Wednesday 2 September 2020

IWSG (SEPT 20)


 

Happy IWSG and thanks as always to Alex and his co-hosts this month.

What times we live in. My energy levels and creativity have been up and down for months. I find writing comes in little surges, sometimes just 2 or 3 hundred words at a time. I never used to be like that. I used to enjoy sitting for hours getting lost in my stories, now my concentration is much less. I guess it has happened to lots of us. Things may well change again, life is far from certain these days.

But I will celebrate my small writing achievements and try not to get too stressed by my seeming lack of productive. I will remember that small steps lead to bigger ones.

How is everyone else doing?


Wednesday 1 July 2020

IWSG (July)

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Well, we have been living through strange and unprecedented times of late. How is everyone coping?
I am still struggling to create many new words, but I have been enjoying editing my own work and reading through a friends manuscript too.

Everything still seems so uncertain and planning anything is really hard. In a few short months life has changed for most of us in so many ways. But I think it has shown that we have to find joy in the little things in life.

So, in the spirit of this I am posting a couple of pictures from my walk on Sunday.  Image
Image
I hope you have found something to make you smile recently.
Sorry this is a short post this month, but I send you all good wishes.
                               


Wednesday 6 May 2020

IWSG (MAY 2020)


Thanks to host Alex and this month's co-hosts :

This month's question is - Do you have any rituals you use to help get you in the zone to write?

This is a good one for these times I think. Like many I have been struggling to write, to create new words has seemed like the last thing I should be doing, or indeed the last thing I want to do. There is so much going on around us right now and my mind has been pinging around and unable to focus on any one thing for long.

I did think maybe I shouldn't even try to write. In the last few weeks everything has changed. I can't work as normal, I can't see my children as they are grown up and live in their own homes. I can't meet my friends for a walk or a chat. Even popping to the shops requires planning. And this is happening all over the world. 

So, writing of any sort for me was on hold for several weeks. It is only very recently that I have been able to dive back in. I started with some editing and in the last couple of days have managed to write a new chapter. New words, it feels good. A nice escape from reality so I am hoping my creative muse agrees to keep me company moving forward. 

I don't necessary have rituals. I like peace and quiet. No playlists for me. A mug of chamomile or ginger tea. Sometimes a bit of chocolate or a biscuit to nipple. If I have the choice I prefer to write in the mornings, I've never been that productive later in the day. 

So for now, I will celebrate the fact that my muse seems to have returned and I am getting enjoyment and comfort from writing. 

How about you? Any rituals? Are you able to write at the moment at all?

Stay well and thank you for visiting.

Wednesday 4 March 2020

IWSG (March 2020)

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Thanks to Alex and this month's fabulous co-hosts; -Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence

I've been trying to add words to my WIP this month. I've added some but not as many as I'd hoped for one reason or another. Ah well, progress is progress I guess however small.

In other writing news I was very excited to have a manuscript longlisted in the WriteMentor Children's novel. Will have to wait and see if it goes any further in the competition but it certainly gives a nice boost.

I have been looking for a writing group to join for some time. I live in quite a rural area and opportunities are not abundant. However, I spotted a few lines about a new group starting the following week in the local paper and so decided to go along. First meeting was on Monday. It's nice to meet some like minded people so hopefully the group will be a success. I was brave and read out some of my work and we have a writing exercise to complete for the next session in a couple of weeks time. I will look forward to it.

March 4 question - Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?


After having given this question some thought I can't really think of any family traditions that have made their way into my writing. Not consciously anyway, maybe some small details have slipped in somewhere over the years!

Thank you for stopping by and reading my post. I will hop around some blogs and see what you have all been up to.

Wednesday 5 February 2020

IWSG (FEB 2020)

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Hi and thanks for visiting I appreciate it. Sorry, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I will be unable to participate in this month's IWSG. I hope to check back in next month. I hope the year is treating you well so far and your insecurities are few. 

Best wishes
Suzanne

Monday 6 January 2020

IWSG (January 2020)

Top Site for Writers
                                       Thanks as ever to Alex and this month's co-hosts

Happy New Year to you all!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope the new year is bringing you peace and positivity for the month's ahead. I plan to work on a new idea. It's one I started last year and I'm part way through a first draft. Procrastination has been a problem for me recently but I know I need to pick myself up and get on with it! I hope that by the time the next IWSG posting I will be able to report progress on this project. 


What started your writing journey?
I think I had always wanted to write. I remember as a child writing poetry and making story book ideas up whilst lying in bed but I didn't actually try writing properly till I was in my early forties. Yes, quite late to the party! Although, for several years prior to that I probably fulfilled my writing needs by taking a couple of courses that required me to write essays and then volunteering on a committee where I undertook the writing of various policies and prospectus'. Dry writing a lot of the time, but writing non-the-less! The first piece of fiction writing was a short story that I entered into a competition and from then on I had the writing bug! The short stories led to a 80k woman's fiction story and then I finally found my home in children's writing. I sometimes wish I had started writing fiction earlier but I guess the time just wasn't right.

Wednesday 4 December 2019

IWSG (December 2019)

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Thanks as ever to Alex and this month's co-hosts

It's that time of year again when we all get reflective about the things we have achieved and the things that really didn't work out as we hoped. The people we have meet on the way and those we have sadly said goodbye to.

Life seldom goes exactly to plan and is forever evolving and sending us in different directions. There have been good times and bad and I guess that is probably true for most of us.

Writing wise I seem to have been treading water. Writing, editing, submitting but I don't feel I have really moved forward. Although, of course, we are always learning and improving our craft so I guess that is progress!

My writing has garnered interest from a handful of agents/small publishers but it looks like I will be closing the year without any concrete news. Although, as I write this, there are still a couple of weeks left so never say never! We never know what might be around the corner.

Looking ahead, I plan to keep on writing and trying. I am working on a first draft of another story so hopefully I will complete that over the coming months. I will also keep submitting my completed works as opportunities appear.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your visits and comments to this little blog over the last year. I haven't always been actively blogging but I enjoy the monthly round up of IWSG.

If you celebrate, I wish you all good wishes for the coming holiday season.