Influenced by the seasons...

 Yesterday I added a new chapter to my second draft of my WIP. It was a spur of the moment, last minute but needed addition. I felt that it added another layer to the world I am building and aided with the tension and suspense of the subsequent chapter. As I was writing it, however, I noticed that the atmosphere had suddenly changed to become really autumnal. Considering most of my story is set in summer, I had no idea where these Autumn vibes had come from, but then I realised- I think I write whatever season I am currently in. I wrote my first draft throughout the summer months and descriptions of honeysuckle scents, fluttering butterflies and the intense, unrelenting heat of the sun are inherent throughout the story, but as soon as I started writing yesterday, with the September sun shining upon me, the story began to take on tones of shining gold hues, hay and pumpkins. It’s funny, I have never noticed it before. Do you write with the seasons? Comment down below.

What I have been doing when I could be writing...

This week hasn’t been a particularly successful week with my writing and I can’t even use the excuse of having been too busy with work! I had time to write this week, but I didn’t. I just had a week where I felt massively distracted by everything that wasn’t writing.

So, what have I been doing when I could be writing?

Crafting

After getting a little more adventurous with my crafting skills over lockdown, I decided I would try and make some of my Christmas gifts this year- only for my parents, because they have got to love whatever I give them, no matter how disastrous it looks. I am currently making something that involves far too much paint, picture frames and polystyrene stars and it has all been quite messy. I have been trying to couple my messy painting with soaking up the last of the ‘summer’ sun and have been doing most of my painting outside, in the garden, with a cup of coffee. It has all been rather peaceful.

Walking

Just to add to trying to make the most of the September sun, I have been going on walks whenever I can. I am determined to continue walking this year. I love walking. It is one of my most favourite things to do. I love the British countryside and there is nothing better than going on a hiking adventure. However, I tend to only do this from March- August and never seem to really get my walking boots out over the Autumn and Winter months. I promised myself over lockdown this year that I will keep on walking and spend time appreciating some autumnal and wintry walks.

Seeing the family

With having a few vulnerable family members in my immediate family, I wasn’t able to see them so much over lockdown. I am really family orientated, usually spending multiple days throughout the week with my parents and my nan, so this has been really hard for me. Now that I am back at work, I feel that I need to be especially cautious as I am aware that I could easily catch things from the students, even with the measures in place, and perhaps not even realise it. So, when I am able to see my family nowadays it is particularly special. It is my birthday coming up soon and as the weather was nice on Sunday we had a socially distanced meal in my parents back garden and watched a Christmas 2019 video James and I had made. It was so strange watching us celebrate Christmas not knowing what was to come in just a few months’ time.

Watching Series

It is amazing how much time TV can just drain away. In just a week, I have watched:

-The second series of The OA: Bizarre and surreal. I like the acting, the characters and elements of the plot but sometimes it pushes it way too far. The octopus? What was that about?

-Strike- Lethal White: This was interesting because this was the first time I had watched a series so close to having finished the book (I read Lethal White over lockdown). I liked that I could remember so much more detail but disliked when characters didn’t quite match up to my expectations- definitely thought a certain character in particular would be more of a caricature of Boris Johnson, but maybe they wouldn’t quite be able to get away with that.

-Sharp Objects: I am about halfway through this series. I love all of Gillian Flynn’s writing. I absolutely love her imperfect and unreliable protagonists. I had forgotten, however, how dark her writing can be and can’t watch too many episodes of Sharp Objects in a row or end up feeling a tad depressed.

Anyway, my point is- far too many hours wasted on television!

Reading

Usually my reading accompanies my writing. When I am in a reading mood, I tend to write a lot too and vice versa. I haven’t read as much as I usually do this past week but I have read some of Jamaica Inn. I had been meaning to read it for a really long time and I am really enjoying the description of Cornwall and the atmospheric writing.

Now I have allowed myself to be torn away from my writing for a while, I guess I should get back to it. I only have about 10 more chapters of my current WIP to write, so hopefully, I can get my act together and dedicate some of my next weekend to writing.

Sequels!

 As I work through my second draft, I can’t help but think about potential ideas for a sequel of my current WIP. Is this something anyone else does? I am not sure if it is a wise thing to do as obviously I haven’t even finished book number one, I have no idea how it is going to be received by potential agents and it may never even be published. Therefore, should I even be wasting my time with daydreams of a sequel? It has got me wondering, should I tie everything up neatly in this draft or should I leave a few things loose with prospects of a second book. Could I leave enough mystery so that it holds possibility for a continuation but not too much mystery so that if there never is a follow-up, it doesn’t destroy the story too much, or leave too many things unanswered?

Let me know your thoughts. Do you ever find thoughts straying to potential sequels as you write? Do you already start writing with sequels in mind, potentially even already plotted and planned? Or do you just purposely write for a one-off and then consider any sequel ideas later?

Some thoughts on perspective...

