This week the topic is:
Does writing energise or exhaust you?
I would say that if the story is going well and the words are tumbling out, then writing is energising for me. I’ve published a couple of novels that did not taken very long to write at all. The Daughter-in-law Syndrome and A Rather Unusual Romance were finished in a couple of months, as they were more ‘faction’ books and loosely based on my own experiences. When I wrote these I sat there tapping away for hours, and Sam cooked the evening meals as I’d forgotten to do them!
However, there were a couple more books that took a little longer to write and which left me feeling quite drained at the end. I had to do a bit of research when writing For the Sake of a Child, and also Repent at Leisure, due to the books’ sensitive themes. I like to write about subjects that other authors don’t often cover, but thankfully, unlike my characters Zac Miles and Paul McAdam, I’d had no previous experiences to draw on.
So, in conclusion I would say that the easier it is to write your novel, the more energised you feel at the end of it. The murder/mystery I’m writing now has been in progress for about 3 years on and off, as it takes quite a lot of thinking about to sketch out the plot and tie up all the loose ends. One day I’ll finish it, but I don’t hold out much hope that it might be published this year!
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AEM said:
I have forgotten to stop and cook dinner many times, too. We keep a frozen pizza in the deep freeze for when I mess up dinner or get too involved in writing. I wonder if that’s a pretty common writer thing.
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Stevie Turner said:
I think it might be.
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P.J. MacLayne said:
I’ve done the National novel Writing Month where you strive for 50,000 words in a month (and did it) And then there was my last book that took close to a year to write. 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
Wow, 50,000 words in one month – that’s hard!
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aurorawatcherak said:
Mysteries are hard. I’d go so far as to say they are the most technical genre because you have to sprinkle clues without giving the bad guy away too soon and that’s just a lot of effort.
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Stevie Turner said:
My current mystery is so convoluted and twisty, I can only write a few hundred words at a time.
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aurorawatcherak said:
I love twisty convoluted mysteries. I often figure out whodunit before the middle of a book, so if you can keep me guessing that’s a great mystery novel.
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Stevie Turner said:
It’s got me guessing as well!
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aurorawatcherak said:
Ooo, shades of Agatha Christie.
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Jodie said:
I’m not a writer per se, but some of my blog posts certainly are easier to write than others. When it’s something I’m passionate about, it just flows!!
XOXO
Jodie
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robertawrites235681907 said:
An interesting post, Stevie. I have not read Repent at Leisure [yet] but I did read For the Sake of a Child. A sensitive subject matter that would tire you due to its very nature. I would have thought A House Without Windows would have also been fairly exhausting. So much anguish and pain experienced by the MC. I have actually managed to join in this week and I even registered and posted. I am quite pleased with myself.
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, just commented Robbie! Welcome!
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franklparker said:
It’s the polishing and editing that I find such a grind. Up to now I’ve been energised when writing most of my published work.
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Stevie Turner said:
I edit each chapter as I go, then there’s not the whole novel to do at the end.
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richarddeescifi said:
My writing goes the same way, I have work from years ago that I just can’t face; it feels like pulling teeth to try to add to it. But there are also times when I can’t type fast enough to keep up.
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jwebster2 said:
Actually it’s a very good question.
I too have stuff I write and it just pours out, and other times when I have to do research things go slower.
Strangely enough some of the Tallis Steelyard stories can take an hour or less, others because I genuinely do research them to get the details right, can sit there for a couple of days being worked on!
Mind you research doesn’t bother me, I quite enjoy it because I always find other ideas as I’m digging about 🙂
But sometimes I’ll just be stuck in a story and it’s almost as if the story is grinding me down and I’ve got to step back and re-read it and see if I’ve gone wrong somewhere
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Stevie Turner said:
If I get stuck in a story I leave it and start another one, then come back to it when I feel like it!
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jwebster2 said:
I’ve done that with novels. One or two have sat there for a year or more then I’ve gone back to them
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