There have been a lot of stories kicking about over the past few days about George RR Martin’s announcement he won’t get the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire done before the sixth series of Game of Thrones airs on TV. In May last year he thought he could do it, but things happened, life got in the way, and he didn’t make the deadline. Continue reading “Writing Resolutions”
With just under a week to go, it’s time to make that all-important writing decision: to NaNoWriMo, or not to NaNoWriMo? Continue reading “To NaNo or Not to NaNo”
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As some of you may remember, I am involved in a relay writing project with a bunch of lovely people I met on the internet. Entitled ‘The Life and Times of a Working Barbarian’ it involves each of us taking it in turns to pen instalments of a gripping fantasy saga containing lots of Strong Female Characters and, apparently, a fair number of worms.
For various reasons the barbarian took a bit of a break at the start of this year, so what with one thing and another I haven’t written a chapter since the start of October 2013. I’m therefore spending my afternoon reminding myself what has happened since, as it turns out my next chapter goes live tomorrow. There’s nothing quite as motivating as having totally forgotten an impending deadline…
I strongly urge you to do the same, and check back tomorrow to vote on what happens next.
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I recently had a birthday, which was pleasant. I saw my family and some friends, added to my ‘to read’ pile and my gin collection, and I made a cake that induces a sense of euphoria and remorse that I like to call euphorse.
The only trouble is that as I get older, birthdays are beginning to feel a little bit like markers for everything I haven’t done yet – not least because mine falls at the end of the month, where the deadlines live.
Continue reading “Taking Stock”
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One of the most difficult things I’ve had to write recently was a guest post for the Fight! Fight! Fight! blog – a website dedicated to pondering what would happen if fictional characters did battle with one another. Yes, it is a niche market.
Part of my issue was that the page is run by my boyfriend, so I knew that when he gave me a deadline he actually had a few posts in hand and there was no real sense of urgency. If I missed my deadline, something else would take its place.
The other problem I had was that it was not like anything I’ve ever written before. I had a lot of false starts, because it turns out I’ve never written a proper fight scene – my stories and articles are generally pretty light hearted. I had no idea how to make it convincing, so in the end I didn’t bother.
It turns out, therefore, that I don’t actually have any helpful advice to give on the subject of writing a fight scene. Sorry for the misleading title of the post. Still, if you want an example of how not to do it, you should probably check out the site. FYI, you may benefit from familiarity with Pride and Prejudice and a thick skin in terms of creative language, as my fight is between Mr Darcy and Malcolm Tucker.
If you want to write a fight, by the way, he is always looking for contributors – you’ll find contact information on the top right of the Fight! Fight! Fight! page. Hooray for the internet!
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About two years ago today, in the golden aftermath of NaNoWriMo, I decided to write a book every month for a year.
About one year ago today, I had completed NaNoWriMo – with a manuscript I have yet to re-visit – and was spending December writing and drawing a graphic novel.
Today, I can confirm that this year I did not complete NaNoWriMo. Continue reading “It’s OK To Not Win Sometimes”
12 Books in 12 Months 