Writing; Fun or Dedication

Ive been reading blogs, facebook groups, twitter comments and writing magazines and there seems to be a lot of words bandied about like, determination and dedication, in relation to writing, with suggestions that we should be writing every day without fail, making ourselves sit down and write even when we don't want to or are simply too tired. 

For me, this takes the fun out of writing. I don't want to make it a chore, something I detest and do through gritted teeth like I would when the bathroom needs cleaning. 

For me writing is fun. It's exciting seeing the words bring something to life and seeing that it's me sitting there actually creating them. Its an amazing feeling. I don't want to turn that off because it would put me in the category of not dedicated or disciplined.   

Yes I'm writing a novel and I'm fully determined to complete it and push for publication ( I know that not an easy journey but that's off point) Just because I'm slower at it does not make me any less talented. (I'm not banging my own drum here but if I were talented) Just because I don't make myself do it when I don't feel like it, doesn't mean my words don't make a person on the page come alive and be believable. (obviously my talent isn't set in stone that I'm any good, but if I was, how long it's taking me to write it, won't detract from my greatness. ) 

Writing doesn't pay the bills. In fact I haven't seen a single penny. I have a full time job, which, to be honest is pretty exhausting at the minute (health issues) then I have a husband, house and kids to come home to as do many writers. Even when I get published, I know I'm still going to have to do both jobs and at that point I may have writing deadlines to keep. But now, now writing is fun, it's exciting and it's done when I feel I want to or when I feel well enough to push myself even if I don't want to but thats few and far between. 

Writing isn't something I must do or I shrivel up and turn into a spineless jellyfish. I wasn't born to write. It's not in my genes. It's not what I was made to do. Lots of phrases I hear thrown about quite freely to be honest. Writing is what I enjoy doing. 

I will write my novel in full and complete it this year, but I will not take the joy out of it by thinking I couldn't possibly be a real writer if I don't write every day. I am a real writer. I write. I can be published even if I'm slow. 

I know this goes against the grain of a lot of writers and how writing should be approached, but it's how I feel about it and I'm writing and having fun when I do it, even if its not everyday.

What do you think is needed to be a writer? Do you feel you have to do it even when you don't want to and if so, is any of the joy removed?

11 Things I will do in 2011

The end of 2010 is upon us and in a few short hours we will be stepping into 2011. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for my family and I this year on a personal level, but it's also been a positive year for my own personal goals.

I've completed and passed a couple of difficult courses with the Open University, gaining myself 70 credits towards a degree. I have also started writing. This being a very recent activity. Writing is something that I have always wanted to do, but never really did anything about it and 2010 proved to be the year I would act on this and take it seriously. My novel stands at a little over 21,000 words. It was started in October. It's been a little slow, but I have set myself 11 targets for 2011 and one of those is to complete the manuscript.

Instead of making myself a News Years resolution, I have set myself 11 goals. The majority of them are writing related because I really want to work on this in the coming year, but there are some personal ones in there.

1. Read 40 books ( Inspired by juppppy)

2. Complete first draft of novel and subsequent edited drafts

3. Query agent with completed novel

4. See a musical

5. Lose 1.5 stone

6. Start yoga

7. Submit 12 pieces of writing to competitions

8. Write at least 6 blog posts a month.

9. Be more organised. Set goals. Write things down.

10. Raise the profile of the blog and have an extra 12 followers by the end of 2011 (one a month. Today it stands at 15)

11. Push Doctors until a final diagnosis is agreed for son and I.

What do you have planned for the coming year?

Error with Writing Competition

Today I learned a valuable lesson regarding entering writing competitions that require postal entries.....

Make sure you put enough postage on!!

I sent a postal entry for a short story competition at the end of November. To my complete mortification I received an email today from the organiser informing me that I hadn't paid enough postage so the entry didn't get to her in time and to make it all worse, she'd had to pay the extra £1.10 fee. I wanted to cry into my phone. (Where I'd read the email)

I was upset that I hadn't been able to enter the competition but I also don't want to get myself a name for not putting postage on. Horrifically, I sent only my second postal entry yesterday, which I now know will be short on payment. I'm thinking I have to email the organisers and offer to rapidly pay the extra postage that will be required and hope that this can be done.

I mistakenly thought that because my letter was completely flat it was the ordinary first class stamp fee. I know that if it is thick you have to pay, I didn't realise that if it was wide you have to pay. (It was an A4 envelope) You see, I don't really post letters. In today's age where everything is electronic, I've become ignorant in the ways of the postal service.

I have learnt an extremely valuable, painful and embarrassing lesson today - Make sure you put enough postage on mail!

Decision Between the Open University and Writing

I've recently had to make a difficult decision between continuing my studies with the Open University towards a Geosciences degree and leaving it for a year to pursue my dream of writing a novel, something I have always wanted to do.

It would seem that as I am getting older, I feel the need to push myself towards goals I maybe should have started or finished before now. The concerns about my ageing however is for another blog post.

The Open University 

I started studying with the Open University two years ago. Originally planning on doing a psychology degree, but after getting my knickers well and truly in a twist with a level 1 social science course, I decided to change direction and go for something more solidly science based. I am interested in the world around me and the how's and whys so chose geosciences. A study of our planet.

I've just completed the last of my level one courses with a very taxing 60 point basic science course that covered biology, chemistry and physics as well as the more interesting geology and global warming. It was difficult especially as I had health issues with my youngest and don't forget my very excellent excuse of working full time as well. I managed to get to the end however, despite these things. The next course, geology, started in November but I really wasn't ready to pick up the books that quickly so looked at my choices and found an environmental module starting in February. My problem was, it really is a big level 2 course whereas the geology was only 30 points (equate points to time required 60 is more than 30)

This is where I started to get confused about what I want to do in 2011. If I could have done the geology I could probably write as well, but I doubt I could write and do the 60 point environmental course. The option was taking a year off and doing the geology course next November.

