The last fortnight has been busy.
I’ve kept up with my #PiBoIdMo – a picture book idea every day – just! The first week I was on a roll, but there have been times where it felt like I was just going through the motions, this fortnight. The occasional good idea, and a lot of rot. Then Saturday, I had three beaut ideas fall into place. So I ended the week feeling satisfied with my efforts. I’m currently sitting on 29 ideas (because I’ve been writing them all down – even if they don’t excite me) and I know I’ll meet the challenge of 30 ideas for November – though I will keep looking for one idea a day until the end of the month.
After my poetry post on Tara Lazar’s inspirational blog, I had a number of people asking about a Month of Poetry, so I have now set things in progress and am keen and eager for a month of poetry (#MoP) in January. You can read more about this here; http://monthofpoetry.wordpress.com.
I also got on something of a roll with my WIP – a verse novel. I had hoped to finish the rough draft of this using the creative enthusiasm #NaNoWriMo participants tweet (I am not one) to keep me at it. I realised this week that I won’t be finishing my verse novel in November – and that’s okay. I have written myself out for now, and need space and time to ponder ideas and fill with words again. That said, what I did write was satisfying and and exciting. There were moments of tears, and laughter – and I can see beauty in the poems on the page. I would rather write richly than rush it.
AND – in my timeout from my verse novel WIP I jumped back into editing a picture book manuscript that I wrote during #PiBoWriWee in May – one I had hoped would be warm and fuzzy with love. It was finished, but lacking warmth and cohesion. This week I fiound the missing pieces of the puzzle and am delighted with it. All heart! As one friend said, it is the kind of story that mothers will love to cuddle up and read with their child.
Which is not to say it is finished… Today I am looking forward to my first critique on it, with one of my GoogleWave crit buddies.
All in all a good fortnight of writing.
And I’m a little chuffed to say that I also walked to the top of that mountain behind me – in the photo where I’m looking slightly dazed. It was a 4 1/2hr trek that required the use of a GPS, since it was on an unmarked track, through thick (thick, thick) scrubby rainforest at the peak. Well worth the effort – though I could wish I had less scratches and embedded objects at the end of it. Those corkwood trees and spiky vines were everywhere!
Wow – sounds like a great November!
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Busy and fun. 🙂
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All great news Kat! I’ve had the same experience with PiBo. A few days of nothing but bad ideas trickling and then a rush of more promising ones. It’s been more challenging than I expected, but also more fun.
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I’m a little the other way, in that I had expected the challenge, and am actually a little surprised that I haven’t had to sweat it at any point – that usually an idea has flown in and landed on my page. But that could be because I lowered my expectations of self. Initially I was thinking I’d only write down fully-planned ‘wow’ exciting ideas. But Corey’s post changed that. (http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/piboidmo-day-10-2)
There have been a couple of little kitty-fits – like when I had 15mins left in a day and no idea… But 5 mins later it was done. And fun.
And to be honest, even my pathetic ideas do actually get my mind running… So even if I don’t write their stories – they’re still sparking ideas, so they’re valuable.
I agree. Fun! 😀
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Wow I am most impressed with your mountain climbing and also looking forward to MoP!!
Hooray again for picture book successes 🙂
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Thanks, Kathleen. Yes. MoP will be fun!! I’m looking forward to sharing it with the gang. 🙂
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Goodness, you have been busy! Congrats on all your progress with PB ideas and edits 🙂
And well done you for the mountain climb!!!
Rach
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Thanks, Rach. You would know busy, because you are too!
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Poetry, picture books, verse novels and mountain climbing! Maybe it’s time to sit down and have a cup of tea 🙂
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Aaaaah, Katrina… I would like nothing better than to share a cuppa (and chat) with you. 🙂
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Hi Kat,
Good for you! That all sounds great.
I’ve had a similar experience with PiBoIdMo and like you I’ve written down the bad ones too. Might not be that the idea is bad but that it isn’t fully formed yet. Like you said, time and space to ponder.
I’m looking forward to MoP. Thanks for doing it and thanks for sharing your experience.
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It’s been fun to share the PiBoIdMo with you. Looking forward to MoP, too.
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You are one busy lady. Sounds like you’re having a lot of fun.
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You have so many projects on the go at once–it’s a wonderful way to be, as there’s always something to leap into if you write yourself out in one particular area. I think you’re exactly right to get down all the ideas, even the ones that aren’t wow. After all, they might be just one spark away from WOW.
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Amie, you’re right. It is good to have a number of projects on the go. There really are no excuses, then. (Well, in theory…)
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Wow kat, well done on the mountain climbing. We used to go trekking loads in the Lake District in England, love it. I am so excited about your poetry month idea. I am really beginning to lean towards writing poetry. Look forward to it. I also love swapping back and forth between my rhyming verse novel and my current pb WIP. I love that line ‘rather right richly than rush it’
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Glad you’ll be joining us for #MoP. I’m sure it’ll be fun! You know I love poetry. 😉
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