A change is as good as a rest, they say; I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know there’s not a lot of rest to be had around here at the moment. That said, I finslly got to the end of my first draft of the historical novel that’s swallowed my last six months! That was a couple of weeks ago, maybe, and since then I’ve allowed myself to take a break from writing. I’ve done a little drawing on my shiny new graphics tablet – something I’ve wanted for years but which has only recently become affordable – and found that I’m actually not as bad at drawing as I thought, given plenty of chances to redo mistakes and references laid out in front of me.
But mostly I’ve been staying away from the computer for the last couple of weeks, taking a rest from the word processor’s glare to work on more low-tech projects, like assembling a little solar-powered fountain for my bedroom, excavating a tiny rubber dinosaur from some sort of plastery substance, and returning to that worldbuilding project I started ages ago.
Speaking of the worldbuilding project, I couldn’t find several of my files on what I’d done so far, and what I could find felt very two-dimensional, so I photocopied my original blank map and started again. I’ve been using post-it notes, my trusty ringbinder, more post-it notes, and a couple of tutorials on my phone, which has been a refreshing change of approach, and I’m building from the tectonic plates up. So far, I’m much happier with the ideas and features springing up in this new version!
Having had a bit of a rest for the last part of May, I’m now planning to get back into it – although I think I’ll probably be investing my word count into the planning for my Camp NaNo in July and, of course, the fact files for this world I’m building.
I’ll try not to be such a stranger, but I can make no promises about future blogposts, I’m afraid! Things here are, and will continue to be, completely mad. Still, I hope to talk to you all soon!
Eleanor Musgrove 