New novel

Started work on a novel that's been kicking around in my head for a while now, full of cold so sat down at the laptop and began to write. First 2000 words knocked out yesterday, looks remarkably good for a first draft. But that's how it goes sometimes, you write and polish, often needing several rewrites to knock a piece into shape; then occasionally a piece comes along that almost writes itself.

First Article

Feedback on my first article arrived today, reasonably happy with it. It was accepted with no revision required, content good, grammar, spelling and syntax perfect.

I enjoyed writing it – it was a little outside my normal area but I think this was a plus. I’ve always tried in everything I do to stretch myself. My opinion is, it is better to stretch yourself and work outside your comfort zone from time to time, thus expanding your skillset; rather than churning out the same stuff time and time again.

Rather than fall into a rut, which I think happens a lot, stretching yourself allows you to take a fresh perspective on a well-known topic. For example, rather than write about a character in the third person all the time, try writing in the first person. It forces you to externalise a lot of that character’s feelings and thought processes, which wouldn’t necessarily be a consideration in the third person. I’ll try and post a couple of examples to illustrate this in the next post.

Procrastination

I read a post via LinkedIn this morning. Basically, it was saying that sometimes procrastination can be a good thing. The article itself was talking about job hunting, but I got to thinking about how it could apply to writing as well. I know I have sat in front of an almost blank document many times and spent far too long fiddling with the layout and formatting rather than the actual content.
However, on some occasions – especially when I am finding it difficult to get the right words down on paper – I find that a little bit of ‘tarting up’ the layout, whilst letting my mind relax so my subconscious can get to work, can really help. That little bit of time spent procrastinating has often allowed me to externalise my thoughts in an order that makes sense without sounding stilted or wooden.
This is equally true for fiction or academic essays. I remember struggling over some legal concepts when I was studying law. Despite the assignment being due the next day, I decided to give it up for a while. An hour on the bike, not thinking about it, and when I got back I flew through it.

First ever article submitted

That’s my first ever article submitted for evaluation! Now I have to wait and see what feedback I get on it. Here’s hoping it’s good news.

A New Beginning

Well, this is the first day of my new career as a freelance writer. I've been writing for years, both fiction and non-fiction stuff, and have always wanted to devote more time to my writing. Now that I have moved to Scotland, and am currently unemployed, this seems like a golden opportunity to work at this, with the hopes of making it more than just a hobby.