Isn't it strange how we can doubt ourselves about the simplest thing when we are writing?
Lately, when I have been writing, I have found myself on the internet researching about every minute detail in my book. In fact, it has been getting to a point where I spend the three hours of "writing time", researching; and only producing a page of actual writing. However, as a writer I believe it is important to have your details right.
What I have been caught up in lately is vegetation. Now this may seem ridiculous, but I will explain how I can get carried away. Describing a bush scene may be fairly simple, and usually it is; nevertheless, I seem to get doubtful of my own knowledge and start to ask questions like: what season does it flower in? Is it native to that part of Australia? etc. I seem to get carried away with these small details. But even though most people would hardly notice something so trivial, the ones who do notice will see a mistake and it will discredit the book for them.
I guess I am one of those people who likes to have every detail right, and despite the mistakes I do make, I try my best to write something that everyone will enjoy.
Do you think details are important? Please comment below!
~Adelle
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Distractions and Inspirations
Hi All,
Over the last few weeks I have come to see that almost everything around us is distracting! However, I have realised this is false. It is not the objects or activities that are distracting––it is the way we use those objects and activities to distract ourselves.
Now, you are probably thinking, Okay, why is that such a great realisation?, well––it's not. This realisation will not stop us from distracting ourselves but if we recognise that our brain is doing this, we may be able to start getting some of these tasks done!
As an INFP personality type (Refer to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), I am always leaving things to the last minute. Learning some ways to stop distracting myself is a valuable resource; however, the most common ways, although helpful, just don't cut the cake when I'm trying to get inspired to do that project. And believe me, inspiration and enthusiasm is very important in any project, whether it be writing or mowing lawns. Otherwise there is no enjoyment in the task.
In light of this, I will share with you some of the key things that I use, to gain inspiration and enthusiasm for a project:
* Picture the project when completed
* Remember the reason why you started the project
* Think of how other people will enjoy the finished project
* Talk to someone else about your project (outside affirmation is always inspiring!)
* Get into it with a good attitude!
I have found that these steps have helped me a lot in writing my book recently and hope that you can take something useful out of this.
Happy writing...
––or mowing! :P
~Adelle
Over the last few weeks I have come to see that almost everything around us is distracting! However, I have realised this is false. It is not the objects or activities that are distracting––it is the way we use those objects and activities to distract ourselves.
Now, you are probably thinking, Okay, why is that such a great realisation?, well––it's not. This realisation will not stop us from distracting ourselves but if we recognise that our brain is doing this, we may be able to start getting some of these tasks done!
As an INFP personality type (Refer to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), I am always leaving things to the last minute. Learning some ways to stop distracting myself is a valuable resource; however, the most common ways, although helpful, just don't cut the cake when I'm trying to get inspired to do that project. And believe me, inspiration and enthusiasm is very important in any project, whether it be writing or mowing lawns. Otherwise there is no enjoyment in the task.
In light of this, I will share with you some of the key things that I use, to gain inspiration and enthusiasm for a project:
* Picture the project when completed
* Remember the reason why you started the project
* Think of how other people will enjoy the finished project
* Talk to someone else about your project (outside affirmation is always inspiring!)
* Get into it with a good attitude!
I have found that these steps have helped me a lot in writing my book recently and hope that you can take something useful out of this.
Happy writing...
––or mowing! :P
~Adelle
Friday, October 22, 2010
Procrastinating... and Scrutinizing...
Hi again,
Today, in class we were analysing a literary book, which I will not mention, that had a few credibility issues. Some thought that we were being too critical and shouldn't read that much into the novel and think more about the story and the emotions behind the characters instead of thinking of reasons why the characters couldn't possibly be alive. My point is that as an author should be thinking about the readers that will think of these things and make sure their novel is believable, even if it is science fiction.
I don't know about you, but I find that I am very critical of my own writing and can't seem to continue if I know something doesn't seem right in a previous chapter. Sometimes this is good because, as said before, I can check up on credibility, however, sometimes it can be quite annoying, consuming all my time and leaving me procrastinating and running in circles.
