What an amazing weekend! The confr was fantastic - it was such a friendly place and so many novelists and agents on hand willing to dispense advice and feedback. I have come home with the embryo of a plan for how I can write more and do paid work less. I'm about to go to my day job and sit in a 2 hour meeting and I'm really worried that I shall just daydream through it and be thinking about the rewrites I need to be doing on my novel.
Going there knowing I had finished a first draft of my novel the day before was just the best feeling. I was able to put my hand up high in lots of workshops when we were asked 'who has finished their novel' - that was a brilliant feeling!!! I got some amazing feedback which has made me desperate to get back to it and begin the 2nd draft but I'm going to leave it for 2-3 weeks and not even peak at it just so I can have some distance. It's quite good that the next 2 weeks are really busy work wise so there will be no opportunity for peeking!!!!
Big sigh as I must now go into the non writing world - really difficult to do after 3 days immersed in writing - it was just wonderful knowing that everyone around you was involved in writing and I met some lovely people and chatted for ages just about writing!!! I can really recommend the experience to any other writer.
Very Happy yo be home to a proper shower though - sleeping in uni halls of residence brings back my undergraduate days - which are fun to reflect one - but I was baffled as to how I ever washed my hair properly back then as the showers were just a trickle - it was lovely to get home to a proper shower and my own bed!!!!
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3 comments:
I missed the news that you'd finished. Well done, brilliant achievment and glad the Winchester Conference went well.
About direction, I had some advice years ago to 'choose your rut carefully' on the grounds that it's hard to change direction afterwards. It's a bit of a catch 22 situation though, isn't it, as a new writer it's hard, imo, to be too picky!
I agree Chris - I am not rushing into anything and just sitting back and letting everything ferment at the moment. Some of the feedback was really useful but I just need to think whether or not it suits my style. I am pondering!!
Fermenting is a crucial stage - I think it's really valuable to give yourself that space between finishing and re-reading. When you read it back, it'll feel fresh and you'll be that bit more objective about it (hopefully!)
Glad you had such a good conference, anyway.
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