CONTACT ME:
Writing from Alter-Space
  • Home
    • Free Read: An Angel in the Mirror
  • Books
    • The Nightmarist and Other Stories
    • Exodus Sequence >
      • Wired
      • Reflected
      • Walked
      • Spooked
      • Suicided
      • Crashed
      • Woken
      • Experienced
      • Caged
      • Drowned
    • Exodus Sequence 2 >
      • Shattered
    • Fleet Quintet >
      • Transference
      • Flesh for Sale
      • V. Gomenzi
      • Commences
    • A Doorway into Ultra
    • Diamonds on the Moon
    • Clarendon House Anthologies
    • Microfiction
  • Blog

Handwritten Creation

5/6/2018

0 Comments

 
I've just finished writing a short story - by hand, in ten days!  This was QUITE unplanned.  
I was already working on a new Exodus Sequence novelette, which was turning into a huge piece, so huge I had to split it in two.  I had begun the second part but my writing seemed to slow down to a crawl.  It was hard to concentrate on something that was, essentially, just too hard.  I think I was perhaps being over-ambitious!
Also, life was getting in the way.
So I did something I've never done before:  I took a few pieces of paper with me to Kew, sat in a window overlooking the lake and, while waiting for my coffee (they needed to pick the beans, so it was taking a while.....), I began to make notes.  I wrote another paragraph for the Flash Fiction piece I was working on.  And then made some notes for the series of short stories I wanted to write inspired by the novel I wrote last year (and for which I'm currently trying to find an agent.)
Before I knew it, I had already written a page.  
The next day I sat down and wrote a few more.  Then more.  I sat in front of my computer, though it was turned off, and just wrote and wrote and wrote, often for longer than I would usually write when typing, and producing many more words in a sitting.  The story unfolded easily, surprising me on the way.  Once you read it, you'd think I'd spent an age planning it.  Even the research was fun and I wrote with confidence, never second-guessing myself.  It helped also not to go back and edit each day because that really slows me down too.  And once I'd worked out vaguely how many words I was writing per page (around 500), it meant I could judge the length of the story and ensure it didn't turn into an over-long saga, which is what I was trying to avoid.  At a rough guess, I'd say it's about 10 000 words, which is what I was aiming at.  For me, that's short.
But better than all of this is the sheer utter joyful feeling of CREATING.  It was just wonderful to be able to produce this work.  It removed me from the day-to-day tribulations of Life long enough to improve my mood and give me the strength to go back to it.  As a writer, I sometimes think I only get to spend about 2% of my life actually writing;  the rest is just coping.  At least writing (when it goes well) gives one something to live for.

I now sit with 24 pages of my handwriting, which looks neat enough but is actually quite a trial to copy-type.  (I've been through this before.)  So I've come up with a brilliant idea:  using a dictaphone and audio-typing.  I downloaded one (there are zillions available, it seems) onto my tablet and have already recorded the first few pages.  Each recording is only a thousand words or so (two written pages) and about 6 minutes long.  This makes more confrontable blocks to type.  I absolutely can't stand the sound of my voice but just have to get over that.  
Will let you know how it goes!
​
Picture
Writing at my desk
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I live in Bloomsbury.
    I write.
    Sometimes it goes quite well.

    ​

    FOLLOW
    You can follow
    Diary of a
    Bloomsbury Writer
     
    on ​
    ​wordpress.com
    where it's called
    Writing from
    ​Alter-Space

    ​​

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Commences
    Everlast
    Lent
    Life
    Life In Bloomsbury
    My Coronavirus Diary
    New Novel
    On Editing
    On Publishing
    On Writing
    Review
    Second Draft
    The Difficult Novel
    The End
    Writing Tips

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Markus Trienke, eflon, Larry Smith2010, __MaRiNa__, elminium, InvictusOU812, PaulBalfe, Rina Pitucci (Tilling 67), ANBerlin [Ondré], Sumriana Babyana, stevecadman, Darling Starlings, Saku Takakusaki, Rubén Díaz Caviedes, Ric Capucho, aquigabo!, Key Foster, Mrs Airwolfhound, my little red suitcase, Joe Le Merou, freestock.ca ♡ dare to share beauty, bluebirdsandteapots, the bridge, Flower Power girl, Sharon & Nikki McCutcheon, chakchouka, archer10 (Dennis) 85M Views, this lyre lark, Secret Pilgrim, Hunky Punk, waaanderlust, takkle K, michaelmueller410, paweesit, Rick Camacho, Gidzy, J.J. Verhoef, Honza M., HDValentin, kthypryn, Pfauenauge *back to school...on and off*, diana_robinson, indigoMood, enrico.pighetti, Maria Eklind, timsackton, docoverachiever, Sharon & Nikki McCutcheon, bjpcorp, matty_gibbon, katya_alagich