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Finding focus

Posted in To do lists, Writing, tagged , , on February 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

So after being a time fritterer (see earlier post), I’ve got into a rhythm. I  have been writing for days and I don’t feel guilty anymore about not being focussed. I go back to work on Monday, but I can do so without being ashamed.

I finished a revision of two novels. One being 35,000 words and the other 57,000 words. Compared to one of my fat fantasies, they are small, but still a lot of work.

As you see from yesterday’s post, I’m back onto another MS, Emerald Fire, which I haven’t opened in two years and only partly drafted. When drafting that I wanted to make sure I could do something, that is, complete the plot. Then I realised it was missing something, the people interaction so I put it away with the intention of going back to it. As Ruby Heart hasn’t found a home and it’s the second part of that, there wasn’t much hurry.

I’ve decided this is to be my writing year, but I note in the schedule that besides the day job I have two overseas trips planned. It’s starting to get crowded. At least the Aurealis Award judging is done. Then again I realise I did say I would do the accounts for Conflux and present at the writers day. But both of those are relatively small things. Mmm actually I realise I committed to doing something else. Sigh. Crazy in the head.

I also sat down and wrote up my to do stuff on my white board. I have set myself the task of writing at least two more novels in the current series. Cough. Oh dear. I’ve left one off. Make that three! That’s a 35,000, 56,000 and a 80,000 word novel. I also have a wishlist in there of at least commencing either a Scottish historical or Regency Romance, but there is no hurry on those as they are dream projects that I would like to tackle, rather than what I think I must tackle. I also have a couple of MSs to revise in my pipeline, but they are on a as needs basis. And if by any chance I do all those, I have some other projects in the pipeline and bugger Into the Dark Glass is to be revised/rewritten and I completely forgot about that. MMMM.

So really, I’m not really looking around for something to do. I find the white board helps me focus on what I need to do. Then again I have ignored the thing on many occasion. Last year I knew I was going to be terribly busy so I bought a scheduler to put on the wall to map out everything (like a white board but with days). I was so busy I didn’t even open it and now it is rubbish because it was for 2013.

Anyhow, I’m taking the day off today and going visiting. I’ll be back in the grind tomorrow, or this evening if I have any oompf left. As I live with a writer, he perfectly understands if I am attached to my laptop. I love it.

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Emerald Fire

Posted in Emerald Fire, Ruby Heart, Steampunk, Writing, Young adult, tagged , , , , on February 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Emerald Fire is the sequel to Ruby Heart (currently looking for a home with trusty agent). This is a young adult (maybe) steam punk, Victorian gothic horror, romance (yeah!). I don’t normally posts bit of my work, particularly first drafts, but I’ve just opened up Emerald Fire, which I started two years ago. After  that long a break, I still love the opening.

Edit: Ah alas. I had to take it down. I realised that it contains spoilers. So sorry.

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The time fritterer

Posted in distractions, Writing, tagged , , , on February 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I am usually a focussed person who gets things done. But I seem now that I’m on holidays to see time just fly past without me achieving anything. I thought these holidays would be spent industriously writing up a storm, churning out novels and revisions, but I must be a lunatic.

We moved house. Still not settled either. We have tradesmen doing repairs, which can be disruptive.

I was reading for the Aurealis Awards and had a hard slog at the end.

I’ve started weaving. Trudi Canavan came up for the weekend to give me lessons on my table loom. I love it. Here is some sample shots. The first is a log cabin pattern Trudi got me to do on my knitters loom or ‘fixed heddle’. It was so much fun.

log cabinOnce Trudi had me reading the pattern we set about to work on the table loom (after she and Paul meticulously rejuvenated it-the loom was given to me and it’s pretty old).

sample scarfBecause this table loom has four heddles, I can do twill patterns. Trudi set me up to do a sample scarf with different patterns. Cough, it’s riddled with mistakes, but the colours work well together.

loomThis one is a shot of the loom. It’s all quite new and exciting for me. I only do short sessions on the loom. I use it as thinking time (which is probably why I’m making mistakes). However, I am starting to understand the workings of it.

I bought a table from the recycle shop at the tip and am currently fixing it up. Photos below.

the beginningThis is what I bought for $50. It took almost all day to fetch a trailer, drive back, then find help to unload it and take the trailer back. No wonder I was knackered. Anyway it’s nice and solid.

Next thing you know I have to sand it.

the start of sandingsandingmid

And today I bought some stain. It’s not a perfect match. I was tossing up whether it was maple or cedar stain, but as it is quite old and varnish darkens over time. You see I don’t want to redo the legs. However, I believe the match is not quite there but I’m in the I don’t care phase. I’m not a perfectionist, obviously. Now I will wait to see if I leave it as it is or I sand it back and try a different stain or sand and restain the legs. Eep!

sanded

I went to Sydney to see some friends for a few days. However, I did read some Georgette Heyer.

