Using Writing Prompts

There's many Insta / Tumblr pages now that focus solely on giving vague writing prompts for people, and although they do well in regards to likes/comments, they can be quite limiting.

I feel that whenever I see a writing prompt, I make a quick idea in my head and it goes no further, but who is to say someone else didn't immediately follow the same thought? It's a little exercise to get your brain going, but personally, I definitely wouldn't risk trying to base a story around one. It's a bit of quick fun at best - but it does have it's benefits - writing prompts can trigger other story ideas, or lead you on a train of thought that could help with other projects on the go.

If I ever see a writing prompt that leads my brain on a thought - I run with it and see what I can create - but the ones I have come across seem very limiting, or uninspired, or just completely wild and I feel I can't do anything with it. They would be a good jump off point for high school essay projects or as a creative ice breaking task before writing something else - but I've never got too far with a writing prompt idea, if I ever do, I'll be sure to tell the world.

The positive about writing prompts, is that it could lead you in a completely different direction - which could inspire a project that's a safe enough distance from the prompt that you can go anywhere with it. I'm yet to see one that's inspired me.

I suggest exploring writing prompt pages, to see if anything sparks your creativity. Best of luck.

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

You don't know pain like sending off a piece of work, then finding a typo the second it's sent.
Heartbreaking.

You can get other people to have a read through, or use a spell checker, but unfortunately, some things can be overlooked. I have only sent one essay off with a typo, so far, but I was fortunate to contact immediately and had the chance to rectify the mistake before the submission was accepted and the deadline was still open.

Proofreading seems like an obvious thing to do when writing, but as I said words can be overlooked, especially when you've added an extra word, your spell check may not flag the mistake, and your brain may completely miss it when having a quick skim when writing.
I've learnt to write, edit twice, proofread, and then have beta readers involved to avoid any typos slipping through. It's also a good way to hear your work whilst you're writing it - reading aloud whilst writing has helped me notice the words I've used.

Tip: Writing in comic sans apparently helps you notice mistakes, and makes you write more!

Are Beta Readers Important?

I only recently started using beta readers - I have also had people read the book once released for some feedback and for them to do a possible review for me on Amazon. Beta readers get their hands on your work before it goes too far, they give their honest opinion on your writing, and they help with any plot holes, grammar issues or tell you if the story is interesting or not.

So, are beta readers important?
.. They're more like ALPHA READERS, am I right? - The response I've had from people interested in my writing projects before they are available for the world to see, is incredible. It's very scary letting someone see your work before you even feel it's nearly finished - but it is productive, especially since beta readers will be critical of your work and not just sugar coat things - they want you to have good quality work out there.

I will be contacting more beta readers in the future when I finally finish my novel - I will hopefully do this for my children's books too - obviously limiting how many you need, as if you let anyone read your work, you won't get any sold. I will also be continuing to send out a PDF copy of my books to select people in order to gain more reviews online. Get yourself some betas!

4am Creative Writing

Being woken up at 4am isn't always fun. Who are we kidding, it's never fun being woken up, no matter what time it is!

Unfortunately, this is quite frequent these days, so I put my time to good use. I have been spending the early hours of the morning writing! Poetry, story ideas, and for the first time in a while - a complete children's story. I managed to write a full rhyming story in the hour and a half I was rudely awoken. When I woke up at a reasonable hour, I sent off the note to my beta reader ( ... my poor unsuspecting husband!) and had some good feedback.

No typos, no plotholes, no confusion.
How on earth did I do that when my brain doesn't want to work?

The story is called, 'Do Your Homework, Sally Dean!', I'm hoping to sit on it for a until the end of the year, or the beginning of next year, then release it - but I know for a fact I'm going to be overly excited and try to publish it as soon as I have the finances! (If you see me promoting a book with that title in a few months, call me out!)
I am making sure I put a pin in all future ideas and notes - they will either become future writing projects, or something to reflect on and wonder how I got anything at all done on so little sleep.

