As a writer, I often beat myself up. I’m never writing enough, and what I write is never good enough. The intention is always to forget about that feeling and do it anyway, but every now and then it creeps back in there. I imagine you do that too. But perhaps we’re being too hard on ourselves. After all, writing is difficult. Read more…
We seem to moan a lot as writers. We bemoan the lack of time, writer’s block, the seeming enormity of the tasks we set ourselves (that epic trilogy felt like such a great idea a week ago). How often are we given the advice to “just do it”? And yet we still resist! So next time you’re staring at the blank page, a pained expression on your face and sweat on your brow, remember, writing is easy! Read more…
Well, it’s the end of another year. Goodbye 2009. And hello 2010! I hope you all had great new year celebrations, and are looking forward to a whole new year of writing improvement! Of course, a new year is traditionally a time of reflection, and of goal setting. Today, I have been looking over the stats I gathered last year to see how I’ve been doing and what I need to improve on. Read more…
I’m coming to the end of a story. This is normally motivation in itself, but I think thus time I need a little push. Read more…
I have recently been reading Contact, by Carl Sagan. So far it is an excellent science fiction story (that leans heavily on the science end of the spectrum), and I am enjoying it immensely. Plus, the “voice” of the author has given me some confidence in my own style of writing. Read more…
I was recently given encouragement regarding a certain aspect of my writing style. This is nothing major, but of course every bit of confidence counts in this game. It was whilst reading Stephen King’s “On Writing” that I discovered I was right all along. Read more…
Well, let’s be honest – if you’re asking that question, then chances are that the answer is yes. There you go. But you’re procrastinating aren’t you, so you probably want a longer answer than that. Read more…
It’s hard for me to see whether I am improving in my writing. I don’t mean ability. That can wait for a bit. At the moment it’s about volume. Honestly, I’m so poor with the amount of time I spend writing, that any time doing it is considered good at the moment. But then, without regularly churning out work, how can I judge that I’m getting better? When does a little bit become a little bit more? Read more…
Writing is difficult. For those of us new to this, or returning to it, just getting into a routine is difficult enough. There will be times when you waver; times when you take two steps backwards rather than one forward, and there will be times when you punish yourself because things aren’t coming easily or you feel things should be moving quicker than they are. Read more…
This is probably a little overdue. After all, if I’m going to make the decision to get into writing and make a go of it, I should at least know why I’m doing it! And if I’m going to blog my experiences, I guess I should share my reasons too. In any case, it is worth thinking about for any aspiring writer. Read more…