Got my thoughts together now :)

My head is calm and easy, and my breathing is back to normal.  I have stopped my thoughts from zooming around like bees in a hive, and I have committed myself to a decision.  I know which writing project I am going to be working on for the next year, and I am happy about it.  I am going to make a pretty little timetable (this is not procrastinating, honest it isn't, it'll only take five minutes!), and try to stick to it as much as possible.  This creative writing course that I've been doing has taught me that writing loads of different things and trying out different styles and stories is very useful, but also very counter-productive.  This is because it encourages your mind to go off in loads of different directions, and you lose your mind a little bit.  Before I started working on my first drafts I did plenty of experimenting and idea-generating, and I'm not at that place any more.  I am now at a place where I need to focus and concentrate on my world building, my characters and my story.  I'm going to think faerie from now on.  Getting it done!

But what I will do, to stop myself from becoming completely bored, is allow myself a little look at the other project once a fortnight, just for one evening.  I can write some if I fancy, or I can just do some thinking about it.  That way it won't start to stagnate.  And also it will give me a break from thinking magical thoughts.

I am reading a very good faerie book at the moment: Herbie Brennan's Faerie Wars.  It's making me think a lot about how to make elements of my story more original, to think outside the usual parameters of magical theory (whatever am I talking about?!) and to just let my story go wherever it wants to, instead of trying to make it fit my original plan.  There's no danger of me copying Brennan's style at all, because our stories are so different (they share elements, as almost all stories in similar genres do, of course).  But very useful to read something that challenges me to think about my own work in a different way.

Next I think I will read Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull.  It was recommended to me personally, by Christopher Paolini who wrote Eragon!  Yes, personally.  In a personal letter.  Christopher Paolini, who wrote Eragon, also wrote a letter to me (I must have mentioned it in a post before, quite a while ago - or maybe it was before I started blogging), and signed a lovely photo of himself for me too :)   Photo's got my name on it, and everything.  Oh yes.  Links with famous authors here, oh yes.  Anyway, I told him about my story ideas, and he recommended that I read Mr Mull's work for some inspiration.  I haven't managed to get chance to read it yet, but I have placed it firmly at the top of the pile.  Hope it's worth the wait.

Books are good, books are ace, we love books, all up in this place...