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Thursday 9 February 2017

I interrupt normal scheduling for... Make Up!

Dear Scribblers

On my recent holiday to Las Vegas and Hawaii, I was able to indulge in a little bit of shopping! Always a happy hop and squee moment.

We no longer have Sephora in the UK - who is old enough to remember when it was here? <sound of crickets chripping> Only me then! We had a fabulous one nearby in Southampton. Sigh! Although I hear they might be dipping a toe back into the UK very soon. - so whenever I land in a country where the gorgeous black and white striped frontage lives, I make a bee-line straight for it. Or should I say, a bee-stung-lip-line for it - I wish! That's way I need the make up's.

Talking of lips, one amazing set I picked up on my holiday haul was the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip and Liner set.

I've already posted a photo of it on Instagram, but because of the limited characters, I couldn't write the full product name in the comment. So I thought I'd add it here, along with a one sentence review for each. So, here goes:


1. Laura Mercier lip pencil in Naked. Good natural colour, a little flaky.
2. Too Faced melted matte lipstick in Sell Out. Way to pale and drying for my liking.
3. YSL Rouge Pur Couture - No 70 Le Nu. Creamy, good for 'non-makeup' days.
4. Tarte cosmetics Tarteist lip crayon - Mood Ring. Decent deep red, a lip dry, fiddly to turn to get to more product.
5. Marc Jacobs enamored lip lacquer - Pretty Thing. Thick, sticky, almost clear, quite nice to use as a vaguely tinted lip balm.
6. Buxom full on lip cream - Kir Royale. My absolute favourite! Can wear it as a thin veil of colour, or load it for a darker stain. Lasted a lot longer on the lips than I expected. I like the slight tingle, some may not.
7. Benefit cosmetics They're Real Double the Lip - Fuchsia Fever. Their brand new lip range, pay off and double shade works well, as does the lip bullet. Hate the colour! Although see 12.
8. Make Up For Ever artist rouge - M401 Mat. Third favourite lip stick in the set. So rich, creamy, long wearing, and love the colour.
9. Nars velvet matt lip pencil - Cruella. Second favourite lipstick. So easy to use, great coverage in just one swipe. Gorgeous shade.
10. Stila stay all day lipstick- Beso. Pretty impressed with this. Intense colour, didn't fine it too drying. Need to wear it again for final decision.
11. Smashbox always sharp lip liner - Crimson. Best liner of the lot, creamy, easy to use, can be worn as colour on its own.
12. Estee Edit lip flip shade transformer - 02 Turn Down. Quite cool to wear as a dark balm on its own, however meant to be used to tone down shades of other lipsticks. Tried it with horrid no. 7 ⬆️, and it made it more wearable for me. Needs practise to get the right thickness of coverage, better with a lip brush than from the bullet, but pat with a finger to get rid of brush streaks afterwards.
13. Ciate liquid velvet - VooDoo. Intense, gothic, very cool. Amazing coverage and colour.
14. Know cosmetics no bleeding lips lip liner. Clear liner to seal lip edge. I've tried a few like these in the past, this one is a little dry, but does the job.

I hoped you enjoyed this little of something different. Do you have this set? Do you agree with my reviews? Is there any other colours from these lines you'd recommend? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Scribing!

... and make up'ing!

Important Notes
1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)
2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.
3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.
4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Saturday 4 February 2017

Happy Unexpected Crafting New Year! Aka The CHANEL Hassle. Part 2 of 2

Dear Scribblers

Sorry for the delay. I'm finally starting to feel better. So, here it is... What happens when you have a Louis Vuitton horizontal agenda insert that's too big for the medium agenda Chanel cover? For the backstory of why I was in this position, please read Part 1.

I needed to get this:

Into this:


It only stuck out about 1cm or so, but it looked a mess. I had a few choices open to me. The first was to pinch the metal coils, which were causing the majority of the problem.

I could have used pliers, but I had the fabulous Zutter Bind It All. I put the agenda in place, and gently clamped down, tightening the coils. It helped, but it still hung over! Holy Zutter, Batman! I would have to cut it down.

