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Writing Words - writing it is the only way of getting it written[ February 2008 ] [ April 2008 ]
Writing Words - March 2008A quick reminder: Writing challenges in AprilMarch 31st 2008 00:39
Yes, it's almost April. Here is a reminder about the writing challenges which will start tomorrow - the links will take you to my previous posts about them:
April Fools Script Frenzy NaBloPoMo theme: Letters If you take part in one or more of these challenges, good luck!
My April Fools GoalMarch 30th 2008 21:28
I knew long before I finished my novel last November that I would not finish telling the entire story. The story is split in three parts and I didn't get round to writing the third part.
So that's what I am going to do next month. I will write part three, or at least 15,000 words of it - 500 words a day.
Three minute poetMarch 29th 2008 01:13
I had a discussion with my flatmate the other day about being a poet. He told me he wrote poetry because he was a writer but couldn't face sitting down and write a novel. He said what he liked best about poetry was that he would be done with it in three minutes.
I don't know much about writing poetry, but one thing I do know: Writing a good poem takes longer than three minutes. In my old writer's group, we had a few people writing poetry. When their work was up for discussion, we would spent up to an hour talking about one poem, and they were short pieces. After that, the poets went back and edited their work. That's why I think writing a good poem is just as hard work as writing a good story. If anything, writing poetry is even harder than writing a novel - there is no room for even one misplaced word in a poem, whereas you will get away with a few glitches in a longer text. My flatmate was having none of it - he insisted that he was a real writer, while I maintained that there is no such thing as a three minute poet. I'm still waiting for him to show me some of his work, but I suspect he is giving it a good old three minute edit.
Story Time - Free stories and audiobooks for your iPodMarch 28th 2008 00:13
If you are anything like me, i.e. you cannot read on a bus but don't want to face public transport without a good story, you'll listen to all sorts of stories on your iPod. The internet offers lots of fodder for your mp3 player - these are my favourite sites for fresh stuff and tales that stood the test of time:
Escape Pod - I've been listening to Escape Pod for almost three years. In the beginning I could only have one story at a time on my mp3 payer, but the stories are so good I didn't mind listening to them more than once. If you write SciFi stories, check out the submission guidelines. Podiobooks - Free audiobooks by new authors. You can subscribe to books in iTunes (like a podcast). When you subscribe to a book, you decide how many installments you want to receive per week. LibriVox - Another source for free audiobooks. Volunteers read and record books that are in the public domain, so if you feel like listening to a few classics LibriVox is the site for you. You can download books chapter by chapter or a zip file containing all chapters.
My favourite writing challengesMarch 26th 2008 23:03
NaNoWriMo - I may repeating myself here, but NaNoWriMo is one of the best things since sliced bread.
April Fools - What I like most about April Fools is that you get to set your own goal. Last year I had my personal editing month in April, and I edited my NaNoWriMo 2006 manuscript (224 in total, and I had gotten through 24 of them during NaNoEdMo the month before), including writing new scenes to fill the holes. It was the first time that I enjoyed editing as much as I enjoy writing the first draft. NaBloPoMo - The reason why I like it so much is that it proves to be a real challenge for me. You'd think it can't be that difficult to write a blog post every day for a month, but I've tried it twice and was unsuccessful. Which makes me even more determined to be successful next month.
NaBloPoMo April Theme: LettersMarch 25th 2008 23:08
You can accuse me of many things, but giving up is not one of them. I didn't manage to post every day last November for NaBloPoMo, I dropped out this month after only 9 days, and yet I'll have another go in April.
The theme in April is Letters. I have an idea about what I'll do with this theme, but I have to sit down and get it sorted before I'll say anything about it
My favourite writing prompt sitesMarch 18th 2008 22:46
I don't have much time to write at the moment and it's been a while since I have posted any of my writing prompt responses anywhere. But I love writing prompts and there are a few sites that always inspire me to write. Here they are:
1. Sunday Scribblings - Before I moved to Britain, checking the new Sunday Scribblings prompt was a must in my Friday routine, and I took an hour or two every Sunday to read some of the blog posts inspired by the prompts. Should revive this routine
Happy St. Patrick's DayMarch 17th 2008 20:03
My favourite Irish authors:
1. Robert McLiam Wilson - I love Eureka Street, I have read it over and over again and I keep finding new bits every time
HibernationMarch 12th 2008 23:01
I am waking up again. December, January and February are not my most productive months in the year. I have this theory that I must have been a hibernating animal in a previous life and somehow I did not manage to shake the habit.
The thing is, I am not happy with my low output in winter. There was a time when my hibernation period started in November, but that was before I discovered NaNoWriMo. So there's proof I can do it, I can write in winter no matter how tired I am
Sunday Scribblings: The ExperimentMarch 11th 2008 22:18
Sunday Scribblings #101: The Experiment
"The experiment has failed," she announced the second she came in
A little confessionMarch 10th 2008 22:14
Well, my plan to post every day this month for NaBloPoMo came to an abrupt end this weekend. Actually, I decided that I had to drop out of the challenge.
Fact is that there are only 24 hours in a day and sometimes those are over too quickly. Writing this blog is supposed to be fun for me. I could have taken some time out of my weekend and write two posts, but that wouldn't have been fun. I also didn't want to post something merely for the sake of posting, that might have done more harm than good
Top 5 Blogs by WritersMarch 7th 2008 07:00
I am ridiculously behind on my online reading list. For one thing my list is much too long, and it would take ages to read the entire thing every day. There are a few blogs I try to check at least once a week, though, no matter who busy I am:
1. Neil Gaiman
Happy B'day TMarch 6th 2008 07:04
It's my best friend's birthday today, and instead of writing a card I write a blog post (okay, I admit that I forgot to write a card in time to be delivered today, and besides I don't trust Royal Mail ...).
You may ask yourself what my friend's birthday as to do with writing. Fair question, and the answer is nothing. The thing is, though, his continued support and encouragement have helped me to keep pursuing my dream. When everyone else thought I was just wasting my time, he was there to tell me it didn't matter what I did as long as what I did made me happy. He's been there to listen to writing-related problems, help me brainstorm when I got stuck and to tell me to get on with the story so he could read how it continues
Top 5 TV that taught me something about story-tellingMarch 5th 2008 07:45
Sure, watching TV keeps me from writing, but sometimes it can be very inspiring. Well-written TV shows will teach writers just as much about writing as good books do.
I will never tire of watching and learning from these shows
My favourite novel beginningsMarch 4th 2008 21:41
The beginning of a novel is crucial to a book's success. The beginning must hook the readers and reel them in immediately, otherwise the story will not be read by many people.
Take me, for example: The main factor that influences my decision whether to buy a book or not is its beginning. If I don't want to know what the story is after the first sentence, I'll but it back on the shelf and go on to the next
Why fiction writers should be bloggingMarch 3rd 2008 18:49
1. Blogging means you expose your writing to the world. Exposure is good.
2. You will get some feedback. You don't have to post your fiction - I even suggest you don't post it - to receive feedback on your posts that will help you grow as a writer
Why I do BloPoMo this monthMarch 2nd 2008 09:55
There are a number of reason why I have decided to join NaBloPoMo this month. And since we're doing lists, here they are in no particular order:
1. I want to write here regularly again - busy in the day job and broadband issues are somewhat valid excuses, but still ... I can't let that keep me from blogging. Which leads me to
A writer's daily to-do listMarch 1st 2008 09:13
A few years ago, I made a list of things a writer should do every day. I went like this:
- write (obviously) - short short stories, bits of novel, anything as long as it's fiction
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