What did you write today?

[Amber]

I've written a tribute for my husband to deliver at a wake for an old friend of his who has sadly died of pancreatic cancer, leaving a wife, son of 16 and a daughter of 13.

I've written and sent in an advert for a daughter, actor and makeup artist trying to get established with her make up services locally.

Worked on a poem, my own; The Fool.

Written some bullet point cards to help a new student, studying modern poets, to whit, a poem by Ted Hughes and another by Plath.

Varied day today.

I have a lot of days like yours where I spend doing a little of this and that. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm actually doing something even though it doesn't look like a lot.

 

[Amber]

I wrote ... NOTHING.

But in all fairness, I'm doing background work on my protagonist, a nice guy who turns into a bit of nutter. Still, not putting words to computer feels frustrating, and progress is slow. (Day job. Why on earth do we need them?) I'm also feedback-ing someone's work (And jolly enjoyable it is too. It's nice to read good work.)

Oh... you don't count that as writing? I would count it as work at least.

 

[MaryA]

I'm lucky to live in London to have this very affordable writing course available to me, but it does take up the whole of my Thursday with train ride there and back, but I have found it absolutely worth it.
Do you have any writing groups where you are Mary?

Sounds good, @Sea-shore.

Yes, there are writing workshops and some are more affordable than others, most offer free places to those from poorer communities and translators are around to help people who write in vernacular languages. Some workshops are run by international 'experts' and cost a fortune. I've only done one or two workshops years ago and haven't found them especially useful. The atmosphere of a workshop can be quite distracting if you need to sit and write, and suggestions are quite prescriptive and one-size-fits-all. The feedback is variable and for many writers, making new friends, socialising and finding beta readers is why they go along.

I've participated in a few free online writing courses: How Writers Write is a successful MOOC based at University of Iowa. They use videos made by teaching staff and writers-in-residence and have instructors moderating the discussions. The focus is primarily literary, although one or two groups look at sci-fi/fantasy. There are set writing exercises or pieces each week. Some participants try to post excerpts from works-in-progress but often these don't 'fit' the exercises. All the basics of strong openers, POV and voice, dialogue, uses of conflict, characterisation, building narrative arcs etc are covered. The forums for discussion are well-moderated and generally supportive, but MOOCs have large numbers and many posters for whom English is not their first language, as well as beginners, published writers and MFA graduates all side by side. An interesting mix. Like most academic writing environments, there isn't much focus on the nitty-gritty of what it takes to get published. And no sustained community -- you all meet and exchange ideas, share work, and a few weeks later, it's all over until next year! People can buy video packages after the course, I don't know how many do that.

 

[Barbara]

Oh... you don't count that as writing? I would count it as work at least.

@Amber, yes, I do count it as writing, but there's nothing quite like the furious typing when the muse flows and when one can't get the words out quick enough. That's the bit I aim for. But yes, I shall count it as writing work.

 

[Carol Rose]

Hoping for another 2K today.

 

[Sea-shore]

Sounds good, @Sea-shore.

Yes, there are writing workshops and some are more affordable than others, most offer free places to those from poorer communities and translators are around to help people who write in vernacular languages. Some workshops are run by international 'experts' and cost a fortune. I've only done one or two workshops years ago and haven't found them especially useful. The atmosphere of a workshop can be quite distracting if you need to sit and write, and suggestions are quite prescriptive and one-size-fits-all. The feedback is variable and for many writers, making new friends, socialising and finding beta readers is why they go along.

I've participated in a few free online writing courses: How Writers Write is a successful MOOC based at University of Iowa. They use videos made by teaching staff and writers-in-residence and have instructors moderating the discussions. The focus is primarily literary, although one or two groups look at sci-fi/fantasy. There are set writing exercises or pieces each week. Some participants try to post excerpts from works-in-progress but often these don't 'fit' the exercises. All the basics of strong openers, POV and voice, dialogue, uses of conflict, characterisation, building narrative arcs etc are covered. The forums for discussion are well-moderated and generally supportive, but MOOCs have large numbers and many posters for whom English is not their first language, as well as beginners, published writers and MFA graduates all side by side. An interesting mix. Like most academic writing environments, there isn't much focus on the nitty-gritty of what it takes to get published. And no sustained community -- you all meet and exchange ideas, share work, and a few weeks later, it's all over until next year! People can buy video packages after the course, I don't know how many do that.

Yes, I enjoy the City Lit writing groups because we get to read out our work or listen to others read our work, receive and give instant feedback, and everyone always find something nice to say about someone work, and have a cup of tea and chat after the class. The teachers are all published authors themselves and give insights to show that even when you have ‘made it’, it’s still hard and you may still have to have a day job too. In all, it’s very positive.

