Writing:
On Saturday I attended the last of my publishers events for the year. It was a packed venue, with numerous vendors and their fare. There were Christmas themed items of course and a plethora of gift buying possibilities. Although the day (a longer one than usual 9 am - 5 pm) was not too busy we did sell books and I even managed to write an additional 550 words on my YA novella while at this event.
![IMG_4049[1]](https://i0.wp.com/mandyevebarnett.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img_40491.jpg?resize=335%2C251&ssl=1)
It got me thinking about the 'odd' places I have written, including soccer games and practice, gymnastic classes, in hotel rooms on road trips, coffee shops and even on a plane.
Where is the most unusual place you have ,managed to write?
Books:
The war has started in this narrative and two of the characters are now stationed in England - parts of which are very familiar to me as I used to live near them. It gives me a greater sense of place I feel.
Writing Tips:
Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won't be able to stop.
If you're using a computer, always safeguard new text with a memory stick.
(My tip set the auto save on your word document - it saves heartache. Believe me.)
Do back exercises. Pain is distracting.
Speaking of saving documents, I set my Word to save automatically every two minutes. It’s amazing what you can lose in 10 minutes (which I think is the default).
Places I’ve written: home, coffee shops, and libraries. Continuity (no interruptions) is key. As for where I’ve taken jot notes — those ideas, wordings, scenery descriptions, and character attributes you need to capture in the raw before you forget — the answer is anywhere: shopping malls, walking somewhere, in the car (I’ve had to pull over multiple times), at school, at work.
Yes auto save is a blessing! Yep writers tend to think about their narrative 24/7 thus ensuring spontaneous note taking wherever they are.