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Guilt Attacks Writing, But It Too Shall Pass
So I had this brilliant notion of a writing schedule. I proclaim I’m going to do it. Cue the next three days: Sitting around watching movies instead of writing. For one I just couldn’t bring myself to write. It’s a horrible, all encompassing feeling where I sit down, open Scrivener and nothing comes to mind. Nothing leaves my fingers. I just wanted to curl up in a ball under my blanket and watch Pompeii and the rest of Private Practice. So I did. I felt so much guilt for it. I have always felt this way, but I guess it’s because I’ve been a serial student for a long time…
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Sharing Sunday – Stolen
Today’s Sharing Sunday piece is by Mikki, a darling friend of mine who is stronger than she looks and so intellectually beautiful it’s breath taking. Her piece, like most of what she pumps out, is gorgeous and flawless. I know she’ll think otherwise, as all of us writer’s do, but it’s the truth. I hope you enjoy it! Stolen Siobhan strides from the supermarket toward her car, her dark face clenched with embarrassment. She doesn’t notice the keys until they crunch under her shoe. “Jasmine?” she whispers, staring at the keys and a pink and white leather shoe lying discarded nearer to the car. Her daughter, whom she…
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Writing Schedule
Okay I’m putting my foot down and starting a writing schedule. I haven’t done it in the past but I’m going to have to learn, I’m getting sick of this crazy writing whenever it strikes me thing and all of this waiting. So I’m setting one up. I’m going to lower my word count from 2000 to something under 1000 possibly 850 because I can do that in my sleep. Most of my blog posts have been half way to there, but not quite enough. So tomorrow I’m going to wake up tomorrow and get out of bed with the motivation to write at least 400 words before breakfast, if…
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Sharing Sunday – Infinity
I’m a little late with today’s piece, I’m in Waikerie for my gorgeous Koumbara’s baby shower. I can’t wait to meet Baby Walker! (I know his name and you can’t get it from me no matter what you do!) So today’s piece is actually one of my own. I wrote for the Espresso Shot: Lentils as Anything edition. Leave me a love note. And send in your stories for more sharing sunday editions. Infinity The cafe was busy, bustling with life and smiling; it was alive. I wasn’t. I twirled t never-ending circle around my left finger and scanned the room, my half finished latte now cold. The sun was…
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Writing it Out: Some Healthy Advice
Since writing the short story, I’ve been trying to get my novel back on track. I’ve been trying to set myself small goals. 500 words here, 800 words here. It seems that only in times of transit (I’ve been to Bendigo and I’m currently back in Adelaide for a few weeks) I’ve reached over 1000 words. I’m just not feeling the writing and I had been stuck on various bits of my novel and the words are just not coming out. I’m too hard on myself. I know that I am and it’s not something that is going to change. It’s just my nature but instead of actually forcing myself…
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Sharing Sunday – Robert J Browning (an excerpt)
I’m slowly dwindling out of writer friends to bug about Sharing Sunday. So I’m opening it up to you guys. Come and help me share some amazing stories. Send them to my mandi(at)dreamingfullyawake(dot)com with a little bio and you can get your story, song, anecdote showcased on here! Today’s story is by Jess, one of the first friends I made at NMIT! She’s pretty rad. I hope you enjoy her piece. It’s an excerpt from a collection of short stories. She wanted to explore the private lives, a side that is almost never shown in a short story. Leave her some love. Robert J Browning When Robert J…
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It’s Time to Build a Great Short Story
Last week I wrote about being museless, today I’m hear to tell you, my lovely dreamers, that I wrote a short story. Last night I crept out of my room, fed up with my brother’s snoring (seriously how the hell can he keep it up ALL night?) I started up my laptop, lit a few candles and went through my hard drive for a starter and found two I liked. I picked one that pulled me a little more intense and started writing. I didn’t really know where it was going but it ended up being a short story from a different book with a character whom I had no…
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Embracing what you have
Just as a side note, before I start today’s blog post, if you haven’t noticed, I’ve moved over to a new place. I’m now a dot com and I’ve got a new theme. I’m trying to figure out if I really like it, but so far it’s good. I also have a new email! It’s all so exciting. I’m embracing the new. Now onto today’s blog. My gorgeously strong Mum has joined me over here in Melbourne for a week with my brother for my on coming graduation and I learnt that embracing what you have is powerful, it’s unique and I should have done so when I was…
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Museless
Now the title is something I find very funny for two reason. One I hate the way people talk about having a muse to write, you either write or you don’t there’s no waiting for it to happen (I’m an optimist at the best of times but writing is work, you have to show up for work!) and two the muse does not exist. Did you read that? It does NOT exist. It really doesn’t. Writing is something you sit down and do regardless of if the muse is there or not. Sure I’ve used the excuse a lot, I’m even almost using it now, but I’m proving to myself…
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Fully Awake Dreamer – Tom O’Connell
Today’s Dreamer is a writer who stumbled into my life when he entered a piece into the audio journal I was working on at uni (which is now my baby through my internship!) and someone who I wasn’t actually very close to until we started the back and forth commentary on our blogs! Amazing how things work out sometimes. He’s a really great guy and finally getting to introduce him to you all here! Tell us a little about yourself and what you write. I’m Tom O’Connell, a writer, editor and tea aficionado based in Melbourne, Australia. I once defined myself as a literary short fiction writer, but my tastes…