 I am very aware that the majority of characters in my most recent WIP are female. I didn’t plan it that way- it just sort of happened. The fighter, the thinker, the puzzle solver, the helper, the decision maker, the caregiver, the villain- all female and all perceptive, thoughtful and clever. I suppose that is good in terms of developing strong female leads in YA fiction, but part of me is wondering if I am writing these characters because they are the characters I am comfortable with, the characters I understand, have experienced and seen in my everyday life and actually, the reason why  I haven’t created a male version of them is because I don’t actually know what a male version of them would actually be like.  I can’t create an honest portrayal of them because I don’t really, accurately know what men think and feel, I don’t know their shared experiences, so I am subconsciously avoiding it entirely. 

Then it got me wondering, can we ever truly and successfully write from the perspective of the opposite sex without having experienced what it is like?

I thought back to books where I remember feeling distinctly irritated by a male writer’s portrayal of a female character (I am sorry George R.R. Martin but I am not always hyper aware of my breasts- they are just kind of there and I don’t think about them most of the time!), and when I tried to think about female writer’s portrayals of male characters or stories written from their point of view, I couldn’t remember if I questioned how realistic and true their thoughts and feelings were because, ultimately, I haven’t really got a clue how a man thinks. I can guess. I can use models of the men in my life and try to fit their reactions to things into the portrayals I am being given, but I have no idea if it matches their inner thoughts and desires, the parts of us we keep hidden. Maybe men do think that way, maybe they don’t. Maybe that is a typical experience for a man, maybe it isn’t. I wouldn’t know.

I write female characters because I can relate to them, and I guess there is nothing wrong with that, but I would love to hear of any novels or books where writers have written from the perspective of a member of the opposite sex and have done it in a relatable, believable and realistic way. Let me know of any suggestions you might have in the comment box below.

Weekend Writing

After my last blog post on returning to work and my fear that I will be too tired/ won’t find the time to write, I was determined to spend some scheduled writing time this weekend.

I went on a couple of walks which I think helped a lot and enabled me to settle down to write, and I managed to reach over 20,000 words in my second draft. It felt good to make that progress and to have some solid writing time. I think even if it just ends up being a “weekend thing” from now on, at least I won’t be giving up on what I have started.

This time, as I am writing, I have been sharing my story with a few close family members and friends, which is something I haven’t tried before. With my previous collection of short stories, I waited until I was finished with my collection before sharing them. I have really enjoyed  ‘sharing as I write’ as it has been so helpful getting their feedback when the ideas are fresh in my mind and I can go back and change them much more quickly and easily. I am ever so grateful that they are so willing to read what I have written and to give up some of their time to do it. I really appreciate their encouragement. I have loved hearing their theories about what might happen next and differing opinions on characters. As a result, I feel like this feedback is also helping to fuel my determination to keep writing.

P.S Below is a picture of some sunflowers I found on one of my walks 😊

Back to work and finding time to write...

 All the way back in February, when I decided I finally wanted to get back into writing, I had some time off work and in those two weeks I was able to put pen to paper and start my writing journey. Then, the school closed and I found that (although I was still working from home and I eventually was in school part time teaching year 10), it was nowhere near as intense as a full time teaching timetable and meant that I had even more glorious time for writing. From February until the start of August, I wrote 13 short stories and the first draft of a YA novel but I knew that once I returned to work full time, I wasn’t going to be able to find quite so much time to write. However, I was determined to make time. I even planned a little schedule. Writing time in the evenings and weekends. It looked great on paper. But returning home each night this week, I didn’t take into account how absolutely exhausted I would feel. I am not used to walking around quite so much (especially in heels), being in constant ‘teacher/ performance mode’ and talking to so many people continuously throughout the day. It is both physically and mentally draining and all I want to do when I get in is eat, do something utterly mindless like watch TV, then sleep. I just couldn’t push myself to write. Even just turning my laptop on when I got home was off-putting as I had spent so much time on my laptop at work planning lessons and emailing and everything. I  couldn’t bring myself to type another word. It got me thinking- how do part time writers with full time careers that require so much of them find the time to write? And, even more impossible, how do writers with children manage? If you are either one of these, and you have some helpful tips, I would love to hear them! 😊

I got distracted by the sunshine...

 I started last week with good intentions. I organised my writing space, adorned it with flowers and a pretty new sign (see below), lit a candle and got to work. I managed to write over 10,000 words in one day, sent my chapters to a few friends who have kindly given me some feedback and even researched some literary magazines and short story competitions. I was feeling very productive.

Then the sunshine hit, we had a six day heatwave and I just could not bring myself to write anymore. To be fair, my lovely little writing space was far too hot to write in and all I felt like doing was reading instead. Although I would have much preferred to have kept motivated and written a lot more (as I felt that I was on a bit of a roll) and I am starting back at work soon so I will not be as fortunate to have so much writing time for much longer, I can’t begrudge the time reading. As I have probably said before, I always feel that reading helps me when I hit a writing wall and I immersed myself in the world of The Witcher, Nevermoor and The Time Traveller’s Wife across those six days and, truth be told, they were days well spent.

Now, let’s get back to writing…