Happy New Year!

I think my New Year's Resolution this year will have to be to stop procrastinating. I'm very good at procrastinating. When I'm not blogging, I'm on Facebook, or YouTube, or Tumblr, or I'm writing, or drawing fanart or listening to music or playing Sims (that game is far too oddly addictive) or even just daydreaming - and all instead of doing schoolwork.

It doesn't help that I've become busier than normal lately: I think I can say that 2013 is the year where I grew up the most. I got a part-time job, I started driving lessons, I got a boyfriend (and therefore a social life, which has thrown me a bit; I'm not used to spending time with people outside of school on a regular basis), and I sent off my university applications and even received an offer. I simply do not have time for procrastination anymore and I really, really need to stop. Not only does it hamper my ability to do schoolwork, but it gives me less free time too - sometimes I do not allow myself to, say, write, because I know I should be working, but does that necessarily mean that I am writing? No, and neither does it necessarily mean I'm doing any of the other things listed above, because I'm staring into space and occasionally remembering that I should be working. This is even more of a waste of time (in German, a Zeitverschwendung. It does so vex me that I'm forced to use three words to describe what the Germans can describe in one).

I'm sure you won't be surprised to find out that I'm actually procrastinating right now while I'm writing this; the style model for my English media piece for my coursework is sitting next to my laptop, watching me, patiently waiting to be annotated. Earlier I did watch a video to help with stopping procrastinating, and it sort of helped. It made me feel motivated... and then I went back to checking Facebook...

As for another resolution, I'd quite like to finish a novel this year; it's not something I do very often. But I really think it would be wise to stop procrastinating first. That might just be slightly helpful. Yeah. Just slightly.

So anyway - here's to 2014! Have a very happy New Year, and try not to break those resolutions too quickly! :)

A Very Writing Christmas

My mum got me these for Christmas, which made me rather happy firstly because they were surprises (the good kind) and secondly because in my head, it's symbolic for my mum giving me permission to write, to allow myself to spend time doing something I enjoy and wish to do as more than a hobby in the future, as opposed to spending all my time attempting to do schoolwork and revision. It feels quite freeing.

I shall talk first about The Creative Writing Workbook by Matthew Branton. So far I have got to page 26 and my verdict is that it is both enjoyable and helpful. It teaches basic writing techniques to improve your writing and includes creative and fun exercises to practice using said techniques. I find it interesting to learn new things about a skill I thought I was pretty good at already like this, as I never sat down and learnt how to write fiction; I just did it, pretty much ever since I learnt how to pick up a pencil and write with it. I have faith in this book, that by taking me back to the beginning, it will genuinely improve my writing. I highly recommend it.

I have not found The Writer's Toolbox by Jamie Cat Callan quite so useful as The Creative Writing Workbook. It is mostly an inspiration-finding tool, supplying new and interesting first lines to start off a piece, "Sixth Sense Cards" to inspire you to write a piece by evoking a sense, and spinners for choosing a protagonist, a goal and an obstacle between the two. Personally, I feel that I do not need inspiration for new ideas, as I have a pantry full of ideas stocked up in my brain that I haven't written yet; for me, finding inspiration and starting a project is not the hard part, it is carrying it on and keeping myself interested in it enough to continue writing. Therefore, this isn't quite for me, as it really does focus on the finding ideas and starting a new project thing, however I plan to take it to my school's creative writing club, and I imagine we'll get plenty of use out of it. The only other thing I would say is that, from the side, it looks deceptively - almost annoyingly - like a box of chocolates.

Anyway, here's hoping that a jolly Christmas was had by all, and that everyone starts off their New Year well! :)