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...

Back to reality...

Totals...Twitter 7 Tweets ... Facebook...2 status updates ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...nothing I'm editing! Cups of coffee...1 Cupcakes ...0 (Replaced with carrot cake today!)
Music mostly on my itunes this evening; Marcus Foster, Chopin (Yes really!)

I have to admit I've been fairly lax with the blog updates over the past few days. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly it has been my birthday. They don't seem to bother me now, I had a really issue on my 29th birthday right up until a month before my 30th and now I don't care! (I was 35 this birthday in case you were wondering!) I had a great time, got thoroughly spoilt, spent a considerable amount of time in my local Waterstone's in Norwich spending my birthday voucher (making my inner bookworm very happy!) and then went out for a celebratory waffle with friends in the evening. So my day in pictures went a bit like this...

My birthday (cake) provided by my Auntie who I met for breakfast at 0800hrs not realising that I could have actually had a lie in but never mind we sat and yawned together and it was nice to see her!

These were actually cookies in the shape of cupcakes (major sugar overload) and were a gift from one of my housemates who said he'd cheated and bought them as his cooking is rubbish! Never the less they were lovely and provided much needed substance later in the day when returning from dinner after much wine was consumed.

Completely spoilt!! Lots of prezzies and lots of books to keep me busy for a little while while I edit, and have a breather before I start writing again.

Birthday waffle, mushroom and cheese sauce, very nice!!

Birthday dessert waffle, chocolate mousse with cream and banana and chocolate sprinkles. Well it would have been rude not too!

Finally after all the trauma with the printer, here it is. The first draft of my second novel I would give you the title but I'm not sure I'm feeling the love for it yet so may change it still. However that being said I am now starting to work my way through tweaking things a little before it gets sent on its merry way to be edited professionally! It was a weird feeling and actually kind of emotional seeing it all printed in front of me, not sure I will ever get used to that, not that I think I'd ever want to feel less excited at the achievement!

Sadly now my holiday is almost over, I go back to the day job on Sunday and it will be nice to see everyone but I know I will be itching to get home again each day to get through with this first draft as soon as it's now going to have to take a bit of a back seat now that I am returning to the job that pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head!

It will also be a bit of a relief to have the cakes and chocolate and everything else gone and get stuck into the healthy eating again and get myself back to the gym which I have to say I have neglected for a little while and I am starting to feel guilty so it must be time to go back! The idea for the plot and the main character for the book pictured above came to me while I was actually at the gym swimming (very slowly, I can swim for ages but I'm not very fast and I'm a boring swimmer I use the same stroke). It was probably because of the repetitive motion I was able to just switch off and after about forty-five minutes had to get out and grab my notebook. I scribbled furiously until I'd written as much of the plot and character information I could remember before it drowned in the abyss of my brain never to be thought of again. If it's successfully published I suppose I will have the gym to thank but until then I will probably continue to return begrudgingly.  

Fire!!

Totals...Twitter 3 Tweets (in my defence I have worked a 13 hour shift!)  Facebook...1 status updates ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...0(ish) words, Cups of coffee...2 Cupcakes ...0

Music mostly on my itunes this evening; Muse, Florence & the Machine, Marcus Foster

OK so there isn't an actual fire, but having finished a fairly tiring 13 hour shift, left work and cursing the headlight that decided to give up before I'd left work to drive home - I cooked a very quick stir fry (10 minutes a record for me including chopping, cooking and dishes - not eating!) then settled down to do what we do and multitask so I could fit some productive writing time into my day and realised I'd been a little eager with the chili and the only thing on hand to put out said fire was a nice bottle of red wine. Which as always went down a little too easily, so one and half glasses in (it would be rude not to finish it) now I find myself thinking about writing, making very little sense in a blog entry, feeling ever-so-slightly tipsy and wondering if I will wake up for my 0530hrs alarm call for another epic 13 hour shift!
So perhaps the writing is best left, but the thing is I had set my alarm for 0500hrs in order to put in some time before work but when it came to it I kept hitting the snooze. So I may be in need of some suggestions to make sure I get up when the alarm goes off, because once I'm up it's fine - it's just the getting up part I struggle with because I pretty much feel like this...

