Cake and the A to Z Challenge 2016

How is it Monday again already? Does anyone else feel like someone sets the clocks to run extra fast on a weekend, then slows them right down again for Monday?

Anyway, this weekend the Engineer and I went into the city on Saturday - he bought a load of stuff for trip to Sweden for the WRC in February, and I treated myself to some decent make-up (hello MAC, where have you been all my life??). We went out for lunch, and then we headed home before going to see The Hateful Eight on Saturday night. It was so lovely to spend time with the Engineer that's more than a few hours at night - it felt like we were in uni again with all the time in the world!

On Sunday though, the Engineer once again abandoned me for his cars. I didn't mind though - I used the time to break through the 30,000 word mark on my current WIP. For some reason, this number gives me great satisfaction - it's like it's starting to become an actual novel instead of just a random collection of scenes (which if I'm honest, that's actually all it is right now) - it feels like the book is finally starting to have a shape. This is the first full length novel I'm trying to write without an outline. I have loads of ideas for scenes and chapters, and how they'll vaguely fit together, but I have no detailed synopsis. Which in a way is great, but equally, I do occasionally find myself wondering how all these loose ends are going to tie up.

So to celebrate, I made some buns. I'd post a photo, but I deliberately didn't decorate them very well because I was too eager to start eating. But yeah, that's basically my reward for any time I accomplish something to do with writing - I eat cake :).

In other news, the A to Z Challenge 2016 sign up list is now live! If you'd like to find out more about this awesome challenge, you can find out more on their website here. I took part last year, and I'm definitely signing up again this year. I've already got a possible theme, but I'll let it germinate for a bit, before deciding whether or not to commit to it.

So that's it for today! I'm going to leave you with this wonderful quote my boss sent me over the weekend. Even though it doesn't really have anything to do with writing, I love love love it!

What do you do to celebrate when you reach a goal in your writing? What did you get up to this weekend? Are you participating in the A to Z Challenge this year?

C is for...Celebration!

Today's A-Z blog post is brought to you by the letter C!

When you're in the midst of writing your first, or tenth, or even fiftieth book, it can be so easy to get worn down by the whole process. You're slogging away day after day on one particular chapter or scene, nothing you write seems to be going right, your characters simply refuse to do what you're telling them to do...all you want to do is either crawl under the duvet and cry, or scrap the whole thing and take up falconry as a hobby instead.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed by the negatives when writing a novel, but it's so important to focus on the positives, or you'll never make it to the end.

So, I say, make sure you take the time to celebrate your successes, no matter how big or small.

First of all, you've started writing a novel. How many people have you heard say 'oh, I'd like to write a novel one day,' only for them to never get round to it? Well, congratulations! You've already overcome that particular hurdle!

When you finally manage to untangle that beast of a plot, or you have a brainwave about how to finally get that character out of that sticky situation, make sure you celebrate that achievement - because it is an achievement. Every day, you're working hard to make your novel better, and every day you're moving a little bit closer to that first draft becoming an actual, real-life novel.

When you reach the end of a chapter, or a scene, make sure you celebrate. When you realise that, for the first time, your novel actually makes sense time-wise, celebrate.

And, most importantly, when you finish a draft of your novel - any draft, from the first to the final version - celebrate.

I'm not talking about hiring a brass band and throwing a glitzy party every time (I'm pretty sure you're writing to try and make money, not burn it) - you can celebrate however you like. Take a relaxing bath, treat yourself to a new pair of shoes or a new book, organise a day out with your friends (because no doubt they're wondering whether or not you're still alive after you've been sucked into that black hole of writing your novel), catch up with family, go for a walk - however you want to treat yourself to, do it!

Me? I bake. Whenever I need to get away from my manuscript, or whenever I finish a draft, I set myself a baking challenge. This is the cake I made after I finished the first draft of Synthetica:

In hindsight, it was a very big cake. And it took me the best part of four hours to make. But, hey, that's just how I like to celebrate!

So how about you? Do you celebrate your successes while writing? If so, how?