beginning

Who, what, where when... how to start? At the beginning I suppose. Here's a few beginnings I've just jotted down to get me out of the starting gates!

1. And then she was gone...


2. New shoes aren't always to be celebrated...


3. I'd spent a lifetime waiting for this moment, and now it had arrived all I wanted to do was run away as far and as fast as I could.


4. It wasn't that I wanted her to get sick, it was the sheer rush of relief that sent the words spilling out unchecked.

Now to continue...

Guilty as charged

My latest assignment;

Write a story in which relief is clouded by guilt.

... no problem, I've got a million of them.

Perhaps I shouldn't admit to it, but almost my entire youth was a enshrouded with the surly suffocation of guilt. Nothing major, just saying no - to absolutely anything was enough to suck the air out of my lungs and uncork the dam - some days. Still time and age has allowed the cloud to dissipate somewhat. It's a relief, which of course I still feel slightly guilty about.

... incidentally, the photo is supposed to represent the enshrouding guilt? Sorry, it was the best I could come up with!

A bad day's work is a lot better than no day's work at all. Philip Pullman

Exercising away my writing

Procrastination can be a tricky customer. On times it can sneak in undetected and steal away my time - and I barely even notice until suddenly the clock strikes bedtime.

I know exercise is supposed to be a beneficial pursuit, but those 30 minutes can quickly become an hour when bookended with warm ups and cooling down. And for me life doesn't begin ‘til 7.00pm - when the little man is safely tucked up in bed.
It’s in those few precious hours that I have to cram my entire writing day – excepting a few notes I’ve managed to scribble throughout the day.

Ultimately I suppose being fit and healthy is as important to being a good writer as having the time in which to write. But there’s no doubt in my mind that exercise is just another form of stealth procrastination.

In a Frenzy

It’s just over a week since Script Frenzy began, and already I can feel my script morphing into a novel.

I decided to take up the challenge because I’ve never written a script before - so why not? And as everyone is so quick to tell you how few writers make it big, or even earn a decent living from writing – I decided diversity must be the key.

Unfortunately, so far I’ve managed just a handful of pages - still, there’s 22 days left and I’m feeling very enthusiastic and inspired about my subject matter. But there’s no denying it – my script seems to be heading like word seeking missile toward novel territory.

Even so, as an Apprentice Writer, all practice is good practice - so that’s what I shall do!

Beginning

Oh, if only it were as easy to start as it is to to press that final euphoric full stop.