NaNo Update

NaNo is going well. On 46k, so nearly at 50k! Earliest I think that I've ever got there (not that I've got there yet). I guess that's because I'm aiming for more, and I will keep on going until the end of the month and see where I get to. It's all rather exciting. Although my chapter plan is letting me down a bit and I keep getting frustrated with it. You know how you plan stuff out and think it will be enough to fill the chapter and realise that it's really not, so you start well, blabbing... and my goodness, really you have nothing to say and you're let by your planning which you think is so thorough. Yeah, so I've been dealing with that and trying to fill words and it's been up and down. But hopefully it's on the up now.

Last weekend I was kinda low, which was horrible and I couldn't really do anything except sit and be sad and cry and watch Gilmore Girls (which I'm now addicted to) and eat lots of biscuits. Monday morning I suddenly had tonnes of energy, which was very scary and lots of creative energy, so this week has been full of ideas and productivity (sort of) and it's been good. Hopefully I'll stay on this high, because that would be nice. I hate the lows, especially ones like that. It was scary.

Anyway, off to do some writing, hopefully get to 50k, write some poetry, do some reading, some other writing and planning and art and exciting things. I hope. In reality it'll probably be youtube videos and scrolling through tumblr but I may surprise myself....

Hope NaNo is going well for everyone else!

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.

Editing Woes

Been editing like mad in the last few days, trying to get on with it and it has been going well. I keep finding little notes I've put to myself, however, written at times when I couldn't do that particuar thing, but knew I should think about it. Now I'm left with things like 'extend this chapter' or 'split into two chapters and extend'. And I'm like, huuuuh? Would extending this chapter actually make it better, or would it just be a load of extra waffle? How do I actually extend this chapter? And then I sit here for a little longer, before deciding to leave that particualar problem for the day. Which isn't so productive.

Does anyone else have those sort of editing problems? Or is that just me?

On another note however, I am feeling productive today, unlike yesterday when I just felt so lack lustre and restless, I couldn't settle to anything. Today I might actually get something productive done!

Yay!