Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Writing Wednesday - 4 Writerly Discoveries of 2012



2012 seems to be racing to a close, galloping furiously towards the New Years finish line.
Before the Christmas rush catches me up I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on things I've learnt this year about writing.

One. I now know what steampunk is. I like it. I like the aesthetics (Victoriana with an edge) I like the literature: Scott Westerfeld is a favourite. I love the way it twists ideas, subverts the known, how brilliant it is for stretching boundaries and pondering what if's...

Two. I've come across the concept of Fan fiction. I still find this a bit perplexing to be honest. Seriously, if you can create your own totally personalised world, why would you gatecrash someone else's? However, I'm willing to keep an open mind - a lot of people seem to like writing it, a lot of people seem to like reading it. I'm willing to be persuaded... And... well, maybe that's what I'm doing in my re-telling of The Frog Prince? I like the story so much I'm re-writing it into my own world? Hmmm...

Three. I've discovered the totally wonderful world of Online Writer's Groups. Over the years I've tried to find in-person writers groups, but haven't had much success. (Although I keep hoping!) With the Online-Writers Groups there are so many people participating that it's easy to find writing that it's a true honour and delight to critique, and critiquers that really make a difference to my writing. Winner.

Four. I've entered the fantastic world of National (International) Novel Writing Month, (NANOWRIMO - 50,000 words in a month) which is a blast and comes with cute badges, certificates and word-count tracking graphs, as well as support group and a series of great pep talks by famous authors. (National Novel Editing Month is coming up in March... 50 hours of Editing in a Month. I'm so there) I never knew it existed before. Now I can see it being an annual, much anticipated event.

All up, this year's been rich in words and learning. Bring on 2013!




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