Since I'm not really here - in new flat and probably without internet connection and up to my ears in paint pots - I thought I'd bring you a fabulous website of resources for writers. (By the way, I wish that was me on the left. In my dreams. Not that blonde women appear regularly in my dreams but you know what I mean.)Iain Broome, the ever helpful man at Write for Your Life, set up this resource, Websites for Writers.
Write for Your Life also has loads of excellent articles. Dip into a few. I particularly like this one about why you shouldn't listen to people who say you have to write every day. Mainly because I agree with what Iain says, which is always a start to liking something. Lots of people disagree. But why should the fact that writing every day is what works for you make you say that it must work for everyone else? I certainly don't write very day (apart from emails and blog posts) and if I thought I ought to I would find that pressure very unhelpful. But if you like it, fine. Go for it. Why would I care how often other writers write, as long as what they write is great?
Iain knows about succinctness, and I'm going to take a leaf out of his book.
Goodbye! How succinct was that!
Oops, sorry - dreaming again....
12 comments:
I'm so glad to hear that I don't 'have to write everyday.' The pressure has been killing me! I can breath now and just think about the stories instead of feeling like I have to pound out random crap from 7-9 every morning.
Thank you for liberating me.
(The sarcasm is meant to be funny, I really was feeling an awful pressure to write daily.)
It's true I feel pressured if I don't write something every day, so reading that article has taken a load off! Thank you :o)
Oh, you mean I can stop writing my blog?
Really good resource, thank you for the link!
Here's hoping you're back on the internet soon (although a bit confused how you managed to write this blog post!) and your flat upheaval becomes an...um,... unupheaval!
:-)
Cheers me dears for the link Nicola - consider it bookmarked.
I'm glad you don't have to write everyday as I've been revising for the last month or so and haven't produced much of anything new. I so want to get on and 'make with the new stuff' too.
I know you're not reading this now (moving, internet connection and so on), but good luck in the new flat, moving is always a big chore, but worth it once the dust settles.
Sometimes you need to have a break from writing. I guess we're all extremely hard taskmasters and possibly need some justification for taking that break.. but moving into a flat that needs loads of work and has no internet connection to provide said justification is taking it a bit too far.
Love your fantasy man!!
I am a big fan of writing daily. I seem to build up a certain momentum, which means that my first drafts are usually created in a relatively short space of time. It's editing daily that gives me hives!
But I also believe that we should each stay true to our own. I've never understood how one writer might feel that they can dictate to another the very personal and particular method in which to write.
I try to write every day. I don't stress if I don't manage it. Simples!! (Sorry, just love that meercat advert!)
Thanks Nicola, I feel much better now. In all seriousness though I have never written every day unless I was in the middle of my novel. Even then I took a break or at least wrote less on weekends.
I'll have to check out Ian's site, thanks for sharing.
A word of warning, Ms Morgan:
You will get so sick of that bright canary-yellow paint. Stick to Magnolia. Then cover the walls with loads of pictures or posters.
Write every day? You what?. I am not a serial dead-horse-flogger. I write when I need to write. No, I don't wait for the literary muse to waft her fragrant inspiration into my nostrils (chance would be a fine thing.)It's a job--a great job--but still a job.
Thanks for the link. More things to do instead of writing!
I actually did feel a pressure to write every day. I still do, even though it is a bit insane. It just doesn’t work for me, but I find it very hard to strike a balance, which is actually what I blogged about today, funnily enough. Your timing is impeccable! Will bookmark these resources. Good luck with the decorating. Hm, gone a bit succinct myself.
Phew, that's a relief. Some days it's enough just to get through the emails, etc.
Although I do write most days, it's just that sometimes I write very litte.
When I joined the blogging circuit, I felt like odd-girl-out because I didn't write every day. But once I realized that my style doesn't have to be anyone else's style, I felt better. I finally got to write a little bit last night and I'll hopefully get to write some more today. But if I don't, it's okay. If I let myself feel too pressured, I'm going to just give up. And that would feel a lot worse than just working at my own pace.
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