I looked at cutting a bit off the bottom, but it would have clipped into the days, plus I would have lost the gorgeous silver paper edging, which matched the Chanel CC logo on the front of my agenda so I didn't want to lose that from the longest edge.

I knew exactly what I needed to do, that was to take the whole thing apart and take off the top edge.

I began removing the old coils, and then making sure the silver edges of all the pages were aligned, I then used bull-dog clips to hold them altogether for the next part of the process.

I decided to use my metal ruler and sharp craft knife to cut through the whole thing a little bit at a time. I had a paper trimmer and variety of scissors on standby, in case this first idea didn't work. I needn't have worried as working methodically through the pile, it didn't take very long to get it cut.


I cut just below the original holes which made it a perfect guide for lining up the ruler. Any tiny wavers or slivers of paper left were easily dealt with using a nail file.


So now what? Now, I needed to make new holes to take the Bind It All coils (couldn't use the originals as the spacing didn't align.) I decided I didn't want to completely bind it with wires across the top, therefore I didn't need to punch holes all the way. I settled on 4 each end, but how to make sure I spaced them identically either side and all the way through the pile! I hadn't used the Zutter for a while, so it took a little figuring out. In fact, I found this the most difficult part of the whole process.
Here's what I came up with. (If you have a better/simpler/quicker way, please let me know in the comments, as I'm always up for new tricks and tips.)

First, I took a scrap piece of card and punched out holes all the way across to make a guide.


I then put the card back into the Zutter, hooking a hole into the stop bar tab, so it held the card steady and in place, and counted 4 spaces in from the left (as you look down on the machine.) I made a mark between the 4th and 5th holes. I removed the card again, and drew a line down the sheet, making sure it landed half way between the two. This I hoped would be the correct placement to the edge of the page.


Next came the test! I hooked the guide sheet back in place, and grabbed a piece of paper, lining it up against the guide line and punched out the holes...


And what did you know? It worked!


I tried a few more times with scrap, just to make sure that I was confident with the alignment, and also to make sure I had a steady hand. It was now down to me to get the pages to line up with the ruled line I'd drawn, as long as I did that, all probability meant that it would work.

To begin with, I punched with just 4 or 5 pages at a time. I'd cut out the one side first, before flipping the sheets over to punch the other 4 holes, so that selection was complete. Then I moved onto the next few pages, and over, and over again. As I grew in confidence, I began adding a few extra sheets to the pile, which I finished in no time at all. Here it was at about the half way point.


Next on the agenda... for the agenda!.. was to bind it all back up again.


Problem was I only had fairly large coils, or 'O Wires' as Zutter call it, but I thought I'd give it a go.


I cut the wires down to 4 loops each side, hooked them onto the pages and using the other part of the Bind It All, gently squeezed them into position.


Well. It looked the part, but - but, it still wasn't quite right! After all that, it didn't sit snug enough inside the cover. So disappointed. I knew it was all down to the ring size. They were far too large, plus I noticed they were pressing into the leather inside the cover. No good at all. Then I thought of a great interim idea. Cable ties!

My hubby is a superb handyman with a well stocked tool case. 😜😆😂 He has cable ties (or tie wraps, depending where you come from) of all different sizes and colours. So I knabbed a few different ones to experiment with, and settled on using just 4 of these in the end.


Any more than 2 either end was overkill, and I found that the more you add the more the movement of turning the pages are reduced, and I think they'd be more chance of ripping the paper that way. Trying only 1 cable tie each end made the agenda unstable.

As I said, these were/are only meant to be a stop gap before deciding on whether I'm going to change over smaller wires. However, after using the agenda for about 3 weeks I can say, I'm enjoying using it like this.


In fact, I don't notice the binding, and isn't that the best way? I'd notice it, if it wasn't working, if it was causing problems or I was fighting with it to turn the pages, but honestly I'm not.

It's probably not as perfect as using proper coils, but I don't think they are any less 'pretty', as the original metal wires can't be considered to look that attractive either.

