I Got a New Toy!!!

This my friends is a digital pen...it means that i can write on paper and it will automatically transfer it to my laptop and convert it straight to text!!!

I have been looking for something like this for a while now and with my block starting to lift it looks like it has come about at the right time.

Happy New Years everyone, next year is already looking up for me :D

Lock it in??

So I got an email today from Fanstory.com asking where I went and they even offered me a 70% discount on two full years of membership to rejoin.

I really liked Fanstory when I was on it. It didn't help get my novels written but I honed writing skills. With all the contests on there I was writing short stories, poems and my own stuff was getting edited and critiqued for me.

So it had me writing, but then I fell away. Tech, work and life in general took me away from writing...again.

So my question is this...is this a sign? Why has this come now? I have finished tech, starting to go to the gym which should help reduce stress and help me think again. So should I pay for a two year membership and try to stick to it?

Update 11/08/10

Sooo things are looking good!

For the last couple of days I have been working on Practically Dead. Thursday Friday Saturday and Monday! Thats awesome for me and the ideas are just flowing so well.

I am going to start on the first draft soon and after that I will be taking a page out of J.Kayes book and doing weekly word count updates.

I think I am unconciously putting off starting the first draft again. Once I get past those first few painful chapters...hopefully it will start flowing of it's own accord.

Something I was thinking about last night.

Last night I had an urge to write, there has been something that I've needed to write for a year but have been putting off. Last night I was finally ready to write it.

A short story detailing 1 day of my life.

I had the words in my head, the scenes ready and the emotions waiting to pour out of me. I was going to wait until the morning (even though technically it was the morning at 1AM) but wanted to write it then.

I started at my desk then when nothing happened moved to my bed. I got out half a page and packed it in because nothing sounded right.

I am not a night writer. Even though that's the kind of write I always wanted to be.

I alway thought it sounded cool, someone who was up at 3AM in the morning with words begging to be put onto paper. Well I have story ideas and scene ideas at 3AM, but I can never ever put them onto paper.

If I start early, like after dinner...it flows...but starting late is a no-no.

I suppose I have an okay image in my head of what kind of writer I am. Sitting up the back of my college classes writing chapters of my book instead of a business plan...

Will make for a good story some day I hope.

Have you ever been forced to write a book?

I feel like I am...in a way.

Last year something horrible happened to me. In which trust was betrayed, relationships were severed, many lies came to light and the cops got involved.

I am writing about it, to get it off my chest...but it's not an accurate retelling. It is sensationalised in some areas, down played in others and focuses a lot on me and how I dealt with the year after it happened.

Considering that twelve months still haven't passed since this event happened, well...I'm not rushing to write it. It's extremely painful and I'm not even sure how I am going to write it yet.

Someone I know, who knows in detail what happened seems to think I am going to "sell my story" because I am writing about it. I know they think that I am going to write about how hard it was and the details of the court case that ensued (within legal limits of course).

I don't want to "sell my story" though...I want to move on. I have never wanted to write for money...but they see this as an opportunity.

They saw that I was working on Practically Dead yesterday...which was kind of awkward because although people know I write, they never see me write or ever read my work...

They asked me if I was still going to write the other story...I told them I was but that I wanted to work on this first....

"Why on earth would you want to write about something like that? You should be writting the other one...you could be one of those people that sells their story you know..."

Even after telling this person repeatedly that I didn't even know if I wanted that story ever to see the light of day...they still won't listen.

Have you ever felt this way? What did you do about it?

It's this kind of crap that makes me shy away from the things I like doing...

I am back on track!

Well, almost...

I chopped off the Lizards tail today so hopefully he will leave me alone for a little while.

I am currently working on Practically Dead which is my vampire story. Although I didn't add to the word count today I did a nice brainstorming session whilst I was minding my Pop.

Being able to spread out on a floor with paper in front of me for some reason gurantees results if I am trying to work out a problem or think through a situation.

So I have fleshed out the bad guy and the love interest! The setting which I was having a bit of trouble with and the types of myths I'm using.

The setting is Australia and I am kind of worried if anyone outside of Australia were to read it...because no one seems to know anything about the country.

It's not like oh...my book is set in new york right near Central Park.....everyone knows where that is...no one really knows where Perth is....

but I am going to take that as a good thing because that means I have a little more breathing space. hopefully i can make it work.

Now to start working on the first draft again...

The Lizard ate my Tortoise!

Well, at least...he chewed off a leg.

I read a very interesting post today about how the lizard stops us from writing.

WAIT! - Please don't leave, hear me out.

The lizard loves fear, writers block and excuses. Of which I have an abundance...

I am terrified of rejection.
Can't write a single word when I pick up my pen.
And should really wait until I finish work or go on holidays before I sit down to do this again.

This year so far has been a write off...completely and utterly. So, I have a new plan.

BABY STEPS.

It seems stupid and completely unproductive but my new goal is 500 words a week.

Starting right now!

I am NOT going to think about the fact that on that method it will take 2 years to write one draft, I am hoping for rhythm.

Rhythm is what I want right now and if that rhythm comes in the form of 500 words a week, so be it.

I am partially throwing the "structure" of my stories out the window and reverting back to my old ways of flying by the seat of my pants, because ever since I started thinking that I needed to plan everything down to the last detail, I stopped writing.

I am NOT and organised person, I am a chaotic and creative WRITER.

And tonight I will be playing Sims 3 <<< Damn you, stupid lizard

When Inspiration strikes

For some reason inspiration always strikes me at work.

New story ideas, detailing current ideas, a fix in a plot flaw that I wasn't expecting.

Work does that to me, so I wonder where inspiration will strike after next week? See I resigned on Monday, next Friday is my last day.

No more work = no more inspiration???

We shall see.