Getting writing time out of bus trips (without putting pen to paper)

Now, please don't take any of this the wrong way. I am not a stalker. I am certainly a normal person. But, there is something which I do sometimes to help with description. Description, I find, is the part of my writing which I leave out the most. I think of my characters as just people, regardless of what they look like. Now, while this may be a very inclusive outlook on life, it does not make for as immersive an experience as I would like.

So, what to do if your characters all look the same? Just look around you. When I am on the bus, sometimes I will surreptitiously look at the people around me and think about how I would describe them. What does their hair look like? How would I bring to life that particular set of features on paper? Here, for example, is a man who regularly takes the same bus as I do:

He was a tall man; not particularly heavily built but with enough bulk to be noticeable. He had his eyes closed, and his eyelashes and lips were almost feminine in contrast to the rough stubble which covered his chin. He did not, however, look effeminate. On the contrary, his features combined in a face which looked astonishingly manly.

Hardly the best of descriptions, I know. The difference, however, is that I would never have come up with something like that all on my own. If it were me, I would have simply made up a man. But what is a man without a few curious features. And don't stop there. Try to imagine what kind of job they do. Are they unemployed? Married? A lawyer? A doctor? What is their personality like? The beauty with this is that they can be whatever you want them to be. Such as:

He spent most of his days at the university, leaving early and coming back late. He did not enjoy the commute; in fact he spent most of those times trying to sleep on the bus, with his music in his ears and trying to ignore the movement of the bus.

And that, I believe, is all I have to say on the topic. Try it guys, just try not to let anyone see you staring. They probably won't comment, but you'll be forever marked as the strange person as the bus. Though if you're like me, you were probably already strange to begin with. Bye!
Laura

The Pen Name: A Discussion

Okay, I know it's been a long time... there are reasons for that. Stupid, pathetic reasons, which are really just excuses. I'm sorry. I've been neglecting my online presence. So, first up, an update. I've been participating in this year's July Camp NaNoWriMo, and I'm well on my way to completing it. As well as that, I'm knitting a Dalek Lace Shawl, which shall also be finished soon. I'm quite excited about both. The last thing which is taking my time is Minecraft, which if I'm honest I never should really have started. But it is such a wonderful outlet for creativity, even for someone who can't draw a straight line.

Now that that's dealt with, on to the actual article. I recently searched, with the help of the NaNoWriMo forums, for a pen name. In two days I had a response, and lo and behold, I now have a pen name. Hannah Laurent. Has a nice ring, doesn't it? It's an amalgam of my first and middle names, swapped. If I ever publish, hopefully it will be under that name.

Of course, why the need for a pen name? I decided a long time ago that my full name was not suitable as a pen name. It comprises of a first and a middle name, plus a ridiculously long hyphenated last name. Those do not make up for the most pronounceable of names, so I was keen to make up something new. Nor did I want to simply chop out my middle name and the last part of my surname, because it sounds bland and uninteresting. Laura Berger. Can you imagine that on the spine of a book? I thought so. But then, maybe I'm being harsh to myself. After all, when Ian Fleming began to write his famous series of books, he picked the name James Bond because he thought it was exceptionally boring. We all know how that turned out.

Then of course, there's the recent news about J.K. Rowling writing under a pen name in order to avoid the stigma which followed her on publication of A Casual Vacancy. Rowling, of course, already writes under a pen name, albeit one not too different from her real name. In this case, I applaud her. She is, I believe, a very competent writer, whether you like her latest books or not. And when I find people putting them down simply because there is no magic or wand waving, I find it very sad indeed.

So, what about pen names?

I find that a pen name will be the mask I wear to sell books; a fake veneer for my very introverted self to hide behind. Even though publishing is the least personal medium of expressing oneself, perhaps I can distance myself from bad reviews if it's not actually my name. Probably not. But I can hope so, anyway. I guess, in the end, it completely depends on your circumstances. Perhaps you are a published children's author who wants to be taken seriously with adult fiction, or you want to keep your sinful writing from the people you know. Perhaps, like me, your own name is just too boring. A pen name, in any case, is a very flexible thing which can be adapted to any circumstance. It can be sexy, serious, mysterious; whatever you want it to be. Therein lies its power.

I hope you enjoyed that disjointed series of thoughts; I promise to return with some more structured material within the week. If I don't, feel free to leave a comment to smack me on the head. Wishing you a very lovely day,
Laura.

7 Writing Tips to keep the words flowing

Writers' block. We've all experienced it, all lamented the inopportune arrival of it. Some deny its existence, call it a mere temporary setback. But whether you like to think of them as slow patches, or if you simply do not have any ideas, you need a way of dealing with this. Here are my tips. You do not need to use all of these to conquer writers' block; in fact it would be better you only use one or two. Find the method that works best for you and put it into practice.

