Katy's Wonderland

New Beginnings

2009-07-08T20:07:00.003+01:00

I'm just starting work on a new book.

I've been brainstorming, scribbling notes and plotting for the past week, and today I started writing.

3000 words later, I could have kept going, but wanted to save some energy and enthusiasm for tomorrow.

I'm just hoping I can keep it up. I know that I always write very short in a first draft, and that I always increase my word count by half in the second draft. With this in mind, if I can keep this up for twenty days, including three days off for my best friend's wedding, I can have a workable first draft.

Which would be immeasurably cool...

Second Drafts

2009-04-17T20:45:00.002+01:00

In between the feeding and the changing and the almost napping, I have actually managed to get some work done, usually when Simon takes Holly out for a walk at the weekend. So, it's slow progress, but the very fact that I have limited time to work on the book means that when the opportunity presents itself, I make the most of it, and tend to focus very well.

I also spend a lot of my time thinking about the book, even when I can't actually be writing. The very restricted pace of my work does mean that everything is well thought out, and I have the chance to really consider all my options before committing to a course of action.

I managed to get a revised version of the opening scene over to Lizzy a few weeks ago, mostly to check that we both agreed that the tone and feel were right - and they were. So I've now reworked the first section of the book up to a natural break longhand, and just have to type it all up... It's about 20k, and every page has major changes and new sections, so it might take a little while. But Simon's promised to get me some time this weekend to work on it, so we'll see how far I get.

Once I've typed in these changes I want to spend some time going through the section and refining character and description; I know the plot's there, it's just the detail that needs fleshing out and detailing.

Second drafts are always uplifting in a way that first drafts sometimes aren't, for me - I can actually feel the work getting better, and it makes me very happy.

Although I'll be happier when it's on Lizzy's desk again, rather than mine...

Miss Holly Elizabeth Watson

2009-02-13T14:31:00.003Z

Miss Holly Elizabeth Watson, born Sunday 25th January at 11.59pm, weighing 6lb and 12oz.

Currently being taught the importance of naps...

Second Draft

2009-01-21T09:02:00.003Z

Okay, now we're getting somewhere!

The polished first four chapters and synopsis (20k & 5k respectively) are now in the hands of my agent, and I can stop worrying about not getting it done before the baby comes!

For the interested, here's an expanded view of the book's premise, as sent over to Lizzy:

Saskia Ryan is returning home to Rosewood after two years away, determined to make amends for the mistakes that drove her to leave in the first place, and to prove that she’s changed. But home isn’t quite as she remembered…

For starters, there’s the new guy, Edward, who seems to have wormed his way into her family’s hearts and minds – even if Saskia can’t quite figure out what he’s doing there, other than looking attractive leaning against things. He’s supposed to be assisting her Grandfather, famous author Nathanial Drury, with his latest book. But Nathanial doesn’t seem to be writing anything.

There’s the fact that her big sister Ellie won’t even listen to Saskia’s apologies, and the rest of the family, including Edward, are conspiring to keep them apart.
Then there’s her other sister, ten year old Caroline, who has apparently found a ghost in the Rose Garden and a fairy wedding in the woods.

Add in the way that everyone is going crazy getting ready for her Grandparent’s Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration, and the place is in chaos. And that’s before Nathanial makes his big announcement at the party, to “add a little fire to the festivities” – he’s planning to publish his memoirs, every scandalous little detail.

And suddenly it becomes clear to Saskia that she’s not the only one with secrets she’d rather keep to herself – and not the only one who needs forgiveness.

So, now I'm at a bit of a loose end. Do I carry on editing through the second draft, knowing that Lizzy is bound to come back with changes that will negate some of the work I've done? Do I take time out from the book to think about what I'd like to write next? Do I get back to cleaning the kitchen with a toothbrush?

You know, this would be a lot easier if the baby would just come, now that I'm ready for it.

2009

2009-01-13T09:54:00.003Z

Time for a fresh start over here, I felt, especially since I've been ignoring the poor place for the last however many months. (Don't count, it's too embarrassing.)

I have excuses, good ones, and also a caveat that posting is probably still going to be quite rare over the next while. See, I spent most of 2008 being pregnant (read: throwing up and sleeping) and am due to give birth next week, so I might have a few other things on my mind.

Which is not to say that I haven't been writing, or that I won't be writing.

As I'm sure you've noticed, the publishing world has been a little stingy with the new purchases over the last nine months or so. Which means that, having finally got Breaking the Spell into top notch condition, it went out to editors at just the right time to get lots of "I really like it, but..." responses. Apparently no one wants magical escapism in a recession - which I thought was odd, actually.

But, carry on regardless. I'm still deeming the whole thing a success, as it got me signed with a nice big London agency, and a wonderful agent who (at last count at least!) still wants to represent me. I met with Lizzy last year and we talked about what I should work on next, and since then I've been working on it. Slowly. In between the throwing up.

