push to keep writing despite it. In May and June, I have set a target of 2,500 words each. These goals are based on what I wrote last year. All things considered, I am leaving them as is for now. They are attainable and any extra words will add to the buffer.

 

How is your writing going at the moment? Planning to enter Camp next month or in July? Had any problems or is everything going well? Do comment below.

Monthly #Writing Update

Word Count: 1,852 words

Monthly Word Count (so far): 9,728 words

I am aiming to hit 10k tonight before Camp starts tomorrow. I might have hit that target this weekend had my laptop not died on Friday and resurrected itself on Monday. No, I have no idea how it managed to do that either. All I do know is that it made me rethink my Camp idea.

Before my laptop failed on me, my MMC has been released from prison and has visited my FMC, explaining his part in the story and has announced he is going to help my FMC with her housing problem (she’s been evicted from her flat). It wasn’t much but it pushed the story on. It is a story I have enjoyed writing this month, even if it has been a bumpy ride of sorts with it. I know where that story needs to go and I will have to go back to it at some point. I just hope I actually do.

As for this week at least, I ended up having a wobble over my NaNoWriMo story whilst my laptop was down. I had planned something heavily inspired by Tom Clancy’s The Division, as I have previously discussed. Last week, I asked if I should have a second story due to writing outside of my genre once more, trying to learn my lesson from Camp July 2015. That second story also happened to be the magic school from the same Camp session. I had harboured thoughts of going back and rewriting it but I had no idea when.

Without any access to my files and struggling to write, I started to rethink my story. I started wondering how excited I truly am about The Division story. I do like the idea but that’s all it is I suspect: an idea that I need to work and hone more before I can truly write it. I know this sounds like the muse has left sort of problem and it is in a way. I also know though when to trust my instincts. This is one such occasion.

Of course this left me with no story for a short time as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to my July 2015 story. Again, instinct kicked in and told me that I should go back so my Camp story is now a rewrite. It sometimes really pays to listen to your instinct.

I know I seem to be rambling about this but I think it’s important that I do write this down and share my experience, perhaps maybe help others if possible. I know it has helped me because I feel I am able to think about this with a lot more clarity that I had done.

How has your writing been going this week and this month? Entering Camp next month? Had any wobbles or do you know what you are doing for definite? Whatever your plans for April, good luck and happy writing!

World Book Day

World Book Day takes place on Thursday 6th March this year. Get involved and have fun!

Wakefield Libraries

A Big, Happy, Booky Celebration of Reading! That’s World Book Day, Thursday 6th March. At Wakefield Library we will be welcoming classes from Flanshaw J&I School to meet Professor Libris, the storymaker , who will create wonderful stories with them. The Professor is also known as Eden Ballantyne from Stories Alive and it should be a fun filled day.
At Castleford Forum, children can join in ‘Fun with Food!’ Just how much fun can you have with food in a library? Call in to Castleford Forum Library and Museum on 6th March 4-5pm to find out. Suitable for ages 6-10.
Celebrations are not just taking place on 6th. Library storytimes will be celebrating and staff will be giving out World Book day tokens which can be exchanged for a special World Book day book at participating bookshops and supermarkets. The Bookstart Bear has been let out for a World…

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York Literature Festival 2014, 20th-31st January 2014

Next month will see the York Literature Festival take place. Featuring talks and workshops from Germaine Greer, Roger Winston and John Humphrys, there will events for children and adults, readers and writers a like. The festival takes place all over the beautiful historic city and will also feature a performance at York Theatre Royal of Birdsong in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of World War One. Students from York St John University will also be having a showcase of work.

For those who are good at poetry, there is still time to enter the Poetry Competition which closes at midnight on Friday, 28th February 2014. Find out more information and the rules at http://www.yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk/poetry-competition-2014/.

Booking is essential and some events require paying for tickets. Find out more about the festival at the website: http://www.yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk/ The PDF version of the festival programme can be found here.