Today is my final day of peaceful writing before my new semester at university begins in earnest! I'm still not at the end of my novel, but it's taking shape. I have a Prologue and have completed Part One (at least, it's done for now - it will no doubt alter substantially on the first … Continue reading Day 150 – Three Month Novel Update
A New Start
What is it about the word 'new' that gives us that tingle of excitement, that little buzz of knowing that the world around us is about to shift? September is often a time for new starts. The changing of the leaves from deep green to burnt amber often brings with it other changes in our … Continue reading A New Start
Three Months Later …
On 1st May, I set myself a goal: "This summer, I will write a novel". Each day I would write a minimum of 1,000 words, so that by August, I'd have a first draft. That was the plan! Happy August! Where's the novel, I hear you ask? Well. About that. It's getting there. It's a … Continue reading Three Months Later …
Stuck in the Middle
Holidays, hosting a party, or rearranging the kitchen cupboards. No matter how much preparation you put into something, it rarely goes the way you imagined it. 'The best laid plans', or so they say ... Writing a novel is, apparently, just the same. I began on 1st May 2015 with pages and pages of notes … Continue reading Stuck in the Middle
Getting to Know Your Characters
What time do you get up in the morning? What do you have for breakfast, and do you eat it while watching TV, listening to the radio, making conversation, or rubbing your eyes blearily and hoping the spoon is going somewhere near your mouth? I'm sure you could answer these questions for yourself - and … Continue reading Getting to Know Your Characters
‘The Atelier Project’ on Issuu
What inspires you to create? Where has creativity brought you? What makes a perfect piece of work? These were some of the questions that I found myself trying to answer when I submitted an entry into Molly Miltenberger Murray's 'The Atelier Project' in March - and it wasn't easy! Molly, another of the talented students … Continue reading ‘The Atelier Project’ on Issuu
Day 14 – Three Month Novel
Day 14 Number of words: 14,210 Number of chocolate bars consumed: 1 (Dairy Milk Caramel) I'm at the end of my first fortnight of writing, and so far my Three Month Novel goal is looking achievable. I have managed to stick to an average of 1,000 words per day. Some days this is easier than … Continue reading Day 14 – Three Month Novel
Day 1
Day 1 of my summer writing challenge and I am happy to report that I have surpassed my goal and written a grand total of 1,619 words. Yippee! Not every day will be so easy. Some days, it will be a struggle to find the inspiration (or the quiet moments between toddler temper tantrums and … Continue reading Day 1
Preparing to Write
How do you begin to write a novel? Do you rush straight in with a vague idea in your head, or do you spend days, weeks, months, or even years meticulously planning every moment before you ever set pen to paper (or, finger to keypad)? There isn't a "right" way to write. It depends on … Continue reading Preparing to Write
The Three Month Novel
This summer, I will write a novel. If I'd set myself that goal one year ago, I would have laughed in my own face. Write an entire novel? In one summer? Are you crazy? No, but I'm confident. The story has been forming in my mind for the last few weeks, patiently unravelling. Now it's … Continue reading The Three Month Novel
Kerrie McKinnel 