#WritingCommunity

It's so amazing that so many platforms use the hashtag, #WritingCommunity - I have used it several times to plug my work, get some feedback, connect with other indie writers and answer other people's questions.
I'm not as active on there as I'd like to be - as I often feel out of my depth dishing out advice and information to writers who have way more experience than me.

There are some cool folk on there who promote work, and help other writers get more followers and attention - which is so helpful to indies.
You don't realise how much you actually expand your audience when you use the hashtag, there are so many supportive people who will take the time to have a look at your work - so make sure you return the favour! I tend to like or retweet whenever I browse the hashtag, or even joining in with threads that I feel comfortable contributing to.
I love reading peoples ideas and WIPS, or learning about their book characters.
People come up with the most incredible plots and are happy to share for feedback.

The community is very accepting and welcoming to new writers, even if you've not written anything as yet, they are willing to advise, guide and answer any questions you may have.

Finding Feedback - The Struggle

It's fairly difficult to source your own book bloggers for feedback, and being an indie only makes it worse. Here's how I went about finding people willing.

I had to contact people on several different social media sites to find people willing to fit my work in to their busy To Be Read list.
You can't expect people to drop what they're doing to deal with you.
The people I spoke to were writers, bloggers, book reviewers, parents and carers, and people who enjoy children's literature, and fortunately, I managed to get some feedback.

Some of the feedback I received were posted on the social media that I had contacted them on, so I had featured on their Instagram stories, was retweeted on Twitter, and the cover of my book reposted on Tumblr. Not all feedback comes to Amazon - that's why you have to share their feedback on your own, as others may not see it. It's always good to request that they share their comments on Amazon, if they can, bonus, if they can't, it doesn't matter, they've spent time giving your work feedback, so you should take the time thanking them, sharing their words, and returning the favour if possible.

Don't go into thinking that people owe you anything. Yes, you have a new book. Yes, it's super exciting. Yes, the people you contact do this for a living. It doesn't mean they read your genre, or they prefer books that aren't indie, or they just don't have time - some people make a living from reviews, and therefore would expect a payment for their time. If you cannot pay them - don't ask them. I don't pay for reviews, as I feel you'd want more bang for your buck, and expect a glowing review as your hard earned money went towards it - which may not be completely honest or reflective of your work.

Top tip: Do not expect the review to be perfect and sparkly, they see your work in a different light and will point out the flaws, imperfections, and will inform you of their opinion - it's honest work, and it's better to hear the truth from someone who has built a career on book reviews, than to be told it's amazing and that feedback being useless to you.

Indie Writer : Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

I've posted twice about experiencing imposter syndrome. There's genuinely a horrible feeling of playing pretend when you're trying to follow your dreams and getting nowhere fast.
I've seen a few people posting about it in the Twitter Writing Community, which is comforting to know I'm not the only one, but it's also awful knowing that so many talented people feel like this when it comes to writing.

It can come in different forms, feeling like you're not being taken seriously as a writer, looking at your own work and thinking it's absolute rubbish, thinking your work will be overlooked because you're 'a nobody', or even when looking for writing jobs and not applying because you're not a household name.

Writing is hard, it always has been and it always will be - and unfortunately, Imposter Syndrome seems to follow not far behind whenever you start a writing project.
Yet, it's not permanent. Whenever I get excited that work was accepted, or I run with a new idea, or when a project is finished, it goes. Know it's not forever, it never shows it's face when you're on an up - I know it's often a long time between good news, but point stands, enthusiasm seems to curb the idea you're an imposter.
Chin up, crack on, and understand it's temporary.

My Impending Writing Hiatus..

It's hard to come to terms with the fact that my writing will have to go on the back burner for a while!

I've had my whole pregnancy free to write whatever I want and try new writing styles, so it'll be strange not getting up, grabbing a pen and cracking on! I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy and in a few months, I'll have a new priority.

I'm swapping notebooks for nappies! How exciting!