So: the New Book.

It's called Playing Make Believe and it's about returning home, becoming a better person, asking for forgiveness, family secrets, attics and parties and really great clothes. And there's a ghost.

Or, to put it more succinctly: Saskia Ryan returns home looking to atone for past mistakes, only to find herself making more...

I've actually written a full first draft of the book - all 90,000 words. It's first person - something Lizzy and I agreed I should try, but doesn't seem to come quite as naturally to me as third - and I found that I really needed to write the full thing out before I could step back and recognise all the things that were wrong with it.

Which is what I'm doing now. Over the last week or two, I've done a write in edit on the first 18 scenes / approx. 20,000 words, identifying the problems, and now I'm reworking those scenes and rewriting the synopsis, in the hope of getting it over to Lizzy before the baby comes. Despite theoretically having lots of time now I'm on maternity leave, I can't believe how tired I am, and how long it takes me to do anything. Also, I have to allow time for cleaning out cupboards with toothbrushes and other 'pregnancy crazies' as my brother calls it.

Still, I'm on schedule at least. And ready to reactivate the counters... keep an eye on the right hand side, people, and I'll let you know when I'm done. And, you know, about the baby...

The Book

2008-05-12T12:34:00.003+01:00

Okay, so, a little later than planned, things I have been doing lately:

Getting my manager's job after she retired, then realising that everybody wants to speak to me about something

Holding the biggest conference of my year in London

Spending two weeks in Texas with my husband's family. There are photos, maybe soon I'll remember to post one or two

Having my twenty-eighth birthday party

Rewriting Breaking the Spell

Because you don't care about the other stuff, I'll concentrate on number five.

Basically, and finally, my agent really loves the book - enough to send it out to editors. Which is where it is now, while I wait impatiently for news.

It's a huge relief, and a really big step for me, so I'm thrilled. We changed the title again (I think...) to better suit the direction the book has taken, and I really love this draft more than everything that came before.

Now I just have to hope that someone else does, too!

In the meantime, I'm plotting the next one. I already sent the blurb over to my agent, and she loves the idea, so I may as well get stuck in, I suppose...

Quick update

2008-04-14T18:29:00.003+01:00

Yes, I know, I'm rubbish. Sorry.

Am still in the thick of things here ('things' meaning 'chaos') but will soon be posting on the following subjects:

Texas
Turning 28
Conferences and dinner cruises
Job interviews
Hang on, I'm sure there's something else... oh yes. The Book.

Back soon.

The Plan

2008-02-14T10:39:00.003Z

So, I've taken a couple of days. I've read my agents comments on the manuscript, I've been over my own notes from our conversations, I've done some thinking and scribbling of notes and ideas and outlines.

And now I have a plan.

I know what the book needs; it's gotten bogged down in the magic and the logic and the whys and the hows. It needs to be lighter. It needs to float and glitter and have the magic in the air rather than the text.

I know what the big change is that will help me put this in place, and it's all about my main characters attitudes - one of those "if such and such didn't happen, or if she didn't know it had happened, she'd be an entirely different person" scenarios. It should work, without destroying the basic plot.

So now I just have to write it that way.

And I need to revise the text, then edit and polish, and get it back to Lizzy before I fly to Texas on March 13th. That way, she can be reading it while I'm off enjoying myself.

So, I have a schedule, the first part of which is:

rewrite the existing text, on screen, by Friday 22nd February.

That's nine days, all in. The counter's going back to zero, and we're counting in pages this time.

Wish me luck!

An Update and a Meme

2008-02-13T10:02:00.005Z

I've been a bit quiet because I've been waiting to hear back from my agent, and she in turn has been busy moving house and such, so it's taken a while.

But I had a nice long chat with her yesterday, and now I have more work to do. We're getting closer, though, and she says she's only pushing so hard because she thinks the book has the capacity to be really fantastic. Which is encouraging, even if the re-writes are simply soul destroying...

Anyway, I'm scribbling away with my ideas in my lovely Bird Tree notebook with my beautiful vintage Parker 51 pen, and the changes are coming together, I think. So soon I'll be back to the start with my word counter, and slogging away through the manuscript. In the meantime, Bonnie has tagged me with an Unimportant meme, so here you go:

Rules:

Link back to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Share six unimportant things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

SIX UNIMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT MYSELF:

