The Great Writing Mission part1
So on Monday I threw down the gauntlet, if I am to stand a chance of making it in this writing profession then it's time to get serious, it's time to improve, become better, faster, articulate and descriptive.
It's been less than a week so what have I achieved, am I a great writer yet? Probably not is the answer to that, especially as since Monday the only thing I have wrote is this blog. But what else have I done?
The ideas for improvement were;
- Creative Writing Course
- Online Writing Course
- Writer Feedback
- Writing Competitions
- Agent Feedback
- Concept Board
- Creative Writing Book
So what have I actually done;
Creative Writing Course
I researched some, but nothing starting until summer is over, will keep looking and report back.
Online Writing Course
Found one on the amazing Mighty Deals, waiting until payday to purchase it, hopefully it is still there, I will include the link to it, but I can't comment on it or recommend it yet as I haven't done it myself yet. (Also I know it's scheduled to run out soon, but Mighty Deals mostly always re-list them)
https://www.mightydeals.co.uk/Products/Online-Courses/National/Fantasy-Story-Writing-Online-Course/62786
Writer Feedback
Haven't looked at it yet, need to toughen up and just do it, but it's a little scary.
Writing Competitions
Still researching, found a couple I liked but they were just about to close, I need to sort out some links for the next blog.
Agent Feedback
Researched some agents that I have never approached previously, just now about to write my synopsis, I want to get these away as soon as possible as they take so long to get a response back from. Will keep you updated.
Concept Board
Had a first try at a concept board, not sure what I want from one yet, in this case I took 4 of what I believe are my best story ideas and tried to plan them out with some structure. I found the process helpful but I don't think it is what I had in mind when I put the suggestion down, so I may need to come back to this again.
On the board though I flushed out 3 fiction stories and 1 non-fiction concept I just developed, it really did feel good to have some structure in place for these ideas and will mean I need to go back to a work in progress and change some serious points.
Creative Writing Book
I am 25% of the way through reading my first book of this type, this particular guide is actually more of a guide to tell you what other books to read, however the descriptions the author is using to describe the other books gives really good insight into their thoughts and ideas. I am only quarter of the way in and already I feel as though I am learning a great deal from it. It will be interesting to see how that translates on to paper.
I have included the link to the book just in case you want to check it out, so far so good.
In the 4 days I have been at this I feel I have made some good steps forward, I have learned ideas and techniques to do with writing and structure, I have applied some of it within my concept board which will help me when I come to start writing again. I also feel motivated, like this is something that might work, maybe false hope, but maybe not, the only way to find out will be to keep going.
As this is a mission I need to set myself some goals to achieve as the next update will be in 1 week and I need to have something to show for it.
- Finish reading 1st Creative Writing Book.
- Send out manuscript to no less than 3 agents.
- Put together a list of writing competitions (or find a link to existing list).
- Complete chapter 3 of my current book project - utilising some of what I have learned.
If you have any thoughts or opinions then let me know in the comments below.
Written by Martin Wallace
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