Welcome to my perfumed garden

I thought I might try that 'I Write Like' thingumajig that's doing the rounds with a passion right now. Plugging a little of my novel in and finding that I apparently write like Stephen King (which, lawks a lawdy, I don't, nothing like!) I found myself merrily sticking in random bits of fics wot I wrote and it seems, going on samples of Chasing Rainbows, Wind Whispering, A&O, I write like HP Lovecraft (cool, if unlikely). The Sentinel Affair and Angel Dust both threw up the unusual choice of Mark Twain (Angel Dust? Mark Twain?? What the...? O:!). A Child of God came up, like the novel, as Stephen King and Blue plus a random ASJ fic, Jumping Frog (which is named for and references a Mark Twain tale) apparently remind said meme of Chuck Palahniuk.

But best of all, I put in a random bit of typical blather from my LJ and got:






Personally, I think that meme's been drinking.



How are you all, btw? Long time, no whateveritiswedohere. I hope you are all happy and well.

The Orange longlist, with total sales for each of the nominated books.

 A Gate at the Stairs is on there? Seriously??? Worst book I've read this year.

...assail me this cold, damp morning.

I may have made a mistake when I decided - of all my many ideas - to choose to write Shed. I may have to rethink this. It's not really happening like I hoped, it needs more work, more prep, more thought and I think, maybe it'd be better to cut my losses and go with another idea that is happening in what I jokingly think of as my brane.

The other one is a plot I've had on my mind, off and on for years. I's better prepped and covers much of the same territory than Shed. The ideas I'm having seem better suited to the other (working title 'Window' - for reasons too strange to go into right now) and, well, I have lots of reasons for switching that I won't bore you with but the main one is, it just feels right. Shed, I think, will have to wait.

I find THIS highly illustrative of my thought process on the matter for the past several days. No matter how many times I see it, it makes me giggle.

Anyway, I have a father to feed and a house to clean. Life eh? So far from perfect yet what's the alternative? Answers on a postcard. In the meantime, I'll be the one rocking in the dark and dusty corner, sucking my thumb with spiral-eyes, like a cartoon.

ETA: And pausing to say, I've been working on the plot and already written more in an hour and a half than I have on Shed in the past 2 months. Kiss my face!

Tbh, I don't understand now, why I set myself the challenge of writing something entirely new when this story has been nestling in a cosy corner of my mind for at least 10 years, for as long - maybe longer - than Entanglement. There's no accounting for it, none at all but whatever strange and convolute reasons I had back in January when I embarked on the decision to write Shed first, they're lost to me now.

But oh, the relief! Like having a boil lanced or a splinter removed, only a whole lot less painful!  I feel quite jolly, justified in the decision and finally getting somewhere.

OK. Tea, and then on. I've got till 2pm to churn out some more plot before I have to shift myself and do less exciting things.

Yes, it's that time again. The new doors are made and in place, a new stair carpet has been ordered and we were supposed to be painting today, but look what we found when we stripped off the old carpet.



Two old, very cracked and highly knackered pre-Victorian stairs that will have to be fixed before much else can go ahead.

::sighs mightily:: Things b'ain't never simple, be they? I've done what I can, put a first coat of Japanese Willow #3 on the doors but can't do much else till the stairs are fixed.

There may be time (but is there the strength?) for some work on the new novel. I've been toiling at this for the last three days, a thousand words a day are being torn, kicking and screaming from my reluctant bod. I've been writing about it in my blog - I haven't mentioned the blog much up till now, it's where I'm putting all my tedious writery blatherings, to spare the innocent and blameless amongst m'Flist who don't want to be bothered by such things, but thought I might mention it anyway, in case you wanted to be bothered. Or something. I fear I ramble. I am a little tired and, like Fly Fishing by JR Hartley, rather old.

I don't really know why I brought that up, other than that you really can't have too much of JR Hartley, can you?

Plenty fell in the night, we were getting a proper frightening few inches building up out there when we went off to bed but it's pretty much all melted overnight which is - good, isn't it? When we need to go out tomorrow and the coalman's due and only a day's worth of fuel left in the bunker. So why do I feel so let down by the absence of the tedious cold stuff? What a complex, contrary and thoroughly precious little snowflake I am.

So, we are home (kneels and kisses slightly threadbare Persian rug)! The house is still decidedly chilly but the Aga's lit and after a pleasing log fire last night, warming slowly (though I'm still in my thermals).It's 9.30 and I'm still in my pjs, trying to gear myself up to the rigours of the day but getting the usual first-day-home, post-Dad crash in which I sit on the sofa and stare at the wall and/or ITV4 till teatime.