I will be making an effort to write as and when I can - but I have a feeling my ideas will be recorded as voice notes, rather than quick sticky note scribbles. I don't want to lose my interest in writing, and I'm excited to juggle raising my child, and follow my career goals - you can have both.

I'm hoping to set a little time aside when I feel comfortable to get some new ideas down or rediscover my WIPs. I've been making an effort lately to draft some blog posts, so if I do get a spare moment, I'll at least be able to keep my blog as active as possible.

This is the good thing about putting a pin in projects!
I have some work projects to come back to - and since it'll be a while in the future, I'll have fresh eyes - which has worked well for me in the past!

My Book Aims

I genuinely didn't expect to have more books than Don't Eat Charlie Cheese.
I was 22 years old when I crafted the Charlie Cheese character, I was working in a pre-school, didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I thrived making up rhymes and funny characters with the children and my co-worker (now best friend!). On my break, I used to make notes on scraps of paper or tissues I'd find in my pockets. It was exciting and sparked my interest in writing.

I would never think that 5 years later I'd have two more Charlie Cheese books, a memoirs comedy book, a poetry book and a new children's book.

It's such a wild achievement, and it's incredible to see my hard work being enjoyed by others. I am delighted I found such enjoyment with making stories, and decided that this is the future I'd see myself being happy having.
I believe I've done incredibly well in regards to getting my writing career off to a running start, although I hate feeling like I'm boasting or showing off, I do feel proud about this. I'd like to set myself new aims when it comes to books - rather than writing challenges.

My book aims are:

- Release 10 books by the time I'm 30. (Borderline impossible, but let's give it a go!)
AND
- Finish my novel. I don't have a deadline for this, but I'll be happy when it's complete.

Creative Writing - Word Salad

Whilst looking for writing jobs, I found a lot of notes for 'Word Salad'.
I checked out the job and found it to be a lot of fun constructing sentences and a storyline.
See, Word Salad requests poetry, short stories, novels etc. but you have to include a list of certain words.
This is an amazing writing exercise and I want to take this on as a regular writing exercise before I start work. You can be given three words, and you've got the freedom to make it any genre you want.

For my first practice, I was given: Hollywood, Bowling ball, and Reputation.

I wrote a little idea about a fictional person moving to Hollywood to make a life for herself as an actor, but due to poor choices and relationships, her reputation was twisted and run into the ground by the people she trusted the most. It ended with her throwing a bowling ball through her agent's window after a break down.
It's nothing special, but it definitely sharpens your ideas and was a brilliant writing exercise.
You can use a word generator to make your own Word Salad!

Writing Projects : Knock Backs.

I'm not going to be one of those people who only blogs about the good news and the success in terms of my work - it's not what being a writer is. I'd rather be honest about it than put on a front - not everything is handed to you, and so it shouldn't be.

You will apply for things and get knocked back, you will enter your work and it be rejected, you will spend a long time working for it to be a none starter. It happens. If it didn't happen you wouldn't grow as a person, you wouldn't put more effort in, your writing wouldn't go anywhere.

I've seen today that the filming opportunity I applied for has closed, and the chosen projects have been informed. Meaning my short film idea wasn't taken on.
Of course I'm gutted.
But what can you do?

..You can crack on, that's what!
I have a filming project that I can work on, and film when I fancy. It's not the end of a project, just because one opportunity doesn't choose your work.
Take it on the chin and put it down to experience. Onwards and upwards - as always!

Are Amazon Book Reviews Important?

Well, are they?

I try to review everything I purchase on Amazon - even if I don't write much, I'll leave some stars.

My children's book series is available on Amazon, but unfortunately, it doesn't have many reviews. I have had to request that customers leave a review in the past, as not everyone does give feedback on Amazon. It's not like I'm asking for great reviews, because that's not the case, and the review would then be null and void for other people checking the books out. I am looking for honest feedback which accurately reflects people's opinions on the books - as this can make or break, and is valid to me.

