It’s been a while since I posted, because…well…I’ve been writing. Writing rather a lot, actually.
I’ve been banging out 1000 words a day, which I haven’t managed since before having a baby. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, I’ve started using Scrivener, writing software that allows you to write in scenes and move those scenes around. Sounds simple. It is. But for the first time I’m able to see my story in a holistic sense rather than as one long, linear document. I see this structure as I’m writing, and I can make notes in each scene to remind myself to go back and fix something earlier on. At the moment I’m not moving scenes around so much, but I’ve found that I seem to have ideas swirling around in my head all the time. My one dimensional, spare first draft is becoming more complex as I write, but the prospect of going back and fixing the beginning is no longer as daunting, because I can switch back and forth between scenes without having to scroll up and down and then find where I was before.
Also, word targets. Another simple tool that is really motivating for people like me, who manage to procrastinate by continuously highlighting what they’ve written in a session to see how many words they’ve done so far. I set myself a word target per session of 1000 words, and as I type, the red bar inches across and eventually turns to green as I reach my target.
The second, and more important, reason is that I’m writing on a topic that’s close to my heart. Four months ago, I was ensconced in a different manuscript, which seemed like it was going well at the time, when I was hit with a new idea. Smashed, more like it. I was forced to abandon the other work immediately and start on this one. The subject matter is difficult, but I’ve never been so driven to write something before. I’m well into the dreaded ‘saggy middle’ now, but I’m more inspired and having more ideas than ever.
My other bit of news is that Parenting Express, an online magazine, has published a blog post I wrote about my experiences of early motherhood back when my boy was only five weeks old. Hard to believe it was almost two years ago already, but it’s amazing how it all comes back when I re-read it!
rebeccafreeborn.com 
Great to hear you are writing again, Rebecca, and so strongly. ‘Smashed’ by an idea – now that’s a picture of you to conjure up. Scrivener sounds like a terrific tool. cheers, Darryl
After two false starts – 50K manuscript and a 10K I started using a similar product (ywriter) developed by an aussie author. I am hoping that being able to do the things you mention above ie move scenes around, plot the rise and fall of tension that I will be able to finish something.