Tradition vs Technology

Tweet I just read a very interesting post on Zoë Westhof's Essential Prose blog about the benefits of uni-tasking, but it's gotten me thinking in a slightly different direction.

I'm always fascinated by what processes other writers follow to actually get the words out of their head and onto paper/screen. Some writers write longhand on those yellow legal pads that you see in American films but never in the UK, others keep fancy journals from places like Paperchase specifically for the creative act, and others just boot up their laptop and dive into Word. I must admit, I'm usually the latter - typing makes writing feel easier. Don't like that passage where it is? Cut and paste it somewhere else. Not sure how long your piece is? Check the word count. Want to change your formatting? Easy, just a couple of clicks.

Though it's not that easy. Computers are wonderful inventions (when they work) but because of the way they perform multiple functions, it's all too easy to become distracted. You can "quickly check your emails", pop onto Facebook or waste time Twittering about seemingly insignificant stuff. All that time you waste doing unnecessary things is time you could have spent writing - and you just know that you'll tell people you simply don't have time to write these days. You do, you're just spending it on frivolity.

So every now and then, I will sit down with a pen and paper and write longhand. I've got a rather funky A5 spiralbound notebook with a manga design on the cover that I keep for just such an occasion, and the pages are covered with electric blue scrawl (and the occasional doodle). I find the quality of what I write is usually dubious at best, downright awful at worst, but at least I’ve produced something concrete, something I can physically hold in my hands, and which I can edit on the computer at a later date. Pen and paper provides a limitation that forces you to do what it is that you sat down to do in the first place.

Of course, the other, more mundane, advantage to pen and paper is that its not subject to random crashes, power failures, incompatible software or Windows tantrums…

Serial

Tweet So I've decided to write a weekly serial. Now I have the problem of deciding what to choose. Do I start from scratch, use an existing work, or adapt one of the novels-in-progress that I'm currently working on? So many questions...

Ways Forward

Tweet I'm trying to come up with some new ideas, specifically related to building a fanbase of my writing. My links (both on the website, and down the side of this blog) take you to my published writing, but they're only any good for anything that's been accepted. Don't get me wrong, I'm hugely proud of the things I've had published, but it would be nice to have an ongoing project.

I know of a lot of comic artists who do very good work by publishing their comics online, either daily or weekly, and I was wondering if there was a way of doing something similar within a creative writing context. Perhaps a weekly flash fiction, either based upon random concepts or a set theme? A serial of some description? I'd welcome any suggestions.

I'd also welcome comments on which platform to use - do I update my website itself, or use a blog? If I choose the latter, do I continue to use Blogger, or do I give Wordpress a go?

So many questions...

Another story is live!

Tweet I have a new story online! It's in the third issue of Silver Blade. It was originally written as a spring-themed entry for their first contest earlier in the year; it didn't win, but they still wanted to publish it.

Go read, now!

Tweet I don't normally like to "big up" other things, unless I'm reviewing a book I've found particularly helpful, or a web magazine that I think others might like, but I did stumble across a new blog that I wanted to tell people about.

To start with, I subscribe to Chris Guillebeau's blog, which is essential reading for anyone who wants to make a living in a way that suits them (particularly artists). After all, it's the dream of most creative people to make a living doing what they enjoy, or what they're good at, and in an age where a lot of people seem to work in offices doing jobs that seem not to matter a great deal, it's a good way to approach things. Anyway, through Chris' blog, I came across Zoë Westhof's blog. I've been reading back through her old posts, and I'm particularly interested in planning my own "creative mini retreat", since one of the biggest bugbears when it comes to writing is fitting it in. If you're interested in writing yourself, take a look.

On a slightly sillier note, I've now added a Twitter feed to my website. You're so lucky, you get to read all the drivel I come out with during an average day...

Recommended Reading

Tweet There are a lot of creative writing manuals available, most of which teach the technicalities of grammar, style or theme. Occasionally these are accompanied by short stories to illustrate the points raised, and almost all of them include exercises designed to get the creative juices going. However, few succeed as well as Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse. Full of photographs to kickstart the imagination, as well as inspirational anecdotes, story ideas or 'fill in the blank' exercises, it's possible to follow them chronologically, as part of a homespun writing course, or you can dip in and out, opening the book at random and using the suggestion or photo as a starting point for that day's work. I think all writers, both experienced and otherwise, should own this book.

Accepted again!

Tweet I had another story accepted and didn't even realise! You may remember my earlier entry in which I praised the Postcard Shorts website. Well, I submitted a story, and promptly forgot about it. They didn't reply, so I assumed my story hadn't been selected. Lo and behold, I was browsing through the posted stories today, and I found mine! So you can read Picasso by clicking here. It's less than 200 words long, so you have no excuse.