Thursday 31 May 2012

Why?

Totals...Twitter 2 Tweets (which is kind of pathetic!)... Facebook...1 status updates ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...nothing I took a day off! Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...1
Music mostly on my itunes this evening...Goyte, Florence & the Machine, Christina Perri.

Hi! So I vowed to get better with the blog and I have failed fairly spectacularly, so here in a nutshell is what has been happening in my life just in case you were wondering...the day job, studying related to the day job, having an impressive meltdown about studying, finished second draft of third novel, sent second part of first novel to editor (after emailing him under the influence of red wine and cocktails, not advisable!) and have now gone back to second novel - which is currently half way through, after stopping it to write third. Confused? Try being in my head!

And breathe...am wondering if I have a finger in too many pies, but I have to admit I've never been good at sitting still for long.
Currently I am enjoying two days off from the day job, I had a nice day planned. Spending the day with my Aunt who was catching the train to come and meet me...so here is where the title of today's blog comes into play... Why is it when you have something planned do things never go as you think they should? I get a message saying she will be late because the train has been cancelled, they put buses on instead which means it will take and hour instead of 20 minutes to get to me...a few minutes I get another message telling me the bus has hit a car! Thinking I have plenty of time I think I will leave the car and take a bus to the train station, after standing at the bus stop for forty minutes I give up, walk home and pick up the car. Finally we meet! Then after a bit of shopping we do lunch!

Well, this wasn't our entire lunch but definitely my favourite bit! If the bus had turned up it would have been even better because I would have been able to have more than half a glass, but I am sure my Uncle was very appreciative of a slightly tipsy wife to accompany him to the cinema after I waved goodbye. In any case it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
Having had my evening plans cancelled I decided a trip to the cinema would be a nice way to end the day. I didn't want anything I would have to think about too much so having already seen What to expect when you're expecting last week I decided to give Snow White and the Huntsman a try...


Now I doubt the film will win many (or any) Oscars but I have to admit I enjoyed it, or would have. Sorry am going to moan a bit here...WHY do people insist on going to watch a movie and talk through the ENTIRE film? What is the point in going, or do they think that everyone else in the theatre has paid their money to listen to their conversation? I can probably guess the answer to this and it would be NO!!!! Everyone makes the odd comment and that's fine but there really is no point in going to see a movie if you are going to talk all the way through it. OK I feel better now I have that off my chest. I guess I've probably been spoilt as in a former job I got to go to press screenings and had the entire screen to myself most of the time - perhaps I need to find myself another job like that? In the meantime I will try and avoid the cinema at busy times or maybe I could just take a supply of projectile weapons to launch at anyone talking to excess and ruining the film...too much?

Saturday 12 May 2012

Zen like calm...

Totals...Twitter 6 Tweets ... Facebook...2 status updates ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...nothing I'm (still) editing! Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...1
Music mostly on my itunes this evening;  very sore subject...but Rebecca Ferguson, Marcus Foster.

Am feeling a little guilty not having posted anything since April. it's not that I've not had anything to say - I've probably had too much but life has just got in the way a little.

So I will start by saying that life has been a little stressful recently, it was not helped any by itunes yesterday. When I sat at my computer ready to edit - and as usual I need music to work with - my house is too noisy most of the time not to have something in the background to drown it out. But as I logged in my play list was nowhere to be found!
Now obviously I am aware in the grand scheme of things that this is a very trivial matter - but to me this was a disaster, the list was not that bad (honest) and I had been cultivating it for months. It sported a very eclectic mix of everything I liked at the moment and found motivational while I wrote. Needless to say I was not happy. I still have no idea where it went, I also spent a considerable amount of time looking for it when I could have been editing - so to say I was unhappy was a bit of an understatement! I have now started the process of compiling another play list - but it's just not the same and is going to take time to love it...I'm just wondering if by the time I come to love it the same thing will happen? Perhaps or maybe that is just paranoia?!

Due to the fact it has been a while since I last blogged I should at least prove that I have used my time wisely in order to harness my creativity...
Painting! I had a huge space on the wall which has been home to my story board for almost six months and it finally got taken down and was replaced with this! I had great fun with paints and mosaic mirror stars. It was a bit of a stress reliever too!
I also made some crab cakes for a friend who is a little bit obsessed with crabs! They were great fun to make but a little time consuming, but I think they were well worth it.

In terms of writing progress I had some great feedback from my editor, which I was very pleased about and having now had the first half of my first novel back I have to say that I love what he's done with it. It's still me ( I was worried - having never had anything edited before) but it's tidier and flows better. It's true to say that I probably walked around with a cheesy grin fixed to my face for close to a week. He is currently working on the next part and I can't wait for it to be finished.

In the meantime I have now finished the second draft of my second novel which is so completely different to my first, and the first time I have attempted to write "funny" I'm hoping it pays off as it was fun to write. I am hoping for this to be edited when first is done, and now I can pick up the next which I am about a third of the way through. If that wasn't enough alongside a full time job I am also studying and my assignments are really starting to pile up. I am trying not to let my writing take a back seat but I have a feeling something is going to have to give...if for nothing other than my sanity!

I am open to suggestions of how to juggle my time effectively, until that happens I guess I will just have to keep smiling and carry on! While on this I have to say that my gym membership has been wasted too, this is something I will be rectifying on Monday! I am going to drag my reluctant butt to start my running schedule (this is going to be hilarious!) along with a very lovely yoga class...