I'm going away for a bit...

Pained as it may be to say this I'm going to put the novel writing on hold for a bit. I feel as though I've lost my direction and creativity - and plus I'm doing a Post Grad in Magazine journalism in the summer which I know will be very hectic so I simply dont have time to write.

When I first started to write novels I thought that I really had to rush into and get it finished ASAP so I could get an agent and get it published. But now I just want to do it in good time, write it when I have the time and enjoy it. So I think I'll come back to it when I'm ready and I think I'll know when I'm ready again. I may start a completely different story altogether - who knows - but hopefully I'll be happier to write it when I have a job I'm happier in and I'm doing it becuase I want to - not to get a publishing deal and be rich. etc, etc...

Good luck with your journeys everyone - Its been cool getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll all bump into each other in the Literary world in the not to distant future......

Bye x

Kate Moss crazy....

I've done okay lately - not aswell as I would have liked, I always tell myself I will write about ten thousand words a week - which is quite unrealistic - when in all reality I manage about 1000 words. I'm trying to push myself though becuase I do have three days off a week and if and when I work full time I know I'm gonna look back at this time and kick myself for not working harder!However like always I've had lots to distract me lately!

- Kates Moss's new range at Topshop....I know, I know - they're ridicolusly over priced and I'll probably hate them in about a week but I was one of the many girls who queued outside Topshop in Oxford Street last night! I'm not as mad as some of them though - I got there at 7.30 and managed to get into the shop by 10pm - so it wasnt bad going. I did spend over £150 pounds though - but they were worth it - honestly!

- As I now class myself as a fully fledged journalist I attended a Journalists networking party on Friday night called Schmooze and Booze! It was great fun and I got to meet some nice people - we were all just moaning about being poverty stricken journalists - but at least we know that there are others out there!

- Lots of other peoples novels to read - when I finsihed my novel writing class back in March we all decieded to keep reading each others stuff - which is great but I've now got a few weeks to read a whole novel that one of the guys has finsihed and think about some constructive critisism!

- Trying to motivate myself to write journalism peices - it can be quite hard when you get rejection after rejection.....but I'll keep going!

- An Interview! Yes I have an interveiw for a Postagraduate Dipolma in Magazine Journalism next Thursday - nervous...me? Well yes actually...not only do I have an interview but also a general knowledge test and a grammar test.....ahhhhhh!! And I really really want to get it - its a 9 week course with PMA training and it starts in July - so if I do get it it means my whole life will be on hold and hopefully I will get a permanent job on a magazine yay!

Anyway on the novel front I'm getting into it - going to do some more today as I'm off work and then hopefully I have at least 5 chapters done!

On a compltely different note - does anybody know a weather presenter that I can interview? Or anyone who has anything remotely to do with weather? I'm writing a guide and I have come up against a blank wall with this one!

Okay off to write some more of my masterpeice in progress!

Two and a half days til Chocolate....

yay....I’m so proud of myself - I know its only a short week but I've been so motivated this week - and feel like I actually deserve a long weekend for once!

I've been busy doing restaurant reviews - which is really great - I get to eat for free at restaurants near me then write a review about them. So far I've been to a traditional pub and a v posh hotel - tonight I’m off to another restaurant and I’ve got another 2 to do next week! I’m gonna get fat - oh dear - the yummy food will be worth it!

I’ve also being doing lots of freelance writing work, applying to do a postgrad course in Magazine journalism and I've also edited my novel, and wrote 1,500 words for my 2nd chapter! I’m so pleased - I’ve been behind for so long now and I can’t wait to write more – I’m really enjoying it!

I also cant wait til Sunday - I have given up Chocolate and sweets for lent - something I’ve found quite hard – I’ve had a few slips up (the hot chocolate had my name on it!) but think I’ve done considerably well! So when Sunday comes I'll be busy scoffing my face!

Right off to do another restaurant review! Hope you all have a wonderful Easter - and a good break!

Sx

At last I'm blogging...

I’m not doing very well with my blogs – I always put it to the back of the pile as I have so much on at the moment – its crazy!

I have just finished one of my classes though – the novel writing class at City Lit – which will free up my Monday evenings – but I’m sad to have finished it as everyone in the group was so supportive and it’s nice to get feedback about your novel. I told my tutor about this blog community and she seemed very interested in it and thought it was a great idea. Anyway my novel writing pals from my course, and I have all decided to carry on our workshops and send writing to each other every work – its nice to have deadlines and were also going to meet up every month – in the pub – oh dear wonder how that will turn out!

Anyway I have made progress on my word count – another 2,000 words – not that I can remember my password for my word count meter – silly me – I can’t change it! Not anywhere near my target of 5,000 words but at least I feel as though I’m going somewhere. I have an excuse too – I have just been commissioned to write for an online women’s magazine – Nuts4chic.com and I’m also doing some restaurant reviews for a food and drink magazine so I’ve been pretty busy doing other things. Not that this will get my novel written though so I am going to get on with it next month and really make my character vivid to my readers and drive the plot on as much as possible.

How is everyone else doing? I going to make a big effort to get to know you all a bit better and find out how you’re all doing! Until then – happy writing….and blogging!

Lagging behind in the race...

Oh dear or dear I’m lagging behind, I never was too good at races!!

But I’m determined to carry on; there have just been a few things which have been distracting me lately:

- My other writing work, which pays the bills. I write career guides for How to Become. So far I’ve written four and I may also write some more in the future. But they’re really long (between 10,000 and 15,000 words – more than a dissertation!) so they’re quite time consuming.

- My part time job, I work for a corporate hospitality company and we do events like the Rugby and racing so we’ve been really busy (Which translates: no time to write while my boss isn’t looking)

- My hectic social life; I know this is a good thing but last week I was out almost every night, and I had so much writing to do; I should just disown my friends!!

- All my writing courses. I do a Novel writing class on Monday nights at the City University and a Freelance writing class on Wednesdays at the City Lit. They’re both brilliant but it means I running in and out of London like crazy all the time. Oh and I did a short story writing class, all day, last Sunday, which I’d recommended.

Another big annoyance which has been on my mind is a psychic reading I had last night. It’s something I’ve wanted to do in a while, and was really looking forward to what she would tell me. Big disappointment. I went with three friends who all had excellent readings by different psychics, but mine just blagged everything, I’m sure of it! Okay she told me a few things about how my writing career would improve but she could have said that to anyone. It was all such general stuff, and I can’t believe I paid her for it. A woman who went before me felt the same about her, so it wasn’t just me. It’s a shame as I feel as though I will be quite cynical about this type of stuff in the future, the only advice I can give to anyone who is thinking about having a reading is go to one which is recommended to you beforehand.

Anyway enough about that; I definitely needed to get it off my chest though!! I have lots to do novel wise, and really need to get on with it this month. I want to sort out my plot, characters and write at least 5,000 words, so I’ll keep you posted!!

Dentists and semi-colons

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.

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!