What I'm doing is using the agenda, and generally enjoying using it. Has it been worth the hassle? Well, I would have preferred to have walked - or what did I originally say, 'entered with a skip in my step' - into Chanel and bought the correct insert, which would have saved me a lot of time and effort. However, seeing as I've ended up with an attractive Louis Vuitton weekly planner in the same horizontal layout that now works and fits inside the Chanel medium agenda cover, so yes, I'd say that it was worth the hassle.

Has it all gone to plan? No! 🙀
Am I now pleased with the outcome? A resounding yes! 😃👍
Would I buy another Louis Vuitton agenda? Now, there's a question!!!
If you'd like an answer to that, please leave a comment here, or on the corresponding Instagram picture. I'll follow up with a new post of a full review on the insert, including pen tests, along with further photos of how I'm making it work.

Happy Scribing!

Important Notes
1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)
2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.
3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.
4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Tuesday 31 January 2017

Delay in Part Two - my apologies!

Dear Scribblers


I am so sorry, but due to illness, I'm afraid I won't be able to upload the part 2 instalment of Unexpected Crafting aka The Chanel Hassle today. TheCraftyScribe household has been hit with a norovirus-type bug, and it hasn't been pretty! Therefore, I haven't been in a fit state to write. Many apologies.

Hopefully, I'll be back to normal by the end of the week, so keep your peepers peeled 👀 for Part 2 on Saturday. I aim to get it written and uploaded by then.

Keep well and warm, my Scribbler friends.

Happy Scribing!

Friday 27 January 2017

Happy Unexpected Crafting New Year! Aka The CHANEL Hassle. Part 1 of 2

Dear Scribblers

Happy 2017!

Even though we are almost at the end of January, I'm sure I can still wish you glad tidings as it's the first time I've spoken to you this year, right? Plus, I never wished you a happy holidays. December flashed by due to organising presents, seeing family and friends and packing for our travels. Anyhoo, I hope you are having a spectacularly amazing new year.

Mine started off in an awesome never to be forgotten way by saying goodbye to 2016 in Las Vegas and then Hawaii - on the island of O'ahu. Then seeing 2017 whilst watching fireworks over Waikiki bay from our balcony. A photo showing the display can be found on my Instagram page - @TheCraftyScribe

We then stayed in Hawaii a further week, before stopping off in Las Vegas of a couple of days to break up the journey back to the UK. It was our second time on O'ahu, and our 4th time in 'Vegas, but hadn't been for just over 10 years, so it was great to experience them both again, to see changes and reconnect with old favourites, too.

However, since my return I've been battling jet lag, sinusitis and bronchitis (ah, the fun of air travel and the British weather!), plus playing catch up, and a sudden significant bereavement in my hubby's family, which has been devastating. He's lost his grandfather, there's lots of fantastic memories and love, but it's going to be difficult to realise that he is no longer with us. I've posting a photograph, along with a few words on my Instagram. So I hope you understand and can forgive the lack of posts.

Why the Unexpected Crafting? I hear you ask!

Last November, my hubby bought me a new-to-me CHANEL medium agenda cover from Fashionphile, which I then bought the insert for from the Chanel Boutique in Bond St, London. This worked absolutely brilliantly as my week to view planner for the whole 2016.


So here's where it gets crazy! I didn't buy my agenda refill for 2017 from Bond Street again, which with hindsight I really should have. Instead, I decided that I wanted to buy my insert from one of the many Chanel boutiques that I knew I'd be passing on my travels. In my mind, I pictured that it would make purchasing my new weekly planner even more 'special' and different from last year. As I said, I bought that from the Bond Street Boutique, on Christmas Eve 2015, as we spent the day getting a few little fun treats for each other, buying a tree decoration from Fortnum and Mason, strolling through Covent Garden (plus my first visit and buying stationery goodies from Kikki.K) and stopping over and waking up Christmas morning at the Waldorf Hotel. Buying my Chanel 2016 planner insert became part of this fabulous memory, and it was the first events I added onto its pages. I expected to create new and wonderful memories when buying my 2017 insert.

I think you are probably guessing that that it didn't happen this way. Well, you're right! I really didn't expect it to go the way it did.

