Let’s Get This Sorted! #15kinMay #amwriting

I decided to look back at some old blog posts and see if I could glean a little inspiration and motivation to move forward from my current writing slump. I had forgotten all about my participation in the #15kinMay challenge back in 2013. It looks as though this was a short-lived social media trend, but I think it would be a good opportunity to get myself back in gear again this month.

What I want to do is finish the first draft of my current WIP, which is book 5 in the Redcliffe novels series. That will probably take around 15000 words, so this is a great opportunity to get myself up to date. How do you fix a problem when your writing slows down? I know the cause of my problems, and am working towards releasing those blocks and freeing my time a bit more. It is all a work in progress.

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#amwriting Update and the #15KinMay Challenge

We are reaching the end of yet another month and 2013 is flying by at an alarming rate. After my rather disastrous (non) participation in Camp NaNoWriMo, I found another writing challenge that was being run via Twitter. I decided to join the #15KinMay challenge, thinking that I could easily achieve that goal. It was not to be. I think I have managed about 5k words, maybe just over. Oh well, better than nothing I suppose!

My mood is up and down at the moment. I am veering between the romantic notion of the tormented writer wallowing in self-pity, and the practical modern woman who says "I can do this, I just need to be organised." Of course, it is not easy to wallow in self pity when I have a demanding toddler to attend to, and a baby growing ever-larger in my womb. Perhaps I can allow myself a little rest time while I embrace motherhood. My novel will still be there when I can return to it, and in the meantime I have plenty of other writing projects to keep me occupied...

How is your month progressing? Are you pressing on with your work, struggling with writers'  block, or finding challenges along the way? I am eager to hear from fellow writers and their experiences.

A New Writing Challenge #15kinMay

I am still battling with the manuscript for my vampire hunter novel, although a quick glance back through my recent chapters suggests it might not be as bad as I thought. I have decided to use a very loose approach to writing this story, and am simply sitting down whenever I have time, and writing a chapter here and there. I have no idea what comes next, and I still don't know how this story will end, but it will end and I will succeed!

It helps me to read the blogs of fellow writers for advice and support. One of these is Alison Wells, author of Housewife with a Half-Life. She recently wrote a very inspiring post about how we are always intent on hurrying and speeding towards culmination of our projects. Society has evolved in such a way that we continually feel the need to better ourselves, to be successful, and to prove our worth in some physical (and usually fiscal) way. At my time in life this is more difficult to achieve, since I am currently in the young parent stage. I have a toddler for whom I am the main carer while my husband works outside the home, and I am pregnant with our second child. Naturally, there are many distractions on my time and attention.

As it turns out, Alison mentioned the #15kinMay writing challenge currently trending on Twitter. The idea for this one is that we set ourselves a target to write 15,000 words in May, and we can tweet our progress each day and support each other as we go. I admit, I haven't really participated on-line just yet, but I have decided to use it as another tool for motivation. Surely I can manage to write 15,000 words between now and the end of the month? Well, truthfully my challenge is under-way  so I probably only need to write another 10,000 words which is easily achievable.

What are you working on at the moment? Do you have writers block or struggle with your WIP? Share your news and let us support each other.

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!)