What I've been writing lately

Things have been a little crazy over the last couple of weeks. Things are really coming together, quickly, at work. More importantly though I'm just happier. (Probably because I'm financially more secure than I was this time last year.) But one of the things I'm happy about is that I've managed to get some different types of writing done.


Over the last fortnight I've managed to get my first guest post done. I'll tell you more about that later. (Its not being posted till July.) What I can say for now though is once I knew what I was going to do it became easy to write.


I've also been writing a private diary. Something I've not done for many years. Took me right back to feeling like a teenager again. (Without the moods :) and homework though.)


I've also been able to find my love again for blogging. At the end of last year and start of this year I was really starting to fall out of love with my baby, my blog. But I've been enjoying it a lot lately and I think I think it shows.


Hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday. I'd love to know what you guys have been writing lately.

Do you prefer blogging or writing stories?

It's Wednesday. 'Writing Wednesday'. I'm having a pretty good week so far.


This weeks question would probably have had a different answer 12 months ago. But here we go. This week's 'Writing Wednesday' is blogging or writing, which do I prefer.


My true answer to this weeks question is they are both very different. I get something very different from both 'experiences'. I have come to really like blogging. Much more so over the last 12 months. At first I found blogging a little awkward. I wasn't sure what to do. I had really found 'my voice'. But as I have gotten into it more I have really come to enjoy it. Dare I say love it. I also like the sense of community you can find through blogging (like joining 20 Something Blogger). I think I also like blogging because in college I always fancied going into journalism. One of the best two weeks of my life was getting the opportunity to spend two weeks with the lovely people at the Manchester Evening News.

When writing my stories, however, I love thinking of a story and characters and bringing it all to life on the paper/screen in front of me. Unfortunately my 'writing' has taken a bit of back burner of late. With working (and blogging), I've not really been able to invest my free time in my stories.


I definitely prefer blogging at the moment though.


Happy Wednesday!

What is the hardest thing you have wrote?

Every Wednesday is 'Writing Wednesday'. This week's blog post, just like its title, was one of the hardest blog post's I've wrote. It's personal. I almost chickened out on writing it. So much so that I have shown this to one person before posting it. As I've mentioned in the last few weeks. Writing is personal. Sometimes it can help you. Sometimes it might help someone else.







So here we go.






Over the years I have got upset over killing off characters I have cared a lot about. You grow attached to these 'people' you have have created. But that was nothing compared to the story I wrote a few years ago. A story I wrote to get me through the worse time of my life. If it wasn't for an amazing support system and writing I'm can safely say I wouldn't be here today. As a way to cope with the crazy and nightmarish time, I was advised by a psychologist at the time to write it out. Express my feelings. Getting it out be it in spoken words or the power of the written word. Because writing has always been my passion. It was so therapeutic. Only one person has ever read it. I have never read it since I wrote it. And have no plans on doing so. Its the only story I've wrote that is not crumpled at the corners. Its also the story I am most proud of. Knowing I was able to get through it has made me a better person but it has also made me a better writer.






Anyone who has ever had to get through a bad situation be it a bad break-up, death whatever it is, write it out. Get your feelings out. If there is nobody for you to talk to write it.

When did you know you loved writing?

Every Wednesday here on my blog is Writing Wednesday. Over the years my family and friends have asked me questions about my writing. Every Wednesday I answer one of these questions.

So. When did I first realise that I loved writing? That is a hard question. Mainly because I'm not too sure. Looking back at old Primary school work (that mum and dad still have in the garage) I can see early on I was interested in the art of storytelling. As a child I could play for hours alone and make up stories with my dolls and teddy's. As I got older and it was no longer 'cool' to play with these toys I was introduced to writing. It was here I found my love of writing and the written word. This love is present now (if not more so). I would say my art of writing though definitely became something I needed to do after the age of 15. And not something I had to do because I needed to do it. It was something I wanted to do. And still love doing now.

Writing was my first true love. It has been loyal (if not always present). It has been an outlet for me when I have needed to get things off my chest. It has never strayed or disappointed me.

