Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind!

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m absolutely useless at this whole updating thing. Yet another thing I must get in to the habit of before November! Nevertheless, I’ve been working on another stage of my organisation in time for some serious writing in November and tidied up my perpetually messy desk in preparation.

Not pictured - mess!

First things first, I cleared all the piles of paper, junk mail, old receipts, etc. that always seem to accumulate on my desk. I love seeing a clear space and having some room to work so it’s cheered me up a lot to be able to see the top of my desk! When I’m in a writing kind of mood, I function on green tea, or occasionally camomile if the caffeine is getting the better of me. I’ve dug out my favourite mug from the kitchen cupboards for the duration of Nano. It’s from my last holiday to Marazion in Cornwall. I used to go every year with my parents until I moved out and it’s one of my favourite places to sit and think – a lot of planning got done there so it’s helpful having a little something here to remind me of it.

 I’ve also got myself a stash of highlighters, pens, pencils and a screwdriver (just because) for anything that needs a pen and paper approach before I type it out. I’ve always loved hand writing my rough ideas before I type them up and I have a very big soft spot for pretty stationary. Nano is the perfect opportunity to treat myself to a Paperchase splurge which I have very much enjoyed.

Notebooks, pens and tea and cake.

That brings us nicely on to my notebooks which have all my first drafts and planning notes from way way back. Some of them have notes for stories I’m not even using any more, but you never know when a line or two might come in handy for something new! I’ve had a couple of these books for years now and I still cringe sometimes when I read some of my earlier writing attempts… I should be honest and point out that none of them are even close to full, but even just a couple of pages of scribbling seems to help clear my head and make room for new ideas. After all, there’s only so much you can keep in your head at one time before things start falling out!

The wall above my desk is currently decorated with my proofreading cheat sheets for the course I’m working on at the moment. These will soon be joined by my plot outline and main character bios when I manage to finish them off, so I’ll always have a point of reference in front of me if I get stuck.

Last, but most certainly not least, I have my collection of plot bunnies - and a fish. These bunnies have been bought or given to me once a year since I started writing seriously at university, and I’m starting a bit of a collection now. Rainbow Fish doesn’t quite fit the mould, but as he is a literary mascot I thought he belonged with the bunnies. My little yellow origami bunny was kindly made for me by a fellow Nano-er, who turned up to a write-in last November with a bundle of new bunny friends for the rest of us! I’m on the lookout for this year’s mascot now – there’s a beautifully tacky bunny nighlight that I have my eye on, but I’m not sure I can actually bring myself to buy it...

November is getting too close for comfort at the moment so I’d really best get going with my planning and plotting. I hope everyone else’s preparations are going well!

Emily x

Imaginary friends - for grown-ups!

It’s roughly week three of my preparations and things are still going strong, if not quite as quickly as I was expecting. I always get a little too involved with my character descriptions and end up with pages and pages of notes. I like to think there’s no such thing as too many notebooks.

When people ask me about creating characters, I always liken it to having imaginary friends. It’s just that I’m 22 and I don’t make my mum set a place for them at the table (anymore). For a story to work, they have to be so real that sometimes you forget they aren’t actually there. You have to feel guilty for all the bad things you inflict on them and celebrate when you can finally let them win. After all, that’s the same journey you’re asking a reader to go on as they read your novel.

One of the best tips I ever got for character plotting was in my first year Creative Writing seminar. My tutor asked us to write a series of questions we’d use if we had to interview that character for the position of “hero” or “villain” or whatever role they were going to play. We were asked to tailor it to the job description and the story we were writing as closely as we could, then answer it in that character’s voice – exactly as they might behave in an interview situation. This is also excellent for writers who struggle with dialogue because it really makes you think about the sound of their voice.

This is my go-to method when I’m struggling to work out a motivation for a certain action or “scene”, if you like. It’s a little bit like having a conversation with yourself but on paper, and sometimes letting a character speak for themselves is the only way to muddle through a difficult plot point. To any of my fellow NaNo-ers who are struggling with something like this, or even struggling to get started, I’d have to recommend that you try out the interview technique for yourselves!

I’m going to try and post again later this week when my next task is done – organising my desk and finding a permanent home for my plot bunny friends! All will become clear, I promise.

Hope everyone else’s planning is going just as well!

Emily x