off to Melbourne

Off to the city tomorrow and ready to be inspired by all the arty things I see down there. Have listed vintage and antique shops to trawl through!

Am up to 13,000 words on the manuscript and hoping to work on a short story while I am away. Have cousin's engagement party on boxing day and can't wait to meet all her new family.

shopping and writing

Off to Melbourne next week for holiday and busily tapping away at the keyboard. Am up to 11,000 words and thrilled to see a manuscript taking form again.

My other creative efforts - leadlight projects and tea cup clock

Words, words, words

7000 words for my new novel and counting.... It's such a struggle to get that first draft down and so many insecurities to fight off as you go. But luckily I have always been extremely stubborn and driven - am going to aim for 50, 000 words by the end of January. Let's see how I go.

I can smell the rain

I love this time of the year for a number of extremely important reasons:

1) The smell of rain and the gray skies,
2) The possibility that my road may flood and I won't be able to get to work,
3) The dry, crackled mud that forms on the dirt roads of our farm. I love to crunch this with my toes (it makes the most satisfying crunching sound that gives me a little excitement quiver every time),
4) Weeks of long summer days with no school, and
5) The mushrooms that sprout up in the paddock. I love kicking these over almost as much as I love crackling that mud.

As you can see I'm a girl of simple pleasures lol. 

Writing Manuals

Have just finished Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict - brilliant for setting up your plot and grounding your characters with real motivation and goals. I am using the GMC charts along with Character Profiles to set up my next book.

Am also in the middle of reading Stephen King's "On Writing." He is the master of no-nosense and brings such clarity to the process of writing. I am loving this book.

Have ordered around 10 others from Amazon (I could have bought out that company over the last 3 years) and am looking forward to getting into them.

master of uncreative writing

Seriously not inspired by my experience with this course so far.Academia = stifling. Don't think I will be re-enrolling next year. I think QWC's Year of the Novel may be a better option.