Tag Archives: nanowrimo

Interview with a Writer ~ Lynsey Helen Mitchell

Posted on by vgemmell

Today I’m delighted to feature debut author Lynsey Helen Mitchell on my blog. Lynsey is a friend and colleague. We work in different offices now, and I was excited when I found out Lynsey had completed her Young Adult horror book. Not for the faint-hearted, The Dark Twin, is a perfect tense read for when the nights draw in, and you want to scare yourself a bit…. Here’s Lynsey’s interview below, and I wish her lots of luck with her writing career (have to add I admire the motivation to write in the morning before work!). Links to Lynsey’s social media and where to buy her book are at the bottom of the post.

Biography

Lynsey was born in Clydebank and studied Creative Writing and English Literature at Middlesex University, graduating in 2011. She is employed as a careers adviser, and lives in the West of Scotland with her boyfriend and cat and they are expecting their first baby boy. Lynsey recently released her YA horror, The Dark Twin, which is her debut book.

When did you first start writing?

I started writing when I was a child, always enjoying any opportunity to write stories as part of my school work, and spending time at home writing stories. I would enjoy writing stories and poems about the family pets and different friends and family members.

What do you write?

I mainly enjoy writing fiction – short stories and longer pieces. I love horror and thrillers, so all of my stories are around this genre.

What was your first published piece of work?

The Dark Twin is my first published piece of work, although I’ve been published on a website for winning a short story competition before.

Why do you write?

Because I love it. I find it therapeutic to just get lost in my story and switch off from the real world.

What, or who, has helped you on your writing journey?

Speaking to other writers, like Vikki and learning about their experiences. The book On Writing by Stephen King gave me a lot of insight into the mind of one of my favourite writers and how they found their (very successful) writing style. Taking part in challenges like NaNoWriMo help me to become productive. While it doesn’t produce a finished product, it helps to start a first draft and to get a proper feel for my story.

Share a writing low with us. What did you learn from this?

After losing my mum in 2013, I had so much going on, that the last thing I could think of was sitting down to write. I took the opportunity the following year to take part in NaNoWriMo to get myself motivated again and this helped me to rediscover my love of writing.

Share a writing high?

Publishing The Dark Twin. It was the NaNoWriMo project that sat on my shelf for far too long, so I was proud of myself for finally getting it published.

Share some of your favourite lines from reviews, or comments you have received about your work, which boosted your confidence (tell us what piece of work it relates to)

Some of the comments I received about The Dark Twin include:

“I couldn’t sleep a wink after reading it.”

“Couldn’t put it down.”

Any tips for new writers?

Find a routine and style that works for you. Some writers advise to write every day, but that doesn’t work for me. I prefer to write when I feel inspired.

And for all writers; any tips for keeping motivated? And how do you find time to write?

Like I’ve said, challenges like NaNoWriMo help to motivate me to sit down and write. In the last few years, I’ve found myself being more productive in the mornings, getting up a little earlier before work and getting some writing in before I start.

Do you have a regular writing routine, or do you write in frantic bursts?

I’m definitely more of a frantic burst kind of person. If I love what I’m writing, the story comes. Sometimes I feel like I need to write it down before I forget it!

Where do you write? (A dedicated space, or on-the-go)

I definitely don’t have a dedicated space. It doesn’t work for me. Sometimes it’s the kitchen table, sometimes the couch. Just wherever I feel most comfortable.

Any stand-out books you have read recently?

A few great books I’ve read recently include Keep it in the Family by John Marrs, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.

Where can we find your book, and find out more about you?

A link to buy The Dark Twin: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Twin-Lynsey-Helen-Mitchell/dp/1068161507/

Author Website: https://lynseyhelenmitchell.co.uk/

Instagram: lynseyhmitchellauthor

TikTok: @lynseywrites

Sometimes we’re friends (a love letter to my body)

Posted on by vgemmell

The clue is in the title for today’s writing prompt. A personal post I wasn’t sure how to write, or how personal to get with it! But here’s the attempt below. The above image is by Adina Voicu (free for use on Pixabay)

We’ve had good times when we danced all night, walked for miles across cities that made me feel alive and connected. Dressed up, grew up, threw up, got tired, felt alive, felt self-conscious, felt betrayed, felt loved, understood what we wanted, asked for what we wanted, dressed up for them… then for us, only for us, to feel good.

