Oh dear!
I've just
re-read my previous post...I was supposed to have completed a manuscript by the
end of June...it's now the start of October and I could probably fit everything
I've written in the last 3 1/2 months on the back of my hand...the same hand I
am now slapping for being such a naughty naughty girl. *big sad face smiley*
A massive
part of my problem at the moment is lack of drive...somewhat caused by a huge
lack of confidence in my skill as a fiction writer. The other thing I've always
had the problem with is that when I'm writing I'll jump from one part to
another when the going gets tough (my dissertation at Uni was a mess of the
highest order!), and I always think -Oh, I'll come back to that...I don't have
the patience to sort that out right now...it'll be easier when I've had some
distance/when I haven't got something more exciting to write/I'll have to do
some research-. The problem is that I never actually come back to it to iron
out those creases...the issue doesn't diminish with time...in fact it probably
gets worse as I can't even remember what my intention for that particular
passage was.
Jeeze...think
I need to pull my socks up and start knuckling down...or I'll be back at work
with nothing to show for the last two years!!!
Onwards and Upwards
Leading
up to NaNo this year I have a few things to tick off my list...
- Sort out which software to use to organise my notes (why oh why doesn't Thoughtograph work with Windows 7?) Just googled for alternatives...investigation to begin shortly :0)
- Find a better solution for dealing with those niggly sticky patches in the story...and no I will NEVER use 'Track Changes'...I hate 'Track Changes' it was the bane of my work life when an idiot would put 'Track Changes' into a document...I don't want to see a document that has your every typing error and stupid sentence changes highlighted for me in multiple colours...there used to be a simpler time when you could turn it off once and it was gone until you wanted it back...not now though...things have progressed far too much to enable you to do such a simple thing now! And...breath...rant over, I promise...unless I hear those words 'Track Changes' anytime soon!
- I need to find a better way to edit once something is written...I have a hard time with getting distracted re-writing portions of narrative and dialogue that don't really need to be re-written...I should really leave those sorts of tightening up for a second edit...perhaps...or maybe not. Either way, I need to make my mind up on how I show approach my editing process.
- Stop getting distracted...even as I wrote that I started thinking about all the other things I have to do!!! I wish I could have that stereotypical male trait where I can only do or think about one thing at a time...
- Celebrate my birthday in style (20th November...with many things happening around it) and still make time for NaNo...unlike last year when I was writing 8,000+ words per day towards the end just so that I would get my certificate and a look at that video...which was definitely worth it!!!
- And probably about a million more things that will come to me to distract me from doing other things.
I DO know
that writing is as simple as sitting down and doing it...but sometimes it's the
simplest things that present the biggest problems.
Back in another 3 1/2 months...or sooner...I hope!!
TTFN
x
