Not Last Week

Last week was a bit same old, same old – rushing about, fitting writing into small gaps that I eked out here and there, not getting into the writing task list as well as I had hoped.

So writing about it would create a post interchangeable with a number of others because this is the pattern at the moment. I have to thank you for sticking with me when it’s clear my writing life this year has not gone well at all!

So instead I will look forward; I will take the good, and build on it.

The exercises are proving to be useful: I am working, I am talking about writing, I am getting inspired. I am excited about filling up pages.

Importantly, I am making writing a habit again, because we all know that’s what it needs to be – something like brushing your teeth, a daily activity that you do without question.

This week I will be doing exercises on bibliomancy and alliteration, which will be good fun. I’ll be using my magnetic poetry kit to create some little ditties for my husband’s amusement when he gets the milk out of the fridge in the morning. I will continue teaching our overseas consultants odd words and phrases in English, and learning a few in other languages too, I hope!

In other words, I’ll keep making writing, and words, a part of life.

Just as they should be!

Happy writing,
EJ
🙂

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Tomorrow, tomorrow…

It’s been a ridiculously busy weekend – so I am going to cry off posting for today and catch up tomorrow when I’ve had a chance to catch my breath…

Be with you then!
Happy writing,
EJ
🙂

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Free Post Thursday – A Break

Tonight is my only night free in a week, and the last free night for another week. I love having things to do with my time but I am getting a little tired out.

So tonight I’m not doing anything in particular. I’m sitting down with a candle going, and watching a bit of trash tv. I am well aware I should be writing, or researching courses, or even just carrying on with a few writing exercises – but I’m giving in to the temptation of a lazy night.

I have read so many comments from writers saying they write even when they are tired, or excessively busy, or overwhelmed that I wonder if it means something particular when I choose not to work and watch sci-fi nonsense instead.

Perhaps it does – but perhaps it simply means I didn’t thrive on exhaustion. Perhaps it means I have less stamina. Perhaps our relative views on how busy we are is different. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

Of course this post is, in some ways, perfect evidence that I didn’t just sit and do nothing. I did do a writing exercise.

I took a few details and shared them to form a scene, and I gave the narrator free reign on a stream of consciousness. I set context, I even gave the character a personal quandary to consider.

Wow – it’s amazing how much work you can get done even if you’re taking some time out!  But after all that effort, I really need a break 😉

Happy Writing,
EJ
🙂

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Away!

As I said on Thursday, I am having a little break – it’s our wedding anniversary and as a great believer in celebrating as much of life as possible naturally it demanded time off work, and (in due course) a pretty hotel!

I will be back on Thursday at which point I will catch you up on plot, Fred and reading!

In the meantime, have a happy few days!
EJ
🙂

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Blog Pause

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday but I am taking a short hiatus due to illness.

I hope to be back in about a week

 

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

 

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Free Post Thursday – Breaking a Holding Pattern?

It’s actually just gone midnight so technically it’s Friday but never mind.

I have not had time to write much content this week – I feel like I’m saying this a lot at the moment but there’s been a lot going on and trying to fit everything in has been difficult.

Tomorrow/today is a difficult day for me on a personal basis but come Saturday, I will be off on a break to celebrate my first wedding anniversary which my husband and I are really looking forward to – it will be great to have a change of scenery. It’s not quite the trip we had planned a few months ago but we are lucky to get away.

One thing I always find when I go away is that my inspiration levels go up – not just for writing but for experiencing different things. I am really hoping something piques my interest over the course of our break because I need to break through this writing holding pattern I have got into.

I see other people storming ahead – a writer from our local group has just published his first poetry anthology on Amazon, another friend is about to publish his work online – and I feel I am at a standstill.

But maybe it’s not a standstill, maybe it’s a crossroads. Maybe I need to spend some time listening to my gut rather than my brain – rather than my insecurities.

If I can reconnect with the creative part of my brain over the next few days, hopefully I’ll be able to break the holding pattern and get back to my writing self.

