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It's the half-term break for my kids here, so it's been a busy week. I did manage to do a little bit of fiction writing last night (playing around with a potential new thing) ... it felt a bit self-indulgent, when I've got loads of things to catch up with around the house, but it was great to have
some time just for me and my writing.
If you're in a writing rut, or if you haven't written for a while, could you set aside an hour just to write with no expectations? Maybe you'll jot some ideas in your journal or write a letter to your past / future self, or start on a story that's been in your head for ages ...
whatever works for you.
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Your Writing is Important |
How many times have you set your writing aside because you felt that it wasn’t important enough?
Some things have to take priority. You need to go to your day job to pay the bills. You need to
feed your baby. You need to play with your kids. You need to take care of your elderly dad. You need to get enough sleep.
But writing shouldn’t come last on your list.
If you want a reminder of why it’s so important: - Writing is deeply
fulfilling, in a way that perhaps nothing else is for you. (Of course, it has its frustrating moments too.)
- Every word you write is getting you closer to your goals. Nothing is wasted: even if you shelve a project, you’ve learned a lot in the process of working on it.
- Your writing – whether it’s fiction, memoir, or non-fiction – could be your legacy. It might survive long beyond your own
lifetime.
- And ... if you’re anything like me, you’re probably a much nicer person to be around when you have time to write. ;-)
Don’t tell yourself that writing is unimportant or insignificant. It’s not. And if you treat your writing as something worthwhile, the people around you – friends, family, colleagues – are more likely to respect your writing time too.
Try this: Write down at least three reasons why writing is important to you. Put these somewhere prominent (your desk, the front of your writing notebook, on your computer desktop). |
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What I'm Reading This Week |
I finished Sean Cunningham's Ghost Electricity this week ... and really enjoyed it!
It's an excellent contemporary fantasy novel,
with plenty of the usual suspects – warlocks (wizards), vampires and werewolves – but also with some really innovative ideas blended into the mix too. It's intricately plotted and extremely well crafted; well worth a read.
Like all fantasy, it
took me a couple of chapters to get really "into" the story, but once I was underway, I loved it. From a writerly perspective, I felt that the characters are particularly well-drawn: they're mostly young (late teens / early 20s), but they're all distinct and – most pleasingly of all – have well-developed backstories that are gradually
revealed.
Even if you're not normally a fantasy fan, give this one a try!
It's $2.99 / £1.99 on Kindle, or free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. You can get it here:
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