Three writing updates

Hey everyone, hope you all had a lovely weekend! It's Monday, it's cold, it's rainy and so I thought I'd just share a couple of updates with my writing that happened over the weekend:

• I'm still working on my social media content posts. I've managed to write about half of my notes up for work, but once I'm done, I'm going to have then decide how to present them on my blog. I think there's a better way than me just randomly writing down what happened during the day, but I need a bit of time to figure all that out. So although I was planning on having my first post out wither tomorrow or Wednesday, it might actually be closer to the end of the week (if not next week).

• Over the weekend I managed to write 1,600 words of my current WIP. It's not the sequel to Synthetica unfortunately - it's my 'throw-all-the-rules-out-of-the-window' WIP. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying writing this book. Having no rules when it comes to writing is actually incredibly liberating!

• I didn't get quite as much writing done as I would've liked over the weekend, as me and the Engineer ended up having a long hard look on Sunday at what we want out of life. He wants to start his own business and I want to make a career as an author (so essentially, we both want to work for ourselves). On Sunday we started to put our ideas into practice by, not only making a plan of what we want to achieve over the next few years, but by actually starting the process of implementing what was in our plan. It was incredibly exciting, and enthusiasm for our ideas is essentially what got me through work today. So although I didn't end up working on my WIP on Sunday, I did get to create and write content for the Engineer's business, which is still writing at the end of the day, and that's what I adore doing (and will still look good on a portfolio!).

So that's it for now - hopefully I'll be back later on in the week with the first of my social media content posts, but as I'm also trying to dedicate more time to my writing, don't be surprised if it ends up being next week instead.

Have a great week!

What did you get up to this weekend? How is your writing going? Have you ever sat down and written a plan to achieve your goals in life?

Not so blue Monday...

So apparently today is the most depressing day of the year (see below for the formula which apparently 'proves' this). No one has any money, the weather is bad and we'd all just like to go back to bed and hibernate for the rest of January instead of going to work. I actually feel rather positive about today - mainly because tomorrow is payday and I've been counting down the days until the 19th for the last three weeks when I ran out of money. Whoops. So for me, Monday isn't looking so blue (yet).

I went out on Friday night for a meal with The Engineer's family, to celebrate his dad's 60th birthday. If I'm honest, I had been dreading it because I hate large social gatherings, but it was actually surprisingly good (and the food was great too). Then on Saturday, The Engineer went out with his dad for the day, so I stayed at home and caught up on some chores, before sitting down and writing all afternoon. It felt so good to be sitting down and doing some writing again. It was lovely just to carve out some 'me' time and spend it doing whatever I wanted to do - writing, eating chocolate and drinking tea. Bliss.

Then yesterday, we decided to have another lazy day. However, The Engineer is the kind of guy who can't sit still for more than five minutes, so he ended up tidying up the house before laying some more of the kitchen floor. Luckily, for most of this I was again left to my own devices. Which meant that, yup you guessed it, I got to write some more. Hooray!

Over the weekend I've managed to write about 5,000 words on my new fantasy novel. I'm still in love with the story and the characters, and I'm so looking forward to this being an actual finished book that I can read. Like I mentioned a while ago, this novel is just for me, and there's something very peaceful about the fact that once it's done, I can read it, then do whatever I like with it. I may show it to a few people if I think they'll like it, or I may not. But to even have that choice feels so good. I'm not rushing it, I'm not constantly worried about what people will think - I'm writing it simply for the pleasure of writing.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Have a great week!

Do you feel down about 'Blue Monday'? What did you get up to this weekend? How is your writing going?

Fridays are PJ Days...

Today I got to go to work in my pyjamas, in honour of Children in Need. I don't think I've ever spent a whole day in pyjamas before (when I'm not ill that is), so it was a bit weird waking up, having a shower then getting back into my (clean) PJs. But I have to say, it grew on me. I can now see why some authors would choose to stay in their PJS all day...if I ever reach the point where I can write full time for living, I'm totally going to make Fridays my 'PJ day' and write in my pyjamas all day.

Anyway, I haven't managed to do a lot of writing this week, as I've been concentrating on blogging/setting up Wattpad. But I'm hoping that I'll manage to find some time to write this weekend while the Engineer tidies up the last of his car bits. The sequel to Synthetica is currently standing at 15,000 words, so that's a positive. I'm hoping to add at least a few more thousand words to that word count by the end of the weekend.