Keep your fingers crossed for me – I think I’ll need it…

Happy writing,
EJ
🙂

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Week 201 – Changes

This week I thought about how I can change and improve the blog, bearing in mind my limited time and the lack of Thursday posts – which were my favourites and often the ones you guys seemed to enjoy the most.

I also thought about the sad lack of peace posts. I feel the need to bring these back into my life too; there’s so much bad in the world that a little love and care might remind us all that the bad isn’t the only story.

So I’m going to turn Thursdays into ‘Free Post Thursdays’ – I can write about whatever I fancy, whether it’s books, life, politics, tv, my ongoing obsession with dragons… You can suggest ideas if I look like I’m running out of them, but every Thursday will have something. At worst, a quote, at best, something that changes your perception in a positive way.

I’m not becoming a writer any more, after all – I am one. Now it’s time to stop hiding behind work and sharing a little more of myself.

In other news – I also did some writing this week – as with the last couple it wasn’t as much as I wanted but it was something. I’ve built the foundations, the cellar, the first floor. I’m well into the second floor, with the third to go on from there. The roof may end up being a Welsh project after all…!

The interesting thing with the whodunnit is that it’s the first thing I’ve written in squirreled-away moments – I write onto my phone in lunch breaks, or as a passenger travelling to or from somewhere. I don’t really get much time at home to sit and do it because there’s so much else going on.

This has changed the style of my writing; it’s much choppier and direct, much more focussed on pace and movement. I’ve made silly continuity mistakes but I can fix them. I’m not sure I want to fix the pacing. Keeping things moving in a whodunnit means the reader doesn’t have time to think about the breadcrumbs you’re laying. It keeps them focussed on what’s happening next, looking forward. I think the pace of it is a big element of the genre that works for me as a writer.

I hope it works when I read it!

And finally – I’ve lost it with the 100 novels list again, but it’s 11.30pm and I have no time to fix that this week, so I’ll get myself sorted out for week 202 🙂

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

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Week 200 – Milestones and More!

I can’t believe I’m at week 200. I know I didn’t start this blog exactly at the beginning of my career break, but close enough to make this 200th post seem like something of a milestone.

Since I began blogging, my life has changed in so many ways I can’t even begin to count them. From a writing point of view I completed a novel, have a portfolio of poetry, am working on a number of pieces of prose which are in various stages of formation. I’ve ended my career break and gone back to work, balancing writing with other responsibilities. I set up a writing group which is going from strength to strength.  I’ve performed my poetry to an audience on a number of occasions, and had my poetry shared as part of a performance piece.

In my wider life, I got married – which was a biggie! I got over my fear of flying, and started exploring a little wider than before. I studied random and fascinating courses, took up new hobbies, got involved in my wider community life.

In other words, I feel I’ve got a great deal out of the last 200 weeks, and I shouldn’t forget how far I’ve come.

I still have miles to go in all aspects of life.  But for me this is a great thing, because it means I get to carry on pushing the boundaries!

This year I want to have completed the whodunnit, and the story that sent me off to test the methods of twisting a tale. I want to get more poetry written, and perform it. I want to learn more.

I also want to explore new locations, and try new things. Already I have a break in Germany booked for September, but we want to go somewhere new and interesting for our anniversary in November too. We’ve got our retreat in Wales soon, and I want to give myself one day off to go exploring some of the King Arthur myths that still weave their magic around the world.  I want to progress in aerial skills, learn how to juggle, maybe take up a new dance or physical activity.  I want my next 200 weeks to be as rich, varied and unexpected as the last 200.

Most importantly, I want to celebrate my successes and learn from those things which haven’t gone to plan, in all aspects of my world.

I know life can be tough, and painful, and things happen that people cannot control – I have felt all those things.  But I hope my experiences in the last 200 weeks show how taking a chance can change your life in positive and unexpected ways.

And once you’ve taken a chance, it’s so much easier to take another.

Perhaps more importantly – once you’ve faced the first fear, you know you have the strength to face the next.

