Write Here, Write Now

Hmm, I honestly didn't think I'd post again before New Year, but I sat down to update my Facebook status like millions of others - to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I realised I might actually have a lot to say! So, I'm going to start with a gigantic thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past year. I know I said this at Christmas, but it sort of needs repeating. No words can possibly convey how much it means to have so many people backing me, and to have made so many amazing friends. This is supposed to be a blog about writing, but when I think about all that's happened this year, there are many other things that stand out which made 2012 great. Moments with family, moments with friends, moments when I've been on my own and had sudden flashes of inspiration that hit me out of nowhere and made me view things differently. But far and away the biggest change in my life happened when I was with Annalisa Crawford. Just after it happened, I wrote...

Here's a brief rundown of my thoughts when I started reading my proof copy of Game On. YAY! This first chapter rocks! Haha, I love it when I make myself laugh! Oh ... there's an extra space between those two words, but nobody will notice, it's not worth editing the whole file just for that. Hmm, I think there could be more in this part, it's a bit lacking in feeling. CRAP THERE IS A GIGANTIC ERROR!  This book sucks, and I've already sent it out to a bunch of people - I am so screwed. Trust me, I have proofread this book until my eyes bled, and it's still not right. I know, I know, striving for absolute perfection is probably a waste of time because you can't please everyone. I just thought that I would be pleased by now. *sigh* It's really not a disaster. It's just ... if I can fix those little things now, before the book goes on sale, I will be much happier. To the fab people who have advanced copies, I hope you can see past the errors, ...

I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself today. I planned to have edited my WIP ready for my CPs by the end of the month. I know it's not over yet, but I am less than halfway through, and unless I give up sleeping, it's not going to happen! In order to make this post less depressing, I am going to focus on what I HAVE achieved. 1. I have four chapters ready for critiquing that I am pretty happy with. 2. I have managed to get my overall word count down from 155,000 to a little over 116,000. I still have more to cut, but I am thrilled that I have been able to get rid of huge chunks of useless words. (Does that sound like I was a bit too brutal? LOL! I also had to resist the urge to go back and edit point 2 ...) 3. The pressure on myself has eased since my WIP is moving forwards. I don't deal well with stress, so this is a huge plus for me. 4. I have spent a lot of time engaging in conversation with other writers, and I think I have managed to soak up some useful thin...

Thanks to everyone who commented on my IWSG post yesterday. You all had great points, and got me thinking about different ways to tackle the issue of what might be missing from my writing. I was so inspired, I decided to get some more editing done this morning - with huge motivation from Clare - thanks chick! <3 My WIP now has two full chapters that don't make me gag when reading them, so I'm gonna call that progress! While I was working, something new occurred to me. Once I am done editing, I am one step closer to my goal of publishing. The thought stopped me in my tracks. Me? Published? Really?? And just who do I think I am?! I believe that evil thought process is probably what has been slowing me down. So I shouted at it. (Not literally, my mother is in the house, and I didn't want to scare her!) As a direct result of me telling the evil voice to go away, I got a lot of work done. I should be freelancing this afternoon, but as I have nothing urgent due, I am go...

If you have been following my blog in the short time I have been writing it, you may be familiar with me struggling over the opening of my WIP. I have stared at it, re-written it, stared at it some more, put it back how it was, changed it again, moved on, been satisfied, then hated it again. I don't know if I am alone in this struggle, or if every writer fights with their opening chapter this way, but it has been a nightmare! But then something, well someone, wonderful happened. Angela Cothran , to be precise. Angela uttered some magic words, and after a moment of tearing my hair out in panic that maybe my WIP was going nowhere, I really thought about what she'd said. And the solution became clear. The downside of this revelation is that there are 5000 useless words at the start of the story. That's a hell of a number of wasted words. On the other hand, they probably aren't all a waste. Some can even be moved around to fit in a better, and less boring place. What ...

When I'm reading a book, one of the things I hate the most is having to read four pages which explain the shape and colour of a tree in exquisite detail. I hate it. It makes me skip ahead to get to the good stuff. As a direct result of me skipping detailed descriptions for as long as I have been reading, I am completely crap at writing them. For the most part, I avoid describing anything too much because I find it tedious to write, and that will become painfully obvious to anyone who attempts to read it. The problem is, if these descriptions are missing, there is a gigantic gap in what people know about my characters. Items and furnishings in a character's home give an insight into who they are, as do the places they go to, and the people they know. Sure, sometimes imagination is good, but if too much is left unsaid, it makes the story hollow. I know I am stating the obvious here, but it feels like one of those times when I need to write it down as another lesson I've...

....and say that this writing journey is going to be tough. I recently read a blog post (forgive me for not remembering where, if you see this and it was you, please let me know so I can credit you!) in which the writer of the blog was asked to talk to someone about writing a book. Basically, the person who called didn't really want help exactly, what she wanted was a free pass to agents, publishers etc. I have never been the type to want a free pass - I like to work my ass off to achieve.  However, I did understand the feelings of the person seeking advice, only to completely dismiss it because, obviously, she knew better. In the past, I have felt like I didn't need advice from others. Mistakes were passed off as being "my style," but really, they were just mistakes. Granted, most of these dismissals happened in my youth, and I am only just now getting back to fiction writing. But I was definitely guilty of biting (off!) the hand that was trying to feed me. I rea...

The first post on a new blog is always the most awkward, so I have decided to get it out of the way so I can get on with blogging properly! My name is Kyra, and my aim for this blog is to write about my journey through fiction writing. From the moment I learned how to write, I walked around with a pen and paper in my hand, but this is my first serious attempt at finishing a book, and trying to get published. With every post, I hope you'll get to know a little bit more about me and what I do. I am looking forward to engaging with other writers and readers, and learning and sharing things along the way! I know this was a terribly dull entry, I hope you don't hold it against me lol! Thanks for stopping by! Kyra :)