Writing project – Page 3 – Marie Alice Writes & Reads

Before the Sun

It makes me so happy when I can wake up before the sun to work on a writing project. Well, when I can wake up by myself that is.

Being woken up by a kiddo climbing on me and then grabbing my head for a hug – it’s adorable, although I do wish I wouldn’t get hit on the nose, cheeks or eyes so often – puts me in a quite less creative writing mood.

Anyway, waking up alone in the dark, sometimes wrapped in many blankets to keep the early morning cold feeling at bay, with only the characters and me and the wonderful world of imagination makes me feels happy.

I would even go a bit spiritual on you, dear fellow writers, and say that writing while the sky slowly brighten makes me feel like I’m at the right place, doing what I’m supposed to do.

True, being able to work on creative writing project always makes me feel that way, but it feels particularly true when the morning stars are getting ready for bed time.

There’s still several hours to go before I have to get kiddo ready for day-care, or get ready myself for the day job – when I have one that is. And somehow tea always taste better before the sun rises.

I’m getting things ready the evening before, so when I open the laptop, the first thing I see is the writing project I wanna work on. It’s help not being tempted to take a quick look at the to-do list of the day, or go check my emails quickly-quickly.

Sure, after a while I will go say hello to the #5amwritersclub on Twitter for five minutes or so. It’s encouraging to know that other writers are looking for the words too.

Or I will come here, and share the writing happiness with you, dear fellow writers.

There, I did it, and I hope these words finds you well and safe, with all the good words at the tips of your fingers.

Until next time !

Don’t Fall Asleep Just Yet

One more word, mama writer.

Don’t fall asleep just yet. Almost there. Almost through.

One more word, mama writer. Because this revision has to end at some point, even if the point seems so far ahead still.

Revising 40 K in 72 hours

Enough is e-nough, I said to myself on this fine, polar morning. This revision has to end. I need to be done with the YA paranormal.

Once and for a couple of months, time for the beta-readers to come back to me.

I was half-way through the revision. 40k words revised. 45k words to go.

This revision has been the longest one. Many cores changes, some chapters re-writen, erased, re-writen again.

So far I can say this story is close to my most accomplished one. Characters, beats, action. It’s unique.

But OH DEAR ME, I NEED TO BE DONE WITH IT !!!

Therefore, I’m going to push it. In the next 72 hours, I will devoted every hour left after taking care of my family, every hour of sleep time I can spare to finish that revision.

For the love of my own sanity and my other writing projects, I need to move on to another world for more than an hour here and there.

The YA paranormal haunts me (how ironic) even when I try to work on something else.

The Dang Light at the End of the Dang Tunnel

Now an expression I can’t ear without having a little throw-up taste rising in my mouth, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is still how I feel with the YA paranormal.

I see the end. It’s clear. Clean cut. No more re-writes required. Just some tightening up, some rising the love tension here and there, a pinch of « oh please Main character don’t do that, don’t don’t don’t ARRRGGGGGHHH, no she did, I need to read the next chapter NOW » there.

And I’m gonna be done.

Then without further ado, dear fellow writers, thank you for reading and stay safe.

May all the words flow your way!

Writing Productivity : What Does It Takes To Be As Productive As Agatha Christie

How to be a productive writer is a question I ask myself nearly everyday. I read about it (when I should write), I listen to AuthorTuber about it (when I should be writing) and read craft books about it (when I should be writing). In this blog post, I attempt to find out what it takes to be a productive writer like Agatha Christie, one my favourite writer of all time, was.

I’ve always, always, always dreamed of being able to be as productive a writer as Agatha Christie was.

Note that I didn’t write « as brilliant a writer » nor « as successful a writer ».

First, being a successful writer is highly out of my (our) control. When I worked at a publishing house, I quickly learned that the success of a book was impossible to predict, no matter the time-energy-money one would invest in it.

Don’t get me wrong, it certainly helps a great deal. But it does not guarantee success.

Second, being a brilliant writer is also highly out of my control. I can only do my best to better my writing craft. I can only keep writing and never give up my dream/goal: earning a living publishing novels.

That being saiiiiid… What does it take to write like Agatha Christie !!!

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