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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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