Blog 3

Hello again! Hope you’re all well. I mentioned in my last blog about writing rhythm, and just wanted to go into a little more detail.

Sometimes, particularly when my dreams are involved in a plot line, I can be found at 3am writing in one of my notebooks. I’m not a night owl though, by any means. In fact, I struggle after work in the evenings to do anything. Cooking dinner, eating and washing up is already a stretch, let alone trying to apply myself to my own personal work! I’ve found that my brain works best in the mornings, so I’m usually up with the larks at 5am sipping that first delightful cup of tea and working on a writing project. I’ve learned over time that I can only write what’s in my head, even if I’m supposed to be writing another story. If it’s ready to come out, I go with it.

I finished the first draft of my first novel many years ago, in all its horrendous, unpolished, unedited glory! I’ve spent many years tweaking it, re-writing it, tweaking it some more, re-writing it again…. It became harder to find the time due to certain life events out of my control, so it was a work in progress for about ten years in total. 

While still writing the first draft, I started having thoughts of a second novel. The characters and plot were generating from churning cogs in the depths of my brain, beyond where the first novel was playing out. I made lots of notes on this second novel and over time had some crazy dreams that helped to give it more life as I included those dreams in the story. I couldn’t wait to be finished with the first one so I could write the second one. 

When the time came that I had finished that first draft of novel number one, my writing brain switched gear and surprised me once more as a third story popped into my head and I went with it and so it has become novel number two instead! 

I’ve since formed twelve more stories, all at various stages of character and plot development and I can’t wait to get them all on paper. Hopefully I’ll live long enough to write them all ha ha 

Every time I sit down to write, I’m not sure which one will come to the forefront, so it’s really difficult to plan or give myself targets. I’m just rolling with it, going with the flow, doing what I love without turning it into a chore of set timescales that take all the wonderful spontaneity and enjoyment out of it. I encourage you all to find your ‘time’ of the day where you feel the most creative, take the pressure off yourself and just relish in moments of doing something you love 😊