post-holiday rev-up...

...after two weeks of Easter hols, which have been v pleasant, despite the shivery Lanarkshire weather. I'm a third of a way into a novel, which feels not very far at all, especially as I'd love to have even a rough, barely-legible draft ready when the kids break up for summer (which is the end of June here in Scotland - eek).

In the past I've dillied around with various ways of cranking up the brain post-hols. Trouble is, I've barely glanced at the book in the past two weeks, and now I'm thinking, Who's Rory again? What the hell happened to Laura's dress? Would be easier, I think, to write continuously with NO breaks, ever, but of course every writer has a real life too, which tends to get in the way. And without those school holiday 'breaks', I'd start feeling quite hermet-like and lonesome. And barking mad, probably.

So... some post-hol brain revving tactics I've tried in the past...
- Don't expect to dive headlong into your writing the first day you have an empty house. Read the last few chapters, tinker about, familiarise yourself with the story again. It's like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen for ages, and can feel a little awkward and creaky at first.
- Bash out something - anything - just to get into the flow again. Kind of freewriting really, just to limber up. If some good ideas come from it, so much the better. But don't beat yourself up if it's bile.
- Resist all temptation to go back to the very beginning and start editing and fiddling about. I ALWAYS want to do this, when I'm feeling a bit lost and confused. But it's far better to push on to the end. It 'll start to flow and feel natural, and pretty soon, 'The End' won't seem quite so far away.

(Oh, and passing the half-way point - for me about 200 pages - is always quite magical and boosting, I think).

That's the plan, at least! Had better crack on, and try to figure out the heck Rory is again....
F x