Hey guys, how are you doing, what have you been up to? It’s been a crazy busy few weeks, as I covered food festivals across the country (my favourite sorts of gigs). Of course being out on the road meant that I got zero (fictional) writing done. Juggling a day job, the food blogging and writing books is great fun, but sometimes it can be difficult cramming everything in.
We’re well and firmly in autumn, which can only mean one thing… the advent of NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s where one commits to writing a 50,000 word novel. It can be work-in-progress or brand new piece of work. I’ll be focusing on the sequel to my first novel, Screaming Snowflakes. I went through a phase where my characters weren’t behaving, then I had to edit swathes of the book. Now, I’m finding it difficult to make time to actually write the sequel, as I get tied up with the day job and food blogging. Which is why I’ve decided to go all militant on my writing schedule. I’ll be laying off the social media – not going cold turkey, but will allow myself 10 minutes each day. In addition, I’ll be stockpiling blogs (writing blogs in September) to use for next month, so I’m not distracted.
It’s difficult, because I love cooking and can’t help experimenting in the kitchen. I’m going through a whole vegan food thing – have you heard of aquafaba? (If you haven’t, it’s a great vegan egg replacement – more on that in a different post).
What do fellow writers do to stay on track? It’s all about discipline, right? So, NaNoWriMo kicks off on the 1st November. There are meet-ups world-wide where writers hole-up in designated spots (usually where coffee is served). The venue for Derby is still being decided, so I’ll keep you updated on that (I just really hope it’s in the city centre, because the nights are drawing and the last thing I want is to trek out of town and get the bus / train back late).
So, the sequel is what I’ll be working on. Screaming Snowflakes is a Gothic romance with a supernatural twist, you can get more information about it here. What will you guys be working on, WIP or brand new stories?
OK, I must dash. I have a girlfriend visiting all the way from (sunny?) Manchester and it’s going to be a much needed catch-up. It’s imperative to make time for people who are important to you. If you haven’t seen your best mate in a while – get Whatsapping and organise a get-together ASAP. Life’s too short, you know?
Have a lovely weekend. Ciao for now,
RAxxx