Hey ho, I must move myself and shower and make the bed and write something, there are novels and TS Fics of Teh Most MASSIVE! Angst to be written, not to mention Real Work (of the sort that pays the bills) to be accomplished.

Maybe mor coffee will help? It has achieved exactly nothing so far this icy morning but I feel it's worth a try. ::nods::

My Year in retrospect, by gillyp, aged.

( Fandom and Fic )( Writing )


( Reading )( Reading )
In general: Life has been a bit rough at times. We’re still doing one week home, one week at Dad’s which is stressful and tiring. Dad is exactly as he was, some days up, some days down (some days very down indeed), it’s become routine really, a bit bothersome. I have to keep reminding myself that in many respects, I have a life that’s pretty good, that many might envy. OK, a bit (very! Oh so very...)  uneventful and dull, but far from arduous and relatively free of pain. I do keep reminding myself of that (but if the Gods are listening, a little more excitement – of the nicer sort - really wouldn’t go amiss in 2010)

So to round off 2009, I’m going to do that first-post, last-post LJ meme and say, have a marvellous 2010 everyone, I think we all deserve a break. Much love to you all, thank you so much, every one of you, for the laughs and the love and for keeping me sane.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

( My Year on LJ )

5 hours editing the novel - you know, the one I thought I'd finished which I printed out and started checking and... oh dear.

Anyway, the tree is up! We are about to embark on the lights. Please pray for us.

And tis the BIRTHDAY of the most-estimable LUICAT! May your year be as gorgeous, as delightful and delicious as your good self, kitten. XXX

I don't seem to do that very often these days but, good people, I honestly have nothing to say!

Re Entanglement: I'm still waiting on the first agent, I'm told that nothing happens during Frankfurt so I'm giving him another week before I'll proffer up a gentle email prod. I am firmly of the opinion that waiting on decisions entirely out of your control is, to paraphrase the immortal Baldrick, a horrid thing.

While I wait, I've started work on a new story - I had 2 going for ages but finally settled on the Entanglement sequel (sorry mrs_tilford !) because the voices told me I had to various blogs seem to be firmly of the opinion that being able to offer sequels greatly ups your chances of publishing and who am I to argue with various blogs?

Anyway, that's all up and running and a very dark tale it's shaping up to be. Very dark indeed (cue the obligatory evil laugh). I actually did some solid, concerted work on that today - progress has been seen to be made. I am not displeased.

Fannish life - is non existent, really. There's nothing new and the old has lost its shine and that part of my life languishes in dusty, cobwebbed neglect. LJ likewise seems quiet as an old, forgotten grave. I don't know if everyone's lost their mojo too, or if you're all lurking in New Fannish Lands in the parts of LJ where I never tread but it's been dead as a rusty shovel round here lately. I've had to turn to Twiter for kicks, people, that can't be right.

I shall throw out some spangled, golden kisses and chocolate-coated delights anyway, for old time's sake. Use them wisely, I shall be testing you on them later. XXX

46 chapters, 136,303 words, 95% complete.  Only 2 chapters, 8,000 words to finish . Dear god, whatever will I do when it's done? Suggestions on a postcard...

In other news, m'sister just took delivery of a Radio Times from 1st May 1969. So many ads for slimming-aids (and 50/50 featuring men as the dieters which is interesting) and just utterly fascinating. I cannot tear myself away!

About to embark on the rewrites of chapter 41 (of 48). Currently the 3rd draft stands at 116,460 words, 78% complete. Lots of repetitive stuff has been excised and a lot of rewriting - the whole thing has taken way, way longer and been much harder work than I anticipated but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now (said tunnels playing Large Roles in the plot and that so ha ha, well done me)

I'm sort of simultaneously doing a 4th draft in that I'm printing it out as I work and always see loads more editing once it's on the printed page so...

Yeah. Slow. Very (she said tiredly), but coming on. The end is in sight and all that.

Kay, one more chapter then dinner must be cooked and dishes bathed in Fairy Liquid (so that my hands might be soft as my face tho why they'd want to be is a mystery that might never be explained) before that most estimable thesp. Dame Joanna of Lumley pulls her documentary panties on and turns her most serious face to the camera to tell us all sorts of stuff about cats. That cannot be missed, no siree.

Alrightee. Tea, methinks, then ON! (huzah!) with Chapter 41, 'The Sandburg Theory'. :o) Yeah, really. I just couldn't resist.