In the middle of reading ‘The Times of Kerim’ by my friend, Katy Hollway.

Just about to start ‘Home’ by Marrilynne Robison.

After about four different, unsuccessful attempts over four years to write a book based on an ever-evolving story idea, I’ve decided to put it on the back burner and start fresh with a new story - one I’ve had in my mind for a while and is much more straightforward and from my heart.

I’m just going to write it - forgetting about what’s trendy and popular in book world - and just enjoy writing fiction again. If I can write a book that I am happy with and like reading, then there’s a chance other people will too.

The ‘Delirium’ trilogy by Lauren Oliver = total awesomeness.

These books also make me sick. For 3 reasons:

1. Oliver’s writing. Ugh, it is so beautiful and her descriptions manage to be both original and non-draggy on the plot; a writer’s dream.
2. The books explore concepts and plot lines similar to the ones I was already hoping to include in my story. Only better. Damn.
3. Er, did I mention her writing? Just. too. good.

Seriously, I devoured these books. They are wonderful and intense and heartbreaking and engaging, and you will die a thousand deaths by the end of each one. I finished Pandemonium (book 2) just this week (and wailed dramatically like a teen girl to my husband at the end, once I’d stopped being all like: !!!!!!).

Book 3 - Reqiuem - is in the post and cannot get here soon enough!

When people ask me about my book and how my writing is going, I say something along the lines of, “Yeah… pretty good, thanks.” To which they respond, “So have you nearly finished then?” Er… not exactly. Well, no. Not at all.

It’s interesting that writers and non-writers seem to have different definitions of “progress”. For most non-writers, progress looks like word count. How many pages have you written, have you nearly finished the book, is it published yet, etc etc. But for those of us of the writer breed, progress can mean going from 70,000 words of a story that just wasn’t working to starting all over again, reading more books, gathering better ideas, reading even more books, tearing down characters we’ve created in order to rebuild them into more realistic ones, and so on.

And in the case of my current work, it is definitely a case of the writer’s definition of progress. ;-)

originalpoetry:

Remember writers, just jot down anything and everything, but do not stop! Nearly 100% of good writing happens during the revision process. So don’t worry about making it quality when it hits the paper, worry about making it quality after all of your thoughts are written down.

(via its-a-writer-thing)

stsathyre:

You think writing is easy until you remember that you have to:

• Research
• Character build
• World Build
• Outline
• Plan (yes it’s different from outlining)
• Draft
• Write
• rewrite
• rewrite
• get someone to read it
• rewrite
  
• rewrite
• Someone else reads it again
• rewrite
• give up
• cry
• start query letters
• Hope
• Pray
• Bribe agents

Lather, rinse, repeat.