When did you start using the Internet?  Do you think it has affected the way you write?  Or the way that you communicate in general?

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I’ve been thinking about the concept of imagination this week, and about how, even as a child, it seems that I failed to write really imaginative stories.  Most things I’ve written - both fiction or non-fiction - have been based on things I’ve experienced, or things I’ve heard about from other people, read in the newspapers, and so on… 

Writing about writing, Week #18

Where do you get your story ideas from? 

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Do your friends and family know about your writing?  If so, what have their reactions been?

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In your opinion, when does someone become a ‘writer’?  Once he or she has written something?  Had something published?  When writing becomes the day job?  Or at some other stage in the process? 

Do you call yourself a writer?

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Writing about writing, Week #15

How do you organise your writing on your computer?  Do you just have one document for each piece?  Or do you have separate files for each chapter or section?  When you redraft something do you write over top of your original or do you save a new document?

 And as a bonus question, what software do you use for your writing?

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Writing about writing, Week #14

What are your writing-related goals for 2008? Do you have any tips for staying focused on the goals that you’ve set?

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Looking back, what were your writing-related highlights of 2007?

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Happy holidays everyone!

As a writer, what are you hoping to find in your Christmas stocking this year?

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This is a guest post from Caitlin Fitzsimmons, a journalist, travel writer, blogger and wannabe fiction writer. Her site is caitlinfitzsimmons.com.

I would like to edit this novel - but I’m going to let it ferment for a couple of months before I come back to it and go on with other things in the mean time. But the real lesson from NaNoWriMo is that it taught me how to write a novel and it proved to me that I can.

Although the novel needs a lot of work, the simple fact that I can conceptualise something of novel length and then complete it, is a huge confidence boost. I feel enormously proud of myself for doing it - believe me, it was not easy. The first 10,000 words were wonderful, the next 15,000 were manageable, but the final 25,000 were a slog. Everyone said it would be wonderful again in the final 10,000 but it wasn’t. I found it really, really hard and I wanted to give up. But I knew that getting through that dark patch would prove to myself that I could do it. That’s how novels get made.

I don’t know if I will do it again next year. If I have a work in progress and a regular writing practice then I probably won’t. But if I’ve fallen into old habits and I’m no longer writing, then it could be the kick in the butt that I need. And I’m sure I’ll learn plenty doing it.

This is a guest post from Caitlin Fitzsimmons, a journalist, travel writer, blogger and wannabe fiction writer. Her site is caitlinfitzsimmons.com.

When I signed up to NaNoWriMo, I announced it on my personal blog, and everywhere else I could think of, such as Facebook and goal setting site 43 Things. I did regular updates when I was doing well and when I was doing badly and I told all my friends and family to ask me about how the novel was going all through the month. I did this because I knew that motivation would start to wane once the going got tough and inner drive might need bolstering with the threat of public humiliation.

I linked up with virtual friends on 43 Things and on the NaNoWriMo forums who were doing it as well, so we could encourage and support each other. I also went along to some NaNoWriMo write-ins - meeting with other London participants in real world cafes or libraries for writing sessions.

This approach worked beautifully. I found that having people to report to helps keep you motivated and honest with yourself.