Writing motivation

What do you do to help yourself with motivation to write daily? It can be hard to keep writing, family and life will often take priority. The need to rest and relax with the balance of adding something to your blog or novel. It can be hard, if I have a night where I don’t write, I feel guilty. I enjoy writing and enjoy creating stories and poetry.

Writing my novel is a great task, at 75000 words in and I’m now wondering if what I’m writing really is all part of this novel. I think the advice is to keep going, keep developing it and growing. I am looking forward to writing the end, I haven’t worked it out yet. However, it could be that part of this draft might be part of book two. This is a disadvantage of being a Pantser, especially on my first ever novel.

I’m on a very long journey,  which is enjoyable as I do enjoy going into my own imagination, creating my own world. However, I still need to take that step back and get to know my world and my characters. I do keep repeating that, I think I need to keep reminding myself.

Short stories

I find that writing my short stories on my blog, Just muddling through life, helps to keep the creativity flowing and helps my motivation. Last Friday I did some writing for Blog Battle – Shield, I sat for a while thinking about it. Google didn’t help, it just directed me to Marvel and its Agents of Shield. Once the idea came to me the story got written, it is a nice feeling when the words are flowing.

Maybe this is why writers write, it is a nice feeling to have created something, especially when it is something that someone else enjoys reading.

If you are a writer who is struggling to write, then writing prompts do help with motivation.  I currently do Blog Battle once a month, which is focused around one word. Write the story on the Writers Unite website and Facebook forum which is focused on a photo and Grammys Grid which is a sentence prompt. I enjoy writing them all and currently have an ongoing story on Grammys Grid with my characters Ruby and Freda

Reading

My reading has not got much further over the last week. I need to make time again to fit it in, I know that I maybe need to turn off my laptop earlier at night.  However, once the words are flowing, I need to type/write them down.  Motivation to then read is not there as it then past midnight.  A few weeks ago I was reading more but it meant late nights reading in the dark on my Kindle.

Facebook Live –

Here are my latest Facebook Lives –

New blog post and today – 17th September 2019

Today and new blog post – 20th September 2019

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Today

Sat here now watching the rainfall outside.  A day off work and it is nice to sit here and reflect. My daughter started at a new school today. It is closer to home so will make life easier, I will be able to walk to collect her rather than need to drive. We are appealing to move our eight-year-old, hopefully, soon he will be with his sister, they are close and I know her leaving will affect him.

Anyway, I am now going to get myself another mug of tea before getting on with the rest of the day.

For more see., Life’s pressures writing and reading

Daily writing

Today it is now 11.30am as I start writing. The stress of school dramas and life’s pressures of unhappy children that are bored. This morning also included a visit to the doctors with my eight-year-old. He is back at school now but says he missed his early learning. He would have missed forty-five minutes, so I’m sure he will be fine.

Life’s pressures are all around me, my mug of tea is keeping me calm while my head is racing. Housework is calling and so is my garden. It’s a lovely sunny day here in the UK, I should be outside enjoying it. However, if I take my lap-top outside I will then be complaining about the sun.

How as a writer do you deal with life’s pressures? I find writing cathartic but it is also a huge commitment. Trying to write daily amongst everything else going on is a lot. Late nights are also not helping with my reading which for the moment has fallen by the wayside.

Right now, I’m feeling hypocritical telling my children that they must read as I’m not doing as much as I should. I read about other bloggers who are voracious readers, I’d love to be, but I am struggling with balance.

I was in trouble last night as I struggled into bed at midnight. How do other writers manage this? And no, I can’t get up at 5am to write before work, I know some of you do. I get to the weekend or a day when my husband is home and then just lie there. If I don’t have to get up at 6.30am then I rarely will.

Social media

Social media is a huge drain on time as well, it adds to life’s pressures. I still do my best to social share on Twitter, to manage my Facebook page and manage both my blogs, but I’ve given up on sharing Instagram, Mix and Flipboard. I’m aware that I should make more effort with Pinterest but that requires a lot of effort and time, which I have not got.

Reading

I am still reading ‘GX Todd – Hunted’, see this is how far behind I am with my reading. It honestly is not the book, I’m just struggling with time. I spent Saturday with my six-year-old, catching up on her reading. We learned why Flamingos are pink, when they are born grey. I didn’t know this and it took my six-year-olds reading book to teach me. They are pink because of what they eat.  Their food, shrimp and algae larvae, contain’s beta- carotene which consequently dye’s them pink.

My son is still arguing with me over his reading, however after I’ve battled with him over boy’s books, he asked me last night for ‘The animals of Farthing Wood’. He said his teacher is reading it to them and he wants to know what happens next. This was one purchase I didn’t argue over, I want him to read, however, I’m not sure what age range it is aimed at, I’m assuming if his teacher is reading it to them then it is his level. He has asked me to bring it to him when I collect him from school today. He then asked for the ‘Wind in the Willows’. So, that is arriving tomorrow.

It appears that for now, animal books are the preference, rather than fantasy books about wizards or ‘Beast quest’. However, if his teacher read him the ‘Wizards of Once’ he might then ask to read it. I’m not getting far by myself.

