It all kicks off tomorrow!

Happy Halloween everyone! I don't ever do anything for Halloween, as I don't really like it and to be honest it always used to scare me. But tonight we're watching Harry Potter so I'm looking forward to that.

And tomorrow, NaNo starts!

I am incredibly excited. I really am.

I can't wait to get started. I've been editing my outline this afternoon and just making it better, and hopefully easier to stick to. I've also decided (I decided a while ago but I'm going to say it here so hopefully I'll stick to it) to go for a higher word count, becuase otherwise I get to 50,000 and I decide the story is finished, so for the first time I'm going for 70,000. Or at least 60,000. I hope. It is my seventh NaNo, so I guess it's time to do something a little bit different. Hold me to it guys!

I'm also, probably more when NaNo is over, but I'll stick it up here now, looking for a critique partner, so if anybody is interested let me know :)

I've been working on my poetry proposal this afternoon, and some more poetry, so better get back to that now!

Good luck everyone NaNoing tomorrow! Here we go again!

It's that time of year.

I haven't been feeling well the last few days: stupid sore throat, and now a blocked nose, which just makes me feel so tired and useless. I hate those days when you don't feel 100% and you can't get everything done that you want to.

Frustrating isn't it?

I guess it's that time of year.

But it's also that time of year where I, and hundreds of other people, are beginning to gear up for NaNoWriMo. Knowing that I am most definitely a plotter, I have been planning away and getting excited, meeting lots of new people - and I even went to a KO meeting. I know right! My housemates might even be doing it this year... NaNo house?!

Poetry is in full swing as well. We have to put together a portfolio to hand in after Christmas, so I have begun to think about that and am putting some ideas together. My housemate and myself have been persuaded into reading some poetry at an open mic thing which is TOMORROW. TOMORROW. Oh my goodness. Being ill is making me sort of forget about that, so maybe that's good?! I'll let you know how it goes. If I survive it. (I will). I hope.

P.S. I am formulating crazy (expensive) ideas for next summer.  Trying to be brave and do exciting things, that scare me (that includes this reading because that's terrifying) and wondering whether to do exciting things next summer. Maybe.

Cinquains

Yesterday in our poetry class one of the things we looked at was a form called a cinquain, which is a short five line stanza with a syllable pattern that goes 2,4,6,8,2 - so really very short!

Our tutor went through what sort of thing each line should contain -
2 an image/thing
4 describes/qualifies
6 action
8 feeling
2 concludes/refers back

I have found that these are really great fun to write and have been obsessively counting syllables on my fingers. I even woke up this morning thinking 'that's a good idea' (I rarely do that for poetry...). Cinquains were originally invented by someone called Adelaide Crapsley (seriously, go check out cinquain.org for more info) and are really fun.

Here's the one I wrote in class yesterday, we had to start with a place and the person next to us had to give us a last line.

Outhouse
Impossibly cold
Forgotten and abandoned
Walls falling in and the door
Locked up.

Off to write some more cinquains now...

Hating Myself

I know I already blogged today I’m sorry. But I just wanted to share something/ask advice. I’ve had a day today where I’ve just been creating. I’ve been writing, doing art, getting work done, doing reading and all of that. So I have done a lot. 

I am having one of those days where I am quite happy not to see people, and I have got loads done, but i still have that feeling, like I haven’t done enough. Like I haven’t written enough poetry, or got enough ideas and I need to write more,and I feel bad about it, so I sit here trying to, and it won’t just come. I don’t know if I’m expressing this right, but I make myself feel so bad for not creating enough, for not writing enough. Or I think that I’ve done plenty of poetry, but not enough prose, and today I need to just write something, but what and nothing comes. Or I need to editing, or whatever... it’s like I spread myself far too thin and try to do EVERYTHING and then feel like I havne’t done what I want to do, even though some days when I’m busy I’m happy to write a few hundred words or a few lines, or scribble a drawing. And I'm happy with that. But days like today, I hate myself and although I feel good about what I've done, there are so many different things I want to achieve maybe I don't do them fully enough. Does this make ANY sense to anyone? 

Writing, planning, typing....

I came across a blog which has inspired me to be drastic and change the beginning of the children's novel I have been editing recently. Or was over the summer. I have just finished typing up something that I wrote over the summer, which was great to get typed up - especially before NaNo begins.

