Recent work on my third novel has been an interesting rollercoaster of emotions. As mentioned in my last couple of blog posts, I’ve been thinking a lot about my outlining process, and I’ve also been enjoying working on a comprehensive revision plan for this novel. And the result of both of those has been […]
Category: Blog
Weeknotes – S06E15 – Planning complete
Summary: I finished my revision plan for the third novel this week – which means I have to start the new draft next week! Eek! Monday: Cafe day today – settled at my usual table by 8:30am, as I had a lot to do. I started by going through my flash draft and refining/expanding […]
Weeknotes – S06E14 – Progress on All Fronts
Summary: Well, that was an unexpected seven-day writing week! I did a lot of very enjoyable paid editing, and made at least some progress on my own writing projects, so I’m declaring a victory! Monday: I decided it would be best to stay at home today, so I settled on the sofa (with Stanley […]
Weeknotes – S06E13 – Plans Interrupted
Summary: My writing week didn’t go entirely according to plan, but all progress is good progress! And sometimes things get in the way, and it’s okay. Monday: Today was the start of my ‘new routine’! I had decided that, on returning from the writing retreat, I would establish a new routine of paid work […]
Weeknotes – S06E12 – Back From Retreat
Summary: The second half of the retreat was just as good as the first half, though I was glad to get home and set all my plans for the coming week of combining paid editing with personal projects again. Monday: I woke up way too early, with the subconscious crew clamouring for me to […]
Back on Retreat
I first attended a residential retreat in Devon with Urban Writers’ Retreat in January 2017. Since then, up until January 2020, I went on retreat with Charlie two or three times a year. Then, of course, retreats weren’t possible for a couple of years – but now I’m back! This is day six of […]
Weeknotes – S06E11 – Off On Retreat!
Summary: Massive amounts achieved this week – hurrah for writing retreats! I made real progress on both novels, as well as working on a short story, and reading some useful books about outlining. Amazing what a country house in Devon can do for productivity! Monday: I put together an ambitious list of things to […]
Weeknotes – S06E10 – Progress But Not On All Fronts
Summary: My tentative plan of doing less paid work, so I had more time to spend on my own writing didn’t work at all! (I think all my extra time was actually spent playing Grow: Song of the Evertree…) But I did complete two big paid projects during the week. Monday: I didn’t go […]
Weeknotes – S06E09 – Building Enthusiasm
Summary: I started to build my enthusiasm back up for working on my novels, but didn’t do much in the way of actual work. Paid editing was good, though, with lots of progress on chunky projects. Monday: I went back and forth on the idea a bit, but eventually decided to spend the day […]
Attitude to Novels
I’ve had some interesting conversations with various people recently, about my attitude to my writing. I now have what one might call a ‘standard process’ for approaching my novels – and it’s still astounding to me that I’m in a position where there are enough of them for that to be the case. […]