We arrived in Las Vegas on 26 December, and on 27th, we took a stroll into The Bellagio. We'd been having a fabulous time, and we were in a great mood as we took in the sights and atmosphere. The Christmas baubles and decorations were beautiful, scarlet and gold gleaming everywhere. We trod the deep piled carpets leading us through the designer mall past Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci, but my radar was focused on Chanel. The Double C was insight!

I entered with a skip in my step. Okay, I admit I probably didn't look quite my best. I'd only got off a 13 hour air journey less than 24 hours previous and hadn't caught up on sleep and time zones, plus I was wearing minimal makeup as I was attempting to counteract the flight dehydration with good levels of serum and moisturiser (Chanel's in fact! La Lift, with an additional layer of Bobbie Brown's serum underneath, which I've recently fallen in love with.) Along with holiday clothes, which seemed to be jet lagged from the flight as well, and no amount of ironing made them less depressed from being packed! At least, I should have got brownie points for the Chanel ballerina flats, right?

Anyway, I wore a big red lipstick grin (I said minimal makeup, but not none! There's always got to be mascara, concealer and lipstick.) My hubby and I approached the glass top counter, and noticed this really snooty bird-like woman give me that look up and down we've all experienced from a certain type of person. Her lips pursed even tighter into a beak and she slightly tapped at her plumage, a messy black bun right on top, which made me think she was carrying her nest on her head! I pushed on with a happy "Good Morning, I wonder whether you can help me." She pursed her beak even further with a quick bob of the thin neck, which meant to be a yes, but shrieked of, I'd rather be serving someone I consider to be more worthy of my time.

I bought my agenda out of my bag, as I asked if they had the new year inserts. The Birdy Sales Assistant draw herself up to her full height and patted the side of her nest-bun again, whilst drumming pointed fingernails on the polished glass divide, as she told me that they hadn't received any new inserts that year, and as far she knew they were discontinuing them! Ending with a sneared sorry. She then turned around and walked away, without asking me if I needed any further assistance, or without saying a goodbye or at least waiting of me to leave. How rude!

Now, I'm a proper grown up, over the age of 30 and everything! I've told you I didn't look quite as pulled together as I normally try to look, but I wasn't scruffy by any means. Even though she probably made many assumptions, there are no excuses for service like that. I've bought a number of items in designer stores and I have never been treated in that way. Even if they had had the inserts in, even for an item which is very much on the lower end of their price points, I would have asked to be assisted by another SA. It doesn't matter what you look like, all enquires deserve a decent level of respect and service. All I can say is tut-tut, Bellagio Chanel Bird-Nest Lady, you know who you are!

The next day, we popped into the Wynn to checking out their designer row. Through technicolor floral decored corridors, and once again past Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci and into the slick chic Chanel. No skip in my step today, just a determined, but trepidatious tread to be met with... What a totally different attitude! This SA was amazing. So kind, polite, great eye contact and interested in her customer. She said she was very sorry, but she thought that they didn't have it in stock, but she went off and checked, offering a seat while we waited. She returned to say, she'd called the other possibilities (boutiques and department store concessions) and no one was holding stock. Although they didn't think it was discontinued, so bird lady was wrong about that. Unfortunately, the same outcome, but at least, I left the boutique feeling like a valued customer.

I had one point of hope left. We were flying to O'ahu the following day and I knew that there was a Chanel boutique only a 5 minute walk from our hotel in Waikiki. I'd try there.

Oh, Hawaii! Aloha! Meaning love, affection, the positive in us all, the warmth in their greeting. They do not disappoint in their friendship and kindness. That's definitely what I experienced at Chanel. Here they had previously had a small amount of stock, but all were sold. He checked their other boutique at Ala Moana mall, only with the same story.

Isn't it interesting that one bad egg (or bird lady) in this case could have tainted my whole view of American Chanel boutique service, but because I carried on and took a deep breath to stride up to the next counter I found that it was only her. She was one of the arrogant people that you can come across in all walks of life. Or maybe, she was having a bad day? I think I'll send some positive thoughts and aloha out to her, just in case.

