So, I may have mentioned before about the values of A) Doing research, and B) Making things up as you go along. A lot of my writing has been very improvisational in the past, and this obviously leads to having reams and reams of material where different routes emerge, almost as though I were writing some kind of long winded chose your own adventure book.
Well, I’ve hit a bit of a snag with this. Read more…
So a few months back, I wrote a post about how stupid it is to revisit old work. Well, this week I’m playing devil’s advocate. Read more…
It seems that there is a definite downside to the tracking method I use. While it can be very encouraging, I personally have a tendency to relax and shirk off if I’ve done well. Read more…
As regular readers will know, I have lately been grappling with story structure and getting something of a complete plan of my novel down. But there is a mysterious hole at the end; a nether region of uncertain, shifting shapes. This, dear reader, is my ending. Read more…
This week, I have mostly been reading about story structure. Read more…
I’ve written before about how it’s important to have a plan for your writing. Since then my overrall plan has gone by the wayside, so I may have to review my policy on that. But today I want to talk about plans for each thing you write.
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Keeping a writing routine is hard. On the face of it, it’s easy – decide you want to do something and then do it. Then do it again, then again, then again. But in practice, it’s something quite different. Read more…
It’s hard for me to see whether I am improving in my writing. I don’t mean ability. That can wait for a bit. At the moment it’s about volume. Honestly, I’m so poor with the amount of time I spend writing, that any time doing it is considered good at the moment. But then, without regularly churning out work, how can I judge that I’m getting better? When does a little bit become a little bit more? Read more…
One thing that goes hand in hand with planning your goals and how you will spend your time is reviewing. How do you know if you’re still on track if you don’t review where you’re at? Read more…
One piece of advice you get a lot from courses, or writing books is keep a journal. It’s right up there with, “show, don’t tell” as one of those creative writing mantras that gets flogged to death. But I’ve never understood what makes a good journal, or even what might be an appropriate journal for me.