Tuesday 19 March 2013

Push the button...

Totals...Twitter 1 Tweets (shocking!)... Facebook...1 status update ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel... nothing today but 1500 words at the weekend! Did write 2000 word essay today does that count? Emails/text messages from mad cousin...1
Cups of coffee...2 Cupcakes ...0 (but I had some birthday cake see below...not my birthday but I made the cake)
Music mostly on spotify today ...James Morrison tonight.

So I guess I should start tonight with an apology to mad cousin that featured in previous blog. It seams she was a little perturbed at the picture of her stating 'it was a very flattering picture of me, NOT!' In my defence I am also in the picture and look just as good...NOT. It was cold and snowing and a few minutes after it was taken we couldn't actually see much more than a metre in front of us. I have also been reliably informed that unless I blog regularly I will receive regular emails nagging me until I do. I'm not entirely sure that my life is interesting enough to blog every day so I will have to wait and see if the emails arrive - incidentally I did receive one today. I'm not convinced she can keep it up.

So yesterday I did something very brave after I thought I'd done something very stupid...so I guess I will start with the stupid.
Looking for book two to tweak a few more bits before I was as happy as I could be HUGE panic when I opened the file and the page was blank...Now I have done this before so I now save my writing in a few different places just in case, however on this occasion I had been editing said book and had not re-saved it in my usual places. Not good, I thought it was probably karma - the book is about a girl who is a little accident prone and to whom ridiculous things happening to her is a daily occurrence. Perhaps she was seeking revenge? I have to admit apart from tweeting about my stupidity (because obviously it seemed important at that moment in time to share my pain!) I did remain pretty calm. I even went and made a cup of tea!
The good news for whatever reason I did a few things with the computer - pretending I actually knew what I was doing...I didn't. But regardless I found it - my only conclusion that my computer had in fact eaten it just to mess with my head.
On finding it you could say I was a little happy, I have also now re-saved it in all of the various locations. I am sure that I have learnt my lesson now...until the next time.

So onto the brave...I am a relatively new writer so I am still very precious about letting my work go. It's very hard giving it over to someone to be judged, of course I am aware that this is a ridiculous notion when I am actually wanting to publish, have lots of people read my writing and can't wait for the day when I hold an actual published book with my name on the cover in my hand.
So why is it so hard to send it on its merry little way to try and raise some interest from a publisher?

I have no idea (answers on a postcard?) but I did it and pushed the send button then felt sick, excited, a bit more sick, nervous and a bit more excited.
The important thing is that I have done it and alongside I am sure hundreds if not thousands of others it awaits its fate, so I guess it is now a waiting game. I am sure I am not the only person to feel this way - its just hard to describe to people who have never done it!

I am sure that's enough rambling for tonight so I am going to leave you with something that made me laugh this evening.


I would just like to think that if my computer was a cat (just go with me on this for a moment) that this is how guilty it would look for causing me to panic about my lost book.


Bye for now!

Friday 15 March 2013

...back to reality...again

Totals...Twitter 4 Tweets ... Facebook...1 status update ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel (s)...possibly minus a few as am editing!
Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...0 (but I am going to make some tomorrow!)
Music mostly on spotify today ...Neil Finn, Blondie, Nelly, and up next Freemasons, Kelly Clarkson, Natasha Bedingfield and Ellie Goulding (bit of a mixture!).

Wow two posts in a month that's not happened for a while!
So the past week or so have seen visits from the parents and one mad cousin who stayed with me for a few days. It was great fun and very welcome after feeling sorry for myself for weeks due to the stupidness of a trapped nerve in my neck! I am not sure I had laughed so much for a very long time.

This was helped a lot no doubt at my cousins enthusiasm for the snow that continued to fall - thank goodness as I had been on the receiving end of many texts earlier in the year with the ridiculous amount of snow that we had here when they had none in the south west, I think I was also accused at one point of 'stealing all the snow.'

There wasn't a huge amount of snow but it was enough to keep her happy for a while, and the picture to the right I have been reliably informed is a snow frog (!) this from someone with an art degree!!! I can confirm that her sculptures are much better than her snowy creation.
For some reason the whole visit she was obsessed with frogs to the point she had told me that I should write my next book about ghost frogs, not entirely sure where that would fit but I promised to keep it in mind. Who knows if a scene needs livening up I could always use a few ghost frogs (!).

Needless to say I had a great time and was sad to see her go home only to be followed a few days later by my parents, its great when they come to visit its just horrible when they go home again I am sure it feels worse every time.

In any case I didn't have too much time to think about it as I finally got the all clear to go back to work. Six weeks is a long time to be off and bored and to have to do as you are told (I'm really not very good at that) especially when your job is hectic it's hard to do nothing - I was on the verge of throwing my television out of the window, if ever there was a reason to go to work daytime television is it.

I am very happy that now it is easier and not so painful to sit at my computer I can write more than I have for a long time, most of my time at the moment seems to be spent editing and I have to say I am being more brutal than I ever was with my first novel. I am just wondering if it is because my writing is worse or if I have learnt more - I am hoping it is the latter. That's it for now as I am off to have a Friday night editing session...yes it is true I know how to live!

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Blog...re-booted!!

Totals...Twitter 2 Tweets ... Facebook...1 status update ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel (s)...nothing for a few weeks more to follow on that!
Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...0 (sadly lacking in the cupcake department, had some lemon cake does that count?)
Music mostly on spotify today ...have gone all high tech and made my own play lists full of randomness song playing at the moment A&E by Goldfrapp, up next Drive by by Train and Let Your Love Walk in by Paloma Faith

Am feeling slightly ashamed at my abandoning of blog! It lasted longer than my diary normally does but still not good. Lets see a quick catch up of life since...um...June 2012 (currently hanging head in shame!)

Book one still working with an editor on this one, think its a labour of love but am starting to feel that my writing is getting better the more I write so not sure where to go with this one when complete. Self publishing is an option, who knows? I don't! Tested edited parts (and last part still to be edited) on lovely housemate who cried twice and told me I was evil...I am hoping it was a compliment? The book is on a supernatural thriller theme I was being evil on purpose!

Book two that randomly I had the whole plot mapped out during a swimming session and it has nothing to do with swimming...weird! I keep tweaking trying to make my voice stronger, I've never done funny am hoping it is as funny as I think it is! Am currently road testing this with American friend...I know she will be honest I am nervously excited awaiting her feedback. During a random Tweet this week pondering out loud if I should be brave and enter book two into a comp got a reply from the lovely Trisha Ashley encouraging me to do just that. Kind of have to now it would be rude to ignore the encouragement! Thank you for that and the subsequent Tweets I needed that.
Will keep you posted the comp closes on 29 March 2013.

Book three which is a sequel to book two I am currently two thirds of the way through and that's the state of play at the mo.

Lots of things happened last year I got a new job which has been very interesting, studying for said job took up lots of time then by the time I stopped studying it was Christmas. This was almost a wash out and disaster for so many people and going back to the South West for Christmas and travelling by train on Christmas Eve was an epic journey, which was made fantastic by the sight of my parents who came to rescue me about 30 miles away from my destination to save me from another coach/train change.
They will probably not thank me for this but look at their amazing Christmas jumpers, definitely brought a smile to my face after travelling for 8 hours.

Incidentally I stole the penguin jumper it came home with me! I did consider wearing it everyday for work but it has so far been relegated to a drawer ready for next Christmas!



 
My parents very rarely give me opportunity to take pics of them that I decided it was high time that they made an appearance on here!

So Christmas came and went, then the snow came...and went...eventually!

 Then stupidness happened and for whatever reason I managed to injure my neck. This caused me to be in a considerable amount of pain the likes of which I have never felt and would prefer never to feel again. It also resulted in me having to do what I was told, something I am not very good at. I am very happy to say that after physio, acupuncture, countless medications, hydrotherapy and mindfulness I appear to  be on the mend and am allowed to go back to work - this I am very happy about. Yes really!

Phew...so that's me almost up to date! So tonight is the first time I am going out for about 6 weeks and am going to the theatre I am very excited! And if this wasn't enough excitement my parents are coming to visit at the weekend along with my Very hyper cousin who will be staying with me, am wondering how I will cope!!!!

So with a bit of luck I will post soon, and perhaps I would have even done some writing (but only if I finish my assignment first!).