Today, in class we were analysing a literary book, which I will not mention, that had a few credibility issues. Some thought that we were being too critical and shouldn't read that much into the novel and think more about the story and the emotions behind the characters instead of thinking of reasons why the characters couldn't possibly be alive. My point is that as an author should be thinking about the readers that will think of these things and make sure their novel is believable, even if it is science fiction.
I don't know about you, but I find that I am very critical of my own writing and can't seem to continue if I know something doesn't seem right in a previous chapter. Sometimes this is good because, as said before, I can check up on credibility, however, sometimes it can be quite annoying, consuming all my time and leaving me procrastinating and running in circles.
Solution! Meet in the middle. My aim is to be critical but not to allow it to consume my mind and stop me from writing. The best way, I find, to stop going too far in this respect, is to find some kind of inspiration to keep me motivated and remind me to keep on track. I gain inspiration from other creative people, whether it be writers, cinematographers (namely my brother) or other creative identities, and 'bounce creative zing' between us. Another source of inspiration is a photograph I have of a possible cover image for the finished production of my book. This reminds me of my major goal of finishing this book and having it published.
Tell me your stories and what inspires you! Comment below.
~ Adelle
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Nostalgic Month
Hi there,
I don't know how many of you have had the strange feeling of nostalgia, but I'm sure everyone has experienced this feeling a few times in their life. These are usually few and far between for myself, however, in the past month or maybe even longer, I have had these strange occurrences compressed into a much shorter time frame.
Most people remember these strange feelings as memories and home sickness that they can tell their friends later. In my case they are usually memories from when I was in primary school or younger, not memories that I think of frequently but long lost snippets that I have long since forgotten. Sadly, because these memories are so fragile and illusive, they are usually lost within seconds after they occur and I am only left with that feeling of nostalgia.
Even though it may seem that they are just random memories of the past, there always has to be a trigger to set them off. From what I can remember from the past month these can range through all of your senses but most frequently the ones that we commonly forget, such as what we smell or taste. My theory for this is because these are the senses that completely shock us when they trigger nostalgia, not like if we see a couple of children and we then actively remember a time when we were children to give that sense of nostalgia; so on and so forth.
I know you are busting to know what sort of nostalgic moments I have been experiencing but the truth is, as I have just explained, I have no idea what they are only a few seconds later. There is only one that are still a little vague but once, only for a moment, I could smell Hubba Bubba bubble gum in a car park but it was only for that single breath that I could smell it, and the friend I was with looked at me strangely when I continued to sniff the car fumes to see if it was real - I couldn't and she couldn't smell it either when I mentioned it to her. Strange! So maybe some of these things are just in our heads!
Tell me what you think of this and if you have ever had these random nostalgic feelings. Comment below!
~ Adelle
I don't know how many of you have had the strange feeling of nostalgia, but I'm sure everyone has experienced this feeling a few times in their life. These are usually few and far between for myself, however, in the past month or maybe even longer, I have had these strange occurrences compressed into a much shorter time frame.
Most people remember these strange feelings as memories and home sickness that they can tell their friends later. In my case they are usually memories from when I was in primary school or younger, not memories that I think of frequently but long lost snippets that I have long since forgotten. Sadly, because these memories are so fragile and illusive, they are usually lost within seconds after they occur and I am only left with that feeling of nostalgia.
Even though it may seem that they are just random memories of the past, there always has to be a trigger to set them off. From what I can remember from the past month these can range through all of your senses but most frequently the ones that we commonly forget, such as what we smell or taste. My theory for this is because these are the senses that completely shock us when they trigger nostalgia, not like if we see a couple of children and we then actively remember a time when we were children to give that sense of nostalgia; so on and so forth.
I know you are busting to know what sort of nostalgic moments I have been experiencing but the truth is, as I have just explained, I have no idea what they are only a few seconds later. There is only one that are still a little vague but once, only for a moment, I could smell Hubba Bubba bubble gum in a car park but it was only for that single breath that I could smell it, and the friend I was with looked at me strangely when I continued to sniff the car fumes to see if it was real - I couldn't and she couldn't smell it either when I mentioned it to her. Strange! So maybe some of these things are just in our heads!
