7 WRITING ESSENTIALS AND SOME JUBILEE CAKES

I made cakes for our Jubilee Street Party.
Mine don't look like these from The Arch House Deli
but I wish they did.

JUBILEE!

Happy Diamond Jubilee to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth!

With the Jubilee celebrations eating into my time, I prepared the short list of everything I need when I'm writing.

1    Time

When I settle down to write, I need to know I have found quality time, uninterrupted by any kind of real-life.

2    Pictures

I pin photos of my characters, and the settings, on the boards around my desk. The images keep me straight – I have been known to colour them scruffy if the going’s been rough.

3    Computer

Despite the fact that, if a scene is going slowly, I will write in pen until the flow is smooth again – I find, nothing beats research at the click of a key.

4    Rehydration

Coffee, tea, water, diet cola I'm partial to them all. When I'm writing, I don’t have a preference only a need ;)

5    Backup

I was obsessive but recent events have moved me closer to paranoid. These days, I use a flash drive, Dropbox, and I email sections to myself.

6    Betas

Without feedback it seems like there’s a huge chasm between me and a finished product.

7    Sleep

I survive with very little sleep. Six hours equals a good night for me – four hours is, unfortunately, common. If, for any reason, four becomes the average it impacts on my typing – a head on the keyboard will do that ;)

I bet the Queen's list of essentials would be very similar, although it might also include corgi-time. I read she has named the newest litter after characters from Harry Potter *sweet :D

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?