Hi Ben

I'm new too and also write a little on military fiction but more in a chick lit vein as I've been a 'wife of' for soooo long.

Best wishes

Thanks for the nice comments all, and hello to the other newcomers. I've been a bit quiet on here of late as I was really busy with work etc up to Christmas. I haven't had time to do much else! Also been busy over Christmas with family etc but should be seeing some of my free time return soon.

I'll post a link to my blog thingy when I get it up and running. This should hopefully happen in the very near future.

Has anyone made any promises to themselves for the new year? Mine is to actually begin writing my stories based on some of the ideas bouncing around in my head. The odd thing is, as this is something very new to me i'm actually struggling with where to start.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist (I double and triple check everything at work) and for ages I didn't want to write anything until it was perfect in my head. I know that sounds daft but as a newcomer it can be daunting when considering where to actually start writing. Since I have read around the forums on here I have noted that the best thing to do is actually start writing. Get some rough drafts down and not worry about the quality or the grammar etc. The time to perfect will come later with the various re-writes etc.

Am I on the right track here, i.e just write and don't worry if it isn't great to start with?

I have written ideas down and expanded on them, and I did notice that the more I write the more the ideas evolve. I guess it's just getting over that first hurdle of not worrying about what you write to begin with. Just scribble it down and then perfect it later.

Thanks all. Have a nice new year everyone. Here's to 2010 and actually writing!!

Am I on the right track here, i.e just write and don't worry if it isn't great to start with?

Absolutely. We call it the 'shitty first draft' and don't worry about how awful it appears because it's in the polishing and editing stage that it all comes together.

NaomiM

'shitty first draft'

This is great news, thanks. I'm pleased that somebody invented this as it saves a lot of headaches. It also means I can crack on with my writing without worrying too much!!

Hi, Ben and welcome and to all other newbies too!

Welcome Ben, and to Carrie too.

I agree with banging out a first draft, but in reality, I tend to potter and rewrite as I go. It's hard not to, but once you have that first draft stamped down, no matter how shitty it is, you have something you can kick into shape.

Has anyone made any promises to themselves for the new year?

If there's not one already, there's bound to be a thread in the Lounge on this. Mine is to try to write 500 words per day, every day. The same promise I failed to keep last year

Colin M