The next part of Synthetica is now up on Wattpad - so do go and check it out if you like sci-fi/serialised books :).

Tonight, I'm planning on staying in my pyjamas and ordering a pizza for supper. Sounds like a good night to me!

Happy Friday, everyone!

How do you feel about staying in your pyjamas all day? What are your writing plans for the weekend?

Getting that Friday Feeling

It's finally the end of the week! Time to party:

Or if you're like me, time to get in your PJs, drink tea and eat pizza while watching films.

I feel like this week has simultaneously gone at a snail's pace, and yet, passed in the blink of an eye...maybe it's because I've been working at my day job and then coming home and putting in several hours every night at my second job that I do for love, not money (or, as you all know it, writing).

Honestly, it's been exhausting coming home, having a quick cup of tea and then jumping on the computer for a good few hours before I have to go and make supper/reassure my fiancé that I'm still alive. But I have really enjoyed it. I love the sense that my writing is in my control - I can either sit and complain about my day job driving me crazy, while grumbling that I'm not getting any writing done and oh yeah, did I mention the house is still an absolute tip from when the builders came in? - or I can do something about it.

I want to make writing my full time career. I want to be able to work for myself, not someone else. I want to do a job that I love every day. So I'm damn well going to make it happen.

Is it exhausting? Yes. Do I wish I could sit down the moment I come home from work and just chill all night? Yes. But hey, there's nothing in the rulebook that says I can't have a night off now and then, right?

This weekend, I was torn between sitting down and getting some writing done, or focussing on the house and finally getting some of the decorating out of the way. The Engineer has a uni friend coming to stay with us this weekend, so they can go and work on his car together - which means I've got an unexpected extended period of time in which to do as I please (normally at the weekends, I'm the one that gets dragged into helping him hoist out the engine or changing the brake pads). Do I get cracking on the decorating, as the house is driving me mad in the state it's in? Or do I get some serious writing done?

I think I've managed to convince myself over the right choice, just by writing this blog post. Although I've started to develop a serious eye twitch every time I look at the state of our ceilings, the fact is, writing is more important to me right now. I want to make a career out of it - and I can't do that if I don't actually do any writing.

So this weekend I'm planning on waking up early, psyching myself up, and then writing until my heart's content. As a treat, I may even stock up on cake beforehand, as a motivation to keep going. Whatever keeps me at the computer...

Have a great weekend!

Do you juggle writing with a full time job? How do you make the time to write? What are your writing plans this weekend?

Small victories...

It's been a little while since I last posted - the Engineer and I went away last weekend to see some old uni friends, and then I've just felt pretty bogged down with work and one thing and another. But I'm back now, feeling refreshed and ready to go!

And I have some good news! I did read all your comments on my IWSG post, and firstly, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented. You all inspired me to stop moaning/procrastinating and actually get on with what I'm here to do - write. So on Thursday night I finally started working on the sequel to Synthetica - I'd made a detailed synopsis some time ago, but I hadn't actually got around to writing a word of the actual manuscript. 

And oh my, was I in for a shock.

I think I've actually completely blanked out how difficult it is to write those first few pages of a manuscript. Seriously, it felt like I was pulling teeth. I just wanted to cry and scream and break something. You want to know how many words I managed to write? 281. I'm truly not exaggerating when I say how awful those 281 words were. They were appalling. If you read it, you wouldn't think I was capable of even speaking English, let alone writing it.

But you know what? It didn't stop me. On Saturday, I got up, had breakfast, wandered around for a bit and then sat and wrote most of the day. On Sunday, I repeated Saturday's routine (with an impromptu trip food shop thrown in).

This weekend I managed to clock up a total of 5127 words. When I look back over what I've written I think I can pretty much break it down into chunks like this: around 3000 of those words will ultimately be cut because they make zero sense, 1000 words will be chopped and changed into some kind of coherent order, 800 words can be kept outright (because they're basically essential words such as 'said', 'he', 'Anais' and 'and') and hiding amongst all the crap, there might be 200 words/phrases if I'm lucky that I'll keep because they're actually telling the story I want to be told.