My novel

Now at nearly 75000 words, I added a prologue a few nights ago. It was pointed out to me that there are things at the beginning that I need to explain hence the prologue. Trying to grab the reader in the first paragraphs is crucial and as a writer, this is hard to write.

Every evening it draws closer to the conclusion. My head is swimming with my characters, but I still need to get to know them. I have started to watch people trying to think about my characters. It is hard shaping people in my head, but it is all part of the author/creator’s job.

Facebook Live

Here are my latest Facebook Lives.

New blog post and my writing part 1 – 10th September 2019

Blog post and my writing part 2 – 10th September 2019

New blog post today and children – 13th September 2019

Newsletter

I am still doing my newsletter linking to my new blog posts. I hope to do my next one at the beginning of October. Please subscribe if you are interested.

Today

After I’ve published this, I have my daughter’s bedroom to tidy again. I have a sea of bears to sort through, and somewhere I have yesterday’s dirty grey tights to find, plus a house to tidy. Yes, the fun never ends, life’s pressures continue. I am now going to make more tea and then on with the day.

For more see, Reading, writing, life balance and family

How do you create a writing ethic?

Do you have those days where you don’t want to write? Days where you would rather be doing something else other than sitting with your laptop. When you know you need to be reading more, but reading and writing daily can be hard. I tell myself that my laptop is my friend despite the times that we have an argument as it freezes on me.

So, how do I get around my inner struggle? Writing my blogs helps motivate me to write, adding to them twice a week with the support of writing prompts.

Admittedly my blogs are very good at taking time away from writing my book, but I feel the more I write hopefully the better my writing will be.

Trying to make time around family for writing is also hard. Making time for children alongside writing and reading. I’m often found writing between 9 pm and 11 pm then reading later. Once the children are in bed it is my time to then try and focus. However, admittedly often I’m sat with the television on as I need to spend time with hubby as well. The last few nights I’ve been typing while watching ‘Manifest’.

Reading

I’ve said before that my book has a lot of characters, something I need to work on. I’m still reading ‘G.X. Todd – Hunted’, I’m enjoying it but as I’ve said before, being paperback I can’t read it late at night with the light on. ‘Hunted’ has quite a few characters and it continues from ‘Defender’ which is more focused on key characters. ‘Hunted’ feels harder to read but this could be just me.

At the weekend I read ‘Dan Malakin’s –The Regret’. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I started reading it on my Kindle late Friday night. Saturday morning I picked it up again and then couldn’t put it down. My eight-year-old came and asked me for dinner, and my response was, “when I’ve finished my chapter”. I highly recommend it, it makes you think about how being hacked on the internet could affect you, and to watch out for those friends who you maybe do not know as well as you thought you did.

My son’s reading

I still have an on-going battle with my eight year old and his reading. Friends have given me advice, one even offered to get a book autographed by his Author friend for me, a kind offer but trying to inspire him to read anything, I am struggling. He is a good reader, but he is not taking the time to think about what he is reading. I’ve explained to him that if he thinks about the characters and what is happening, he will enjoy reading more as he will understand it. For now, ‘The boy who sailed the ocean in an armchair’ has been put to one side. What are your boys reading? Or what did they enjoy?

The books in the featured image are his, he has a great selection in his room, but right now little interest. Trying to capture his imagination is proving hard work, though he told me last night that he enjoys writing. My response was, “Okay let’s write something’ and no that didn’t happen.

My novel

Now at 70 000 words and it is developing slowly. My aim is to be on my second draft by Christmas. I purchased a Mono printer a few days ago with a duplex function. Once my first draft is completed I intend to print it, so I can physically hold my first ever novel in its early uncut version. It is a long way from finished but in my mind, it will still be an achievement when it’s complete. As a pantser, I’m still not sure of the end, I had an unexpected character suddenly appear, so somehow if I keep her, I will need to mention her earlier in the story.

I feel my whole first draft will need rewriting when it is finished. Stephen King has said that he will put his first draft away for a few weeks before editing it. To look at the novel with fresh eyes, I’m looking forward to finding out how my story ends. I’m waiting for my characters to lead and tell me.

Facebook live

My Facebook Lives,

Today and new blog post – 3rd September 2019

New blog post and home work – 6th September 2019

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Today

I’ve been sat here typing whilst watching the history channel. I have the children to collect from school later. I’m feeling relaxed and enjoying my free time. Yes, once again I should be sorting out my garden, especially as the weather is getting colder. Writing my novels, blogging and reading have had a detrimental effect on my garden.  It is tidy and the lawn is mowed but I should be spending hours weeding and pulling out bindweed. I could be planting pretty flowers which will then die as soon as the first frost arrives in a few months.

Two years ago, I joined gardening forums on Facebook. It looked great, but once I started writing it has become neglected. Yes, I struggle to manage the whole balancing act.

I’m hoping to do Facebook live again later today, as long as the children let me. I’m now going to make myself another mug of tea, make some food and then drive to the school to collect the children.

For more see, School holidays are over, writing and baking