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Tuesday 16 October 2012

How do you get back into writing?



There are times, I think when all writers; published and unpublished struggle to write. I spent a month this summer writing at every opportunity. In the final week, I worked until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning every day. My motivation was the deadline for The RNA's New Writers' Scheme, a scheme which is wonderful not just because it gives unpublished writers the opportunity to have a whole manuscript critiqued by a published writer, but also because it gives unpublished writers a deadline. It's amazing how quickly I can produce writing of a standard I'm happy with when I'm working towards a deadline. When there is no deadline or when it's months away, I amble along: researching, mulling and producing sub-standard prose. Does a writer needs these times of no pressure so that when the pressure is there they can go for it?

I need to produce a decent draft of Book 2 by August 2013 and at the moment that deadline seems a long way away. I'm seeking out books and websites of interest and writing at a leisurely pace. I've considered taking part in this year's NaNoWriMo, but instead I'll aim for a certain number of words or time spent writing each day in November so I can complete the first draft by Christmas.

How do you get back into writing when you've had a break from it? I do things loosely associated with my novel: reading books and watching films which can be used for research.

Other activities such as the following seem to get the brain going:

Taking photographs: Pinterest and Instagram are great places to collect them.

Visiting art galleries and museums: I recently went to The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery and The National History Museum. My second novel has working title, 'The Painting' and I gathered some information at the art galleries. Just looking at paintings, old and new is inspiring.

Reading novels which inspire me: I recently read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith-wonderful. The main character's father is a writer struggling to write his second novel...

Scenic walks: I love visiting National Trust houses and their surrounding gardens. The history of the houses: the portraits, the furniture etc is inspiring. One of my favourite walks in London is from Waterloo station across either of the footbridges over the River Thames to Embankment: one has a view of Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. There's a Le Pain Quotidien en route which serves coffee, hot chocolate in a bowl French-style and wonderful cakes.

Sometimes ideas come from nowhere when I'm getting on with everyday life. This morning I went to buy a dustpan and brush as the one we'd had for about ten years finally snapped in two. Whilst walking back to the car park, I looked through the windows of a closed restaurant and the solution to an impasse in the plot for Book 2 came from nowhere. Random thoughts I'd had before and research I'd read all suddenly linked together in my mind. A significant part of writing needs to be spent mulling I think.

How do you get back into writing after a break? Do you like a deadline? I'd be interested to read your comments on anything relating to the above.

Similar posts:
What's in a photo?
Bringing scenes to life with photographs
Paragraph Planet: 75 words on The Ditchley Portrait

14 comments:

  1. I like working to a deadline, most of the time, but it helps if I can take time off work when I'm extra busy with a piece of writing.

    I love walking, reading usually lifestyle magazines that I normally don't have time to go through and visiting new places for inspiration.

    I've done NaNo twice now and it's great if you know what you want to write and need a deadline to get those words on the page for a first dirty draft. I always needed a lot of editing to the work afterwards though.

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    1. Thanks very much for your comment Debs. I can imagine that NaNoWriMo is great for getting the words down, but would require a lot of editing. Congrats again on signing with agent, Luigi Bonomi!x

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  2. I usually have deadlines fueling me, so I don't get to ease back into writing. Although, even when I'm not drafting, I'm revising my own work, editing books under contract, or editing for my clients. I'm never really away from writing. But I agree that reading is great for getting back into writing. I'm always inspired by great books.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Kelly. Deadlines are great motivators. Now I've finished I Capture the Castle, I have that lost feeling and need to find my next book...x

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    2. I've done the last two NaNoWrimo's, and to be honest its the most motivated I've ever been, and I put down more words than i've ever done. Over 50k each time. The editing on the first wasn't bad, on the second it was horrendous.

      Neither novel is finished, and I can't find the enthusiasm, because I've got stuck, and stood still for too long. I've been desperately trying hard to motivate myself to finish one of them.

      I also love National Trust properties, and I've been visiting several all through the last six months, some two or three times, gathering information, taking notes and capturing images with my camera. As well as blogging to keep myself writing. But now I am thinking of using the month of November to do a huge writing marathon to work on my WIP...

      I don't think I can commit to the 1667 words required each day for NaNoWriMo, but I would like to aim for around 1000 and see if I can get a respectable 30,000, which would delight me!

      Thats my plan... :-)

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    3. Hi Maria, thanks so much for your comment. Best of luck with your writing in November-30K would be a great achievement!x

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    4. Anita,

      I am going to give it my best shot! Good luck with your writing too. :-)

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  3. Great ideas. I find that a morning walk/run will get the creative ideas flowing. I've been promoting my published book so have been letting the book I'm working on sit in a file folder :( I want to get back to it but I don't know where to start. Also, journaling helps me. Thanks for the tips, Anita.

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    1. Hi Lisa, thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. I must get round to running again...! Had forgotten about writing a journal-especially focusing on plot ideas-that really works too(note to self...)

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  4. If I'm writing something, I don't like to take a break for too long as I feel lost when I go back to it. If that happens I always procrastinate like crazy before getting stuck in again.

    I find it best to tell myself that I'll just read over the last chunk I wrote (like the last chapter or whatever). Then before I know it I'm adding in a word here and a sentence there, and I just seem to carry on again when I reach the end of the section. It's like I have to trick myself into realising I'm not stuck... sad really!

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    1. Hi Stacey, thanks for your comment. I agree-reading over a bit already written really helps get back into it. Thank you for reminding me!x

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  5. Hi Anita, I love this post and your blog. Just signed up to follow you. And thank you for visiting mine earlier! :-)
    This year I am doing NaNoWriMo for the first time though I did sign up a bout 3 years ago. It was Sally Quilford's blog post which finally motivated me to give it a go and to try and write a pocket novel, or at least with a pocket novel in mind (2 very different things!!)
    As for what I do when I get bogged down (a regular happening) -- often, but not always, re-reading my summary and maybe a couple of character sketches has me falling in love with it all over again...but then I 'm not very far into my novel at all!!! In a way I am right at that glorious stage where anything is possible!

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    1. Hi Edith, thanks very much for visiting my blog and for following! Good luck with your novel and NaNoWriMo.

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