New Year, New Resolutions!

If I looked back over my blog posts, I think I'd be unsurprised to find that many of them are a whinge of some kind.  It's so easy to fall into that trap, perhaps, knowing that there are sympathetic souls who are fellow writers reading them, but it's probably not a good mind-set to have as default!
I'm not making a New Year's resolution to stop whingeing, because it's quite fun, but I am resolving to stop putting myself into a situation where I feel the need to whinge... quite so often.

After a few weeks off from writing, I realise that I have been putting myself under a lot of pressure. 

Having had some success with short stories in the past year, I've been feeling a real horror of 'failing' and not having any more/as many accepted.   Also, having decided to keep everything 'up front', I've engaged an accountant and submitted my tax return - but that has made me extra determined to keep the money coming in so that I have something to put on subsequent tax returns... don't want to be paying my accountant more than I'm earning!  Also, as I've mentioned before, I've been bowing to other people's expectation that the next step is to write a novel and have tried in vain to fit this into my life (which is already quite full to be honest!)

It's time to take a step back!

My resolution is to write for profit and PLEASURE.  I will write at my own speed, as and when I have time.  I will try not to fret if I can't write for a few days.  I may decide to write for three months and then have a month off to recharge.  I'm setting no hard and fast rules, just some sensible guidelines.

This year has been a writiing rollercoaster ride, thrilling and depressing in turn.  I aim for 2012's ride to be a little smoother. 

Best of luck to those who are doing Sally Quilford's 100K in 100 Days.  I'm probably opting out of that, but I'll be cheering you on and writing from the sidelines!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year xx

Just Like a Bus...

No, I'm not talking about the size of my bum...

Having had no opportunity to write my blog until this evening, I've now written two posts.  See?  Wait ages for one (not that you were) and then two come along!

This is to wish all of you a prematurely MERRY CHRISTMAS! as it's unlikely that I'll have time for blogging in the next three weeks, what with shopping, presents to wrap, cards to write, baking to do, people to visit, visitors to entertain... well, you all know how it is - or should I say how lovely it is?  Because it is! 

My writing has been pretty much knocked on the head until January - and I am really looking forward to Sally Quilford's 100k in 100 days challenge - find it and Sally at http://quillersplace.wordpress.com/.  I already have a list of things I want to write, and although I know I won't have the time to write 1000 words every day, it's so much more fun to write alongside others and cheer each other on!

Just for good measure, here's another snowy picture - it's nearly Christmas after all!

Two Awards, Thank you!

My award from the wonderful Rebecca Bradley at Life in Clarity
http://lifeinclarity.blogspot.com/



My award from the lovely Annalisa Crawford at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
http://annalisacrawford.blogspot.com/

 Hello everyone!

I'd like to thank Annalisa and Rebecca for the awards - and it is now my pleasure to pass them both on to the following people!

In accepting the Liebster Blog Award, the recipient agrees to:


- Thank the person who gave them the award and link back to that person's blog
- Copy and paste the award to their blog
- Reveal the 5 blogs they have chosen to award, commenting on their blog to break the news!
- Hope those people in turn pay it forward by accepting and awarding "The Liebster Blog Award" to bloggers they would like to honour


This award is for anyone with fewer than 200 followers. :)
And the 'One Lovely Blog' award, I have to award to 15 people!  I don't know whether I know that many bloggers!  I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a maverick and award it to less!

I'd like to award BOTH awards to the following bloggers whose blogs I really enjoy reading!

Jenny at http://www.fulfilling-dreams.com/
Nancy Thompson at http://nancysthompson.blogspot.com/
Catherine at http://plumedansante.blogspot.com/

I would like to also award the One Lovely Blog award to Rebecca http://lifeinclarity.blogspot.com/ and would, of course, like to send it back to Annalisa!  Annalisa, I am pretty sure, has already received the Liebster award, but I'm awarding it to you again, anyway!

The One Lovely Blog Award also goes to

Kitty Howard at http://kittyhoward.blogspot.com/
Peggy Eddleman at http://peggyeddleman.blogspot.com/

who both have lots of followers, but their blogs really are lovely!
Goodness, I'm all awarded out!

I'm really sorry if I've not done this awarding thing correctly - I'm not even sure how to link back to people's blogs, so I hope I've done that right! 

Anyway, enjoy your awards, everyone!  Hugs all round!

Linda x

A Twist in the Tale

My main problem when writing is to find an original twist for the tale.  Not for every tale - they don't all need one as we all know - but sometimes that little zesty twist is really needed to give the story some zing.