Does it make me feel disheartened when I realise that most of my weekend's effort won't survive the final cut (however far away that may be)? Not at all. If anything, I'm happy that I actually have something to work with now - instead of staring at a blank page, I can remodel, cut and paste or rewrite my novel altogether, until what's on the page finally reflects the book that's in my head. After all, it's only through trial and error that we can really see what it is we truly want out of our writing.

So that's my news. Book 2 is coming on slowly but surely and right now, I'm super happy about that. Also, I've discovered that I've now lost a stone since the summer, so I went on a small shopping trip after work tonight and I was delighted to find that I can now just about shoehorn myself into a size smaller than I was :). A small thing, but nonetheless an achievement for me :).

Happy Monday, folks!

How's your writing going? Do you find first drafts strangely torturous to write too?

 

Weekend Ramblings

I've forgotten how many posts I've given this title, but I'm pretty sure it's more than one. Oh well, my brain is a bit mushy right now, so you're stuck with it ;).

I haven't really accomplished much this week, writing-wise, as the Engineer got rushed into A&E on Monday after an accident at work and I've spent my free time this week driving him to and from work, and generally making sure he's okay. He managed to slash his wrist on a piece of machinery, but luckily it didn't hit anything major and he's doing fine :). He can drive again now, but he just needs to be careful not to twist his wrist too much!

So after all that, all I've really managed to do is note down any ideas that have come to me regarding Synthetica's sequel, and thinking them over. I've already managed to stump myself regarding one character's backstory, and I'm struggling with how to make him seem more relatable. Hopefully this week I'll be able to work on it a bit more on paper, and get a few more coherent ideas down.

This weekend I was also going to write a few more A to Z posts, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll get a few more done today.

Yesterday me and the Engineer went into Norwich - we met up with his sister for lunch, and it was lovely to see her and have a proper catch up. We then went clothes shopping for the both of us, and although we're probably going to be living on tinned beans for the rest of the month, it was so worth it. I've never been one of those girls who loves to go out shopping - I hate crowds, and I generally hold the view that if it hasn't got holes in it (or sometimes, even if it has got holes in it), why replace it? But after the week we've had, who knew retail therapy could actually be enjoyable?! I'm really pleased with what I bought; one of the things was an impulse buy - a bright yellow raincoat/mac - but it looks gorgeous and it makes me happy just looking at it! So if England doesn't get any sunshine this summer, at least I know I have something in my wardrobe that'll make me happy!

Hope you're all having a good weekend! And, for those of you who also work in a school, there's only ONE WEEK LEFT TIL EASTER!! WE CAN DO THIS!!

Happy Sunday!

Feels like I'm doing...nothin' at all!

This weekend I planned to sit down and prepare a lot of my upcoming blog posts (both for Synthetica and for the A - Z blogging challenge), as well as maybe get cracking on the sequel to Synthetica and THEN, if I had time, outline a brand new WIP that I've been thinking a lot about lately.

So how much of my ever-growing to-do list did I get done over the weekend?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

And. It. Was. Bliss.

I've been pretty wound up over the past week and I don't know why - whether it's subconsciously been to do with work, or home or my writing, or maybe even good old dose of PMT - I genuinely can't tell you. All I can say is that by the time Friday rolled around, I could've cried with gratitude. I've learnt a lot about myself while writing Synthetica, and I knew that if I continued to feel stressed, I wouldn't get anything done this weekend at all. I'd just sit there and panic about everything I simply had to do, while not actually doing a thing about it.

So I took a break. I read. Literally, that's all I did. I finished Maggie Steifvater's The Dream Thieves in two days. I sat outside and read in the sun (because England finally appears to be getting round to spring). I read inside with a cup of tea. I watched Netflix. I read some more.

It was fantastic. I actually woke up this morning in a good mood! Which, for me, is basically unheard of for a Monday morning (let's just ignore the fact that it only lasted until I got into my car for work, and then the whole subconscious stress/PMT battle started again).

Not only do I feel more energised and ready to tackle my to-do list, I have to say, I was also extremely impressed with The Dream Thieves. I loved The Raven Boys, and I'm so glad I finally got round to ordering the second book in the series, which was just as good. But it wasn't just the story that I haven't been able to get out of my head today - this book has been the first book in a long long time, which made me sit down and think seriously about my own writing. The author has this way of completely and utterly drawing you into the character's world - I could almost hear the cicadas and feel the heat of a Henrietta summer. I was actually a tiny bit surprised when I looked up and found myself in England instead of Virginia.