Tell me what you think of this and if you have ever had these random nostalgic feelings. Comment below!
~ Adelle
Monday, May 31, 2010
Struggles
Hey there!
Lately I have been having some struggles with a story I am trying to develop and thought I would let some of my frustrations out. I wouldn't consider it as writer's block because I haven't really begun writing yet! I am in the planning stages and the events that I have thought of sound more like a script for a soap opera! It is so dramatic and over the top!
This realization caught me off-guard the other day when I had a little spare time (from studies) to write and I couldn't write anything because I wasn't happy with the concept or the non-existent message. My writing style seems to be quite different to others, as I have to develop a good plot plan before I can start writing. Sometimes I really wish that I could be like other writers where they just get so absorbed in what they're characters are telling them that they have to be reminded to eat! Sadly this isn't me - not yet anyway. A couple weeks ago I was in the frame of mind that this meant that I wasn't cut out to be a writer and felt quite depressed. Only now do I realize that it is okay to have a different writing style! Heck, that is why we have different types of books!
Once I had realized this I was determined to have another look at my story board (I write my ideas out on a large whiteboard to organize my ideas), this time I looked hard at why it wasn't working and how I could possibly fix it.
I didn't get a solution straight away, so don't think that it is easy to fix up problems, they usually need a lot of time thinking. So the other night when I was still stressing over it I considered throwing the story idea in the trash pile and starting from scratch but then thought, no, I really love these characters and frankly it was too hard to trash it completely! Then I started to have all these thoughts racing in my mind about how all these previous elements could come together from one big event and not be so cheesy but quite realistic. I was absolutely thrilled! Although, by this time it was 1.30am, I was bursting with energy and started to correct my story board.
However, the story isn't completely finalized with intricate detail, it is something that I am a lot happier with and can now start writing it!
Hooray, for triumph!
~Adelle
Lately I have been having some struggles with a story I am trying to develop and thought I would let some of my frustrations out. I wouldn't consider it as writer's block because I haven't really begun writing yet! I am in the planning stages and the events that I have thought of sound more like a script for a soap opera! It is so dramatic and over the top!
This realization caught me off-guard the other day when I had a little spare time (from studies) to write and I couldn't write anything because I wasn't happy with the concept or the non-existent message. My writing style seems to be quite different to others, as I have to develop a good plot plan before I can start writing. Sometimes I really wish that I could be like other writers where they just get so absorbed in what they're characters are telling them that they have to be reminded to eat! Sadly this isn't me - not yet anyway. A couple weeks ago I was in the frame of mind that this meant that I wasn't cut out to be a writer and felt quite depressed. Only now do I realize that it is okay to have a different writing style! Heck, that is why we have different types of books!
Once I had realized this I was determined to have another look at my story board (I write my ideas out on a large whiteboard to organize my ideas), this time I looked hard at why it wasn't working and how I could possibly fix it.
I didn't get a solution straight away, so don't think that it is easy to fix up problems, they usually need a lot of time thinking. So the other night when I was still stressing over it I considered throwing the story idea in the trash pile and starting from scratch but then thought, no, I really love these characters and frankly it was too hard to trash it completely! Then I started to have all these thoughts racing in my mind about how all these previous elements could come together from one big event and not be so cheesy but quite realistic. I was absolutely thrilled! Although, by this time it was 1.30am, I was bursting with energy and started to correct my story board.
However, the story isn't completely finalized with intricate detail, it is something that I am a lot happier with and can now start writing it!
Hooray, for triumph!
~Adelle
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Wonders of Copyright
After finishing an assignment about legal issues at uni, my eyes were opened to the wonders of the copyright system. I know you all think - boring! But it was actually quite interesting!
My assignment was to do with the general copyright law as well as another legal issue regarding the writing industry - I chose libel. Because I am looking to become a fictional writer, I thought it would be in my interest to do something that I should be aware of as a writer.
