Blitzing!

No, I'm not talking about FFX, I''m talking about Scarlett's LJ community - the Blitz. I joined last week, and it's started helping me already.
Basically, there's a load of us signed up to it, and Scarlett sets exercises, which we then do. Then every - er - so often, I suspect it's regular, but I don't know the interval, there is a blitz - the next of which starts on the 1st of August.
The August Blitz will involve the creation of 16-20 short pieces about 1 character. None of them may involve the character directly, but all must be related to that character. So things like; newspaper articles, love letters, etc.
This looks a) great fun and, b)really useful as I have several characters to choose from that need developing.
Hopefully, the pressure of having others expecting me to produce something will help force me to do so. It's worked so far, for the one exercise I've done already. It turned out pretty good too, got some good feedback, which is always nice to hear.
So, I'm a bit more positive about my writing at the moment, and generally in a pretty good mood :D

Looking better...

It's been a while, and during that while my writing has been up and down like a...thing that goes up and down a lot. [Mental note - work on the metaphors]
First off, I thought I had solved my plotting problems. I was having trouble coming up with a good motive for my vampire mage antagonist to want to blow a lot of people up. Then it came to me, she doesn't want to blow them up at all. They just happen to be in the same place as the thing she does want to blow up. Genius.
Er...no, actually. I was chatting with some people on FM and they pretty much poked holes in my plot all night. Well, I exagerate of course, but you know what I mean, I'm sure.
I was more than a little disheartened at this point. There was I, back on track and happy with the way my plotting was going and those bastards went and pulled it apart like that!
That was what I wanted to think anyway. In reality, I saw that they were mostly right. I was warping credulity to make the plot work. It wasn't until I went back into chat a few days later and had another plotting discussion that I began to be convinced that I could make it work. So, off I went - armed with my new confidence and set to work again. Or rather, tried and failed to set to work again.
By this point, I was going spare and beginning to doubt myself and my writing and, when I was feeling a little less self absorbed, the advice I had been given.
Then I had yet another chat, this time on MSN with Scarlett (another FMer). Wonderful, marvellous, lovely Scarlett :) set me right straight she did.
We talked for a while, I outlined the problem and she gave me advice. But not advice on what to do with my plot, but rather advice on how to go about plotting. She suggested a more relaxed kind of approach, just chill and let the ideas come in their own sweet time. And you know what? I think it's working.
I've basically decided to ignore it, unless something pops up in my head. Alreadysome stuff has, not a great deal, but it's a start. And I've been writing again too. Not stuff for this particular WIP, but using the characters from it in a different context.
So I'm remaining close to it, but no longer crowding it, and I feel much more relaxed and happy about the whole thing now.

Let's hope it stays that way.