The Gradual Slope

At the end of term, our course convenor warned us that life often throws things at us without warning so it was a good idea to get as much of our dissertations under our belts as soon as possible in case unforseen events took us off course. I paid attention and hoped that it wouldn't apply to me. Within a few weeks a close family member became ill and unfortunately died. Rather than put my work to one side I used it to get me through the five weeks, even to the point of writing the opening paragraph on the back of a letter from the dentist, whilst sitting in the hospital. It provided some structure at a time when all sense of time and place became distorted and also as a way of going to another place for a while. I have a real sense of achievement today as I have met all of my planned milestones and have completed over a quarter of my dissertation (only a first draft, however, so I may end up re-writing sections of it). I have my second tutorial on Wednesday when I will get feedback on the first 8,000 words. I'm a little apprehensive.

Project Management

I have been busy over the last couple of weeks setting up my dissertation. This includes a schedule (on a rather snazzy spreadsheet) which sets out the key milestones for the next five months. It's a good thing I did this as I thought it was a long period of time before I calculated how many words I need to write per week.
I have also amended my novel plan following feedback from a workshop and my first tutorial. I have two protagonists (one contemporary and one in the past) and the feedback I received was that the contemporary character was a 'frame' for the other rather than a key character in her own right. At first I didn't get it but that many people can't be wrong. Then I realised that although the contemporary character was alive and kicking in my mind, the reader did not get time to know her at the start of the novel before the inciting incident and therefore would not understand the impact on her. I was caught out by the belief that the novel should start 'in media res'. I have now added a couple of scenes to the opening which add a further thread to the plot, making the whole thing stonger (I think!).
I have also worked on character profiles - not everyone likes this much planning but it helps me to go between these and the plot before I start. Character profiles, by the way, are not about appearance or what they do for a living, rather they are about the character's key qualities and desires.
Finally, I have researched other novels that are similar in form, genre and subject matter and ordered them (I seriously need more bookshelves) as these will feature in the writer's journal that accompanies the novel.
And yes, I will now start writing...