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Writers gonna write...

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“I can’t write anything! I give up!”

This was me towards the end of November. November of all months. National Novel writing month. 3 weeks in and with just under 20,000 words to go until the 50,000 word target I hit a wall. Hard. I’d been ill for the whole of the month which wasn't helping as after full days at work, cooking tea, washing and cleaning I was far too exhausted to write. This was maybe my first mistake, because perhaps the writing would've relaxed me. Maybe it wouldn't have but I know this for sure; stopping was a huge mistake. So here I want to tell you how I eventually pushed through this block, so that if you’re struggling too then this may just help.

I didn't write throughout December either and only when January hit and my news resolution to pull myself together kicked in did I try again. As you saw above, I was 30,000 words into my novel, which is not to be sniffed at. And while chunks of it were strained efforts to keep my story going there were parts I was proud of. The first 3 chapters at least. And characters that I couldn't give up on. So here’s what I did. I went back to plotting. I’d plotted before writing, but something was missing. There were characters who had no depth, plot twists that weren't even twists and no clear ending in site.  I began with my characters. I took them all, and I mean ALL of them, even the passers-by, the man with one sentence, the dog walker, and I re-discovered them. I wrote pages on some and paragraphs on others. I gave them lives, friends, motives. It helped loads because now I knew where ALL the characters were heading, what they ALL wanted to do.

Next I took the three characters with the most important stories and mapped out an individual story for each of them. As though I were writing a novel for each of their lives and not just one in which they intertwine. There is much of their stories that won’t reach the book. That will never need to be mentioned, but knowing their destination and what greets them along the way has been beyond helpful. I also did more research. In my case I am writing a Murder Mystery so I started studying police procedure in more depth. This gave me endless ideas on what I could use as clues, red herrings and plot devices. What could you research to give you ideas? To spark your imagination? I hope this helps. I suppose the main, simple and clichéd message is this: Don’t stop. Keep writing. See you soon, writers! 

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New blog coming soon...

Hoping to share the writing problems I've had and overcome recently! Coming soon x

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If you're writing a crime novel set in the UK but don't know much about police procedure I urge you to give this a go! It's helping me so much with my research and plotting!

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Haha, I'm in England, so no examining guns for me! Choosing a murder weapon is another way my search history could get me in trouble!

I need to walk around London parks until I find a good spot for a murder.

The thoughts of an innocent writer.

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I needed this so much today - thank you, Susan J. McIntire (taken from her Twitter)

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Walking down the street with my character's eyes...

...does anyone else do this? Do it in different settings. Walk through the countryside as your character, a city, a shop. Walk during the day, at night time, in the cold, in the rain. What would they notice? What are they thinking? Feeling? Are they listening to music? Are they muttering to themselves? Are they talking on the phone? Maybe they're with another one of your characters. Are they chatting? Arguing perhaps? What about? This is honestly one of the most productive ways for me to feel closer to my characters. And it's great because you can slip into it anytime you're walking along on your own.

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Preparing for NaNoWriMo...

2015 will be my first year taking part in National Novel Writing Month. I’m nervous and excited about the commitment to write 50,000 words in one month. The most I’ve ever done is 30,000. But I’m determined to fit it in, although this is a busy month for me with work and my personal life.

Here’s a few ways I’ve prepared.

First things first, I set up a writing room. This feels so amazing! To have a space where I can lock myself away from the bustle of the house. Already this room has had an impact on the time I spend writing and I feel confident that it’ll help me get through NaNo! Do you have a writing space?

Secondly I spent a lot of time where my novel is going to be set; London! I don’t live here so it’s been coach journeys and applying everything to my visual memory so I can write about it even when I’m not here.

And I spent most of that time in Battersea Park, where I’d never been before, but where I knew my story began. 

There’s nothing quite like skulking around London parks trying to find the perfect murder scene!

Plotting for me is always the hardest, so I use a plot table to try and piece my story together, one by one. 

This is the format I try to use. Filling in a brief idea of what happens occasionally more detailed if there are certain parts of conversations I want to use already forming.

There’s less than two weeks to go and I think the main thing I need to do now is spend some time with my characters. What’s everyone else doing? 

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My favourite post ever! I will read this every day

Dear Writers

Your value as a person is not at all dependent upon the quantity or quality of writing you produce

Your identity as a writer is not at all dependent upon the quantity or quality of writing you produce

Your stories are still important even if they can only live in your head

You are still important even if you can’t tell your stories right now (or ever)

Having a story that fails or flops or stops or falls apart doesn’t mean that story is worthless, a waste of time, and you are not worthless or a waste of time because you couldn’t see the story through

Don’t tell yourself getting published is your capital-G Goal, and that you’re worthless until you’ve been published. The goal is to practice that art that makes you so happy. If you’re writing specifically to get published, you’re no longer writing for you.

You are still important whether you last wrote ten minutes ago, yesterday, a month ago, or three years ago.

People, your parents, society, capitalism will tell you all of these things aren’t true. Fuck them.

And please be kind to yourselves and to your writing.

Love,

A writer who has learned all these things the hard way so maybe you guys won’t have to

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I want to research murder weapons for my novel but I don’t want to be arrested...

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I have a notebook each for my three main characters and I just know I need more for some minor characters too...

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Good luck! And well done!

lowkey just finished my rough draft!!

It kind of crept up on me, but I definitely have a complete rough draft!

Clocking in at approximately 90,500 words, I’ve got a lot of material to edit and work with, but I can’t believe I’m at this point in the process already! My working title is “Unrooted” - a lot simpler than many other titles I’ve gone through, but I think it really fits.

Wish me luck!

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Working on two novels at once...

...is anyone else doing this?

I used to do this a lot, constantly switching from novel to novel because I had so many ideas.

I still have a lot of ideas but recently I've been far more disciplined. I finished my novel and pushed my way through a second draft. I’m now near the end of my third draft and I’ve given in and begun writing a new novel; the idea was too exciting to resist!

HOWEVER; I’m being smart about it. When I sit down for my writing time I split my time in half.  And I tell myself that if I spend the first half un-distractedly working on my 3rd draft of Novel 1 then I’m allowed to spend the second half on Novel 2. It’s working so far.

What about you?

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Seeking inspiration in London!