The book I borrowed from the library was very informative, but not overloaded with information about the legal system - just enough to know to be aware of the processes. The book by Helen Shay, the Writers' Guide to Copyright & Law 3rd edition, is quite recent being published in 2005 and as I have seen has a newer edition published in 2009. After skimming the information about copyright and libel, I now believe every writer, editor or publisher should own a copy! I am going to get my own copy as soon as I can, as I found that it isn't about how to deal with lawsuits when they are handed to you but on how to avoid legal pursuits from the beginning - when you are first creating characters or scenes.
I won't go on too much about it but please check out my assignment on copyright and libel issues in a separate page on the left column.
Have a great weekend!
~ Adelle
My assignment was to do with the general copyright law as well as another legal issue regarding the writing industry - I chose libel. Because I am looking to become a fictional writer, I thought it would be in my interest to do something that I should be aware of as a writer.
The book I borrowed from the library was very informative, but not overloaded with information about the legal system - just enough to know to be aware of the processes. The book by Helen Shay, the Writers' Guide to Copyright & Law 3rd edition, is quite recent being published in 2005 and as I have seen has a newer edition published in 2009. After skimming the information about copyright and libel, I now believe every writer, editor or publisher should own a copy! I am going to get my own copy as soon as I can, as I found that it isn't about how to deal with lawsuits when they are handed to you but on how to avoid legal pursuits from the beginning - when you are first creating characters or scenes.
I won't go on too much about it but please check out my assignment on copyright and libel issues in a separate page on the left column.
Have a great weekend!
~ Adelle
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Booktown
Not that long ago; well, last weekend (was when I wrote this but I think it would be easier to say on the weekend of the 1st May 2010!); I went to a book festival called Booktown in Clunes.
It was a great experience, to walk around the streets of Clunes to find so many other book enthusiasts! There was so many people there to participate in the event, it was quite exciting!
One stall set up at the town hall was quite interesting and stands out to me. There was a table set up with bookmarks and paper with alphabet letters on them, as a header. They were beautiful pieces of art but when the man came up to tell us that the paper was made from goat skin, I was absolutely amazed! They were beautiful! I wish I could have bought one!
Although I wasn't able to stay for the entire day, I had quite a productive time, when I was there. I didn't buy a huge number of books because of budget reasons but would have loved to have had an extra hundred dollars to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
A few other students from my course were also able to make it to the event and used the experience as a chance to network. Specifically at the Publishers Tent, which held the Melbourne PEN and the Australian Publishers Association(APA). It was really good to chat to one of the women in the APA about what to expect from publishers when trying to 'sell' your book to them. It was a great opportunity!
If you want to have a look, their websites are listed below.
http://www.publishers.asn.au/
http://pen.org.au/
To sum up, I had a very good time at the Booktown Festival, and look forward to when it is on next year!
~ Adelle
It was a great experience, to walk around the streets of Clunes to find so many other book enthusiasts! There was so many people there to participate in the event, it was quite exciting!
One stall set up at the town hall was quite interesting and stands out to me. There was a table set up with bookmarks and paper with alphabet letters on them, as a header. They were beautiful pieces of art but when the man came up to tell us that the paper was made from goat skin, I was absolutely amazed! They were beautiful! I wish I could have bought one!
Although I wasn't able to stay for the entire day, I had quite a productive time, when I was there. I didn't buy a huge number of books because of budget reasons but would have loved to have had an extra hundred dollars to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
A few other students from my course were also able to make it to the event and used the experience as a chance to network. Specifically at the Publishers Tent, which held the Melbourne PEN and the Australian Publishers Association(APA). It was really good to chat to one of the women in the APA about what to expect from publishers when trying to 'sell' your book to them. It was a great opportunity!
If you want to have a look, their websites are listed below.
http://www.publishers.asn.au/
http://pen.org.au/
To sum up, I had a very good time at the Booktown Festival, and look forward to when it is on next year!
~ Adelle
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