This year I've had to rely on Netflix to give me all the spooky vibes for Halloween. I really enjoyed the Haunting of Blyth Manor, but I'm struggling to find more creepy shows, so please drop a comment with scary recommendations ?⁠ ⁠ In other news... WE HAVE A PLOT!!⁠ ⁠ It's not fully fleshed out, I normally have a paragraph for each beat using the Save the Cat method, but it's a start.? I'd been struggling to figure out what side story to write and an idea for that popped up this morning, so I'm really happy with my brainstorming so far.⁠ ⁠ Yes, I'm running out of time. Do I care? Not really.? I love #NaNoWriMo and every year it's the same, I start a few days late. This happens every time without fail, so I'm going to roll with it. I probably won't get words down until at least the 2nd, and that's totally fine. Do NaNo, but also do you. In my case, I'm chaotic and meticulously organised all at once ??‍♀️

#WIWPreptober hosted by @worldindiewarriors asks about my biggest distractions and how I will work through them ? ⁠ MEET THE FLUFFBALLS.⁠ ⁠ Whether they're headbutting my laptop or just being incredibly cute, these guys are my main distraction.? I cuddle them to procrastinate, and when I'm in the zone they often jump on my laptop or get in a crazy mood and sprint all over the place. ⁠ ⁠ Whatever mood I'm in, they'll distract me in some shape or form ?⁠ ⁠ Merlin put himself to bed in this pic. Yes he is under my covers, he thinks he's a human... and I'm not sure what Oscar's expression is, I presume he's annoyed I interrupted his nap to take pics!⁠ ⁠ Do your pets distract you? Or are mine secretly demons??

Halloween is so close and I am so behind! I took the day off work today to chill out, but also to catch up. I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did ?⁠ ⁠ I knew I had written part of book 2 last year, before I rewrote Wolf Bait... but I didn't realise I had more than half of it done. It's not half bad either – which is great, but also leaves in a spot of trouble. What the hall do I do for #NaNoWriMo this year??⁠ ⁠ Having fully gone through what I've written so far, it needs rewrites and a chunk will change due to something in the prequel. So, my plan is to still write book 2 for NaNo, but only count fresh words. I won't be counting rewrites towards my total. At the same time, all going well, I aim to be writing a side story too.⁠ ⁠ It's not going to be a conventional NaNo for me, but as far as 2020 goes, this is one hiccup that wasn't actually a nightmare!??‍♀️?⁠ ⁠ How are your plans going for NaNoWriMo? Are you going to take part? The fact that it starts on November 1st always means I start hungover ?⁠ ⁠ #nanowrimo #nanoprep #nationalnovelwritingmonth #nanowrimonovel #nanowrimo2020 #indieauthor #indieauthorsofinstagram #indieauthorfantasy

#WIWPreptober hosted by @worldindiewarriors asks about rewarding myself... and needless to say, it involves food ?⁠ ⁠ I probably don't use the reward method enough, I'm not sure I have the self-control to withhold the prize ? My prize for #CampNaNo in April was a new laptop, which I'd promised myself for a while if I built up a consistent and effective writing routine/output.⁠ ⁠ Other than shiny things, I use chocolate as a reward. This year, I think I'll use hot chocolate for hitting my weekly word counts.⁠ ⁠ What rewards do you use???

HALLOWEEN IS ONE WEEK AWAY PEOPLE!!?⁠ ⁠ Irish myths around halloween centre around the Celts who believed that the veil between the land of the living and the otherworld was at it's thinnest during Halloween. ?⁠ ⁠ They celebrated it like their own version of New Year's Eve... so maybe it will mark the end of 2020???‍♀️ ... Or maybe the veil dropping during 2020 will create more havoc? Who knows??

#WIWPreptober hosted by @worldindiewarriors asks about my most useful reference books for writing... and I have far too many ?⁠ ⁠ The one that's helped most is Save the Cat, it completely changed the way I plot. I like the way the beats allow me to plan, but also retain a nice degree of flexibility as the writing process changes.⁠ ⁠ Another favourite is the Fantasy Fiction Formula, that gave me a clearer sense of direction when it came to writing the prequel to my Hybrid Wolf Series.⁠ ⁠ Each of these books has a wealth of knowledge in its own right. I've also branched out to buy more that don't fit on this shelf... so maybe I need a second non-fiction shelf ?⁠ ⁠ What writing reference books do you recommend?

A week left until witching hour... NaNoWriMo... and I still have so much to do!?⁠ It's stopped feeling like Halloween as well, which hasn't helped. ⁠ I don't have a plot. My head has been all over the place the last week, I just haven't had the creative energy. Ireland is back in full lockdown, the strictest one worldwide at the moment apparently ? I need to go to a cafe, that's my plotting space, but I can't. So, in one last ditch attempt to be ready for #nanowrimo I'm taking Tuesday off work and planning the day around writing/brainstorming. Hopefully after the long weekend off, my brain will be ready to cooperate. I swear, writing the second book in a series is like the middle of any book - the bit that's hardest to write, you get lost and have no idea how to get from A to B ???‍♀️⁠ ⁠ Are you ready for NaNo??

Here is my selfie for #WIWPreptober hosted by @worldindiewarriors ?⁠ ⁠ I bought new shelves last year but I'm already running out of room! I might do a revamp over Christmas to make more space. I need more space in general though, not just on the shelves ??

#WIWPreptober hosted by @worldindiewarriors asks writers to set up a playlist ?⁠ ⁠ This song, and this album in general, from Avril Lavigne hugely influenced Wolf Bait. So, when it comes to writing book 2 during #NaNoWriMo I'm going to start listening to it to get me in the mood.⁠ ⁠ I'll definitely be throwing together a proper playlist with songs that fit the mood and have been stuck in my head. I think I'm going to put together a full series playlist and use that while writing to keep me in the zone ?⁠ ⁠ Do you listen to music when you're writing?

One of the many reasons I am dying to move out is Halloween decor... ? I want to dress the place up with pumpkins and pretty lights, and make it all spooky from September onwards. That's not too much, is it? ?⁠ ⁠ I feel like I'll be the same when it comes to Christmas, and decorating for anything really. They even have Halloween wreaths, I need all the stuff ?