Storytime

My writing style lately , if you can call it such, is a tad scattergun. Lots of small pieces being created, going anywhere and everywhere...and hitting nothing. I have no focus. I do a bit of this...and oh that's an idea. Start writing a poem, get the very basic first draft then...oh....idea for a picture book. I do it in 'real' life as well. Find something I want to make, and give it ago. Then I attempt a unicorn sock puppet.... Bake a biscuit or two.... Knit some baby stuff... Do a cross stitch and turn it into a cushion... Bake for a birthday... Make a hat for Storytime... Knit something else I haven't tried before... Interspersed with gardening of course. I'm all over the shop. Don't have a favourite. I just like doing, or attempting, different things. That, I think is (ONE) of my problems. It's like I lose my focus, spot something shiny and I head in that direction. I decide that this is the one I wan...

A friend, and fellow writer, recently was talking about one of the pieces she was working on. She talked about word count, getting back into it..then she said...'trouble is I'm finding it boring to write.' Alarm bells went off. I have the sneaky suspicion if you are finding it boring to write, anyone reading it will find it just as boring. I'm not saying everything you write has to be on-the-seat-of-your-pants action packed. There doesn't have to be adventure and suspense in every chapter (unless of course, you are writing a book packed with adventure and suspense)...but I do think you have to enjoy the writing part. It's like everyday can't be a holiday. (but wouldn't it be lovely if it was!) And of course there are boring bits to writing. I find the editing the most mind numbing sleep inducing horrid stuff...mind you writing the synopsis is my most hated...but that's not boring. That is just difficult. Editing, going back over and ove...

So you get the mojo happening, well a flicker of mojo...perhaps a mojette...you get writing. You feel inspired, you feel there is a story to tell...you are actually...wait for it...enjoying yourself. And you write and you write and you write... Before you know it, this little children's story has gone on and on and you are left wondering 'where the hell do I stop?' Knitting is easy. You get a pattern, use the correct needles and wool and begin. It takes you step by step until you stop..and heh presto, something is completed. After a while you can begin to twist it up, use differing needles and wools, alter patterns within the pattern itself. But you always know when it's finished. Cooking is the same. A new recipe is always followed faithfully. Soon though you add your own tweaks...add some rosemary or perhaps throw in some mushrooms. Flavour with lemon instead of vanilla. Once again you know when it is finished. A garden is a bit different again. It...

I have more first drafts than finished pieces. A lot more. In fact if I really thought about how much more I think I'd panic. Because in truth I'm pretty good at first drafts. First drafts- or better yet- call it an idea. A glimmer. A speck that gets put down. Yep, I'm real good at that. A few lines here, a thought there, paragraph there....few hundred words over there, few thousand way out there. And usually that's where they'll stay. This is the latest 'first draft'. My junior novel, nearly 12, 000 words. And it is soooooo first draft...in actual fact it's more like a series of scenes with no connection or flow. But it is printed out, ready for me to go over and edit this weekend... and take copious notes. Lots and lots of notes. My big question is -  will I do any more to it? I don't have a great track record. Oh there are short stories and poems and even novels, yes novels, that I've worked on and edited and re-edited and po...