Happy New Year

Ring in the changes. I'm going to make changes to my other blog. New territory for me, but it means I'll be in control of my writing world. The short stories are coming on too, so it's socks up and Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas

...and lots more writing!

Back west

Great to be back after domestic obligations to family. Catching up on paperwork and stuff ignored for two months. Although still exhausted so taking my time.

Keeping up the work

After a spell away I need to back to the writing. For once I am eager to start, but it's making the mental change of diving in again.

Back to the writing

I've been scribbling ideas on wallpaper- now it's time to give them life!

The House

I passed the old tatty bungalow that gave me an idea for a short story yesterday. It had a 'for sale' sign. That made me sad. They'll knock it down and put up some posh house. That would be a shame.

Childrens' story

Writing a story as a Christmas present for neice and nephew. I've also got a comp in mind for it too!

Rolls of short stories

For some reason Surrey possesses characters and images that is currently feeding an interconnected group of short stories. My rolls of wallpaper have plots and ideas and I'm keen to get started on turning my scribbles into the finished article and, if all goes well, an anthology.

Dahila's door

I've just seen the door of the house that my character lives in. Inspiration for a short story in one second flat!

Competition success!

Imagine There's a Future - I did!

Collected my 2nd prize!

Went to Exeter Uni to collect my prize money for my short story. Very chuffed!

Two chapters to go

Hey! So close to end of my novel Plague Child. Two chapters to go and effectively it's written. Some editing, yes, but the story is there.

Mslexia or Kindle?

Arggh! Decided not to enter the Mslexia competition at a hefty £25 entry fee. The judges, including Sarah Waters and Jenni Murray are not going to go for near future sci-fi. So I'll put the money towards a Kindle.

Richard Dawkins

RD gave a talk on his new book, The Magic of Reality last night. Well attended and informative from a man I've much admired for his crusade against creationism. Coming from a long line of unquestioning and frankly not too bright religious people, who are unable to grasp the concept of logic, let alone apply it, I look to the likes of RD and breath a sigh of relief that the truth really is out there.

A trip away?

Waiting to hear if Scotland is going to come off. It's going to be so much harder to focus on the novel without that isolation and peace. Clearing the decks will help, but I've got to find the motivation somewhere.

Imagine there's a future competition

Just learned I got 2nd prize for my short story - The Wave in the Exeter University short story competition. So pleased my fourth short story ever did so well. More? Puhlease - I've the novels to work on!

Writing is tough

I must keep going, and I know I will, but why why is it so difficult to keep all the plates spinning?

Getting it right

I am in the middle of a mega edit. Making sure everything is right is like swimming through treacle. I must keep going but its tough!!

Chapter sixteen

I've spent the whole day re-arranging this bloomin' chapter. It's the motivation of two main characters, Janika and Elias, that has to be right and after a lot of messing I changed the dynamic totally and it feels better. Finger's crossed

Clearing the decks

I've had a long list of things to do: silly, irritating things and then the inevitable filing so I can find the papers again if I need. Just two more and my desk is clear and I can begin editing in earnest. Hooray!

Gap

I know! I know! But life gets in the way. Visiting niece and nephew were quite a handful and took up every waking minute. But I survived and they went home with all the limbs they arrived with. Time to get my head back!

Dopamine happy

I'm dopamine happy, because every chapter in Plague Child is full. The last few that were but a few lines have characters, action and bags of motivation. I can now go back and read for continuity, theme, and timing. Feeling great!!!

Being right

Emotionally drained and being gentle with myself. This novel will be done when it's done. Not before. I'm not rushing it. It has to be right.

Control freak

I admit it. I want control. E-publishing is the way to go - but you know what? I get to choose what, where and when. You've no idea how good that feels.

Weaving

Desperately trying to weave all the strands of my story together and finding it so very difficult. So many other things vie for my attention, like this blog, yet I know this must have priority. Knuckle down.

Getting away from it all

Three days on Dartmoor to refresh the batteries. Some places call you back again and again.

Getting into the mindset

I'm still struggling to get under the skin of my villain/baddie/shadow. I know what happens to him and that's colouring my writing. He doesn't know he comes to a sticky end. He thinks he's going to win so I've got to write it like that. Tough call.

Distractions

It's all too easy to find other things to do. The discipline is to make time and at least do some each day. I'm finding it tough though, very tough.

Routine

It's one thing having a routine and another sticking to it. This takes time, so the run, breakfast and sitting down in front of the laptop is back and working.

Guilty

What with one thing and another the blog has suffered. I won't go into details, but being on the road was one excuse. Coming back and still not doing it was inexcusable. So I'm here for penance.

Horse folk

Badminton Horse Trials is my chance to indulge in people. Just a circuit of the shopping village on cross country day is more than I need to find characters a plenty.

Changing heads

I'm having difficulty swapping heads. With three points of view I've been running through each to check for continuity. But swapping to the baddie is proving tough!

Intermittent

My intermittent internet is driving me crazy. When I need to check how long it takes to drive from Surrey to St Just, Cornwall I need to know THEN! Swearing at it doesn't help, waiting patiently to sort itself out does. Argggh!

Stepping off for a short story

Plague Child is taking a back seat for a short story based on a section of The Deluge. It's fun to go back and re-live some dramatic moments, and now I've got to 'book end' it in the future. These things don't let go, you know.

Expand

I've been watching scientific/space programmes and really love the idea that Betelguese (some pronounce it beetlejuice) could go supernova any day. It'd be as bright as a sun - how fantastic! Expands my mind!

Stopping at a good bit

I'm so excited! I KNOW what happens next in the thread I'm writing, but I'm exercising delayed gratification because I'm racing for the curtain and I want to do the whole thing in one sitting.

Weaving

Getting all the strands to interweave without glaring anomalies is proving tough. But when it does happen it feels right. The reader will never know how disparate it was, but that's my job. It's supposed to flow.

My mojo!

My mojo's back!!! It took a bit of a holiday and I found it hard to get in back and I'm still working on the triggers to snap it back quicker than it wants to at the mo. But now it's back and it's great!

The zone

Cracking on with the novel, but must identify 'the zone' so I can recreate it when all I want to do is clean out the loft, or the fridge or the shed.

Scream!

The next writer I talk to that says they got published via a friend of a friend I shall flippin' well scream!

Settling in

Feeling really good now I'm settling in to the new house and setting up routines to write. A drop of non-fiction/how-to books in the morning are proving a real spur to get on with the novel.

Eureka

I had a eureka moment when a piece of the jigsaw for Plague Child fell into place. I couldn't move, speak, breathe. I live for those moments. There is nothing like them

New writing group tonight

I'm going along to the Yeovil Octagon to meet the group of writers that meet up regularly. I'm going along with the aim to observe how the group works. and who attends. I'm not looking so much for a critiquing group, I have FourTold Fiction for that, but contacts, company and to find out what happens here.

Celebration

It's taken a mo for the comp win to sink in. Having writers of Circalit post congrats too is great reminders that others like my work and it's not just me. The summerhouse as a writer's hut is working out too. Things are looking up.

Hooray! Circalit - The Literary Consultancy comp win

I'm delighted with my Circalit - The Literary Consultancy competition win. My first 30 pages will be critiqued by top professionals and it's come just at the right time! Loving this!!

One dead internet

Arggg!