Hazel Edwards's Blog - Posts Tagged "complete-your-book-in-a-year"

The Pandemic has given many procrastinators an opportunity to read more widely and to write during Lockdown. Those books they'd always intended reading or writing are possible during the extra, unstructured time.

Many readers wish to be writers, but are unsure how to tackle 'that big book'. Even professional authors procrastinate. (Put off starting for as long as possible).

But the Pandemic and Lockdown has forced many to re-evaluate how they spend their time. And philosophically how they MIGHT spend their time, post-Pandemic after they've re-visited their original youthful dreams during Lockdown and worked out what really matters for them.
Others have been de-cluttering photos and letters and want to pay credit to ancestors who might have been quiet 'ordinary' heroes, but whose story deserved telling. Books give insight into others' lives. And can be shared with younger family whose current world is completely different.

Until the Lockdown forced postponement of the year-long 'Complete Your Book in a Year' masterclass at the Public Records Office Archive in Melbourne, groups met face to face, every month. Zooming online was a substitute but a very practical manual of strategies also helped keep isolated people writing.

'Hazelnuts' are those, mentored to publication , across previous decades with Hazel who have finished their book in a year. And as inspiration to other procrastinators, some of the Hazelnuts covers are included on the back cover. To prove it is possible.

The Pandemic and subsequent library and shop closures has enabled many to be introduced to digital and audible formats they had not used before. But also for many significant stories to be shared as 'procrastinators' overcome their apprehension to write.

Getting started, structuring, themes, characterisation, non- boring description, family secrets, dialogue, how to write about extreme emotions, motives, viewpoints, how many words to write daily, fun, satisfaction of 'getting something down' and admiration for earlier family who dealt with tragedies of war , without Netflix.
'Complete Your Book in a Year' was the manual that grew and therapy of writing during Lockdown has helped many.