Welcome to my perfumed garden

...Words of my novel written by 8.30 this morning. I think I can declare my writer's block on this one finally over. Not only that, I have the voice of the book now; the light and colours of it, I've got four of my five central characters talking and walking and I know who they are and – I’m so  pleased because it's really been bothering me that I couldn't get it up and running.

Phew. *g*

So, that leaves me the rest of the day to write some fic.

I've got my writerly groove back. ::gyrates that happy jive thang:

The weather is filthy, I have no where to go so I'm having a day off, writing fic - which is so relaxing compared to writing the damn novel; it's like a holiday. I'm just brewing a cup of excellent coffee, about to start writing my next chapter and about to hit a deep well of massive angst, which is a pleasing prospect. (o:

I've been writing a lot of fic, less so the novel. I'm working on it - thinking a lot, jotting down notes in the middle of the night but not actually writing. I just don't feel I know the characters well enough to write about them yet. I'm worried about the time it's taking to get to grips with this story. I'm not really sure why, either, it's never happened to me before. I'm just hoping I can break through this block soon because it's really starting to bother me.

As for the other novel, the Cuban one - I still haven't heard back from the last agency I sent it to - it's been three months now and I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and self-publish, as a printed book and an e-book. The big problem there is publicity; believe it or not, *g* I'm really bad at the self-pimping thing. I can send a few copies out to some of my old press contacts and see if any of them take any notice; I'll have to do a bit of research on the best way to pimp for interest if I decide to go that route. ::heaving a heavy sigh::

But 'tis still and quiet here at home - Mark is busy applying for IT jobs, I'm writing; the house is warming up now the stove is burning brightly again. We've been having trouble with it since we lit it yesterday with a lot of smoke, and even had the carbon monoxide alarm go off once - had to open all the doors and windows which, in this weather, was no fun at all.

I carefully cleaned all parts of the thing before I lit it yesterday, but this morning I found a heavy fall of clinker in the chimney. There must have been a build up in there that was stopping it drawing and it's come down overnight. We only had the chimneys swept 3 months ago so, why is clinker building? Could be because we're here so infrequently so the flue gets cold - smoke can't rise because of cold air in the flue = smoky stove and clinker. It could cause a chimney fire. We can get the chimney cleaned again but it's so bloomin' expensive and wonlt stop the problem occurring again unless I can sort out what's causing it. it's a bit of a nail-chomper.

Such is my life this Friday, eighteenth day of January in the year of our lord, two thousand and eight.

How about the rest of you. Is everyone OK? Anyone in the UK been washed into the sea yet?  Hey folks, it's Friday! Is it time to break out the gin and olives yet?

It's been a hideous, horrible, very-bad, not-at-all-good day. Nothing dreadful has happened, it's just been (for reasons too dull to catalogue) annoying, unproductive, dull and thoroughly depressing; I've been in tears twice, for no real reason - just frustration and a mild desperation.

In between the everyday awfulness, I've been trying to write my novel, headphones in my ears, ambient music on loud to blot out the noisy distractions (and they are many) but I’m just not making progress. I'm beginning to wonder if I should put his novel on hold and try for another one; one I have a better handle on (I have four sketched out, she said, rolling her eyes at the absurdity).

I done 555 words of Entanglement today; how sad is that? (Very)

And there’s been bugger all on TV to distract and lift the spirits so I re-affixed the headphones and wrote fic instead; 1,354 words of the Owl/Academy thing. It'll need a thorough seeing-to of course, being little more than a stream-of-consciousness at the moment, but it might be fit to post tomorrow morning.

I hope everyone in the West-Country (Snail!) is alright; the weather is ghastly here, too, but a least we're not slipping beneath the waves. Please let us know you're OK. I'm off to bed...

Isn't it nice to sit down?

I'd planned a quiet, peaceful day, reading, writing, maybe watching a film or two. I seem to have been on the go since I got up; shopping, walking the dog in filthy weather, making sandwiches and endless bloody cups of tea and coffee.

Anyway, I finally got to take the weight off I have tea and toast and have written 500 words in ten minutes and I hope to write many more such words before the day be out. Time I got back to it, indeed...

I hope everyone is having a groovy day.

Entanglement is on the move again! ::she squeed, in a restrained and inoffensive fashion:: Whatever was blocking the writerly tubes seems to have dislodged itself and the relief is mighty! I've only done 2,382 words so far but it's a start and it's flowing; hopefully that'll continue.

And the next chapter of the Academy fic is written - 1,979 words; just a bit of navel-gazing before we hit the Big Bit of Plot. It needs a read through, but - progress is steady. I reckon that one's about 60% done now.

Dad's watching Laurel and Hardy; I have other stuff to do including go out for a run and shucks, it's windy out there!

i thought I was going to be ill; I felt so nauseous this morning, I thought I'd maybe caught the dread novovirus - but I seem to have cheated the microbes, at least, I feel a lot better now.

Anyway, it was clear I wasn't going to be doing anything physically strenuous so I sat down by the fire and wrote, or at least, churned out 6,000 words of plot notes  for my novel - and I think I finally figured out where that's going, which is good because so far, progress has not been good. The plot, such as it is, is quite simple, but the characters and their motives are complex, as are their doings as they go about their business within the bones of the story. I've not been able to write because I was getting lost; not quite sure what everyone was up to at any given time. I'm trying to remember Ray Bradbury's sage advice; 'Find out what your hero wants, then follow him'. Trouble is, my 'hero' is the one character in the book least likely to know what he wants or how to get it and following him could be why I'm floundering. Anyway, I think I have it sorted now but the copious notes I've made could just turn out to be the ravings of a lunatic. This has happened before.

As the sun went down, I switched to the Academy fic; banged out another 778 words of that and might do more later. Progress, whilst not great is at least extant. Such a turn of events is not to be sneezed at.

And the Zokutou word meter doesn't seem to be working (again).

Such was my day; how about you?

Shamelessly purloined from roslynsmuse

...Trying to write a novel (for about twenty minutes), but actually writing fic. I seem to have lost the knack of sleep.

So. I'm sitting in the almost-dark, just the coloured lights from the Christmas tree. It's freezing - the heating doesn't come on till seven and lighting the fire will probably wake everyone, but I'm snug in...  ::counts:: four layers, including a padded flannel shirt and my brushed-cotton robe, drinking Japanese cherry tea, tapping away at the academy story. Mark is downloading so the internet is treacle-in-the-fridge slow; LJ is unusable, really, which is just as well, I guess; fewer distractions.

Hey ho, it's almost seven. Mark will be up soon. Better press on.

Gosh it's quiet out there. Where is everybody? Hope you all survived the holidays... (o 

I got up at five; Dad suddenly, inexplicably, turned on his TV at 4.20 and woke me. I lay there for a bit, hoping to go back to sleep but was very much awake and liable to remain so and, knowing how too much thinking in the early hours tends to lead to mental kerfuffle and resultant panic, I dragged myself up and sat in the dark, by the soothing light of the Christmas tree and started working on the Academy story again. I've been reading it through, trying to remind myself where I'd got to and where I was heading when I had to stop. I had wild hopes of finishing it over the holidays so I could start a new fic and my new novel all afresh in the New Year. ::cue hollow laugh::


Angel Dust, the second part of the Chasing Rainbows trilogy is all done and beta'd and currently with the wonderfully patient Debbie Tripp who won it for Moonridge back in 2006. It'll be up for public consumption on 21st January when I can hopefully - depending on how quickly the Owl story moves along - start part three - Heaven knows those Rainbows 3 community people have been waiting long enough for their story. 

because I am a master of prevarication.[Poll #1109659][Poll #1109659]