You taught me that the millions of ‘miracle’ cosmetics trying to sell magic are garbage. With me and you, it’s hormones and genetics, and some decades I’m lucky and we’re balanced and in harmony, and sometimes things go off kilter and I don’t like you, because it feels like you’re fighting against me.

These days sometimes we’re definitely not friends – you seem to enjoy showing me any indulgent meal or snacks I’ve eaten, like you’re lecturing me, even although I’ve just given you salad and other healthy stuff for breakfast and lunch. You used to accept that pay- off but now you like to add on every chocolate bar to another wobble in my ass, and I take you on longer walks to try and placate you. Don’t get me started on the mornings when I look in the mirror and see the work you’ve done on my face overnight, spots erupting from nowhere. Seriously, what are we, seventeen again? At least now, I’m more in tune with what’s going on and I know this week you’re going to mess with me, but by next week we should be on track again. Maybe.

This year you really did a number on me, on the run-up to a day where the whole world (or so it felt) was waiting to see how beautiful we might be. Giving me skin allergies where my eyes puffed up so bad I didn’t recognise myself in the mirror. When a doctor told me, not once, but twice (during a standard appointment) that I was overweight. And I looked at you objectively, critically, and the curves I’d accepted as something new, no longer looked so pretty.

But here’s what you’ve taught me – to be sure of myself, even when I’m really not. Sometimes it feels like I’m back being seventeen, but at least now, me and you, we’ve been through so much, and you’ve taught me my worth. It really is deeper than skin.

You take me where I need to go. We can still dance all night, and walk for miles across cities that make me feel alive.

And when I look at you I see all of the imperfections but I also see the power and the beauty of being me.

Make every word count

Posted on by vgemmell

Today I’ve chosen a prompt from later down my list as I wanted to write something that was fun and creative. I’ve posted a couple of attempts below of 6 word stories.

I’m going to be delivering a workshop on writing flash fiction in the coming week and attempting this exercise was a really great way of trying to make every word count!

Burnt dinner tossed onto anniversary roses

Banning books, silencing. Words are louder

On the wrong train, finding home

Party cancelled, cake never tasted better

Discarded heels, leaving behind restrictive rules

Dear Paris

Posted on by vgemmell

Today’s prompt is to write about a city I love. So here’s my love letter to Paris.

Dear Paris, I found you at a time when I craved adventure and was feeling brave enough to hop on a plane alone to go and find you. Wandering your streets I fell in love with your beauty and you made me feel at home, like we were old friends and you were reminding me of the magic in the world, telling me to stop and look and enjoy being in the moment. The lights at night dazzled; stars exploding inside the Eiffel Tower, carousels spinning gold against a darkening sky. Shakespeare and Co. captured my heart, a treasure trove of words and wonder, notes from travellers pinned up on the wall of a typewriter nook, hellos and dreams from all corners of the world. A Parisian melody played imperfectly, but beautifully, upstairs in the attic room where the piano was always occupied by amateur musicians, their music a soundtrack to the shelves packed with stories waiting to be read.

Your metro signs are more beautiful than some of the art work hanging in your galleries. Your buildings are breath taking masterpieces. Jardin de Luxembourg is as grand as it sounds and the children racing boats in the pond and the old men playing chess under the trees were some of my favourite observations during the time I spent wandering and just sitting, watching.

Along the Seine you showed me artists who were attempting to capture a part of you…like me, with my camera taking hundreds of photos which will never do you justice, as my real memories are tied up in feelings and sounds and the tiniest of details that can never be put into words or printed onto paper.

Sandcastle

Posted on by vgemmell

Today’s November writing challenge is to use an image as a prompt.

The image above is my prompt and my little piece of fiction below is the result. I scrolled through photos on my phone on my commute home from work and came across this little sandcastle, spotted on a beach in Oban back in 2019. I gave myself an hour between dinner and Bake Off (which is on in the background just now) to write something, so it’s not polished but I’m glad I got something down on paper.

November Creative Challenge

Posted on by vgemmell

Last month I mentioned taking part in the #writetoctober23 challenge over on Instagram which was a great way of making time to do short posts about my writing life and keeping my head focused on creative things. I didn’t take part some of the days when I was on my abroad honeymoon, but managed to keep up with the challenge for most of the month.

Since this ended I’ve missed having this fun creative focus, as often I’m so bogged down during the week with work brain I often find myself not having the headspace to work on longer novel projects. Then I get frustrated with myself because I’m not devoting any time during my week to anything creative at all.

