Monday 4 October 2010

Still waiting...

Turns out we all got the wrong end of the stick. There was no big announcement on Friday, no list of the nearly-rans posted up this morning, instead we got to ask (in some cases beg, or crawl) for a public critique of our work, ten of us, out of about 300, to be chosen at random and those names will be posted tonight, then, at some point this week the editors' favourites will also be listed. While some fellow newbies have been ignoring the distraction and are busily rewriting their chapters and forging on with novels, the rest of us are in a suspended state - the tiny opportunity of a critique of my chapter is worth waiting for and may solve the whole to-completely-rewrite-or-not-to rewrite question. So I wait...
It's not all been sitting around obsessively checking the New Voices website though. In addition to work and a weekend of birthday fun for the newly seven year old daughter (a weekend that has left us both sick and coldy, curled up together on an unexpected and rare sick day together)I have written the first part of my chapter for the Newbies Novella. Which was a lot of fun, no pressure just writing for the joy of it. My only worry about it is how far to take it.I have yet to write a sex scene,let alone post one up on a public forum. I don't mind reading them but there is a streak of prudery in me that makes the actual writing of one really stressful and, I suspect, the end result will be as erotic as a cold baked beans.
My other preoccupation is whether to sign up for NaNoWriMo. It will be an excellent way to get some creative juices flowing, I have a plot idea and it sounds like a lot of fun! I do want to - but do I have time, can I make time? Honestly, I am doubtful. I need to start writing on the hop, during swimming and gym lessons, while she's paying tennis or in the park but my old laptop is less than portable, has a battery life of a nano second and takes half an hour to crank up. I dream of investing in a netbook but money isn't plentiful.To write on the hop does need new hardware though and it's the only way I can even consider NaNoReMo. Maybe I'll sign up and worry about the logistics later.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, writing on the hop is the only way I get anything done. I am literally hopping on and off the netbook all day, though most of my writing does get done when the kids are in bed.
Re the sex scene, it is rather daunting, but you may surprise yourself. I did ;-)
Can't wait for your next installment of the newbies novella!

Sophia Harrop said...

Hope you decide to do Nano! And what a good thing you entered that comp for the critique ...!