It isn't as long as I anticipated, but I know there are so many places I can add to, and things that need to change. So I'm glad to know those things. I've got lots of things jotted down, and changes to make, but I'm going to let it rest and stew in my mind for a bit while I focus on other things. It's a good feeling just to get a draft typed onto the computer!

Anyway, back to the poetry for now - seem to have started a series of poems about the smokers I see in the car park we overlook, by mistake. Oh well. Also getting very arty and creative - pictures coming soon!

Create, Shine, Blossom

This is going to be a bit of a long winded post, but I'll try to say what I mean. Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about creativity and something that one of the glow girls talked about in a glow blog post, about creating something every day. Here is what she said: 

‘Create for the sake of getting your hands dirty, create cause it makes YOU smile.

Put a poem, or a drawing, or a story on a piece of paper... if only to fill in the empty blank space.

Create a [SOMETHING] everyday... No matter how big or small.’

(Jaime Lyn Beatty) I really like this. The idea of creating just BECAUSE. So many things that these girls say are wondeful and inspirational. I really need to save them all in the same place because I always lose those quotes I love. Anyway, I try to create every day. I try to write every day, because I need to and it just makes me feel so much better.

But I find myself experimenting with other ways of creating too. Like over the summer I told you all that I got into bracelet making - both friendship bracelets and beads and I LOVE doing that. I also like drawing, and baking, and recently I've started to get back into little sewing projects because I used to do that a lot when I was little, and also photography because I have a groovy amazing new camera. And I have learnt to knit! I have also, very very recently started something that I've wanted to play around with for ages and finally because of an amazing blog I found (Daisy Yellow) have started. And that is art journalling. The idea of creating a notebook/sketchbook full of just paint and sticking things on and words and all that sort of stuff has always fascinated me, but I have been too scared to 'do' art. Having read a few things, plucked up the courage to join art soc, and started helping with this kids art group I have finally got round to doing it. And so far it is so much fun. I think in a way it is freeing to know that NO ONE has to see this. I know it's the same with other stuff, but I don't know, sometimes you just have to do something for you, and it's nice to do something really new. Especially when it's raining so much and I daren't take my camera out :( And doing other stuff like that gives me new writing inspiration, and especially as I am doing a creative writing MA I think it is important.  It kind of extends the whole drawing thing too.

Do some of you find that? You have to experiment with other creative stuff, which influences/recharges your writing?

Anyway I'm really excited about this new 'venture' of sorts.

So I said this was going to be longwinded. The other thing I wanted to write about, connects up with all this creating and creativity and glow.  I think a while ago I wrote about Glow* and how awesome and inspirational it was? (Glow) and of course I started this post with them. Well anyway, a post on the site inspired a group of us to get together and create a forum space that allowed one another to create and support one another, and help one another grow in confidence with their work, and in sharing it. We chose to name this project shine, because creating should make you shine and blossom. The website is now live here, with a link there for the forum so do check it out, and as many of you are writers it may appeal. It is all still being tested and worked out, so this is still a work in progress! At the moment the community is built around those who have come from glow*, a very safe sharing community, but we would love to welcome more people who love to create ANYTHING!

Phew.

Thanks if you read that far.

Time

First day since before FRESHERS WEEK where I don't have somewhere I have to be AT ANY TIME. And I have written a list of things to do that's basically an A4 sheet. All the little things you put off when you're busy. And some work. And all that.

I could go to chapel. I kind of want to, but then it's a huge chunk of the day. I haven't been going this term - I have been once (I've only been here a few weeks, it seems so much longer) but I really want to find somewhere nearer. There is a church a few minutes walk from the house, I need to try that, because I spend so much time on campus. I was there yesterday, and there tomorrow and most of this week. And I have to leave an hour to get there.

I just need a day recharging I think. Time to do all those small things I need to get done, or I'm going to burn out soon.

But now I feel bad because someone asked if I was going to chapel today and well... now I feel like I should. But I wasn't planning on it. Because I want a quiet day. Ahh. I hate myself sometimes and my inability to just say no. But no, I'm not going to go today. I did wake up this morning and think 'It's Sunday, I need to go to Church. But next week. Next week).