August Update | A Long-Overdue Return to Routine
Another general update on recent reading, writing, events, etc., before I start an exciting new project
The Sun Sets on a Very Busy Summer
I haven’t done much writing this summer.
In fact, I never get much writing done during the summer.
Birthdays, weddings, holidays, family commitments, and the general urge to be outside make it difficult to maintain consistency and productivity with writing.
I’m usually quite hard on myself for this, and in recent years I’ve let it get me down. This year, though, I’ve tried to just accept it and enjoy the time off without feeling too guilty.
I still think there’s great value in holding yourself to high standards and being hard on yourself (sometimes) to drive results. But there are occasions when there’s really not much you can do about it, so you might as well just make the best the situation.
If you feel similar guilt when you lose your usual levels of productivity, some questions I’ve been asking myself this summer may be useful for you too:
Is this the longest break I’ve ever had from writing? No.
Was I having my best year of writing yet until June? Yes.
Am I giving up altogether by taking a break? Of course not.
Will I feel a rejuvenated enthusiasm and motivation when I return to my writing projects? Yeah, I will.
Have I forgotten anything important or blunted my skills at all by taking a few weeks off? Nope!
The older I get, the more I appreciate how important it is to admit to yourself when you need and/or deserve a break.
It’s never easy taking time off from writing or work. Sometimes, it can even feel impossible. But giving yourself time to relax and recharge (occasionally) does help you maintain higher levels of productivity and motivation in the long-term.
So, instead of feeling guilty, I think it’s better to try to give yourself permission to fully enjoy the time off.
Back into a Good Routine (Finally!)
Now the summer’s various social commitments are out the way, it’s been so nice getting back into a good writing routine. I’ve been up writing around 5:30am for the past couple of weeks and that’s such a good feeling.
This weekend, I was in the library all day Saturday, and I’ve been working pretty much all day yesterday and today.
I’m currently preparing for a new fiction writing project that starts very soon. I won’t reveal exactly what it is yet, but I will share info on it within the next week or so.
I’m really excited about it, and it will also provide some very interesting material for these articles between now and the end of this year.
Catching up with the One-and-Only Simon Potter, MBE
The most significant writing-related update I can offer from this summer is that I recently caught up with my old English teacher, Simon Potter, MBE. We met for lunch and spoke for more than two hours about writing, reading, and publishing.
Simon is, by far, the best teacher I ever had, and I’m sure that if you surveyed all his former students around 90% of them would say the same thing.
In fact, he’s a living legend at my old school, having taught there for 50 years, directed countless end-of-year plays, and also for writing a great book about the school’s history.
He’s also a very successful, award-winning author in his own right, having published an eclectic selection of novels, non-fiction, poetry, and more.
In 2018, he launched Glassingall Books, a small independent publisher for niche works and poetry. One of his more recent novels, Dressing as Julia, was a finalist in the 2023 Amazon Global Book Awards.
And he has a new novel out, called Melyssa’s Italian Project, which I’d strongly recommend. The book is self-published, so please consider supporting him as an independent author by picking it up!
The full story of my lunch with Mr. Potter deserves an article of its own, which I’ll publish sometime this week.
Collaborating with Other Writers
Over the past few months, I’ve met so many wonderful writers online, both through writing on Substack and by being a member of The Writer’s Journey online community for writers.
I’m really pleased to have started a critique partnership by email with one of those writers. So far, we’ve exchanged one short story each, providing feedback on each other’s work, and sharing a lot of helpful resources along the way.
I truly believe that both giving and receiving feedback with other writers is one of the best ways for authors to learn and improve. Having the support of other like-minded writers at similar stages of their careers is also an immensely valuable way to stay motivated. So I’m really excited to see where this new collaboration leads.
And I recently found out the story I provided feedback on for my new critique partner has now been accepted to be published by a popular online publication.
I’m so pleased for them, as it’s a great story that deserves to be read by a wide audience.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the final version turned out when it’s published. If they’re comfortable with me doing so, I’ll share a link to it in a future article for you to read as well.
Lots to Look Forward to (Including a Few Changes)
While I haven’t shared many updates here over the summer, I have been working hard behind the scenes to find ways to maintain a more consistent schedule for you, and to increase the amount of value I can provide to writers in each of these articles.
I think I’ve found the solution, and I’m going to begin trialling a few different approaches here over the next few weeks. I hope this will have a positive impact, improving both the quality and quantity of articles I’m able to write for you.
What Have I Been Reading?
I haven’t read a novel for a couple of months, since I finished the wonderful The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Instead, I’ve been reading short stories, and studying writing craft and theory, as a way to prepare for my upcoming project.
On the theory side of things, it was nice to see author KM Weiland talking about the importance of story structure in a recent article on her website.
A lot of writers don’t like to plan their stories in advance, and that’s completely fine. If that works for you then it’s the right approach.
But I believe it’s still important for all writers to give some consideration to structure from the very beginning, even if you like to figure your stories out as you write them.
And I think those who don’t often avoid structure because of some common misconceptions.
For example, KM Weiland also said in her article:
“Authors sometimes fear story structure will inhibit their creativity. This is not the case. Structure presents only a shape – the curve of the story arc. It allows us to be concrete and confident in creating that arc, ensuring its effectiveness.”
“Another fear is that if every story has the same structure, won’t every story ultimately be the same? This isn’t any truer than is the idea that because every ballet incorporates the same movements, every ballet must be the same.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Structure is the foundation of effective storytelling, and of effective writing in general.
I actually wrote a similar article on this exact topic a few months ago (linked here).
This article highlighted how writers should use structure to their advantage, and also demonstrated the negative impact that neglecting structure can have on stories.
This Week’s Sunset of the Week
About a month ago, I attended one of my best friend’s weddings down in Dorset. The weather was perfect, and the three-day event ended with a day-after-the-wedding party on the beach.
The sunset was, unsurprisingly, magnificent.
This Week’s Song on Repeat
Since it’s just been reported that Oasis, my favourite band of all-time, will be announcing their reunion tour imminently, their greatest hits have been the only thing playing on my speakers all weekend.
I’ve seen them live twice before, in 2005 (when I was only 14) at Milton Keynes, and in 2009 at Wembley.
“There we were, now here we are,” indeed.
Hopefully I can make it a hat-trick next year…