Writing 

Since I was at school I can remember enjoying writing. Wanting to write a book but I never did anything about it. Now as I rapidly approach 40 I decide I will do it, no matter what. I will write it, I will edit it to within an inch of it's life, do all the writery things I've been reading about on writery blogs and I will the get myself an agent. I will.

The problem here is that writing is time consuming. It is a little less pushy than doing a course because I don't have deadlines banging on the door. Saying that though, I really don't intend for this to take me the rest of my life, so I do what I can when I can. Between work, kids, housework and procrastination I do try and keep my word count going. My current first draft is on, at this point 20.5 thousand words. If I take the year off the OU I can concentrate on the book. I really want to do this book but feel a little guilty just letting go of the OU.

I had to make this decision by today as that is the registration deadline for the environmental course. I made the decision. This books needs finishing and a year off gives me that time. I just feel as though I'm letting myself down a little even though I'm still working on something.

Pen Name

On Thursday I received an email stating that a short story submission I had made to an ezine had been accepted.

Yesterday I entered an online Fridayflash competition.

I've got a couple of short stories written up, that just need editing, that I am intending to enter into other writing competitions and I am also working on a novel, which I would hope, could possible make into the published world one far off day.

This got me to thinking.

I work in the public sector and the writing work and self publicising I am doing could potentially get me found by a google search, if people I come across in my day to day working life, decided to google me to see what they can find out. (Yes, this really could be a possibility) I absolutely do not want the two worlds to cross in any way, shape or form and want to keep my private life, just that, private. So with this train of thought, I've decided I need a pen name.

Now I just need to come up with of one. I think I would probably prefer to keep my own first name (Jane) and then assign myself a different Surname. It sounds easy enough, but it's not. I have no idea what to call myself. I mean, it's not every day you get to pick your own name is it?

Do my blog readers have any idea's or suggestions of what would go well with Jane? Or do you think I should go for a complete overhaul if I'm using a pen name anyway and change both first and surname?

Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

Started writing

Well, I promised myself I would make a concious effort to start writing fiction this year, after many years of putting it off, writing one or two chapters and getting no further or just simply making my life far too busy to do it.

This time I decided that enough was enough, with all the issues going in on my household over recent months I need to do something for me as well.

Yes I do currently have the Open University to contend with, which is why I thought I would try my hand at writing short stories first, just to get some practice in, and also, generally write more, joining the ( I didn't know it existed!) blog community.

This week, though I should have been concentrating on a very rapidly looming Open University final assignment and when I mean final, it's the final assignment of nine months work and if I don't complete it, I fail. Not really an option, it just means I have to work really really hard at the last minute. Anyway, the point being, is that this week, I have written my first short story.

It started out as an idea scribbled down in a note pad, and then promoted to the ranks of my computer screen where I typed idea's, paragraphs and characters. I went a little off course and reigned it back in, edited it, read blogs giving advice, took notice, added things in and then today I was very nearly happy with what I had. I spoke about what I had been doing with two colleagues who were in the office with me at the end of the day.

I enthusiastically offered to send it them via email for their honest opinion and regretted the offer as soon as the words passed my lips as I knew that if they found it bland or just plain rubbish, then they would just be polite to me.

I heard the bleeps on the computers as the story arrived and watched as both female colleagues looked at their screens and started reading. Iris stated she would give critique if I really wanted her to, so I sat quietly yet fidgetly waiting. She finished first and said it was really good, all sentences and paragraphs in the correct tense and she really hadn't expected what was done and that it was really well woven in.

I then moved my attention to H as she read, and I waited. She stopped reading, looked up me and I saw she was crying! Oh my, words I had written had taken her into the story and she had cared so much she cried. She loved it. What a compliment!

Yes, as a first short story I fully expect it not to be made to publish level, but I need to do this, get plenty of rejections, learn my writing and my own style and keep going. I'm really serious this time. But honestly, it really did have me grinning like the proverbial cheshire cat when H cried.

I think I just started writing!

Open University and decisions.

I'm studying with the Open University, for what was to be a degree in Geosciences. I've done my first two years at level one and am currently coming to the end of the last course, which has been extremely difficult to keep going with, bearing in mind all the health issues and worries I've had with my son and trying to function in a full time job role. I even managed to fit a weeks residential course in Brighton with the OU this summer.

My next step should be to choose a level two course, which is more difficult and whose grades count more if you are aiming for a top mark degree. My problems are now, that the OU have changed their science programme and I'm unsure if my plan can still come to fruition with the Geosciences. It's all to do with money and the lack of support, they along with everyone else is getting from the government. This surprised me considering I pay full wack for my courses and I can tell you they aren't cheap. I think If I'm quick and fit in another residential in 2011 and one more in 2012 I could get my named degree. It's all a bit confusing and no doubt I need to call an advisor, but my mind is currently over active with other issues.

I know what course I want to do next and I looked at it, to see if it had several start dates so I could put it off for a couple of months, focus on my little boy and also see if I have the potential to write fiction. Unfortunately, the geology module I want, only starts this November or November 2011. I don't think I'm willing to put it on hold for a year considering the money I have already put into it and the fact that even with racing deadlines and stresses, I have generally enjoyed what I have been learning.

So it looks as though I am going to attempt to do both, continue my studies with the Open University and start writing and see where that gets me. It's something I enjoyed doing when I was a child, but dreams didn't seem to be encouraged when I was young, so now as I rapidly approach 40, I appear to be trying to fit in as many dreams as possible. I wonder where that will get me? Maybe taken away in a van with square wheels.....