1. Soldier on. Write more words, even if they're painful and you hate them. You can come back and edit them later.
2. Try skimming slightly over the section you're writing. Give bare details where an entire paragraph would be preferable. Don't give the how or the why if it's not important and you can't think of it. These things can be added later.
3. Add a plot point. If things are never going to work out or if your story has reached a stalemate, make something happen! It doesn't need to be explicitly related to the overall plot line, and it certainly doesn't need to resolve the story; but it can serve to push your characters in the right direction.
4. Write ahead. Use with caution. You can skip the section you're on, but beware that it might create structural issues in your story if the part you're on is important.
5. Make a summary. If you know what's going to happen but can't bring yourself to write it yet, write a summary of that part (as detailed as you can make it) and move on. This is a viable alternative to option 4 if skipping it might cause issues.
6. Write something else. Spend a little time doing a short story. The time away might cause you to forget things about your story, but let's face it, you've forgotten half of it already, right? Writing another project might help you put the issue into perspective.
7. Find a human guinea pig. Find someone whose ideas are very similar to yours, like a sister or a best friend. Tell them the issues you're having and have a discussion with them about how to resolve it. They might see things you've missed, and they're also great to bounce ideas off.

Hope you enjoyed those pearls of writing wisdom. May writers' block never hinder your path, and happy writing to you.

River's Gloves - Knitting Pattern

I made these as an accompaniment to the River's Diary pattern I posted not long ago. Subtle Doctor Who references are embroidered on the back of the hand. The cuff is modeled on River's Diary, with sixteen panels encircling the wrist. This is meant to be the first in a slate of Doctor Who inspired glove patterns, so stay tuned for more.

Instructions

CO 30 sts and arrange evenly onto 3 needles. Join in the round, being careful not to twist. Now, follow either the chart or the written instructions.

Chart

Cuff

Round 1-2: k all

Round 3: [k2, p13] twice

Round 4: [k2, p1, k11, p1] twice

Round 5: [k2, p1, k1, p9, k1, p1] twice

Round 6: [k2, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1] twice

Round 7-9: As round 6 (3 rounds)

Repeat rounds 5-9 three more times, until you have sixteen panels.

Round 25: [k2, p1, k1, p9, k1, p1] twice

Round 26: [k2, p1, k11, p1] twice

Round 27: [k2, p13] twice

Glove

Round 1-2: K all

Round 3: k15, place marker, m1, k2, m1, place marker, k to end (32)

Round 4-6: k all (3 rounds)

Round 7: k15, slip marker, m1, k to marker, m1, slip marker, k to end (34)

Repeat rounds 4-7 twice more, until you have 38 stitches on your needles.

Round 16-23: k all (8 rounds)

Round 24: k to first marker, remove marker, k1, place next 8 sts on holder, k1, remove marker, k to end.

Round 25-35: k all (10 rounds)

Round 36: p all

BO loosely

Thumb

Pick up the stitches on your holder and join in the yarn.

Round 1: k8, pick up and k 2 sts.

Round 2-7: k all (6 rounds)

Round 8: p all

BO loosely

Finishing

Weave in the ends, making sure to close up any holes around the thumb. Take a length of white yarn and a tapestry needle and embroider words on the back of the glove. On one glove, put the words ‘Hello sweetie XO’. On the other, put ‘Spoilers’. Weave in these ends to the white yarn on the inside of the glove. Voila, you’re done!

As always, I do have a PDF version of the pattern. Happy knitting!

The Master Writing Tip

There was something I forgot to tell you guys two posts ago. It's something I forgot that I needed to follow, but has been driven home by last night spent procrastinating. It's something I don't really have trouble with, but others of you might not like. It's the perfect way to find some time in the evenings to put fingers to keyboards or pens to paper. It's simple. Three words.

Stop watching TV.

Now, I don't mean stop watching TV period. You can still turn it on once a week to watch your favourite show. But turning the box on every single night leaves you zero hours to do work on your novel. This is something I learned by accident when I participated in NaNoWriMo and very quickly gave up on this pastime. It's possible, trust me, and you don't really lose anything.

Anyway, TV is for unimaginative people. What's wrong with sitting down and reading a book. Do you need to watch reruns of QI? Is it imperative that you see this cooking show, though you may never look at or think about the recipes ever again? I think not. So put some time aside, and leave the box in its corner. Your inner writer will thank you for it.