I do think reviews are important, in a way.
I have had amazing feedback on social media sites, via email, or in person - but they are private reviews and not seen by possible readers, which limits me.
Word of mouth is also incredible to get the news out, but it's not often people find themselves in a discussion about moustache sporting cheese men...

If you do have one of the books, please, please, leave some honest Amazon feedback /
Thanks in advance!

Don't Eat Charlie Cheese

Charlie Cheese Travels The World

Charlie Cheese And The Food Dance

Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone

Before I started pushing myself to try writing new things, I stuck to what I knew, unknowingly limiting my writing. I recently started my novel, and I absolutely love it!
I like to challenge myself when it comes to creative writing, as it gives you experience, expands your abilities, and you could find something you're happy to do forever.

I felt nervous starting my novel - I didn't know where to start, and felt inadequate.
I mean, I went from writing short stories and poetry, to throwing myself into a massive project - I wasn't qualified to do this!
Well, I am, and I'm glad I made a start.

I'm only just coming to terms with the fact my anxiety makes me feel like I am limiting myself as a creative, or that I'm an imposter and I've no idea what I'm doing.
I know for a fact, though, this is my dream job - so I need to ensure I reach this by leaving my comfort zone more often! It allows you to move in the right direction, without forcing too much pressure on yourself.

Stepping Away From A WIP

Spending some time away from a writing project could go one of three ways:

1. Fresh eyes on a project could inspire new ideas, which could result in pushing time and effort into finishing your work.

2. You could feel it still has potential, but now isn't the right time to fully emmerse yourself in it. Put a pin in it and you can always return later.

3. You find the project is longer relevant, it has run it's course and you no longer want your name on it.

If it is the third route, don't feel guilty for cutting ties with a WIP.
Yes, you worked hard on a particular creative writing piece, but do you really want to put your heart into something you find limited?
It happens.
Some WIPs got put on hold for a reason - it's better to put time into new projects, than trying to salvage something you believe isn't going anywhere.
If you aren't sure about a WIP, go for option 2 - but if you know you're stunted, drop it, you can always cut extracts from it you feel can be used elsewhere.

Keep moving forward!
Don't feel bad for letting go of a project!

Poetry For A Clear Mind

Please don't think this is a post dedicated to relaxing poetry.. It's definitely not.
I have been using poetry to clear my mind of worries and stresses. This is an exercise I have adopted before I start working on my novel, or my other projects. It's as simple as writing down what's bothering me and making it rhyme.

If it's on the paper, it's off my chest.

I started doing this only recently, to get everything out in the open so my mind is clear before working. It's a fun, little exercise, as it makes small bothers seem trivial - and often hilarious.
The poetry doesn't have to be deep or serious, it can be silly and pointless. The most important thing, is that your brain is not longer busy, putting you in the right mind set so you're ready to write. If there is a chance some of this poetry could go further, then even better, because you've turned a bother into a project.

- - Obviously, if something is serious, a poem won't fix it - you're going to have to deal with that.
This exercise is to clear your head before writing.

My First Writing Milestones

Being an indie writer means that you're starting from scratch, often with no financial backing at all, and you are more of a niche than mainstream.
You're winging it, basically.
There has been some milestones for me that don't seem like a big deal to others, but meant the world to me. Having no money to throw at your hard work is heartbreaking - but that doesn't mean you're not moving in the right direction.

I think the first milestone for me, was completing my first short story - Don't Eat Charlie Cheese.
I was elated when the story was done and dusted, I had been working on it whilst being full time employed in a pre-school, so I had limited time to figure out where the story was going.
But that was only the start, from there, I managed to save money to have the book illustrated by a unique artist TOMMINGS. When he sent me the first illustrations to look at, I could not cope. The character was better than I'd ever have dreamed of - I'd seen nothing like it in my life!
Charlie was alive!
I then got the first print of the book in the post - and I smiled all day and told everyone in the world (and their grandmother) that I had written a book, a real life, hold it in your hands, give it a flick through book!
Don't Eat Charlie Cheese was then discovered on Amazon! I think I cried at this point..
And from there I continued to write!

