Stepping outside of my comfort zone

I think it's important as writers to occasionally step outside our comfort zone. Even if we are the only ones to see that short story or side project I think doing so improves the craft of writing that we are trying to perfect. I like to have a couple of side projects that I dip in and out of just to keep my work fresh. I often find I can draw things into my regular writing that I may otherwise miss. Last week I took what I thought was personally a brave decision to start a book around a subject that is very personal and dear to my heart. Domestic violence I have my own tale to tell but that is for my book. The reasons I decided to do this was on one hand personal and the other on a much wider level. One I want to help break the taboo that surrounds this topic and in the hope of speaking out more people will in turn speak out. The second is to exorcise a few of my own demons. I've been toying with the idea for a while now but after watching the film precious it really inspired me to take this brave leap forward. So over the coming weeks I'll be posting here on my blog my ups and downs and how I am progressing not only with the writing but how it is helping me as a writer. I fully expect this to be quite a journey but one that should help me become a better writer. Hope you will join me on the journey
Good writing
Lauren

A great piece of advice I was given

Laid awake last night with my pain killers not working and my conditions running riot. I set about distracting myself jotting ideas into my phone and see who was on twitter and face book. I was given a fantastic piece of advice that's was so good I had to share. A fellow tweeter @RayneHall told me to jot down how the pain feels what it's doing and use it as a practical exercise for future works and writing in progress. Needless to say this not only set the creative side of me going but also provided a much needed distraction from the pain. So now if I do something clumsy or see a part of real life in can add to my work I joy a couple of sentences describing how and what. This is excellent not only for pain but emotions, anger, fatigue and can give your writing a far greater sense of realism. So once again I would like to thank @RayneHall for his wonderful tips and hope by sharing this with you all I can in some way return the favour.

Happy writing
Lauren

Book 2 Wings of Fire and other projects

Seeing my book on good reads has given me a smile today my first 5* review on there gives me that little boost that we all sometimes need. I'm also quite excited to have finished the first draft to the follow on from Blades of Shadow, Wings of Fire, the hard work comes next the editing and the rewrites hoping to have it in print by the end of this year.
I would also like to take a moment to say thank you for all the support and feed back that has been given via Facebook, Twitter and Good reads.it means a lot.
I also have a couple of side projects on the go, a dream dictionary for those who like the more spiritual side of life.
The other is a collection of poems I've written over the years that I'm putting together. So quite busy on the writing front when my health allows.
In the coming weeks I'll be posting the first chapter from Wings of Fire for you to sample and let me know what you think.

Lauren

Editing

Ick like many of you writers out there you probably dread this word more than any other but it a necessary and critical part of writing but at times can be one of the most soul destroying things you can do. So here I thought I'd share a few of my tips for making it easier.
1) Take it one page at a time. Sounds obvious I know but it's all to easy to see an entire manuscript and try to rush. Go over each page with a fine tooth comb.

2) Coloured pens or fonts if you write onto a computer. Use them to make little side notes if there is something you need to go back to.

3) Don't be afraid to re-write. I've had moments where I have re-read what I have written and wondered "what the hell was I thinking when I wrote that" don't be disheartened the first draft is always raw.

4) Read it aloud, sometimes the best way to see if your writing flows is to read it aloud either to someone if you're feeling brave or just to yourself. Helps spot missing punctuation. With me being dyslexic I do miss a lot of punctuation.

5) Keep a dictionary handy as well as a thesaurus. Sometimes a the same world will crop up a lot this gives you a set of tools to your arsenal.

6) My last tip is remember the first draft is like a lump of clay and the editing and subsequent drafts are what form the final piece.

Hope these help

Lauren

A little about me

I've wrote a lot about writing and what helps me get through writers block and story dev etc but looking at my blog there is little actually about me as a person. Like a lot of writers out there it's easy to get caught in a bubble. So for a few moments I'm going to step outside. As you know I already writing is my first true love but I'm also a massive fan of music. The flaming lips are prob my favourite band out there, alternative psychedelic rock. I collect vinyl and I know that is rare especially as I'm 27 and female. I am also an avid gamer, Xbox all the way for me.
I read almost as much as I write my favourite genre is fantasy but will read just about any book I can lay my hands on. I also collect tattoos I have 8 in total and hoping to add a 9th to the collection soon.
Just a little snippet into me and my life
Lauren

Came across a thought....

Came across an amazing quote today that has made me feel very deep and philosophical it went like this "a good book can make an impossible life liveable" and the more I thought about it the more I thought about my own experiences in life. At times of great stress and pain I turned to reading for solace and even through the authors may not know it their work has pulled me through some really bad times. This I think was also part of the reason I threw myself so deep into writing. Not only an escape for myself but also the possibility that maybe somewhere someone is enjoying my work but also finding their escape. My way of giving something back I suppose. All writers have the ability to give this to our readers. So when you feel like putting the pen down in frustration or chucking that story away have a little faith in yourself because that story could one day be a life saver.
While I'm feeling deep thought I'd share a my way of dealing with those reviews that aren't so shiny because let's face it not everybody is going to like your work just same as not everybody likes mine but it's important not to just dismiss these points because we can learn to be better writers from it. My partner and quite possibly my toughest critic commented that sometimes my work lacks background description of scenery and places. I've taken this and wrote to my usual style but going back over my work in an edit I found the places that it could be put in. Rather than worrying about the criticism I used it as a way and a tool to improve my writing, and writing like any craft takes time often years to perfect an I know that with each page I write I'm learning more about my craft but also about my writing style and where it's strengths and weaknesses lie.
Hope your ideas are flowing and what ever you are reading is that great escape. Lauren