Now, I'm not one to give up, so I emailed the Chanel US head office to see if one of the other stores could send the insert to the Wynn Hotel boutique, for my return to Las Vegas the following week. Unfortunately, the only store left with stock in America was the other side of the country at Bal Harbour, Florida on the east coast, and they were unable (and I think understandably, unwilling) to send it cross-country.

So there I was out of luck and really out of time, as we were coming into 2017 and I didn't have my week to view diary. Don't worry about me (not that being without a planner is particularly that devastating, only frustrating. I'm sure other Planner Addicts understand), as last July, by some tremendous luck, I was able to buy my unicorn of unicorn's... a brand new hardly - ever touched - still with the blue plastic protecting the gold cc logo and cardboard in the pockets/sleeves Chanel LARGE agenda cover (approx a bit bigger than A5) from Vestiaire. Here it is with the medium cover:


I can hear choirs of angels! As I thought I'd be putting in my happy little week to view into the medium. I wanted to use a day to view planner in here, so I could use it as part daily to do, a bit bullet journal, a little Dear Diary and a general catch all, which is how I like to work. Now, Chanel only do week to views, and, as you know, I've used the smaller daily Smythson for many years gone by. This year, I'm so happy I've been able to upgrade a size, and for my birthday in November, my hubby bought me the Smythson Cosmic Travel diary - day per page. It doesn't fit in the Chanel clip inside, as you'll notice in the photo, but it slips very happily into the back cover. It's perfect. I'll do a full review soon.


But What about the Unexpected Crafting, you Spoke about in the Title and What Seems Like Hours Ago? I hear you scream!

Ah, that! So we're back to the medium agenda. I really need a week to view, and I thought about just bunging in any old thing, that didn't seem right. I wanted to treat my Chanel cover with respect.

Btw, I emailed Chanel UK and they said I needed to contact each Chanel store or concession individually. Which I didn't feel was particularly helpful, especially as I explained my situation and where I was. So I emailed Bond Street, who were a little more assisting. They were out of stock and didn't know if they were getting any more in. They tried another store for me, with the same result. All very doubtful. To be honest, I've sort of lost hope entirely with all these Chanel shenanigans! Who knew getting something as simple as a planner insert would be so difficult?! I can't believe that I've become so disappointed about a planner insert, and disheartened about Chanel! (Me? Say, think, breathe anything negative about Chanel?! I was that person who cried with overwhelming happiness when she bought her Chanel double flap bag, who was still crying in the restaurant afterwards and began crying again as she unboxed it later, and got her hubby to video the unboxing and this was before YouTube and the twinkle of an idea of unboxings even existed!!!)

It was at this point, I knew that I couldn't do anything more with Chanel directly. So now, it was all about alternatives. Like I said, I wanted something decent.

I thought about creating my own insert with high quality paper, but that seemed like too much work. (Ha! After all the effort I'd tried to get the proper insert, and the crafting that was to come...)

I knew that the Smythson Memoranda diary fits perfectly into the cover (hanging off the proper hooks without falling out and everything!) However, I was already using a Smythson in my large cover and wanted something different in this one. (Picky, I know. 🙄 This would have been easier and cheaper than what I went for.)

Then EUREKA! I knew what I wanted! I checked the measurements in the website, measured the inside of the medium cover. It seemed to work out to what I wanted. It would give me the same horizontal weekly layout I became used to in the Chanel insert.

By this time, we were back in Las Vegas, it was our last day, flying home to the UK the next morning. We were staying at Caesar's Palace, I knew that there was a store in the Forum Shops and I'd be able to drop by on my way to dinner. (To be honest, there was one of these stores in every shopping mall along The Strip, you couldn't throw a Casino Chip without hitting one.)***

My fingers, toes and eyes were all crossed as we entered Louis Vuitton and asked for their horizontal layout agenda refill. Big smile from the SA. Yes, of course. No problem. No hassle. No stress. No need to go for counselling or mindfulness lessons afterwards. I was able to walk in, ask for, buy, and walk out with an agenda refill. All wrapped up in chic packaging, box and bag. Do you hear that, CHANEL? Do you?