Everyone has different milestones in regards to achievements. Don't compare yourself to other writers, ever.
You did a thing - be proud!
The good thing about milestones is, they don't stop. There's loads of accomplishments you can gain - I get excited when this blog gets views! I'll be excited if my books ever win a prize, you never know, working hard pays off - even if it's a small win!

Expanding Vocabulary

In my second Charlie Cheese book, Charlie Cheese Travels The World - I went crazy with synonyms. It's always a good idea to help children learn new words, especially if you just swap in a synonym now and again.
I did this when I worked with small children too, I was never 'scared' I was 'frightened' or 'spooked' - for some reason, the kids found me using bizarre words they're unfamiliar with absolutely hilarious, but it helped them learn and understand new words, so bonus.

I try my best to learn new words. This often happens when I have a word stuck in my head, and after I cannot figure out where I'd heard it, I end up blurting out and asking what it is - usually not taking into consideration whether or not the word may be inappropriate.. Either way, I get my answer!

I like to search synonyms and antonyms when writing - as basic as that is, I find it easier than reading a word over and over to try and make it stick. Expanding your own vocabulary doesn't have to be a chore and it can help massively when writing. You can end up using words several times and it does begin to grind and you feel like a useless writer as a result.

Reading also helps with vocabulary. (It helps you write, too).
There's no shame in looking up words that seem overly complex - an author/writer used that word for a reason - so find out what it means.

Best of luck!

Trying To Write With 'Baby Brain'

For those who don't know, you do now.
I'm pregnant!

See, you couldn't even tell on my blog because my writing has been up to scratch, hasn't it?

Well, now my 'baby brain' is getting worse.
I forget words, I get distracted and I completely mess up what I'm saying - which is difficult when you're trying to be a full time writer.

I haven't lost any motivation as I try to write daily. I haven't ran out of ideas because my notes are bursting. I haven't put a pin in writing as this is my dream job and I need to continue.
I am just struggling to form a decent sentence and words don't look right anymore.

I thought my peak worst 'baby brain' moment was thinking someone was called 'Wolf Fingers', rather than 'William'. It's hard work.

I'm writing now in short bursts and taking longer breaks, it's not ideal, but I'm not stopping writing. My WIPS are still open and I'm attempting to be more productive. If you are a pregnant writer - you're doing amazing. It is hard when your brain is slowly melting. Writing will always be worth it. Keep your 'baby brain' busy.

A Novel - Making A Start

I've been toying with the idea of writing a novel for a while now, and today I made a start!

I have written up a basic idea of the story line, and made a small attempt to structure it.
It's so early in the creative writing process, but that's the good thing about a novel - no deadline, no rush - I have a long term project that I can work on comfortably and have as much time as I need to chop and change, until I deem it perfect.

There can be months of research, learning and pulling my hair out - and I cannot be more excited!
I am used to putting a pin in a work-in-progress for children's book ideas or short stories, but a novel feels much more serious - so it will hopefully be more rewarding, I'll soon find out!

It will be a writing challenge that will pull me in and out of my comfort zone, and if I still have this blog going when the novel's finished, I'll be sure to update!

Sticky Note Haiku Procrastinator

I feel the title could be my superhero name / be on my headstone without it being questioned.

If you follow me on Instagram - my handle is @thebeffyparkin - you'll know I was supposed to be doing paperwork today, something I've been putting off since the dawn of time. Obviously, I shuffled three pieces of paper then began writing..

My brain has rewired itself. I used to enjoy organising paperwork.
Now, I'm happy writing all day and making a massive desk mess. Shocking.

I'm attempting to use this to my advantage, somehow. I am hoping to create rhymes and haikus WHILST ticking things off my to-do list - and when some jobs are done, "as a treat" I can begin making notes. What an exciting life!

It has to be sticky notes - or I'm just going to create more paperwork that I'll never finish. Smart.
Here's the result of this morning's procrastination: