I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my writing and my blog. The question I’ve been asking myself is;

Does my blogging affect my writing?

It’s true that I haven’t been writing much since I’ve started this blog. I think it really isn’t a bad thing, I believe that I’m beginning to discover more and more things that I need to know. I’ve discovered more about myself and writing while blogging than I thought imaginable. Previously I would write without any preparation; I never worked with character profiles, research, story boards, etc. But now I’ve started to work smarter.

Research is the main lesson learnt for me, so much so I’ve signed up for an interesting writing course; Writing Historical Fiction. Basically it’s all about recreating times, events and places in history accurately and evocatively. Outlining the resources available and methods for researching the details of every-day lives. This workshop will give you a broader knowledge of resources from which to access historical fact, and methodologies for translating that fact into compelling prose.

So I don’t feel guilty that I’m not writing, I feel like I’m learn basic and fundamental tools that will improve my style. I think I’ve learnt more about myself and my writing style in this blog than in just trying to write.

One big advantage is the great community on WordPress.com, I’ve started to find some great minds to bounce ideas off, as well as push me along the way. I know my writing will improve; my editing (hopefully) will improve too. But all in all I’m enjoying learning and sharing what I’ve learnt more than anything else.