The first two months of this journey went so smoothly, but this third month has been challenging in many ways, yet also pretty fabulous in parts. I’m horribly late getting this blog written, which is reflective of how things have gone over the past ten days or so, but it’s not all bleak. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable month on many fronts. We held a 5-night retreat at the lovely Rosemerryn early in the month, where we reunited with some much loved clients and met some splendid new ones. The Building Blocks of Writing course completed its ten week run, always bittersweet as you say goodbye to people you’ve shared a special journey with, but we’ll meet again sometime, I’m sure. I’m busy prepping the Shape a Publishable Novel course, starting this week, and… I finally went away on a retreat myself, as a client rather than a tutor for once (more on that below). Towards the end of the month, I headed up-country to spend time with family, and while that’s always a pleasure, it does interrupt the work flow somewhat.
All in all, it’s been a disruptive month, and part of me feels I haven’t achieved a damn thing on the novel. But, one of the reasons I’m loving having a plan is that when I’m feeling like I’m getting nowhere fast, a quick check-in reassures me that all is not as bleak as it feels. Let’s take a look at this month’s goals.
The plan for March was to:
- Write a minimum of 200 words every day.
- Have at least 6,000 words or three chapters by the end of the month.
Well, I haven’t written a minimum of 200 words every day, but I do have 9,000 words in hand, a lot of which were, admittedly, already written. But still, target met, and while I’d like to have done more, I have done enough to stay on track, so it’s not all gloom and doom. I also had some carry forward tasks from the previous months to think about. More research was needed and more character development. I have done more of each, that’s for sure, but not enough yet, so that task keeps on rolling forward. Perhaps that will be the case all year, we’ll see. But I have chipped away at it, and that’s the main thing to hold onto. I’m determined not to beat myself up during this process.
The big thing I have achieved this month has been in terms of the planning. I did go away on a four night writing retreat, and having that amount of space and time to think and plan was such a rare treat. In my experience, it’s possible to chip away at the wordcount in small snatches of time, but for planning/structuring etc., you need headspace and plenty of it. Tucked away in my very comfortable ensuite room, with no domestic chores to do and no dog to walk (sorry, Becks, love you really) I was able to get shed loads more work done on the planning and thinking side of things. Those who know how I work will be reassured to hear that yes, I did get out my wallpaper and post-its and get stuck in. I have a much clearer and more detailed idea of where this story is heading now. Much will change in the writing of it I’m sure, and many other threads will need layering in, but as a result I’m ready to start racking up the wordcount, and that, at least, feels good.
So why am I feeling twitchy at all, given that I’ve met my target and spent some very productive time away? I think it’s because for the past ten days or so I haven’t got anything done on the novel. Nada. Zilch. I’m still away from home, out of routine, and I’m finding carving out a creative space here very difficult. Also, I’m away from my local Shut Up and Write groups, so I can’t attend those vital writing sprints that have been keeping me on track. And it shows. It’s soooooo easy to fall off the perch when a million other demands are being made on your time, and your carefully nurtured routines are put aside. All of this has helped me to make up my mind to commit to setting up my own writing sprints on Zoom, which I can do from anywhere. I know that no matter how busy life gets, I will turn up for them because I will have made that commitment to other people, which, for me, seems be the most effective way to give myself a kick up the butt.
If you’d like to join me on Zoom, keep an eye on your inbox because I’ll be sending an invitation and a Zoom link to all subscribers soon, and am planning, initially, on setting up a writing hour from 6pm to 7.15pm on Tuesday evenings (BST). It’ll be a simple case of drop in, say hello, then crack on with your writing in whatever way is helpful for you. No critique, no sharing, no pressure. Being behind with this month already, and aware that I’m still away from home for another week, I’ll certainly need to be making the most of those sessions myself. The first one will be on Tuesday 23rd April 2024. Be lovely if any of you want to join me. Feel free to invite your writing friends; all they need to do is subscribe to my website on my Home Page or send me a message on my Contact Page, then follow the zoom link that I send them.
Until next time,
Kath
Kath Morgan Writer 