I’ve been babysitting one day, doctor’s appointments for ear and now knee. These are passion killers for creativity.

Oh and I bought Season 1 and 2 of The Paradise, which I tried to keep to one or two episodes a day, but um…can’t. All done now. I can resume my normal life.

I forgot about the heat. The office is almost set up, but during the heat wave it was unbearable and I don’t want to run two aircons at the same time and I was too floored by the heat to come upstairs and bring my lap top down.

Enough excuses. But honestly I don’t know why time is flying. I think it may be a fatigue thing. If I was truly inspired I’d be writing a way like a mad woman.

I thought I got rid of my distractions, but today I’m going to an information session on millinery. Sigh. This is meant to be my writing year, but I’m planning a course to do.

Anyway, I’ve spent probably two hours revising a manuscript. And I’m here again ready to start. Well, gee, look at that. It’s lunch time.

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The hard slog

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on January 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’m still on my writing retreat.

Writing,writing, trying to write. I can escape if I want to but that’s counter productive. I’ve been looking forward to this retreat, the time to dedicate myself to writing and hanging with other writers who are very cool and who I count as friends. I’m not going to slack off no matter how tempting.

But sometimes focussing is hard. Sometimes writing without stuffing one’s face with chocolate, lollies and shortbread seems impossible, no matter how upset the stomach gets later. I’m doing it though. Writing and stuffing my face with junk.

I have to rest my wrist though and dab on the anti inflammatory cream. I certainly don’t want a dose of acute RSI back.

It’s currently hot across all of southern Australia, even here in the mountains at 35.2 degrees C. We’ve shut the door and put on the aircon to help us through the day.

I was hoping to push through to 70,000 words today. I may make it. I’m nearly at 67,000 words. If I do, I may break out the knitters loom and warp it up.

Catch us on the FWOR blog.

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Not quite mid-way on the retreat

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 10, 2014| 1 Comment »

So it’s officially day four of the writers’ retreat and I have a few observations about myself.

I don’t have too much trouble focusing. In fact, I zone out and miss out on the conversations around the table, particularly the ones about me.

I cannot write anywhere near as fast or as much as I used to. I don’t know why that is. There is RSI, which limits me to about 5000 words a day. However, I’m finding even that hard for some reason.

I have a plot summary for this novel I’m writing, but at times it is not very helpful. I have to invent stuff and then today I found that I had left out a portion of the novel because it was going to wrap up too early. I sort of knew instinctively that I was rushing things  around chapter 7, but when I looked at where I was at today I was certain I had. So I’ve been back there, expanding scenes. I’d completely left out Emmett’s point of view from about chapter 8. He’s important to Sage, and he’s the other point of view character, so smack me on the butt. I guess I got caught up in what is happening to Sage. When I’ve finished the story arc, I’ll have to go back and look at the pacing and the balance of action and character. This has been the most challenging thing I’ve written and I really do want to finish the draft. I think it’s going to be fab. I hope it’s going to be fab.

Nicole Murphy and I were chatting this morning and she said we aren’t normal. Writing 5000 words a day was not normal. 2000 to 3000 words was more normal for a writer. I’m like, but we used to write 10,000 words, 9000 and 8000. Yep, says Nicole that wasn’t normal, either.

The point is my hyperactivity button is broken. It won’t engage. I don’t have the head space to write 10,000 words. I’m finding pushing to 5000 a day a bit draining and really, really hard. Perhaps it’s this book. I don’t know.

But 5000 per day for 10 days will yield 50,000 words and maybe the end of this book. Technically, we have 12 to 13 writing days on this retreat. We usually bugger off for at least one of them for a Kirkpatrick tour.

I’m also trialling revising a draft of another book in the afternoons, evenings. So far this is working out okay. I’m not doing a lot, but I’ve started and that’s usually the hard part-opening up the document and starting the revision/edit. I want this particular novel out to beta readers this month.

Enough of my whinging!

A new interview will be along soon.

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NanoWriMo

Posted in NanoWriMo, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged , on November 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’m jumping on the bandwagon with NanoWriMo too. I’ve not signed up yet, but November is usually productive for me. The tax is done. Christmas is looming. Now if I didn’t have this uni work to do, I’d be acing it.
However, I do have uni work to do. It is writing though so that’s kind of awesome.
I had hoped to finish Into the Dark Glass (first draft) this year, but I didn’t. I’m about 35,000 words in and I’m polishing the first 20,000 words, which I have hand it. Better get to it.

Happy writing

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