Reading this book has forced me to stop and assess my own writing. Not in a bad way, but it's just made me realise that I want to write to the very best of my ability. All of the time. For every single book I write, or attempt to write. Not that I haven't been doing that so far, but now, I'm going to try and consciously think, is this the very VERY best I can make it?

I want people to do what I did. I want them to lose a whole weekend reading my book, because they can't bear to put it down. I want my novel to leave an impression on my readers. I want people to think about my book while they're at work, and wonder whether the order they placed for the next book in the series yesterday, could have possibly arrived today (it hasn't. But one can still hope).

So that's all my news! This week, I'm going to focus on working my way through my to-do list, but making sure I take time out if I need to. Let's hope the sun stays out!

Have a great week, everyone!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I am so unbelievably glad it's the weekend. This week has been tough - what with it being the first week back at school after half term, and having 101 things to try and get my head around in preparation for publishing Synthetica, I've just about managed to drag myself through to today.

But the fun doesn't stop here! This weekend, I'm planning on writing up my promo posts for Synthetica, as I'm planning on promoting my book properly from next week! Eek! I still can't believe it! I've outlined a lot of posts, so hopefully I just need to write them up properly now, and then schedule them in. I would apologise for promoting my book so much, but let's face it - as an indie author - if I don't do it, who will ;)? Also, as compensation for the amount of time that I'll be talking about Synthetica over the next month, keep your eyes peeled for a little giveaway I'm planning :)!

I'd also like to write a majority of my A-Z blogging challenge posts if I get the chance, so I don't have to worry about it closer to the time. If I don't start to do it now, I'll probably run out of time to do it altogether, and it would be a shame for me to give up on this challenge without really giving it a good go.

So that's my Friday night/whole weekend/all of next week/most of March sorted! I'm currently sitting here, eating pizza and outlining my Synthetica posts in more detail, before I write them up properly.

It's a glamorous life being a writer.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Just a little post to say...

...Thank you :).

I was truly overwhelmed by the comments I received on my IWSG post this month. 

In all honesty, I haven't felt this insecure/downbeat about my writing/novel in a long long time, and the messages of support I received really opened my eyes again to what's good about the world of writing. It made me remember why I'm so determined to do this as a career and why I love writing, despite it's many pitfalls. It also made me realise that I belong to a fantastic community of lovely encouraging authors, and despite all the insecurities I feel about my own writing, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

So to all of you who commented or read my post on Wednesday, thank you :). I wasn't lying when I said all your comments inspired me to keep going. For example, today I completely finished my beat sheet:

All the scenes in my novel are now annotated and ready to rock 'n' roll for my rewrites.

Have I got a huge job ahead of me? Hell yeah.

You see that first page? There's a massive red bit that says CUT THIS!!! with lots of red arrows and scribbled notes. Essentially, I have to rewrite/chop/move around a good third of my novel. 

Do I mind? Strangely enough, today I feel as though this task isn't impossible. I feel as though I can do it, and I will do it - all it takes is a little determination.

And thanks to all of you, I've got my determination and willpower back. I may not reach my original deadline of completely finishing this novel, but I'm going to damn well try.

Whether you're writing, or taking a break and doing something completely different over the next few days, I hope you're all having a lovely weekend :).

It's finally time...

After waiting and waiting for weeks, it's finally here....the summer holidays! *cries in relief*

Now, I know most people will be grumbling and saying that no one needs as much time off as teachers/TA's do, but let me tell you something - when you look after over sixty 4-5 year olds every day for weeks on end, as well as dealing with their parents - you need a break. Otherwise you'll just burst into tears and have a nervous breakdown. I love my job, I really do, but when you've had to put up with kids arguing with you (yes, even at that age), parents shouting at you, children getting hyper because it's approaching the end of term, as well as dealing with the 101 things you have to do as part of your daily job anyway....trust me, you're glad for the break.

On another positive note, we finally have internet in our house - hooray! Although the slight downside is that I'm now away for the next four weeks...but I have constant internet access where I am anyway, so there's really no excuse now for me NOT to blog regularly (apart from y'know, sheer laziness).

Anyway, the real point of this blog was this....

I think I'm finally ready for a Critique Partner.

