KiwiWriters Blogging Week – Day Two

20 02 2012

Day Two… what now?

Goals – I know I go on about goals all the time, but goals are important, even in life.

I set myself Writing Goals every year, so that I have a goal I work towards.  They are simple enough, easy to achieve, while stretching me to achieve something that I might not have achieved had I not set myself a goal.

In life, you need to have goals too.  Goals keep you going in your day to day activities, and sometimes you might not even be aware that you have them.  Just to get through the day can sometimes be a goal.  To get tea prepared by lunchtime is a goal.  Going to the shop and not overspending… yip that’s a goal too.

So do you have any writing goals?

Mine have been quite varied, and I like to keep them in line with KiwiWriters challenges.  Like March is Evil Editors Unite, so I have a story I want to edit during March.  June is SoCNoC (Southern Cross Novel Competition), so I have a story to write during that time.  The End is Nigh in August is a perfect opportunity to get those projects finished that I haven’t had a chance to complete.

This year, because of my lack of motivation to write, I am concentrating on editing, with a view of getting some of my stories ready to be sent out to publishers by the end of the year.  I have four stories that could be ready, three that I definitely want to find homes for.  Fingers crossed, my editing goals will go well this year.


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KiwiWriters Blog Week – Day One

19 02 2012

So once more, I have signed up to do an entire week of blogging… what have I got myself in for?

So where do we start… I have discussed writing in length in some of my earlier posts, about why, when, how, what for etc… and I really don’t want to repeat myself.

I did have a fantastic idea about what to blog – during one of my 4am wake times… but it can’t have been that brilliant, because I can’t remember it now…

And I don’t like to ramble!

So perhaps, what does KiwiWriters mean to me?

I discovered KiwiWriters  just over 4 years ago, and for me, it was a sense of relief.  At the time, I had only just decided to start writing seriously, and while there were lots of support groups out in the big wide web, I struggled to find one that really catered for my needs.  When I stumbled across KiwiWriters, I could not contain my excitement.  Here was a group, situated in NZ, who understood my struggles, my dreams and my goals, so I decided to join.  And then about two years ago, I asked to become a member of the team behind KiwiWriters, because I was that passionate about keeping the work going.

I live in a small rural community, about 45 minutes drive from a City.  I only visit the city when I have to, so I couldn’t just drive in and attend meetings at night, besides, there wasn’t really anything available in town, unless I was into Romance writing.  At least with KiwiWriters, I was able to connect with other writers throughout NZ, some of whom are in the same situation as me, or there was no writing group in their area.  Instead, we could communicate via KiwiWriters.  Our hopes, fears, problems were all freely discussed on the forums.  Everyone had experienced the same problems as me, or had problems I had already been through.

A sense of community is a great thing, and unless you use KiwiWriters on a regular basis, we may lose this wonderful local tool.


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Holiday Blues and July Goals

1 08 2011

I have survived yet another school holiday – thank goodness!  I generally find it hard, not because I have to spend time with my child, but because he wants the computer now… ALL THE TIME!  Even with my new desk layout – he is RIGHT beside me, playing very noisy games.   I love my son to pieces, but I also enjoy it when I have my own computer to myself during the day!

My boy did spend 4 days with his Nanna over the holidays, but the timing wasn’t that great.  I had planned to do lots of writing / editing, which I did, but of the work kind.  On Thursday I had three jobs to look on.  Friday I spent all day doing two reports… and I still have one to go… oh well, that is the way the cookie crumbles.

Goals, so to update you on my goals this month…

1.  Finish the bloody Gothic Novel to first reader status.  I have been slowly ticking away on this one, and I am liking it.  Have been adding to it as I go along.

2. Write three novels this year – Ice Planet is done, just needs editing.  Blood Gold is my focus this month for the End is Nigh challenge over at KiwiWriters.  The third novel I am contemplating doing during Nano in November.

3. Edit three novels

Currently editing Gothic Novel and Of Kings Queens and Noblemen.  At this stage, The Ice Planet story will be later in the year, but will be edited by the end of the year.