So when did you know you know you loved writing and the art of storytelling? Is it something you've always loved or is it something that came to you later, as you got older?

As a writer how do you prefer to do it?

Over the years my family and friends have often wondered why I need music on while I'm writing. The simple answer to this simple question is because it just helps. Music can really help you mentally get your head into a certain mood. That's why when I'm writing a certain part of my stories the mood that is called for, I will listen to the type of music that will help me write it.




I can't think of anything worse than writing in complete and utter silence. Even my blog I have to write with music or the tv on. 'Cos really there is nothing worse than struggling with what to write and being in silence. That just makes matters so much worse.



I need noise around me even if its simply people talking around me, music playing or some random advert on the tv.



So how do you guys like to write? Does music help? Hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday :)

Do you tell people you have wrote/blogged about them?

(Photo credit: photosearch)

Carrying on from last week. 'Writing Wednesday' is here again and how quickly a week comes round. I was thinking this week (I know a dangerous thought) about how to answer this weeks question. It came down to how much did I want to reveal. About my friends and family. But more importantly myself. I came to the conclusion that the whole point of this blog is for me to be truthful. Like 100% so otherwise what's the point.

 

I have been writing stories (mainly for myself) for the best part of 17 years (and that fact has just shocked the hell out of me). I still have every story I have ever wrote since I was at school (though not for school). Needless to say that in my earlier writing the characters I was writing were on the whole from my imagination. It was as I got older that people I met and events around me started to have an influence both good and bad. There are certain people who have had a huge influence on my life and will always have a special place there. I feel that by putting a characteristic of there's in one of my characters is my own little shout-out to them. (Even if they don't know it.) With some friends and family it can be a tiny and probably unrecognisable characteristic. With some it's a hell of a lot more obvious. As a rule I don't like telling friends and family that I have based someone on them. I've had some friends who have asked and I have lied. Mainly because I don't want them to get person x and themselves mixed up. They are not the same entire person. Sometime it might just be a name I use.






As far as my blog goes friends and family can usually tell if it's about them or not. My friends know I have a blog, but I would never ask them if they had read it. If they have liked or not liked something they are more than happy to tell me. But its not something I expect. One ex wasn't happy that I had blogged a rather negative post about him (his name wasn't even mentioned FYI) and the truth is I didn't really care what he said 'cos at the end of the day he was a terrible boyfriend in hindsight. There are one or two men I feel very fond of and protective of and it's rare that you will ever hear me mention them by name. Namely because I respect there right some degree of privacy.






So my question to you guys is would you ever tell a friend or family member you have wrote/blogged about them or would you like to keep it to yourself?






Happy Wednesday everyone :)

What Inspires you?

Its a new year and some new ideas for my blog. Over the coming weeks etc Wednesday's will become writing Wednesday. So to kick off this weeks writing Wednesday I've been asking myself this very important question. What inspires me?

You can look at this for many different ways. I was inspired for this blog series on a coach trip home from visiting my youngest brother at Uni. As a blogger. Life in general is my biggest inspiration. Things going on in my surroundings.



As a writer (in my stories I like to write) my biggest inspiration is my friends. Not so much for stories as events, but definitely for the characters in my stories. Over the years different parts of many of my friends (an enemies lol) have shared character traits with the people in my stories. Its probably why I get so attached to some of the characters in my stories.



So my question to you is this. Who inspires you? Be it as a creative outlet (blogging, writing, drawing etc) or just life in general. I hope you all have a happy Wednesday. I'm off to the pub soon for my Wednesday night pub quiz with the girls.

My First Love That Never Let Me Down... writing :)

(Photo Credit: Getty Image)

I recently spent an afternoon clearing out the family garage with my mum. I was surprised at some of the little gems we found. Some of the things have been there since we moved house five years ago. As anyone who has read my blog before knows I love writing stories. What might surprise you is that in one way or another I have been writing stories as a child at Primary School.