...and I'm aware I've used this pic before but I can't help loving it!!!!!
So I'm off for a relatively early night, thinking it's time for a helping of sparkly vampires care of Twilight.
Goodnight.

Not really feeling it!

Totals...Twitter 7 Facebook...0 status updates ...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...100 words, Cups of coffee...0 Cupcakes ...0 (perhaps this is the cause of my issues will remedy this immediately with a cup of coffee!!)

Music mostly on my itunes this evening; Marcus Foster - Nameless Path (am a little bit in love with his album it's on repeat at the moment!)

After the lovely sunshine and heat of the past week it was inevitable that it had to end soon, and it did last night as I drove home from work it was raining and snowing and today it has not stopped raining all day. We don't get a huge amount of rain here so I suppose it was needed but does it have to be so wet?
Feeling a bit grey and miserable I decided it was time for a spring clean and as a result re-arranged the study area, my bookcase, did some washing and cleaned the bathroom and then thought about writing. But then I had a cup of tea, read a writing magazine, read a bit of a book, had another cup of tea, checked twitter, thought about going onto facebook, had another cup of tea and then actually wrote 100 words...surfed the Internet and found my new desk chair on ikea website...dreamt about how good my new desk chair would look in room then gave up to blog!
Am hoping that the jiggle around of furniture will inspire me so will keep you posted on that, unfortunately I'm pretty certain I know why I've been lacking focus, I think life got in the way a bit. It's been a tough time at work over the past few days and that has clearly affected my mood. So I have a plan...I'm going to allow myself this evening, then tomorrow I'm going to get up and smile (even if it is still raining) and start over!
Obviously an integral part in the plan is to find a cupcake...I'm having sugar withdrawals I'm sure after being on a health kick for over a week...having had to replenish my fruit bowl twice I fear I may have to re-title the blog, how does Writing...peppermint tea and apples sound? Pants? Yes I thought so too - I shall just have to ensure consumption of said items tomorrow!
...here's some I made earlier!

Off to read in the hope I feel inspired...may be a chick lit evening...

Procrastinating much?

Writing...Twitter (5 tweets so far...if you include re-tweets 9) Facebook...one status update...blog entry...one in progress...actual productive writing of my novel...two pages of A4 in my notebook (and aiming for more this evening!) Cups of coffee...1    Cupcakes ...1 (phew thought I'd have to change my blog title!)

So a day with a little more productivity than yesterday, thank goodness! Have reached 95,000 words and am aiming to have second novel completed at around 100,000 words. I really need to finish this soon so I can have my wall back (I have a wall planner with a story board time line blue-tacked to my wall at the moment, I'd really like to put a picture up instead!). I had planned on writing lots and being very focused but have to say Twitter is becoming pretty addictive, I don't even know these people but they have so many interesting things to say! When I've tired of Twitter, obviously I needed to check Facebook...then Youtube...

above were just a few...then time to adjust my itunes play list...oh and Twitter again.
If that wasn't enough I have been totally engrossed in reading "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness, again! Not sure why I do it to myself I enjoyed it so much that I was gutted when I finished to find out that the next instalment is not due out until July...so obviously I had to visit Amazon and pre-order my copy.
Then a visit to a supermarket to buy things that I probably didn't need anyway, then I actually wrote two pages in my notebook (I hand write first I like to see the words on paper) then rewarded myself by having a shower and writing in my blog.
The result, I'm feeling pretty guilty I wasted my day and only have two pages to show for it, back to my day job tomorrow and another 13 hour shift so I'm going to aim to get up half an hour early to write without distraction before work...I will let you know how that goes!