So there are an update on my goals.  I am looking forward to getting Blood Gold out of the way and then I can start focusing on my next writing goal.

 


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NZ Book Month and Buy a NZ Book Day

28 01 2011

March 5th 2011 is Buy a NZ Book day.  Who said so?  We did!  The crew over at KiwiWriters decided that we needed to celebrate NZ writers, and what better way to do that than to encourage people to read NZ material.  It is quality writing, and we have lots of writers out there just waiting for you to invest in them.

NZ Book Month is all about getting people reading.  ”An annual campaign, New Zealand Book Month encourages Kiwis to celebrate books and reading. Coming next March 2011, New Zealand Book Month is the perfect time to pick up a recommended read, share a favourite book with your friends and family, encourage colleagues to start a book club – and much more.”

KiwiWriters, and their members, wish to invite you, humble reader, to purchase a book written by an NZ Writer.  Check out the details at KiwiWriters Buy a NZ Book Day, or the NZ Book Month Events Calendar for more details.


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KiwiWriters – how the site has helped me

16 10 2010

KiwiWriters is a site that has brought a lot of joy into my life.  I know that makes me sound like some very dull boring person, but until I found KiwiWriters, I was all alone in my little world, wondering just what I was going to do, who I was going to talk to about my work.

I found it quite by chance, I think I was a US site and they had KiwiWriters mentioned, so I clicked on the site and discovered a whole new and local world open up before me.

KiwiWriters for me, means having somewhere where I can meet with NZ writers, who all have the same issues as I do, and have the same location.  Sometimes discussing things in a UK or US forum doesn’t have the same understanding as discussing it within the NZ forum.

KiwiWriters has also led me to some great people who have helped me with my writing, and I have also helped them.  We critique each others work.  I have made some very good friends who I commune with on a regular basis.

I enjoyed KiwiWriters so much, and was so passionate about it, I joined the team, which is about 6 strong and we meet once a month to discuss issues on the site and what will be coming up in the future.

I have learnt so much in the nearly three years I have been on the site, and there is so much there; forums to discuss problems, resources for research, challenges to extend yourself with.

So many thanks to Kerryn Angell and the founders of KiwiWriters for thinking of the NZ writer and creating this wonderful little group.


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A Run Through of KiwiWriters

12 10 2010

When I discovered KiwiWriters, I was very excited.  Why?  Because I live in a rural area and it is hard to get to a suburban area where there might be other writers.  So being isolated meant that I was rather restricted with who I could talk to about writing.  With KiwiWriters, I could meet with other writers and discuss those issues that really matter to me, whether it is a problem with a scene, an issue with a character, or just to talk about the shape of the story and where it is heading.

So what is on offer at KiwiWriters?  Lets check it out.

The home page gives you a bit of a background and lets you know what challenge is on at present (which is the KiwiWriters Blogging Week and Preparation Challenge to Beat all Challenges).  We have also started a new competition, Blogger of the Month award – which is our way of making those members who are regulars become a little more noticed.

KiwiWriters News tells you what the latest challenges are, and what is happening for the month.  It is updated at the beginning of the month by our wonderful president, Kerryn Angell.

My Account tells you about yourself (if you are a member, this is where you can update your profile to tell us something about yourself.)

KiwiWriters Resources has a lot of NZ resources in there, but it isn’t just related to research.  There is also useful information in there about the writing processes and some software that you might find useful.

KiwiWriters Challenges – this is what the site is all about, challenging yourself and your writing.  Every month we have some interesting, exciting and wacky challenges.  Sign up for a short story competition, or a novel competition, the choice is yours.

KiwiWriters Forums is the place where we meet and discuss things.  We are working on getting a proper chat room set up as well, please bear with us while we deal with these issues.  The forums are varied and many, there is always an interesting discussion just waiting to happen, so keep an eye on it.

I like KiwiWriters because it supports Kiwi writers, whether they be professional, or amateurs like me.  It doesn’t discern between the two, which is great because it means that we are all on an equal footing.  So if you are a writer, and you haven’t checked out the KiwiWriter site yet, get in there and have a look, it doesn’t cost anything to join, but you will get so much out of it.


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