Some of the short stories were things I wrote when I was no more than eight years old. While the punctuation and spelling were not great (to this day my spelling has it's moments) it's been funny to look back on. I always thought my love of writing stated at Secondary School. It was where I remember writing stories that went on for pages and pages. At 13 I remember the class being told to write a story for our English homework. Everybody else in class did a story in two maybe three pages long. Mine was handed in at 13 and a half pages long. I remember my teacher at the time commenting how long it was. It has always stuck with me the encouragement she showed me. In hindsight I believe that it was her encouragement that made me carry on writing stories in my spare time. I still have every story I wrote growing up. I found them all in the back of our garage. Of course the older I got the longer the stories got and most of the stories that followed exceeded well beyond 100 pages.

As a child my mum said I used to love being told stories. Weather they were being read from a book or my grandad making up stories. My (late) grandad was huge influence on me growing up and he always believed that I had a talent. My grandad always had a great story to tell. I like to think that I get that off him.

How Being in A Bad Mood Makes Me A Better Writer

Last week I was doing some work on my book. I'd hit a bit of wall progressing the characters the way I wanted. That all changed after someone annoyed me so much it but me in the worse mood, for three days. So as I worked my way through what one of my friends calls 'the depressing collection' on my iTunes, I was able to really get my creative juices flowing. Now then I'm not saying that I need to be angry to finish this book. But I do think that by forcing my mind to be on something else I was able to be more creative. I was so glad for the distraction and in a way it was almost therapeutic.

Now then I'm the type of person who can't write in complete silence. It drives me up the wall. But I also came to realise that this is not the first time, that getting me angry or annoyed about something has made me act this way. Or listening to the really depressing type of music has helped me a better writer than I was before. What's even more surprising to me is that I've still been able to write the love story the way I planned to right from the start. And my characters are not the depressing type.

Anyway that's my little rant over with for today. Hope your day's a happy one :)

Lisa Marie
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Writting

Okay so while my head injury/migraine/whatever the Dr decides is up with my head 3 months after hurting it has given me a lot of time to think. Think about the future. Think about what what I want to do with my life. Starting with getting back into the swing of things with my book. My first love and while I have sometimes been frustrated with writers block it has been a constant labour of love of mine. So I'm going to get my creative juices flowing again and hopefully I will start to feel better.

Character Development

I have spent the last couple of days really dedicating some time to my writing. While I have planned out each chapter for my book I have only been using it as a template, seeing how the story unfolds. I have been investing so much time and energy into these characters that they are starting to feel like real people. I'm amazed though at myself though at how well I have developed them each individually.

Developing each of these characters though got me thinking about individual development. How we develop our own character all the time. We are constantly changing things and learn for all different aspects of our life. Sometimes getting to know a certain individual can change your individual character.

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Therapy in the written word.

I take great pleasure in writing. I love everything about the written word and the power the written can have on an individual. It has come as no surprise to me that (in my eyes at least) my writing as improved a lot in the last couple of months. Writing for me has always at the heart been therapeutic.

If I look back at the first 'story' I wrote, im not surprised that the adolescent version of myself was fighting for my voice to be heard in the crowd. I have never been particularly outgoing by nature (though that has changed the older I have gotten) and I think my writing gives me the freedom to do that. The more I have experienced in my life both the good and the bad, has also made me both a stronger writer and person because of it.

When I'm telling a story I can get deeply invested in the characters. It comes as no surprise to me that at least one of my characters in all of my books is, however loosely, more often than not channelling my outlook on life at any given time. Sometimes its a positive character trait, but sometimes it can be a negative, depressing character trait.

It comes as no surprise to me then when reading through my book I have been writing over the last couple of months, that I feel I am doing my most positive and best writing I have ever read by myself. For the first time in months I am truly at peace with myself. And while I admit that I am jealous of my leading female character I think that has more to do with the fact that I know its not beyond the realm of possibility. The possibility that there is someone out there for everyone. As I have mentioned earlier I am treading on new ground with this story, but I feel creative. I feel happy. I feel that good things can happen. I feel that life and not everyone wants or can see the negativity. That is certainly the case for my two leading characters.

Dreams only come true if you are willing to have a little faith in yourself.

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