River's Diary Knitting Pattern

First off, a disclaimer. I do not own this pattern. It was thought up by hells456 and never charted, so I did in service to the Whovian community and so that I can knit it up myself. It hasn't been tested yet, because I have other projects to finish, but there shouldn't be too many bugs. It's a very simple pattern. A worsted weight yarn should do the trick (I'm really just guessing here. Take care to adjust your needle size and gauge for whatever you're making a cover for). Here's what I'm basing it off:

River Song's Diary by hells456

OK then, now that that's cleared up, on to the pattern itself. I have it in three versions. The first is a knitting chart for those who abhor written patterns. Then I have instructions for working a flat panel. Finally, I have written in-the-round instructions for a no-seaming version of the pattern. Here goes:

Chart:

Following the chart, knit first the first 6 rows, then rows 7-22 four times, and finally rows 23-30.

Grey: purl on RS, knit on WS

White: knit on RS, purl on WS

Written Instructions - flat panel:

CO 38 sts. Starting with a knit row, work 5 rows in stockinette stitch.

Row 6 (WS): [p2, k16] twice, p2.

Row 7 (RS): [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Row 8 (WS): [p2, k1, p14, k1] twice, p2.

Row 9: [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Row 10: [p2, k1, p2, k1, p8, k1, p2, k1] twice, p2.

Row 11: [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Repeat rows 10 and 11 five more times.

Row 22 (WS): [p2, k1, p2, k10, p2, k1] twice, p2.

Repeat rows 7-22 three more times, until you have eight panels.

Row 23 (RS): [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Row 24 (WS): [p2, k1, p14, k1] twice, p2.

Row 25: [k2, p16] twice, k2.

Row 26: k all.

Work the last four rows in stockinette stitch. BO all sts. Make two of these.

Seaming: place the right sides of the panels facing one another and sew the two long edges and one short edge together. Turn inside out and you’re done!

Written Instructions - in the round:

Using a sock cast on, CO 38 pairs of sts (76). Begin working in the round. Starting with a knit row, work 5 rounds in stockinette stitch.

Round 6: [k2, p16] twice, k4, [k2, p16] twice, k2.

Round 7: [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k14, p1] twice, k2.

Round 8: Work as round 7.

Round 9: [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k2, p10, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Round 10: [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k4, [k2, p1, k2, p1, k8, p1, k2, p1] twice, k2.

Round 11: Work as round 10.

Repeat rounds 10 and 11 five more times.

Round 22: Work as round 9.

Repeat rounds 7-22 three more times, until you have sixteen panels.

Round 23-24: work as round 7.

Round 25: work as round 6.

Round 26-30: k all (5 rounds).

BO all sts.

Happy knitting, Whovians. I also have a PDF version of the pattern available, if you want to save it on your computer. May the Doctor some day fly you away.

Eight Writing Tips

I've been slack, I know. University and all that. When you are at uni, you quickly learn to prioritise things. I'm sad to say my priorities run this way: uni>novel>blog. Sorry. Anyways, here's another post so I don't feel like a total slacker. I've gotten to thinking about what makes people good writers, having recently entered a writing competition and reaching the end of my novel. So, here are my thoughts on the matter, in the form of writing tips.

1. Finish things. This is the first on the list because it also happens to be the most difficult to follow. Are you one of those people who has thousands of incomplete novels sitting on their hard drive? Pick one you like, and complete it.
2. No editing allowed. Yes, half of what you write will be rubbish the first time around, but write it anyway. As someone once said, 'you can't edit what you haven't written'.
3. Go with gut instinct. You may be the most meticulous planner in the universe, but if you come up with a plot twist while you're writing, implement it, for heaven's sake! Always be open to changes to your original plot. It can only be made better by your edits.
4. Develop your writing style. By this, I mean you shouldn't try to copy other people's writing. It will sound shallow. Write things; small things, silly things, stupid things, until you are comfortable with the way your words come out.
5. Set yourself a daily target. Writing a little every day can have a more positive impact on your quality of writing and your writing habits than anything else. Make yourself a spreadsheet if you like to track your progress. Remember, every little bit that you write contributes to your novel.
6. Be realistic. A novel is not written in one sitting. Hell, even a short story takes lots of editing. Keep in mind that it won't appear over night.
7. Read a lot. I'll tell you a little secret about inspiration. Inspiration comes from all of the little things you've read and done and experienced, mushed up in your brain and spat back out as original ideas.
8. Have fun! This is the most important thing. If you're not writing because you're enjoying it, your writing will have no soul.

This is all I can think of at the moment. I may update this list later when I have time. Until then, happy writing! May your fingers never falter.