Thanks for telling us about your experience with your on-line course. I’ve thought about doing one too (save on travel expenses) but I have a stack of ‘How to write’ books, which I’m still wading through. And there're so many free and very good videos on You Tube on writing. The TEDx Talks on writing are brilliant e.g. How write a novel in under 20 mins or this How to write an award-winning bestselling first novel

 

[Michiel Kroon]

I wrote a blogpost! It took me 30 minutes

Seeing who you are — Steemit

 

[Carol Rose]

Going for another 2K today.

 

[MaryA]

Editing a big scary article (written by someone else) on how to implement alternatives to wasteful water-borne sewage systems. So that everyone doesn't get ill and die when the water dries up.

My little fictional dystopia suddenly feels quite comfortable. Only 800 words done and going nowhere fast.

 

[MaryA]

Did you write today?
I wrote morning pages in an online private blog. Then I went back to my newish dystopian story and wrote another 600+ words. Fiddled with two lines of a slow poem in the making.

If you wrote, how long did you write?
About two hours. Then I looked at another story draft and revised it for 30 minutes, ate a ripe clingstone peach, posted on my favourite forums and Litopia. Had some oolong tea. Thought about another story I want to begin this winter.

What did you write today?
I wanted the relationships between my two key characters to be stronger and the bleakness of my dystopia to be quite subtle so that for readers the island has a rainy beauty and calm. Until it doesn't.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Did you write today?
I wrote morning pages in an online private blog. Then I went back to my newish dystopian story and wrote another 600+ words. Fiddled with two lines of a slow poem in the making.

If you wrote, how long did you write?
About two hours. Then I looked at another story draft and revised it for 30 minutes, ate a ripe clingstone peach, posted on my favourite forums and Litopia. Had some oolong tea. Thought about another story I want to begin this winter.

What did you write today?
I wanted the relationships between my two key characters to be stronger and the bleakness of my dystopia to be quite subtle so that for readers the island has a rainy beauty and calm. Until it doesn't.

I'm mulling over some changes in my novel, but so far this morning, I've only written a couple of things on Facebook. I do a lot of work with refugees here in France and I am very, very upset (great British understatement) by the Minister of the Interior's attitude to the unaccompanied minors living on the streets in Paris. So I shared a video about their treatment and wrote an explanation for people who don't speak French. Later I'm going back to the novel - which is a great escape from this shitty world

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I'm a bit late to the party, for the same reason the only writing I've done in the past two days is a blog post and a few hundred words on my WIP. One of those concentration-destroying times when life is thrown into turmoil, and even when I get a moment to sit down and write, my mind is so occupied with other worries the words don't come. Hoping to have time tomorrow for personal reflective writing--maybe calm my brain enough to take advantage of the small writing times that will be available to me in the next few weeks/months until this crisis passes.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

I'm a bit late to the party, for the same reason the only writing I've done in the past two days is a blog post and a few hundred words on my WIP. One of those concentration-destroying times when life is thrown into turmoil, and even when I get a moment to sit down and write, my mind is so occupied with other worries the words don't come. Hoping to have time tomorrow for personal reflective writing--maybe calm my brain enough to take advantage of the small writing times that will be available to me in the next few weeks/months until this crisis passes.

I wish you strength and calm to deal with it all.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I wish you strength and calm to deal with it all.

Thanks Rachel. The only way out of this is through it so, as they say, keep calm and eat cake...er...is that what they say? Well, that's what I'm doing.

 

[Barbara]

I'm a bit late to the party, for the same reason the only writing I've done in the past two days is a blog post and a few hundred words on my WIP. One of those concentration-destroying times when life is thrown into turmoil, and even when I get a moment to sit down and write, my mind is so occupied with other worries the words don't come. Hoping to have time tomorrow for personal reflective writing--maybe calm my brain enough to take advantage of the small writing times that will be available to me in the next few weeks/months until this crisis passes.

Hey @Robinne Weiss, goodness. I really hope it all resolves itself very soon. Not easy to find the frame of mind to free the muse when the sh*t hits the fan. Please PM me if you need an 'online' heart to heart, (I'm always happy to lend an ear) and if I can be of help. In the meantime I'm sending you good thoughts.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Hey @Robinne Weiss, goodness. I really hope it all resolves itself very soon. Not easy to find the frame of mind to free the muse when the sh*t hits the fan. Please PM me if you need an 'online' heart to heart, (I'm always happy to lend an ear) and if I can be of help. In the meantime I'm sending you good thoughts.

Thanks, Barbara.

 

[MaryA]

Up early on Monday and looked at notes I made during the Discord audio Litopia seminar last night. Did morning pages. Then worked on WIP scene in salt marshes, 600 words.

Onward, but not necessarily upward.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

While writing a synopsis I discovered a boo-boo in the plot - a question of timing. Glad I spotted that, otherwise I'd have looked like a right lemon! So, plot anomaly adjusted, I sent off the first 10k words to some agents.