Jul 16, 2013

I must confess... I'm trying something I don't know if I can do

I must confess... I am a bit poorly today. The family has been sick with this bronchial thing that has been sweeping Melbourne, and though I thought I had escaped it is now my turn.

I should be sleeping instead of blogging, so I must confess I am going to tap this out FAST and get into my bed.

For those who know me it's no secret I have long harbored writing ambitions. I must confess, those who know me have long stopped expecting me to do anything about it.

But a couple of months ago I started toying with a young adult novel, and I have written... half of a first chapter. I must confess I have become stuck, and am easily distracted reading writing tips and saving writing websites to my new writing folder in my browser favorites. I must confess I spend too much time 'researching' my central theme and plot points and too little time writing.

I must confess I follow writers on Twitter and try to glean wisdom from their tweets and websites, and I spend too much time trying to work out their age and incomes and free time relative to mine. I must confess I know full well no one else is swimming in money and free time and the only real difference between them and me is they are actually WRITING.


JulieJordanScott/Flickr
I could write if I had a river


However, I must confess I have AT LAST taken some small steps. I fired off a 25-word fiction story to a magazine (baby steps...) and have entered the Australian Writers' Centre Shortest Short Story Competition. You can too - it's here.

I also found inspiration from the Write On linky at BabyBaby, and have started two short stories based on her word prompts. Alas, they are not finished, so I haven't been able to link up anything. But one day...


So that's my confession. What about you? Go on - confess. 
The link is here:  I must confess...

I must confess

8 comments:

  1. I think it's brilliant you've started Jackie - good luck with the novel and the competition. Best thing now might be to avoid distractions and work offline! I've a friend who writes and freely admits she does too much web 'research' which eats up her time.
    Great to get tips and inspiration, as long as that doesn't make you think too hard about how you write and stifle the flow of words, if that makes sense?
    Hope you're feeling a bit better x

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    1. Thanks Tracey, and thanks for the encouragement. Yes I think offline working is definitely required! Can I do it though...?

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  2. Good luck with it - it's a rewarding thing to do - and bloody hard. Says she who's been trying to write a book for years.

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  3. Good on you. I'm a big researcher too, so I'm sure all of the time you're spending not writing isn't going to waste. It is sometimes hard to fit it all in though, isn't it? Good luck with the comp :)

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  4. Well done for finally taking that first step and living your dream. Sending you positive vibes and hoping that great things come your way soon. Thanks so much for linking up, so sorry it took me a little while to swing by your way Jackie!

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    1. Thanks for the good vibes Kirsty. No worries!

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