Off we went for our last evening in Las Vegas, and a fantastic meal at Rao's. Highly recommend food, service and atmosphere, if you're ever out that way.

But what about the crafti... Yes, yes! I'm getting to it!

Once back to the room, I took a quick Instagram pic, as you do! Before packing it away for the flight.

Once home, jet lagged, sinsuses bunged, I took it out of its box to admire the lovely little planner I had in my hands. And admire it, I did! I grabbed my Chanel cover took out last year's agenda and let Louis meet Coco... and Louis was too big!!!

How could this be? I measured it correctly, I was sure. Then I realised that the measurements on the LV website are the size of the pages, without the binding! And these coils were big. I could have left it here and just let the planner hang out the 1 cm or so, but I couldn't. It's not the way I'm made. Plus after all this faffing about, I was determined to get this wee bugger to fit.

Please come back on Tuesday to discover how I went about my journey of unexpected crafting (along with step by step photos) and see if I was successful or whether the whole thing ended up in the bin!

Happy Scribing!


P.S. *** I've checked... there are SEVEN Louis Vuitton stores on The Las Vegas Strip!!! That's got to be a record, hasn't it?



Important Notes
1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)
2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.
3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.
4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything!

Friday 25 November 2016

NaNoWriMo Day 25 - I'm a Winner! (Spoiler alert)

Dear Scribblers


I think you can guess from the title, but I'm a winner! I finished my novel with 55646 words!



My word count for my final three days was

Day 23 - 2047 words


Day 24 - 2379 words


and Day 25 - I pushed on through today, to finish the story with 3758 words
 

So happy to be finished with 5 days to go. I'm going to leave this story alone for a month or so, before I go in and edit it.

I've used NaNoWriMo to help me get into the habit of writing every day again, and I'm still going to carry on with this from now on, but at a lower word count than I've attempted to achieve this month. My aim was to try and hit 2000 words a day, and I achieved that most days, even thought I've enjoyed  my writing sessions, it's been far too exhausting, even though I've paced myself, as I described in my last post, it has actually been quite tough to keep going. I think my regular word count aim from now on will be between 500 and 1000 words, depending on what I'm writing. Obviously, this will be a lot lower if I'm writing poetry. I think sometimes quality is more important than the quantity.

I'm so glad I entered the competition this year, I've proud of my achievements, and I've also learnt a lot about myself. Although I know that most of this month's writing may be trashed, I hope that there is something within that 25 days of writing that I can expand, edit and refine.

If you are still writing, keep on going, don't give up yet. It does matter if you don't hit the 50000 world finish line, it's about the fact you are actually writing something. If I can do this, anyone can! The most important thing is that you enjoy your experience.

Whatever you are doing, Live Life to the Full, Keep Writing and Enjoy!

Happy Scribing!




Blog Important Notes

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.


4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything
!


Tuesday 22 November 2016

NaNoWriMo Day 22 - Seeing the First Draft through the Word Count, with Hints and Tips

Update and Tips for Bad Days, Ill Days and The Invisible Bully (Writers Block) Days



Dear Scribblers - Hello!


How's your NaNoWriMo experience? Are you still hanging on to that glider, buffeted by the tough high winds, flying high and enjoying the view, or have you decided to stay grounded?

I must say, I'm so pleased that I've stuck with it. To carry on my metaphor, I'm no way an experienced pilot, most definitely still a novice. Some days, it's been so difficult, I haven't even wanted to get into the seat, touch those controls and start writing, and the thought of hitting my word count, seems as far away as the horizon. Whilst other days, my ideas have been the warm air currents that have lifted me up where I'm whooping with delight at the freedom it gives me.

Want Help with Writers Block? WRITE away!

To anyone struggling, just write. Don't keep thinking about how many words you've got to hit or how far behind you are. I know. That's my problem! I spend more time wasting time and then, I've lost the day. I don't have trouble once my fingers are on the keyboard. My problem is getting there in the first place. It's the anxiety of the thought of writing, but once I begin, it's far more enjoyable than the time I've spent worrying about it. Before hand, I try and keep my mind off all the baggage that comes with writing, and if I do think about it, I try and focus just on the stories and ideas, but sometimes I try not to even think about that, as it will often bring it's negative invisible bully along with it... Writer's Block!

