Hello 2013!

So it's 2013! I hope you all had a really good Hogmanay & aren't feeling too blurry-headed this morning (this post is scheduled, so chances are I am still asleep when this goes live!).

I love New Year Resolutions. I know they aren't for everyone (I asked Craig what his would be, and his response was "snowboarding... but I do that already" & "running... but I do that already" etc), but I really love setting myself a goal and using the new year for motivation. Last year I decided to learn how to cook & it went really well. I went from only knowing how to use a George Foreman grill to making a proper Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and am a much more confident cook!

This year I want to be more creative. So I am promising myself that I will work on my novel regularly & start to draw again.

I've posted about writing a few times already - my biggest challenge is keeping going, not getting frustrated when it gets hard & taking criticism well!

Drawing is a little different - I used to draw ALL the time (I've  blogged about this before) but it must have been over a year since I last picked up a pencil. So I rooted around in boxes that haven't quite been unpacked yet, & found a motley bunch of supplies... broken bits of charcoal I've had for over ten years (!), blunt colouring pencils & a couple of tiny sketch pads.

I'm definitely super rusty, but I drew a rough self-portrait (based on the photos from #tachebooth) & it was really fun! I've ordered some pencils and brushes, and am keen to get started properly and get some practice.

I'd love to do a series of portraits of my favourite bloggers, but I'm not there yet... still, it's a nice goal to work towards!

I'm going to sum this up with one of my favourite Neil Gaiman quotes:

I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind. 

 Happy new year all x

Nanowrimo winner!

During November I took part in National Novel Writing Month (see my previous posts here). The challenge was to write 50,000 words in one month - giving you (roughly) a first draft of a novel to work on. 

& I did it! (PHEW).

Yay! 

This year I cheated a little bit by using nanowrimo to continue a novel I had already started (I wrote 10,000 words in the summer), which means I now have a first draft of 60,000 words. I'm writing a young adult book, so the word count is sort of about right, but I'm not going to worry about that too much until I'm through a couple more drafts!

Now my next challenge is to KEEP GOING. One of the main reasons I like nanowrimo is that I really like working to targets and deadlines & they provide all sorts of fun word count widgets & graphs. I hated being behind, so I really pushed myself to write - even on days where I was tired, or lazy or just not in the mood. Now that I'm working off my own steam it's a bit harder - it's easier to go "ah, I'll just do it at the weekend", and fall back into lazy habits!

So I think I am going to get a diary or something and tick off each day that I write, giving myself mini deadlines along the way. I am determined to keep writing - even if it's rubbish, I really enjoy it!

Nanowrimo update

Hello! I just wanted to share a wee update on nanowrimo. We're onto day sixteen now and I should be at 26,666 words to be on track (I'm not, but I've got all of tonight to write).

Please ignore my terrible working title

It's been loads of fun so far, but definitely tough! This is the first year I've had to balance blogging alongside writing, so it's been a bit of a challenge finding time for both (and still enjoying them). I'm also baking a wedding cake for my lovely pals Jude and Charlotte & am going to their wedding tomorrow - loads of fun, but busy busy busy days ahead!

But hey, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it. I'm also filming weekly updates on my youtube channel, which you can watch below. Look how fresh faced and enthusiastic I was in week one! Ha. Ha. Ha.

 

& then I'm just exhausted and resigned to battling on in week two.

I'm not going to post every video I make here, so if you'd like to subscribe then you can do so here. Non-writing videos are also on the way (er, when I have a spare moment!). 

Nanowrimo - my top tips!

Hello! So it's almost November, which means it's time for one of my favourite things in the year - National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo)!

You can read more on how nanowrimo works here, but it's pretty simple. You (the budding author) write a 50,000 word novel over 30 days. If you win, you get to feel great about yourself, and you have a first draft to do with as you will. If you lose, then you have still written something (and can feel good for giving it a shot).

I'm taking part for the fourth year in a row, so I thought it would be fun to film a video with my top tips for getting to 50,000 words (and enjoying the process!).

The challenge starts on November 1st so you have two days to prepare yourself, think of an idea and get ready to write. Let me know if you're taking part & we'll be nano pals. 

Writing

I have the best intentions when it comes to writing, but find it hard to act on them sometimes. It's just too easy to make excuses. Life is too busy (it is!),  you are too tired (I am!), or you'd rather just read ohnotheydidn't (sometimes I would!). I think that's why I love things like NaNoWriMo - having a deadline and target to work to just makes things much easier.

Yesterday I saw someone retweet a link to the Write Now competition and it caught my eye. It's a brand new writing prize judged by indie booksellers to win a publishing contract with Macmillan. Ooh. That's Macmillan Children's Books. Oh.

Now I've never written for children before. But I love writing. And I like children. And now I have a goal to work to! So I'm going to give it a bash. I have zero expectations, but anything that inspires me is a good thing in my book.

Budding authors take note - you've got til December 1st!