Slacking, But Working!

Firstly, sorry for the failure to post.  Internet issues, power cuts and early nights all got in the way.  I have yet to finish the book though, so you didn’t miss anything on Tuesday!

And although I have been slacking off here, I have been achieving in my writing.  Not only have I been working on a poem inspired by a significant anniversary (a poem I intend to pass on in due course) but I actually used my writing group support to improve and develop it.

I also put the pedal to the metal to get myself out and sharing by organising an open mike event.  I say organising, but really I just raised the idea with the right person and now it’s booked!

After a shaky writing time I am really pleased to get back on the right track.  In my writing group today I saw the payoff of a new approach and really feel positive about getting more poetry written.

Which is good, as I will need something to read at the open mike!

I am going to leave it there for today as I need to hit the hay pretty soon. Plus I still don’t trust my internet!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

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Week 154 – Writing when you’re busy.

I read a great quote that I haven’t been able o find again unfortunately, but I thought I’d share the concept anyway.

It was something along the lines of ‘if you don’t write when you’re busy, you won’t write when you’re not’.

It jolted me out of the haze that has surrounded me since I went back to work, and I sat down and moved my story on a little. From tomorrow, I’ll be using lunch breaks to make notes on the work I’ve done so far, and use any space I find in the evenings to write new sections of the novel.  I’ve even decided to change phones so I have one I can work on whenever I get a chance – sitting at the dentist, or in the car waiting for someone, or as my partner drives me to an event.

These sound like little things, and they are. But putting all my little things together will help me balance work, life, and writing – which is what I really want to do.

In other news – This week we’re on book 44 – Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham which is another I haven’t read. I am interested in books that are heavily autobiographical but I don’t think I have time to fit another book into the list, so it’ll stay as a possible for the future, I think

And finally – it occurred to me today that this blog will go very quiet through November when I get married and go away for my honeymoon.  I will pre-write a few posts before I go but I’d love to fill in some of the blanks with guest posts so if you’re interested in writing a post about anything relating to writing or reading, let me know!

Until next week – happy writing,

EJ

🙂

 

 

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Thoughts on a Thursday – When Worlds Collide

Really, the title is just an excuse to use a space image 🙂

 

Picture courtesy of hubblesite. 

Tonight I am very late posting as I have been working and I have not had much time to even think about this – I only finished up at 11pm!

So I’m handing this one over to you guys – use the image to free up your mind and write a little something about wherever your creativity takes you.  Think about the galaxies twining around each other and imagine being close enough to watch it happen; look at the shapes and see what’s there – someone throwing a rugby ball, perhaps, or a baton twirler in a rage…

Have fun with it, and use it to break us some of your writing monotony – and share a few lines in the comments, I’d love to see what you do with this one!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

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Week 153 – Stormy skies, sensitive internet

Due to the stormy weather here (including thunder that shook the house and lightning that hit homes in a nearby village) my internet is being very temperamental so I’m keeping this very short.

It’s been a very busy week and the writing has been going badly but I have a day to myself tomorrow to get some done so I hope to catch up a little.

The temping work I do – which is basically covering holidays and absences – has been good for me though; already it’s introduced me to new people, new environments, new industries which can help me expand my writing. As I stood on an industrial site on Friday, in the 30 degree heat, I found myself noting little details.

In some respects, it’s not just work, but research. And that helps me counter the frustration of not having the time to write.

In other news – There are two books from the 100 novel list to share today: book 42 is The 39 Steps by John Buchan, and book 43 is The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence.  I haven’t read either of these; I have tried to read Lawrence before and didn’t get very far, so I doubt I’ll be adding this one to the list.  However, I hope to read The 39 Steps at some point – just not now!

I’m going to leave it there for today, and hope this posts ok!  See you next time,

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

 

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Week 152 – Too Sleepy to Write

You know, I think it’ll take me a few days to get to grips with my return to work.

This week, I have managed to write a poem, which is great, but nothing at all for the novel. It’s not just that I’ve been at work – and my weekend was all spent setting up and supporting my friend’s fabric open day so I worked all weekend too – it’s that I am so tired when I get home that I don’t have the concentration needed to write.

I know it’ll settle down, and I’ll get used to the routine – but for now, I am too sleepy to write in the evenings; I am also too sleepy to do much tonight after two very long and energetic days in a sales room.

I will get back on the writing road, but I’ve allowed myself a pass for the last few days. It’s easy to be discouraged but I have to be a little kind to myself. I had filled my time up very well before I went back into the world of work, so trying to carry on with all my responsibilities and work full time will take a certain amount of juggling and rearrangement.

I will catch up on the novel, I will catch up on the 100 novels list, I will get to grips with the reading group, writing group, charity work and wedding planning.  I will get on top of it all, soon.

For now – I am going to bed!

Happy writing,
EJ
🙂

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Week 147 – A New Start and Another Target…

Another week, another social gathering… I’m not about today as I am visiting family to celebrate my niece’s birthday, so this is a pre-written quick update!

This week, I decided to take up a new work opportunity. It’s something I can fit in with writing and it isn’t too complex, but I’m hoping it’ll give me some inspiration for my notebook – a big part of it will be meeting other people so I’m sure a few character traits will pique my interest!  I have never used a character from ‘real life’ of course, but I have identified common behaviours that have turned up in my writing, and you can’t do that if you don’t observe how people behave.

People watching is a human trait, I think: we all have a level of curiosity (or, if I’m honest about myself, nosiness…) as to what people are doing.  We writers just notice the details more!

I am also looking forward to spending some time out and about with other people. I’ve said before that writing is a solitary thing and to spend more time meeting groups of people will be a pleasant change.  My old job involved meeting new people a lot of the time, so all this time alone really took a while to feel normal.  Luckily I have a big family and a great group of friends to alleviate loneliness but I am still alone a lot more than I ever had been before.

But due to meetings about that, and life stuff that I’ve been working on a lot of the time, the writing is suffering a severe case of neglect this week.  I am not sticking to my timetable, and am going to have to get really strict with myself.  So – I will have finished section one by next weekend.  That’s the target, and that’s that!

In other news – We’ve reached book 37 in the list of the 100 best novels: Hadrian the Seventh, by Frederick Rolfe.  Not sure what to make of this one as I’ve never heard of it or the author, and the reviews are mixed, to say the least!  I will see how long it is before I decide whether to try it or not, I don’t want another Gulliver issue!

And finally – I saw this article about books reminding up of where we have read and re-read them; although I can’t say there are any where I remember the environment to the same degree there are some books that remind me of certain things.  For example, I read Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in the car (not driving!) when my partner and I were on our way back from a holiday, so although I’m no longer sure where we’d been, or what road we were on, I remember sitting in the passenger seat of the car when I think about it.  Another book reminds me of walking home from school through a beautiful old town, because it was given to me by a cousin when she was interested in Chinese things and I bought her a present from a bookshop there.  Books can transport us through time and space, and not just by the words in them – that’s just another reason for me to love the physical books; I relate to them entirely differently from e-books.

And on that note, I’m off to charge the reader so I can read during my travels!

Happy writing,

EJ

🙂

 

 

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