Panic… NOW!

So it’s October which means Nanowrimo is next month. O_o

I participated last year and won. Barely. This year I have more time off work but haven’t actually prepared much. I’m not even sure the novel I’ve listed on my profile today is going to be the one I write.

One of the things that helped me last time was my “cheerleaders” – my writing pals who would encourage or threaten me, depending on what was needed. Having someone cheer you on really helped me.

Would anyone like a cheerleader?

Tweet me @projectfraeya

Add me on Nanowrimo (please send me a message to go with it)

TBR – How the hell did that happen?

This morning I finished adding all the books from my little library to Goodreads*.
I knew my TBR pile was pretty high but I wasn’t expecting the final number to be 358.

358!

How the hell did that happen?

Like an overzealous squirrel I’ve been stocking up for the last couple of years and not realising the full extent of the damage. One part of the problem is that where I live there are discount bookshops, charity shops, a huge second-hand bookshop, not to mention an awesome children’s bookshop right there outside my door.

There is no point in me saying I won’t buy anymore until these are cleared because that would never happen. But I am making a rule, for every book I buy from now on – I have to read two. Let’s see if that helps.

Anyone else have a growing TBR mountain?
How do you plan to tackle it?

You can see how that works out here I’ve added a progress bar.

*not including the ones still boxed up in the loft.
There’s still 5 storage boxes, 4 banana crates and most of my Manga collection hiding up there.

Window in the Wall

My writer’s block is still there :( it seems to have moved in and build its own loft extension… I threw in the towel (as they say) about 3 weeks ago when, after 4 months, nothing had worked/changed.

At that point I needed to do something, so I came up with 2 solutions:

1) *drumroll*

Luna’s Little Library

CLICKCLICKCLICK HERE!!!

CLICKCLICKCLICK HERE!!!

I have started my own book blog. Reading other people’s work is learning and when reviewing them I am still doing some form of creative writing.

2) I kicked the new-improved-PLANNER-me out the door.

In the run-up to Nanowrimo last year I started PLANNING, it was new, it was different and it worked. Elated by this new concept I figured I’d finally found a way to make this writing business really work and yet, since the end of Nanowrimo it’s gone downhill.

Why? I have no idea. It might be me trying to be a PLANNER but it could anything. What did happen once I shoved PLANNERme out the door was two days of manic writing of a story that had no real beginning, middle or ending.  It was a brief recess with no idea of if I’ll ever continue with it but it was a start.

So for now PLANNERme is homeless and PANTSERme is growing roots. Out are all the goals, timetables, revision schedules and outlines. THERE IS NOTHING BUT CHAOS.

Hopefully at some point that writing-spirit will return until then I have this.

Hello brick wall, may I continue to bang my head against you?

writ·er’s block
n.
A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing.

I’m really hoping the “temporary” will be over soon :(

Writer’s Block is not new to me. I’ve had it before and I got over it by starting fresh or ignoring my manuscript for couple of months. But this time it’s different because…

I know what to write!

It’s right there – in front of me. I love my story. I know what’s happening. All my characters are alive. There is nothing to stop me but as soon as I sit down at my keyboard, fingers hovering, it’s … BLANK.

Over the last weeks I’ve tried all the things that normally work. Reading similar books, reading different books, trying a different story, starting in the middle, ignoring it, starring at it, making myself write*, watching movies, listening to music, reading what I have, revising, making notes, playing stuff out in my head and yet every time it’s… BLANK!

Have you been there?
How did you get past it?

*which I hate

Pinboards & Scene Cards

I haven’t done any of these in a while but I thought I’d share my 2 favourite new things when it comes to developing my manuscript. I used these tools in the run up to Nanowrimo and they are now part of my normal outlining process.

Pinboards

I’m a very visual person and pin-boards are ideal for this. You don’t actually need a real pin-board. It can be a folder on your computer or something like scrivener, place to store all the things that inspire you for your story.

Despite having three pin-boards on my wall I still have a big OneNote document for each of my story ideas. I collect photos, phrases and words that inspire me, scenery, scraps of paper with ideas and as the story progresses these get shuffled around, replaced or binned.

Nearly always there will be one thing that is the centre of your idea – if you have a visual representation of that it’s a great thing to stare at when you’re in a writing slump.

Scene Cards

Despite resisting the planner whenever possible I have accepted that actually it can be really helpful and have started doing prep work for my writing projects. One thing that I find is brilliant is writing the various moments that pop into my head on cards.

That way I don’t forget them and I can put them in different orders until it clicks.

Do you have any tips you’d care to share?