Did you see what I called it? An invisible bully - it's the opposite of the invisible friend. It's not your playmate, and it's only as real as you make it. Remember, it doesn't exist. It will only appear to you if you let it, and you'll notice, it generally only makes an appearance when you aren't writing, only when you are thinking about it. The best way to overcome it? Write!

The best way to start, is either, leave a sentence unfinished from your previous session, so you've got something to get you rolling. Another way of doing this, is just to repeat the last two sentences you wrote in your previous session, and that can help you pick up from where you left off. If you do have a complete blank sheet in front of you, don't stare at it. Whilst you are looking at the expanse before you, you aren't writing. What I do is, look away, either look at the keyboard, or if you are handwriting, look at the nib of your pen. Then write down the first sentence that comes into your head, and you'll see your fingers flying over the keyboard, or loop-the-looping over the page. Remember, it doesn't matter what you write - WRITE NOW - EDIT LATER - just keep producing those letters. Once you've removed those chocks from the wheels and cogs in your mind, you'll find that the breaks are off and after a while, the air will be beneath your wings, and you'll have lift off!

That's what I think NaNoWriMo is all about, you are a trainee pilot experimenting and creating pilot projects, and each day you'll learn to soar a little bit more.

Update

So here's how the last four days have gone for me:

Day 19 - 2232 words


Day 20 - 2001 
(Well, after getting to day 20, I was a bit Spaced out, and it's all an Odyssey, isn't it?)


Day 21/22 - 5537
(Joined the two days together, as it was a piece of the story, I wanted to keep as a whole.)



I actually had wanted to write in a more focused way on Sunday, but didn't find a long enough block of time in the day. Instead, I wrote whenever I found a chunk of time, be it 10 mins or if I was luck, an hour. I don't especially like writing like this, but I find the word count increases quicker than you expect. There's lots of stopping and starting, but I find, if I use the trick of leaving part of a sentence half finished or rewriting the last sentence or two, it's quite easy (well, it does become easier) to carry on and write your next paragraph or so, depending on how much time you have.

What to Do on Poorly Days - On Your Marks... Get Set... Pace!

I write like this on the days when I'm not feeling too well, in pain or tired. I'll set myself a timer, usually 10 or 15 minutes, get myself into a comfy spot and write. If I find, I can't focus for that long, I don't beat myself up, I just stop the timer early. If I find I'm coping well, I may increase the timer to 20 minutes for the next session. I may do this once every hour, giving myself time to rest. Pacing like this, means that I can write and get my word count rising throughout the day without over exerting myself. It will tire me, but at least I have control over my actions.

Times that have worked for me in the past are:
10 minutes writing every 1 hour (10 minutes to 50 mins rest). If you stuck to this during a day, in 5 hours, it add up to 50 minutes worth of writing time.
10 minutes writing every 30 minutes (10 mins writing to 20 mins rest). This can also be blocked as 20 minutes writing every hour (20 to 40 minutes). In 5 hours, both produce 1 hour 40 minutes of writing.
15 minutes writing in every hour (15 mins writing & 45 minutes rest) or every 45 minutes (15 mins writing & 30 minutes rest). 5 hours = either 1 hour 45 mins or 1 hour 15 mins.
If you have a little more energy, 20 minutes writing then 20 minutes rest, will give you 2 hours 40 minutes worth of writing during 5 hours.

Of course, you can alter this as you go along, checking the writing and rest times, and shortening or lengthening the amount of hours you'll include. It's an interesting to chart your progress as well, keeping a note in your journal to map your daily writing input. I've often made a note of time spent writing, along with word count, health and mood. You can definitely see the correlation between them all. Good days equals high word count of a better quality. Even the weather can be a factor!

They'll also be days when writing will just not happen, when this happens, don't panic or beat yourself up. It's just a small section of time that you can't write, focus on something else. Enjoy what you can do, instead of worrying about what you can't. In fact, even on some horrid days, a story idea or a gleam of a sentence will pop into my mind.

