Tag: writing

writing

Week 41: Happy dance….for others

Elodie

While looking for ways of writing query letters and landing agents (I am still far from that stage but curiosity won over), I stumbled upon success stories in different blogs and forums.

Why did a smile appear on my face when I read what others achieved?

It gave me hope. It is those stories of people who landed an agent, who published their first novels which make me believe that I can do the same.

As my story continues to unravel at my fingertips, there are moments where I doubt that anybody except my unwilling husband, one my best friends and maybe my mom will actually read my work.  Not a lot of people actually know that I write so it limits the possible immediate audience. I am not ashamed of it, I am a bit shy and it is a tad difficult to discuss my YA paranormal novel in a meeting…

Sometimes, it reassures me. After all, who is not afraid of failures? But at other times, I wish that others could learn to know Laura and her story as much as I, that some may enjoy travelling back in time to witch hunts in France and in New England and feel her uncertainties, her desires…

I do not know the people I came across, I do not know their work but I still did the happy dance for them.

http://www.meganshepherd.com/news/?currentPage=3

http://lisachickos.blogspot.com/2011/10/movable-type-management-my-other-new.html

http://peggyeddleman.blogspot.com/2011/10/quotes-and-cookies-agent-announcement.html

http://christinenorris.livejournal.com/284455.html

There are more out there…Not all will become the next JK Rowling but they have made it, they finished their novel, they landed an agent…

I know it is not the end of the work, not for them and not for me. However, it is a step towards the realization of a dream and this makes me happy.

So if some of my readers also have happy news, don´t hesitate to share 🙂

Photography, writing

Because a picture can be worth a thousand words…

Elodie

By what do you get inspired? It is almost like asking: why are you writing?

Sometimes, it is difficult to grasp where the writing scenes come from…

Sometimes one can recognize in the MC´s habits, way of talking some small characters of a loved one, an acquaintance, of somebody from the past or even of oneself.

Tonight, as I was outside looking at the moon reflecting on the water, I wondered what my main character would feel on an evening like this with everything she has been going through…

Is she thinking of Aleksi, the one who not only gives her butterflies but is no longer as mysterious as she first thought?

Is she pondering the words of Ben? Is she wondering what he meant when he said Aleksi was dangerous? How does he even know him? The guy just arrived…

Or maybe she is actually tired of the stupid drama and just wants to figure out why this entity is coming after her and her loved ones, why she has flashbacks from another time and what the heck happened to Marie and Elijah, those girls who are linked to her over the centuries?

As I type this and look at the moon, I know a scene is unfolding, I feel the pain of my character and I just want to tell her “Sorry you have to go through all of this but remember, you have it in your power to make the right decision…this time around”

And if she did hear me, her reply would be “Can´t you be a tad more specific? I mean come on people…I just cannot guess what you think, you need to spell it out for me. I am tired of this!” and she would storm out.

She does have a little temper of her own…(my husband would say I am projecting :-))

writing

Week 40: Finding the time to write….

Elodie

This is not a new topic. After using my friend “Google”, I found several websites/blogs talking about the topic, here are a few below:

http://absolutewrite.com/novels/finding_time_to_write.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Time-to-Write-when-You’re-a-Busy-Mom

http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2010/10/how-to-find-time-to-write-.html

http://self-publishingresources.com/2011/01/28/time-management-how-to-find-time-to-write-your-book/

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/startingtowrite/tp/TimetoWrite.htm

Commuting does not necessarily making it easier to write…sometimes I am not seating, sometimes I am self-conscious about the person sitting next to me and sometimes I am too squeezed between people to actually write.

I agree that it is not always easy to find time for oneself even for something one loves to do and I would dare to say that all writers love to write. They get the urge in their fingers to tell a story.

Yes writing can be difficult, yes sometimes we want to throw our computers across the rooms and sometimes we want to ask our main characters “why are you doing this to me?” but we still love it.

For me (the commuting girl without any children but a long day at work and a long commute and a dear husband I want to spend more time with…and the family/friends I want to keep in touch
with…and….and….and….) the best advices I should pay attention to are the following:

  1. Always carry a notebook with you, you never know when you may  have the time to just put down some ideas (waiting at the doctor’s office, having coffee, having lunch…)
  2. Schedule time to write (but make it realistic). If you need a least a few hours of sleep every night do not schedule it so early in the  morning that you cannot do it. Why not use your lunch break twice a week to actually go out and eat a sandwich while typing or stay at your desk  with a notepad?
  3. Set yourself a realistic goal on how many pages you want to write per week
  4. Take a look at what you can cut: do you spend some time watching a show when you could be writing?
  5. Important: keep writing fun even with when it becomes cumbersome; do not beat yourself up if you do not reach your goal (see 3).
  6. Turn to writing communities: you are not alone with this! I joined Absolutewrite not too long ago and just reading that others are going through the same thing as I am is helpful.
  7. Be thankful for what you achieve and for the small things

I know I am very lucky because of the support I receive at home:

A dear, wonderful husband who understands my passion for writing, who lets me write while he sometimes cooks on week-ends and who pushes me a bit (sometimes I think he pushes me too much but I recognize it is because he wants the best for me….pshhhh don’t tell him otherwise he will think he is perfect)…