What an awful day yesterday, well up to a point! Leaving work in the pouring room didn’t help, and then having to pay for pain at the dentists made it even worse. I was tired anyway so of course I was a little emotional, and getting drenched and pulled about in the dentists chair probably didn’t help things out!
So as you can imagine I didn’t want to attend my novel writing class yesterday. This was especially because I had sent the first chapter of my novel to the rest of the class last Friday, for them to have a good read of, and dissect it into tiny little pieces. But thankfully my boyfriend saved me; took me home, dried me off and sent me off to my class.
And it didn’t all end in tears because my class went better than I’d predicted. After a not very inspirational start, I couldn’t write or think straight, one because my mouth felt like someone had hit it and two because I was scared they were going to tell me to scrap my first chapter, when I’d worked so hard on it!!
….But phew they didn’t, they did pick holes in it; my overuse of semi-colons (oops done it again!) and my changing bed spread, from floral patterned to crisp white in a matter of minutes; but they’re all very changeable. On a good note they told me that my main character, which I tell from her point of view, has a very good and believable voice, I describe her emotions well, describe the setting and also the environment around her (a big socialite party in this case) very well!! So all is good –la de la de da – I can sleep at night now knowing that I’m actually getting somewhere and going in the right direction. Just have to work on the word count now. I’m aiming at about 2,000 words this week – which I know doesn’t sound like a great deal, but I’m very busy with my non fiction writing, oh and there’s valentines day. My man is making me a meal tomorrow night, then I’m taking him on the London eye on Saturday, with Champagne and chocolates, cant wait! Hope you all have a great one too.
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
My point of view...
I attend a novel writing class every Monday at the City Lit which is really good - I would recommend it to anyone who wants or needs a bit of guidance and direction with their novel. My tutor Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone is a Cambridge and Birbeck graduate and really knows what she's talking about.
Yesterday we were discussing point of view and me and another woman decided that we wrote in first person because we felt more comfortable with this. We wondered, perhaps, as our writing developed, would we be more confident to experiment with point of view, and write in the second or third person? Personally I'm not sure, I feel more in tune with a character when I’m inside their heads. But it does limit you somewhat when you’re in the first person, as you can only assume what other characters are thinking and their actions are told from only one person’s perspective. How does everybody else feel about point of view?
I have a deadline for Friday!! I have to send a chapter of my novel to everyone in my class, so that they can read it and give me some feedback next Monday. I’m nearly there – I wrote my first chapter ages ago, but now I know that writer’s eyes are going to be constructively criticising it I feel the need to edit it; make my characters more exciting, improve on the dialogue, make it flow better or just change the chapter completely. I’m looking forward to hearing the criticism; as I know it will only make my writing stronger. But in a way it’s always scary to let people read your writing! Suppose I’ll have to get used it though if I ever want to get published!
Yesterday we were discussing point of view and me and another woman decided that we wrote in first person because we felt more comfortable with this. We wondered, perhaps, as our writing developed, would we be more confident to experiment with point of view, and write in the second or third person? Personally I'm not sure, I feel more in tune with a character when I’m inside their heads. But it does limit you somewhat when you’re in the first person, as you can only assume what other characters are thinking and their actions are told from only one person’s perspective. How does everybody else feel about point of view?
I have a deadline for Friday!! I have to send a chapter of my novel to everyone in my class, so that they can read it and give me some feedback next Monday. I’m nearly there – I wrote my first chapter ages ago, but now I know that writer’s eyes are going to be constructively criticising it I feel the need to edit it; make my characters more exciting, improve on the dialogue, make it flow better or just change the chapter completely. I’m looking forward to hearing the criticism; as I know it will only make my writing stronger. But in a way it’s always scary to let people read your writing! Suppose I’ll have to get used it though if I ever want to get published!
Friday, 2 February 2007
My Novel Race
Hi Guys
This is my first post...and hopefully it will inspire me to keep writing...especially when you're all doing so well!
I've been working on a novel idea probably for the last year and so far come up with about 10,000 words, which isn’t brilliant but it's a start I suppose. I've worked on other novel ideas before but quickly got bored, so I'm hoping this idea will stick. I really want to finish it before the end of the year, which I know sounds ages away but it always goes so quickly.
Anyway good luck to you all and I hope we all get to our targets. I'll keep you regularly updated with how I'm going and I look forward to hearing from all of you.
This is my first post...and hopefully it will inspire me to keep writing...especially when you're all doing so well!
I've been working on a novel idea probably for the last year and so far come up with about 10,000 words, which isn’t brilliant but it's a start I suppose. I've worked on other novel ideas before but quickly got bored, so I'm hoping this idea will stick. I really want to finish it before the end of the year, which I know sounds ages away but it always goes so quickly.
Anyway good luck to you all and I hope we all get to our targets. I'll keep you regularly updated with how I'm going and I look forward to hearing from all of you.
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