It’s almost Christmas and at our  MRWG Christmas party we will all bring a writing-related Kris Kringle to  share.  While I love selecting a  little something, wrapping it prettily and hoping the recipient will like it,  what I wish for you is a Writer’s Survival Kit – a box full of the things that I  think are  essentials

 Bum  Glue
A giant tube for those who, like  me, are princesses of procrastination and are never short of an excuse to either  get up from the desk or not sit there in the first place.  Even when inspiration has fled and the Muse getting rejuvenated at the  day spa, our posteriors need to be firmly glued to the seat and write  something  – anything.  It’s not about making  progress on our WIP, it’s about making writing a  habit.

Permission to Write  Crap
Used in conjunction with Bum Glue, this is what let’s our writing move forward.  I have found this the  most useful ‘tool’ and remind myself of it constantly –particularly when I found  myself editing the very first sentence of a new story!   As Nora Roberts once said ‘you can’t fix a blank page’ and it’s easier to  fix a page of crappy writing than a page of nothing.  

Thick Skin
A  cute little suit, in the color of your choice (mine’s a lovely leopard print),  which you slip on and zip up before being critiqued or while waiting for news  from publishers.  What makes this suit special is that it lets you take in feedback and criticism, sift out the  useful, relevant and positive comments while not taking anything negative  personally.  

Thirst for  Knowledge
Knowledge nourishes growth of both  the author and the writing . Whether we’ve been writing for a year or a decade,  whether we’re published or unpublished,  one thing we will always need is the desire to keep learning about craft, the industry or just our own writing.  

Support
Writing is a solitary pursuit but  no writer is an island (pardon my liberty Mr Donne) and we need validation that
our passion is worthy of the time we put into it.  Ideally this will come from loved ones as well as fellow writers and will  not be dependent upon ‘success’ but an understanding that this is something that
gives us pleasure and something that is as much a part of us as breathing.  

This  is the bundle of writerly goodies which I hope is under everyone’s tree this  Christmas.

MRWG Blog – 20/10/12

Three reasons why you should Nano

Around this time of year, you might hear start hearing novelists muttering about something called ‘Nano’. All around the world, writers huddle together, discussing whether they will be Nano-ing this year.

Just what on earth is it?

For the uninitiated, Nano refers to Nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month. It takes place annually in November, and the idea is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Nano started in 1999 with 21 participants – last year, over 250,000 people took part.

I’ve been Nano-ing since I first learnt about it in 2005, and, in spite of the blood, sweat and tears it produces each year, I always look forward to taking part again. Why? For three very good reasons.

1.      Community

Writing is a lonely profession, lets be honest. Other than the characters in our heads, a writer might not speak to anyone for hours, and it’s rare to find the non-writers in your life really understand the compulsion to get words on the page.

But during Nano, over a quarter of a million writers gather in one electronic space. There are forums where you’ll find everything from rants about how hard it is to get the words out to writing sprints to help you keep going. There are city based groups (several for Australia) where you can actually, physically meet up with fellow writers in your area.

All in all, a great writing community. Who wouldn’t want that?

2.      Consistency

To be successful in Nano, you need to be consistent. You need at least 1,600 words a day to reach the final target, and if you get behind in the first few days, it’s hell trying to catch up (trust me, I’ve tried).

This is great training to learn how to write every day. Post Nano, you needn’t keep it at that level, but just about every professional writer I’ve spoken to will confirm the need to write every day. Nano is a great way to practice this skill.

3.      Creativity

Nano will really get your creativity going. In order to hit the target, you need to learn how to turn your inner editor off and just write. No endlessly going back over a single word trying to get it right. No tweaking your opening sentence again and again and again….

In fact, one of the mottos of Nano is: ‘I’ll fix it in the rewrite’.

To be successful, you just need to let the words pour out of you onto the page, and when you can learn to get out of your own way like this, you’ll find some true gems in your writing that can be polished later. Yes, they’ll be some rubbish in there too, but by getting out of your own way, you’ll find your creative muscle gets stronger and stronger.

So head on over to Nanowrimo and sign up – it could just be the best thing you ever do for your writing. And I look forward to seeing you there!

Many writers talk about refilling the well, taking time out to do stuff other than write. I regard it as taking my muse out on a date, rewarding her with a good time for being such a damned good muse.
For some, refilling the well means watching movies, going to plays, reading or doing craft. For me, two activities work like a charm.

I love listening to live music, particularly jazz, and we’ll often go to one of several local hotels to listen to a band.
Perhaps it’s the mindless state one can drift into when listening to music that works for me. The beat, rhythm and pacing remind me of writing. And if you’re listening to jazz there’s dialogue, as the different instruments tic-tac with each other. Playing, flirting, fighting.

So while the music washes over me I empty my mind. And characters arrive -  sometimes vibrant and fully formed, other times just whispering a snatch of dialogue in my ear.

Sometimes it’s a cue from the lyrics that helps with a writing problem. Listening recently to a gorgeous performance of Curtis Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” I was struck by that repeated line – please send me someone to love. Whilst it’s an activist’s call for peace in this particular song, the line resonated on a different level. And solved a problem in my story.

The other way I refill the well is to get out of town and go bush.

We’re about to set off on our annual outback camping trip. On one level this is supposed to be a break away, a chance to take time out. But when we jump in “the truck” and head out of the city I’m like a sponge, soaking up colour and characters, places, smells and language. Primarily I do it because I love it. But the writer in me just can’t help taking notes. That intersection of red earth and brilliant blue sky entrances me. The laconic bloke in a battered Akubra propped at the bar in a country pub is as attractive as any Zegna-suited hero. Strange things happen, life runs at a different pace. It all goes into the notebook.

Watching a campfire is hypnotic and my mind wanders while my internal story editor is switched off and told to take a holiday. Characters and scenes, snatches of dialogue are conjured from flames licking against logs. It’s restful and creative and I always come away with new stories.

This trip I’m finishing a story set in the outback so it will be great to complete the book while I’m “out there”.

Louise’s debut romance will be published by Penguin’s digital romance imprint, Destiny Romance, in late 2012.