If you, can't face, or aren't able to pick up a pen, or switch on the computer, there are other ways of capturing your thought. When I've really struggled, I've still had my iPhone beside me, and I can either tap that idea into notes, Pages or the Scrivener app.
Adding Ideas to Notes on the iPhone,
either type or dictate
Type & dictate in the iPhone
Scrivener App

If I can't focus on using the keyboard, I've either asked Siri to write a note or reminder, or I've used the little microphone button to dictate the sentence into one of the apps for me. I've also kept a voice memos of various story ideas, and even recorded myself a quick video, so I can literally remind myself later! There's plenty of ways to write, without actually writing.
Siri on the iPhone can add to
notes and reminders for you.
iPhone's Voice Memo.
Leave yourself a message.


I'm sure there's a number of apps for phones and pads which can help you. If you are using a particular app I haven't listed here. I'd love to know how you 'write' on days you can't write normally. See, even on days you're too busy, or too ill, or too exhausted, there's always something you can do to be creative. Even if you just leave yourself a voice memo of line of dialogue for your story, or an idea for a future chapter, it's still considered writing, and it will all add up to your word count.

Only 8 days of NaNoWriMo to go. Whatever you do, I hope you keep on writing and keep on enjoying it!

Happy Scribing!


Blog Important Notes

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.


4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything
!




Friday 18 November 2016

NaNoWriMo Day 18 - Writing in a Busy Week

Dear Scribblers,


Here we are, another five days gone since my previous post. I think mentioned that it was my birthday this week, so I tried to make sure I pushed on a little longer on the days that I could make more time for NaNoWriMo. In the end I was able to write more than I was expecting.

So, to keep it real and to show you my actual word count in the Scrivener programme, and for those of you who like statistics and breakdowns, here's how much I wrote on each day:

Day 14 - 1836 words
  

Day 15 - 1411


Day 16 (My Birthday!) - 1362
 

Day 17 - 2327


Day 18 - 3059
 

As you can see, there was a dip in word count on the 15th and 16th. Obviously, I was expecting not to write at all, and had sort of planned for it. In my previous blog, I contemplated whether I'd be able to spend time whilst travelling to write, and that's exactly what I did.

As we made our journey up to London on Tuesday, and back home on Wednesday, I was able to tap out some sentences on my Scrivener app on my iPhone. I was so pleased that this time was so well spent. Normally as a passenger, I would be listening to the radio, or generally playing on my phone, or chatting to the driver. Luckily, I have a very understanding husband, who knew what I was doing, and got that I wasn't just ignoring him! Who'd have thought that travel and traffic jams could be so productive.

Taking a break from my Scrivener iPhone app
to take this photo of the beautiful morning and clear roads,
just before the A3 Hindhead Tunnel.

I was pretty exhausted on the 17th, so as my body rested up, I was able to include a few segments of writing time. I'll discuss more about writing like this as I go on.

Today has been a massively successful day, word count wise and the story fell from fingertips to keyboard and onto the screen at great rates. It's left me feeling pretty energised and raring to go for the weekend writing.

How about you? I hope you've had a fabulous week, and can't wait to get the next chunk of your story onto the page this weekend. Whatever you do, I hope you are enjoying NaNoWriMo and keep writing.

Happy Scribing!


Blog Important Notes

Important Notes

1. Please note that I am not connected to any companies mentioned in this post. I do not receive any products, funding or gifting from these businesses. All products shown have been bought by me, or gifts from family or friends. I mention the items because I like them or have my own private opinion about them. It's just little old me talking about ma stuff! ;-)

2. If you would like to see more of anything in this series, please write a comment below, or 'like' and leave a comment by my latest Instagram photo, letting me know what you would like me to post photos and write about.

3. If you like what you read, don't forget to bookmark this site, and please share it with your friends.


4. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram - @TheCraftyScribe which I update regularly with all things crafty, scribbling, beauty, fashion, the cats, sci-fi, fantasy, and the ephemera of 42*...................
*42 = Life, The Universe and Everything
!

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