I'm at that stage in my novel where I've edited (most of) it, I know what I want it to sound like...I now need someone to tell me how to whip it into shape, and to call me out on some of the dreadful writing I know is in there, but I just can't see it. And of course, I will reciprocate in kind :).

I guess I'd just love someone to read though it and let me know as someone who; A) isn't related to me and B) has no obligation to be nice to me because of point A, whether or not my story works and what I can do to improve it.

This is a big thing for me - for years my work has been private and I've shied away from sharing it with anyone because I'm just simply too terrified that people would hate it. Now, I think (and I honestly don't mean to sound arrogant here) I finally have a novel that I'm willing to share with the world.

So if you're a YA author and you're at all interested in becoming my CP, please just let me know :). I'd love to send you a couple of chapters for you to check out (don't worry, I won't bombard you with the whole thing at once!). The email address you can contact me on is: rachelsramblingsblog@gmail.com.

Or alternatively, feel free to leave me a comment in the comments section of this post :).

Like I said, it's a two way thing, so I'm more than happy to critique your work in kind. And just so you know folks, now is probably the best time for me to review your work as I have a long loooong summer ahead of me ;).

Happy writing!

A game for a rainy day...

...or a sunny day for that matter. The sun is shining, the birds are singing...and I'm sitting indoors like the little hermit that I am.

Anyway! I thought I'd share with you all a little writing tip I read about last week. Now, I don't know about you, but I always work/write better if I don't think of it as actual work...which is why I'm calling this a 'game', and not just a bog-standard writing tip.

Are you ready? Sure?

Ok, let's go - here's what you do:

1. You sit down.
2. You open up your laptop/computer/notepad/chalkboard
3. You write a synopsis for your novel that's between 35 - 80 words

That's it. That's all there is to it.

I know, I know - it probably sounds incredibly boring, but trust me on this - for the past few weeks, I haven't been that excited about my novel. So instead of slogging away forcing myself to write, I decided to thumb through the Writer's & Artist's Yearbook for some inspiration. It was only when I found the page on how to write a synopsis that I thought, 'hey, here's something I could do right now.'

Best. Decision. Ever.

It might sound counter-productive, but having a definite word count really sharpens your mind and forces you to focus on exactly what you want to say. If I didn't have a word count, I might end up writing a rambling 2000 words blow-by-blow account of each chapter in my novel. But by limiting yourself to a maximum of 80 words, you really have to think about the essence of your story, the bare basics of what makes up your novel. Instead of throwing the words down onto the page, I had to think about each one - and once I'd finished my synopsis, I suddenly knew exactly where I wanted my novel to go.

I know you're only really supposed to write a synopsis once you've finished your novel and you're getting ready to query it, but it you're stuck in a bit of a rut, it can be a fun activity to get your excited about writing again.

So what do you think about synopsises? Have you written one before you've finished your novel? If so, did it work or not? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Book reviews and other exciting news...

I'm a poet and I didn't know it! Hahaha...ahem....

Moving on...

I think it's time I started blogging a bit more regularly - I always mean to post about some topic or other, but then I end up forgetting/procrastinating/falling asleep instead. So, I am very excited to announce that from now on, I will be posting regular book reviews! I'm aiming to post these up every Friday - with the exception of this week, which I'll be posting up today instead...

Just a couple of things to mention about my reviews - please bear with me while I get the hang of it - I'll probably ramble on for a while until I get into a rhythm and realise what's important and what's not! Also, I'll be rating my reviews out of 5 cupcakes instead of 5 stars - simply because I love cake and I'm desperate to find a legitimate way to incorporate it into this blog ;). Also, while I won't be sticking to a definite category of books (because I do love to read most genres), there probably will be more YA reviews on here than any others, simply because that's what I love to read :). But I am open to any and all suggestions, so please let me know if you think there's an amazing book I should check out!

In other news - this isn't that exciting (sorry, I lied in the title - BUT IT GOT YOUR ATTENTION DIDN'T IT! HAHAHA! Ahem...) but I'm going to be updating this blog over the next couple of weeks - my WIPs have changed completely since I last wrote that page, and I'm currently looking around for different backgrounds etc, just to make my blog look a bit more interesting :).

I'm also toying with the idea of bringing back my author interviews...if I can remember how to get into my Authonomy account that is! But if you can think of anyone you think I should interview/if you're an author and you wanna be featured, please just drop me an email :)!

So that's all for today! Have a great weekend, folks!