I don't know whether I have a lazy brain or am just plain unimaginative, but I have to say I find it really hard to dredge up something unexpected from the sludgy depths of the stagnant canal that my mind often turns into when faced with this...

I'd be really grateful for any tips, please!

A Decision Reached

Writing my blog entry for the Insecure Writer's Support Group last Wednesday got me thinking.

My insecure moan was about sometimes wishing I'd never started writing because it's stressful fitting it into a busy life, but is impossible to stop once you've started.

Having spent a week feeling horribly stressed about not having enough time to do any writing, I have decided to stop beating myself up.

My ambition, just over a year ago, was to get a short story published in a women's magazine.
Once my first story was accepted, I decided I'd aim to have three published.  Once the third was accepted, I decided six was a good number...

Writing short stories is great!  Although at least two thirds of what I submit is sent back to me with a polite rejection message, I'm having some success and have now had seven accepted, all in the space of a year.  I AM SO THRILLED WITH THIS! 

BUT...

People keep telling me I should write a novel and then follow that up by asking me how I'm getting on with it.  I've tried several times to get started on one, but I find the thought of taking on a long project that I can only write in drips and drabs without a guarantee that I'll even have time to write every day (I have a day job and a family, after all!) really stressful.  Some people can do it but I can't; it's just the way I am!

I felt horribly jealous when NaNoWriMo started - I felt so resentful that I had to go to work when what I really wanted to do was sit home with the phone unplugged and WRITE WRITE WRITE!

SO...

I've arrived at the decision to forget the novel for now.  I have ideas - many - and they are all safely stored in notepads and on my memory stick.  They will keep and will, I hope, mature like a fine wine or a  rich fruit cake.

I am not putting myself under pressure any more.  I absolutely love writing and have no intention of stopping, but I am going to keep writing stories.  This fits in with my life as it is now.  In the future I have no doubt this will change.  When the time is right, I will do it - but because I WANT TO and MUST, not because I'm feeling I should.

Sorry to waffle on... I'm just so relieved to have tidied up my head and made a decision!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's that day again!

Wow - how does the first Wednesday in every month come around so quickly?!

Do you ever wish, even just for a moment, that you'd never started this writing lark?

I sometimes look back to days when my evenings and weekends were just filled with... well, ordinary things like reading, cooking, watching tv, the odd bit of housework... and feel a little pang of nostalgia.

I always wanted to be a writer.  I wrote voraciously through my teens, confident that one day it would be my 'proper' job.  However, life doesn't go according to plan, as we all know, and I was 39 before I found myself with (almost!) enough time on my hands to consider giving it a go.  I'd never stopped writing - in my head.  I'd scribble notes on the back of receipts - anything - when out or on holiday and an idea or a line of dialogue struck me; I just never had time to use them.

Now, I am so, so grateful to have had my short stories accepted and published, but the pressure I'm feeling is sometimes so huge I feel the need to hide.  I'm the one applying this pressure, of course, but the stress of finding enough time to write around my day job, of waiting for acceptance or rejection, of wanting to write and having to sit and make small talk with the MiL instead, sometimes makes me feel like tearing my hair out.

I know that I won't give up.  I tried to a couple of years ago and came slinking back to the laptop eventually.   If you're a writer, it's just there, inside you.  Convincing others that you're a writer with something to say that's worth reading is the hard part, and sometimes, with the novel that I want to write but am yet afraid to start looming over me, I wonder if I can really do it.

I've come to the conclusion that it's fine to feel insecure and beaten at times - it's probably much healthier than rolling along on a calm, confident sea and becoming complacent.  There's much further to fall from there!

:)  Linda

Oh Blogger!

Yet again, Blogger won't let me comment on my own blog!

Here are the comments I was trying to add:

Jenny - I'm glad it's not only me who finds Greek hard! I'd love to try a worksheet (or two)  if you find them! ;)

Catherine - I quite often forget I've got a blog and therefore forget to add to it!  So glad to know you like reading it - I'll try harder!  Merci bien!

Sarah - Err... yeah, confession time - I have dyed my whole head before now but don't do it any more (just the roots) as it's so GREY under the dye my hair has gone wiry and out of conditon!  Yikes!

Caitlin - I think you're a lot younger than me so it makes me feel much better to know you don't like being moshed either!

Peggy - who cares about housework, eh? Boring boring boring! We perfectionists have more lofty things to obsess about...

Annalisa - thanks again for the award!