Happy writing, and thank you for being part of my journey so far; I wouldn’t have kept going without you.

EJ

🙂

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Week 189 – Up to stuff!

Sorry not to have posted properly yesterday; I was out and I’ll tell you why in a moment.

I was going to download the app for my phone so I could at least do a proper apology post but it wanted to know everything about me and I don’t install apps like that so you just got the scrawl that I could manage…

So – yesterday I went to London with friends to watch a tv show being filmed. We were due to leave about 10pm but it ended up somewhat later: I didn’t actually get home until about 2am, and I uploaded my very brief post getting a burger about 10 minutes away from Waterloo!

The show is going to be on TV next Sunday so I will be carefully watching to see if we catch sight of ourselves. It will be fun to see how much is edited out too.

There were comedians, singers, dancers and a magician, as well as an amazing young pianist – and the tickets were free which was an extra bonus 🙂

I love going up to London. One of my favourite places is the South Bank, and my favourite theatres are clustered between there and Covent Garden, so it was a pleasure to be back.

Anyway, this is all a big diversionary tactic to say although I’ve been up to stuff, that stuff has not been the whodunnit.

On the other hand, I’ve edited some poetry, I’ve been to writing group, I’ve been reading, so at least part of the week was creative.  I am going to accept that and work harder this week to get on with the whodunnit and not lose my flow.

I am going to leave it there for today.  As next Sunday is Easter Sunday and I’ll be away, I hope to post on Saturday instead but if not, it’ll be Monday.  And if it’s Monday, have a happy Easter!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

 

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Week 186 – Lost and found!

Sorry this is late – my internet issues summed up last week, really: one minute I was jogging along, and the next something went awry.

So first of all the lost (other than my wi-fi!) – I have somehow lost all the work I did on the whodunnit after 15 February. I was typing it up on the go, on my new phone, and I think I must have done something wrong because the document has vanished into the cyber-ether. I am frustrated, but not horrified: I am wallowing in the story and I will treat this as a chance to re-boot. By way of this post I will give myself a target of 3000 word this week to make up for what’s vanished.

And onto the found.  I’ve found a bit of poetry mojo; I want to write a whole new set of works in the coming months, and the poetry really seems to be firing right now. My lovely husband made a comment that led me into one, and our general chit-chat on a journey through Wiltshire led to another. Two in a weekend, both of which have something in them I like, is a really positive outcome for me.

I found time to spend with my friends at reading group.  We didn’t actually discuss any reading though, just had a meal and a chinwag – so it was basically a girl’s night!

I also found challenges.  One challenge was a driving experience which I didn’t want to do but had to do, for work – I did it, and that’s enough for me 🙂 Another was a rather deep-end re-entry to dance classes where we had to perform six, none of which I’d ever done before!

On balance the week looks pretty good, in retrospect. Even the lost writing hasn’t fazed me as it might have done, because I know I’d gone down the wrong rabbit hole. For a short story, this one is really becoming over-complicated, and I will use my 3000 words this week not only to get back on track but to near completion.

In other news – I seem to have lost a week in the 100 novels, because book 76 was On the Road by Jack Kerouac and I never mentioned it.  It’s another classic of American literature, but I’ve only really become aware of it in the last few years.  I love the idea of it, but wonder if I should have read it when I was younger and more open to the idea of just going off.  I’ll add it to the ‘read me’ pile and maybe get to it one day!

Book 77 – Voss, by Patrick White – is another one I’ve never read.  It sounds full of anger and I don’t know that I want that now so it won’t go on the list but I do love books set in Australia – the sheer scope of the country is always so overwhelming and majestic.

And finally – having started a new job today I am going to have to reorganise my life for the next few months.  I don’t want my writing to sink under a lot of other daily tasks, so I am also intending to reconfigure the writing timesheet and report my progress.  I won’t do it all the time but maybe once a month, just so you can give me a virtual prod if I’m slacking!

Until next time – happy writing!

EJ

🙂

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