Lots of people take part in NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month) every November, where they commit to writing a certain amount of words per day, usually with the aim to accumulate 50,000 words of a novel by the end of the month.

I thought it would be fun to set myself the challenge of writing a blog post a day (hopefully!) throughout November instead, with no word count goal imposed; the goal is just to get some words down every day. (Obviously a bit late to the party as we’re 5 days in to November, but I will make up for lost time).

So I went searching online for themes and prompts to inspire me and came across this great post here on the See Jane Write by Javacia site which contains a whole year’s worth of blog prompts. I also flicked through my helpful little book of creative prompts, The Pocket Muse by Moncia Wood and found there was actually an overlap in some of the themes.

I made a selection of ones I found most interesting, and I’ve listed them below so that anyone reading this can maybe join in or find your own inspiration from this. Even although I have made myself this list below there is probably going to be some variation on it (for one, I probably won’t do them in order as I feel some will be quicker posts than others, so this may be my deciding factor for which one I land on for a particular day).

I am also going to give myself permission to use the ‘prompt’ loosely as I know it may spark off alternative ideas.

I’ve listed 30 prompts and obviously we don’t have 30 days left in November – so this allows for space to skip past any I feel stuck with. I might duplicate some posts (interviews, cities I love) so again if you are using the prompts, don’t feel confined by them.

I plan to put the prompt I’ve selected for the day on my Instagram account so you can follow me over there for reminders: @victoriagemmellauthor

PROMPTS:

  1. Why do you Blog?
  2. Write about an outfit you associate with an important memory
  3. Use an image as a prompt
  4. Write about a City you love (I might use this prompt more than once)
  5. Write a 6 word memoir
  6. Take a negative comment and flip it into an essay or post
  7. Write a love letter to your body
  8. Write a letter to your younger self
  9. What do you love most about writing
  10. Write about a time you had to speak to a large crowd
  11. Write a 6 word story
  12. What songs would be included in a soundtrack of your life?
  13. What is the opposite of cake?
  14. Interview people who inspire you (I plan to make this a recurring post, interviewing writers/creatives)
  15. Write about a milestone birthday (or birthdays)
  16. Write a commencement address for girls graduating high school/college
  17. Look out a window. What do you see?
  18. Write an essay/poem with the title ‘This is what I say, but this is what I mean’
  19. Write a 6 word poem
  20. Take a notebook to a gallery or museum and write about something you see there
  21. Write a post about an hour that changed your life
  22. Write a thank you note to your readers
  23. A high point or low point (or both) of your day/week/month/year
  24. Imagine the day living as someone else (I’m going to use prompts alongside this from an exercise I did in the Artists Way)
  25. Write about the best trip you’ve ever taken
  26. Share your goals and how you plan to achieve them
  27. Write about the 5 things you know for sure
  28. Write a post celebrating winter
  29. Explain what self-care means to you
  30. Write a poem, essay or story inspired by the Emily Dickinson quote, “I dwell in possibility”

You’ll see number 1 is Why do you blog? I started seriously blogging on the blogger platform back in 2010. I flew out to Vancouver to visit my friend Jane who was living there and during this trip I realised I wanted to properly document my experience (as I was spending some days exploring the city alone when my friend was at work). I also wanted a platform where I could experiment with creative posts. I remember when I was staring at an Alice in Wonderland themed shop-front (photo below) on Commercial Drive I came up with the name of my blog ‘Through the Looking Glass’ and I started writing posts as soon as I returned home.

I stayed on blogger until 2017, which overlapped with the creation of this website here on WordPress (which I created during the launch of my first YA book). I switched to soley using this blog platform since I found it hard to maintain two separate sites, and this one has my writing domain name so I use it on contact cards/promotional materials.

I feel on this blog I’ve not been quite as creative and experimental as I used to be on Blogger so I guess this opens the door to try something new and return to the core of what I wanted to achieve through my blogging; to keep my creativity flowing, sparking off a more creative life in general and keeping the fun in the day-to-day when developing work. And also maybe daring to be a bit more personal in my posts again, not being so super-conscious of my audience and expressing opinions or writing about things I feel passionate about.

I was also much better at connecting with other bloggers through the Blogger platform and used to enjoy reading about other writers’ journeys, so if anyone decides to do a similar creative challenge for November leave your blog link/social media handle in my comments and I will give you a follow!