Place

I am feeling very energized about my writing right now ~ think the combination of joining the novel race, and thinking about my writing so much more on a daily basis has worked wonders for me.

Having said that, I haven’t updated my word count yes because a) I errrr don’t know how to and b) call me old-fashioned but I write up my first drafts in longhand (and in fountain pen too ~ at least it’s not a quill!). Then when I’m relatively happy that there is something on paper that could stand to be transferred to screen I start the process of typing up, which helps in the editing and rewriting too. I know it is probably not the most efficient way to do it, but I adore the glide of the pen nib across the paper, and seeing the words spill out in lovely glossy ink…

Also, whilst I’ve not been actively pounding out a huge amount of words I have been tussling with a few ideas that will inform the narrative ~ I’m looking to play around with the idea of the unreliable narrator, and as I have a couple of narrative voices in the novel I’m aiming to make the least likely character the most unreliable one. This has thrown up a lot of possibilities, so I’m allowing those to gestate right now. Additionally I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the concept of place, of home ~ how where you are from informs who you are. This is a topic I have always been fascinated by: on holiday I always love the difference in the quality of light in a foreign environment, and how waking up each day of your life under that particular square of sky might impact upon character.


In other news, A215 is a bit of a mixed bag so far: I am enjoying the course, and the exercises certainly seem to be goading me into action, but it is an online course so I am finding the lack of active participation in my tutor group very frustrating. Also, the tutor has yet to post up any of the promised exercises. Hhhhmm, I’ll give it another week or ten days or so, but if it doesn’t pick up I’ll look into requesting a transfer to another group. I want to wring every drop out of this course, and whilst I’m trying not to be too offputting to my fellow students by being too “full on” I’m not going to sit in the corner in silence when that is not the way the course is structured.

Any other A215-ers out there?