Back again

Just popped in to say how much fun I'm having with the book. When you write a loooonnngggg book, sometimes you forget what you wrote and I forgot a character's name so I had to go back to the beginning and read through it to catch the boy and I've had so much fun.

Also, still I saw places to edit and am changing things and I've inserted [why] a number of times and I read a couple of sentences out to my 15 year old who couldn't believe I'd written them because they were so damn good. Oh yeah.

Have spent the weekend: watching DVDs - Monsters, Tangled, Burlequesk; catching up on Shortland Street, having nana naps and sleeping in; cleaning the kitchen and cooking fantastic meals times six. Helping to find lost cat; feeding pets; surfing the net and reading wayyyy too many blogs.

And, writing.
Good stuff.
Can I just say now for the record: I really like Flea. He's a nice guy. Oh, and hot!
And, i can't wait for you to meet some of these people - they are SO interesting!
Okay. I will put my energies into the story and not this blog but I'm just saying....

sorry, can't resist

Hi there.
Hope you are having an okay time. If not, then hugs.

Just finished watching the latest Dr Who and it was all about 'The Silence'.

Fantastic television. Had the 15 year old sweating with fear and others in the family holding up pillows!

I have three people who I interact with on almost a daily basis who want to know what happens next for Fleance therefore I am not free to ignore the jabs of scenarios which I tutu with.

I have no excuse now. My paid employment obligations are fulfilled; my children are safe and content; my family is well; the house is clean (dammit - I always try that as reason not to write)....

So, this weekend I expect to forge through a particularly exciting section of the final instalment of the trilogy.

I may be some time.

I have to hide myself away

I've got to finish this book. I've put my characters into some pretty hard places and that means they need my full attention. I have a family to be part of which means I should give them my full attention. And I have students who need me and that means.... yaddi yaddi yaddi.

This blog has to drop down the list. It's now going to mingle with the 'must sort out the linen cupboard' and 'put back all the books I've pulled out'.

If anything exciting happens I promise I will post but, for now, I have to hide myself away.

The tyranny of the word count

You have a contract to write a book. Some writers would argue that is a good thing. And, it is good to have a contract but NOT having a contract means a lot of other things like: finish the novel when it's finished; write it as long as it needs to be written; no one is depending on you - hell, no one even knows you're writing something. There's freedom in that.

You have a contract to write a book and with that will be a deadline. Deadlines are good - don't get me wrong. I do deadlines: your essays are due Monday; reports are to be written by Friday. Kind of thing.

How it affects me is in the rewriting stage. The word count sits in judgment on the lower left side of my screen. Whenever I go 'what the.... This is rubbish' and DELETE the word counts goes down and my anxiety goes up. Sure, it's better writing but now I'm going to have to make it up at the other end. Dammit.

How it affects me in the day to day: well - day and night is currently merging into grab sleep when I can, nod to understanding family and students and hope that no one notices I didn't check I had lipstick on my teeth before I started teaching period one.

Finally, it affects me, this contract thingy because it affects others: my publisher, my agent, my editor, my readers.

Writing isn't fun. Ohh, no way. Don't even go there. Or perhaps go here to read Libba Bray's account of writing a novel. It's so true.

So why on earth do we do it? I won't speak for other writers but for me it's to get the story out of my head: the conversations, arguments, graphic and wonderful scenes. All gone.

Oh and because I hope to one day become stinking rich.

How am I tackling this particular stage of my writing career? I am Making! MAKING! myself write every single day. Day or night - don't care. I am putting words down because, in the end, that's the only way the story is going to be told - with all its dramas and heartaches (and there are plenty) we will, by the end, find out what happens to Fleance, Rosie and Rachel.

Inspiration

I think Fleur Beale once told me she considered them 'shower moments' or 'a HA! moments'. Whatever they are, they are the 'slaps forhead and exclaims OF COURSE' moments.

I had one of them on Friday morning as I drove to school and another, after dinner, as I jogged down to the supermarket to get dessert.

It is clear to me that these 'inspiration' times come when I am detached from the noise and busyness of daily life.

I like like like such moments. Has given me much needed mojo. (Maybe Vanda's slapping helped!)

Procrastination blues.

I'm thinking of getting my daughter to write me a song. And sing it. Isn't that what procrastination is all about - not doing the doing?

My evenings are free, currently. Television is not that enticing. I do have a stack of unread review copies to read but don't want to dive into them because I know that will make my writer-guilt even worse.

I wish I could pay someone to write the last 60,000 words. I've got it all mapped out. I've even written some compelling bits to be scattered throughout. But, dammit. I have to do the leg work myself and I am currently a lazy author.

What is a lazy author?

Oh, so easy to identify. The one who watches more than the average amount of DVDs; who goes more frequently to the theatre (movie or playhouse); who has books beside the bed, toilet, in the car, in the handbag...

The lazy author is not lazy. She (or he) is in avoidance mode and justifies her behavious as RESEARCH.

A message to the friends and relatives of an author going through the procrastination blues: do not be kind. Slap them (metaphorically of course) and remind them that they have a duty to fulfill their obligation to the reading world.