August was a hotbed of creativity and September followed suit. As the seasons shift, how do you keep motivated and how can you be kinder to yourself and take a break? Virginia Betts is a tutor, writer poet and actor from Suffolk, bringing you a bit of ink to inspire your creative fire.
August saw attendance at book events with Urban Pigs Press and although the heat made me a little bit lethargic, I tried to forgive myself when I had only reached halfway with the new novel, when this time last year I had finished. I thought it was all a bit slow and that I had hit a bit of a creative brick wall. But the word count was in fact 50,000, so things were going much better than I thought.
I think one of the keys to creativity, is not to panic if you feel you have ‘writer’s block’, or those creative juices have dried up, because it will only be a temporary blip. I find if I am overloaded with other work, domestic chores, admin tasks or stressed, I can’t focus on anything much. So lately, I have taken to having a physical to-do list and having the excitement of crossing things off it. I like to have a calm environment, and ideally be reasonably tidy, but I am now doing things the other way around – instead of the house and visiting the gym early on, I write for a time, then tackle the other things. Which means I do manage to get more done and still have time in the day and evening. Strike while the creative energy does and make the most of it. Remember: you can re-start your day at any point. I’d be really interested to know what other people do to optimise their day and still have time to pursue a creative project or interest.
I had a bit of an excuse to park the novel writing in September – I was on tour in a play by Suzanne Hawkes, Operation Radar, in its successful second run. Now the season is becoming cooler, I feel like I have a renewed burst of writing energy. I have reached 61,000 words and I’m buzzing. I also reached the finals for the Pageturner awards with my previous book, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, and I’m attending both days at the inaugural Ipswich Book Festival. What a brilliant achievement by Andrew Marsh et al to have got this off the ground. Information here. The local authors will be at The Ancient House on October 4th and 5th. I hope to see you there!
Next month I interview a local young photographer and writer.
Til then,
Keep warm,
Love,
Virginia. X
Virginia has written numerous articles and fiction, written for stage and radio, and published four books, The Camera Obscure, Tourist to the Sun and That Little Voice and a Punk Novel, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, published by Urban Pigs Press. Find Virginia at virginiabetts.com