Nanowrimo Spotlight #2: Vikki from The View Outside

I’m pleased to shine the spotlight on Vikki tonight!

What’s the most unusual part of your writing process?
It’s probably not unusual as such, but…..I have a practice session every day. Before I write anything else I do a writing prompt, by hand in my notebook. It’s usually first thing in the morning, that seems the best time. It gets my brain in gear, helps me to focus, and puts me in writing mode.

Where are your backup files?
I use memory sticks. I seem to collect unusual ones. I have a memory stick pen (pen one end, USB the other) and a necklace. The necklace looks like a black heart, but actually comes apart to reveal a USB.

What advice would you give to all your fellow WriMos?
Don’t give up! I’ve seen it happen too many times 😦 You get to 15,000 words (or less) and decide that you hate the novel you were working on, or believe it really sucks. So then you give up….no need! Start word 15,001 with another novel, or write some short stories, or, your memoirs. It doesn’t need to be the end. Chris Baty said, there are no rules, so use Nano the way YOU want to! The whole point is to get you writing remember 🙂

Sneaky Ninja Question! What does your voice sound like?
Ha ha ha, what a strange question! Do you mean my written one, or my real one? To be honest, there isn’t much difference. My writing isn’t all flowery and neither is the way I talk lol. I have a very broad South East London accent (pronounced Sowf East Lundun) and I think that comes across in my writing 🙂 Spelling mistakes on my blog are usually intentional *sniggers*

Vikki lives in Kent (UK) with her husband, 3 adult children (who refuse to leave home) and 2 cats. She blogs, (or should that be rambles?) daily at The View Outside and spends her time fantasising about being the next EL James, but isn’t too keen on having to write Erotica to achieve that, (unless Robert Downey Jnr is available for research). Next month she will taking part in Nanowrimo for the 3rd time (having been a winner in 2010 & 2011) but this year is also a CoML for her area. Check out her progress on the Nano site or join her for Word Wars on Twitter

Blank pages and the eloquence of wordlessness

Vikki at ‘The View Outside’ posted about writer’s block a week ago, and included a poem from Andy Szpuk about looking at the blank page. It was a really nice poem, and reading an eloquent and poetic word picture of the sensation of not having the right words reminded me of a favorite song, “Blank Pages”, by Patricia Conroy, from her ‘Bad Day for Trains’ album. The song tells the story of someone about to leave a relationship and trying to compose either a letter or a speech to explain why. I’m not going to include the full lyrics here, but I can’t resist sharing a few of my favorite lines:

Blank pages staring at me; I don’t know what to say.
But I’ve got to tell you something before I leave today…

No, the words won’t help me to explain just how this hurts me so.
Read between the tears on these blank pages; maybe then you’ll know.

Have you ever come across the perfect words to describe the sensation of not knowing what to say or write?