Just keep swimming...I mean, writing...

So it's week 3 of NaNoWriMo - where has the time gone?!

I was actually fully expecting that I'd give up again this year, and that I'd only make it to 1,000 words again - but to my surprise, I'm still so enthusiastic about writing my novel! I'm currently on just over 30,000 words, which I have to admit, I'm quite proud of! If this was a normal November, I wouldn't be so far ahead, by the way - my sister is coming to visit me next Friday for a week, which means essentially, I've only got this week to get to 50,000 words!

I'm aiming to get at least another 5,000 written today - although I'm feeling a tiny bit worse for wear today, as I went out with my colleagues last night! I guess that's spirit of NaNoWriMo - writing when you'd really rather just laze around watching films and sleeping!

I do still have some major insecurities about my novel - but NaNoWriMo has made me seriously think about how I write, and I've had some revelations over the past few weeks.

When I used to start writing a novel before (note: start and never finish), everything I wrote had to be perfect, first time. But now, I'm slowly beginning to accept that nothing I write will be 'perfect' the first time I write it - whereas before NaNoWriMo I would've spent hours choosing the perfect word for a sentence, or desperately trying to think up of a new scene, or feel like crying over the thought of finishing my novel, only to have to go back and revise and write yet ANOTHER draft - now, none of that seems to bother me so much. If anything, I'm actually looking forward to December when I can edit and rewrite my novel!

Although I have the main plot points in my novel planned out, there are still large portions of it where I have no idea how the characters are going to get to A to B, or how one plot point will lead to the next. But for once, I'm not that worried. I know I'll figure it all out in the end, and I'm so looking forward to discovering new things about my novel as I write. For once, I can actually imagine my novel as a complete, shiny, finished product - and I can't wait to get there! All I have to have is a little patience and determination (and tea...let's not forget the tea).

So here's to the next 20,000 words! Roll on next week - and December!

How about you? How's your writing coming on this month :)?

Writing ups and downs...

This week has kind of been up and down, in terms of my writing. On the plus side, I'm all fired up and ready to go with my new novel idea for NaNoWriMo - I'm planning on spending the weekend fine-tuning the plot/setting/characters, so hopefully by November 1st, I'll have some clue of what I want to write about!

On the downside though, I had a very unpleasant surprise this week - I thought I'd open up my other WIP, just to see how far I'd got with it, with the vague idea that I may add to it again, if inspiration for my NaNoWriMo novel failed to strike. However, when I opened up the folder on my computer, I couldn't find my 20,000+ manuscript anywhere....as well as that, all my spreadsheets with my plot outlines, and several other Word docs with notes/scribbles in, had gone too...after searching around my laptop frantically, I decided to check the USB stick where I know I also saved the file (in fact, I'd transferred the file from the USB to my laptop). Unfortunately, there was nothing there either - I don't know how I did it, but somehow when I transferred the file from my USB to my laptop, these documents got lost along the way.

I'm so annoyed with myself for not checking my USB before I put everything on my laptop and it's disappointing that all that work has gone - but not all hope has been lost yet. I've asked my lovely Other Half back in England to check my old laptop just in case there's a chance they are still saved on there...so I'm crossing all my fingers for luck! I guess if they have been lost/deleted by accident, then maybe it's the universe's way of telling me it wasn't very good - and luckily, I still have a majority of my notes on this laptop, so if worst comes to worse, I'll just have to start again ;) - slightly irritating, but hey, that's life!

In other news, I told myself last night that I'd get up early today and get a good morning's writing done...however, due to the fact that I stayed up til after 12.30am writing, that kinda didn't happen...BUT I'm up, showered (not quite wide awake yet - but that's nothing several cups of tea won't fix...) and ready to rock 'n roll!

To be honest, I don't really mind that I've lost a few hours this morning, as I'm happy with the notes I scribbled down last night, and best of all, instead of waking up and thinking 'I suck at this, what's the point of writing, no one's ever going to read it anyway', I'm still absolutely determined not to listen to that little devil on my shoulder - instead, I'm going to keep going until I have a reasonable plot/outline/setting, ready for NaNoWriMo. I may not be the best writer in the world (yet :p), but I'm still going to try!

How are all your plans going for NaNoWriMo? Are you writing up plans, or are you just going to wing it? Let me know - I'd love to hear from you!