I'm incapable of following a recipe. I love to cook, but everytime I start to cook to a recipe, I find things I think are stupid, and that I want to change. ("This would be so much better with some ginger in it.")
I firmly believe that any bad mood can be shifted by a little sunshine and some cool, fresh air.
I sing in my head. Pretty much all the time. Mostly old family songs, folk songs, that we sing on Boat Sunday and other family occasions, whenever Uncle Stephen has his guitar with him.
I think afternoon tea is the best meal ever created - especially with Darjeeling without milk and cucumber sandwiches. And I love proper tea china. I had a big sulk day earlier this week, and when the boys came home I was curled up in the rocking armchair under the stairs, my ancient, frayed eiderdown (which Simon keeps trying to throw out) wrapped all around me, a comfort novel in my hands, and my small, stainless steel teapot full of Darjeeling (made with loose leaf tea) and a pretty, floral tea cup and saucer on the table beside me. I refused to cook dinner, or to move at all, until I'd finished my pot of tea.
I love re-reading books. My mother-in-law can't understand why I do this, but an old, familiar book is very comforting and, because I'm a fast reader, I find something new in the text, every single time.
My favourite scents are lavender and roses. Lavender hand lotion, or rose body lotion, clean white sheets and cotton pyjamas, and the breeze through the window, make a perfect evening.

Sunday

2008-01-20T09:37:00.000Z

Okay, aside from the usual 'clean the house, do some laundry' Sunday stuff, I have quite a lot of writing things I have to achieve today - namely type in edits for the outline and first seven chapters of Breaking the Spell.

I'm breaking it down into bits to make it feel more achieveable, and will come in to this post and cross them off as I get through them.

Outline - 20 pages - done!
Prologue - 8 pages - done!
Chapter one - 17 pages - done!
Chapter two - 18 pages - done!
Chapter three - 15 pages - done!
Chapter four - 14 pages - done!
Chapter five - 17 pages - done!
Chapter six - 17 pages - done!
Chapter seven - 19 pages - done!
Send the whole thing over to Lizzy - done!

See, doesn't that look more managable than 146 pages of edits to type in? Gulp.

All finished, and I'm off for a walk round the park before it starts raining again!

And...

2008-01-19T17:57:00.000Z

...I've also just sorted out my wardrobe, so I'm feeling very organised!

What I've been up to this week

2008-01-19T16:46:00.000Z

Well, so far I've done the write in edits on the outline and first seven chapters of Breaking the Spell.

This evening and tomorrow, I need to type them in.

I want this thing off my desk and over to Lizzy by the end of tomorrow - Monday morning at the latest, if I want to give things a final look over once my eyes have stopped bleeding.

I've got Monday off work as a flex day - a make up for all the hours I've been working since I got back from Christmas. I have a very long list of things I could do with my day off - and the wonderful knowledge that I don't have to do any of them.

But my day of peace, solitude and the cinema is all off if I don't get the revised chapters done tomorrow...

Wish me luck!

Done for the day

2008-01-13T20:58:00.000Z

Okay, 37,197/90,000. Except, it looks like this thing might run long, if those first 7 chapters are anything to go by!

Anyway, done for now. I'm going to set the thing to print, then go have a bath. Tomorrow, I can start tidying the thing up. And maybe cutting, a little!

Oh, and the hotpot was delicious, for those who care about such things.

On target

2008-01-13T18:55:00.000Z

Not bad for a day's work - I'm now at 31,347/90,000, but I'm going to keep going for 3 more scenes to bring me to a fabulous stopping point - my hero and heroine's first kiss.

Of the other things on the list, the house is tidy, dust free, the bathroom is clean and the books have been sorted. Hotpot is in the oven, so all that's left is the couple of bags of Christmas stuff outside my study door, and a long hot bath with a good book. I have jasmine and fig bath bubbles, too!

But first, just one more chapter - around 5,000 words - to go.

Starting at 20,961/90,000

2008-01-13T11:39:00.000Z

Hell of a week in work this week, but I still managed to keep working on the book. Because I'm re-editing text I've already written to fit the new backstory and outline, speed varies quite considerably. Some scenes I can plow through with minor changes here and there. Others need considerable re-writing. And others, the new ones, just plain need writing.

Still, the plan is to be at the 30k benchmark by the end of the day. That's how much Lizzy says she needs to start submitting to editors, or how much she needs to know I need to finish the book before we do. It's the number we've been working to since August when this whole thing started, and I'm constantly amazed at how that 30k mark falls at a different point in the story, every time. On the other hand, it always falls at an important, life changing point for my hero and/or heroine, which helps.

So, the plan for the day is as follows:
Write

Tidy house
Write
Clean bathroom
Write
Dusting
Write
Sort books in spare room
Write
Sort remaining Christmas presents in study
Write
Cook Lancashire hotpot for tea
Take bath and get stuff ready for tomorrow's workshop in London
Sleep

That's five sessions set aside for writing. So, that's 2000 words a session, give or take.

I'll post my progress here, if I remember, just to make me feel guilty if I'm falling short...

If I hit target, then tomorrow I can print out the text and start polishing! I'm giving myself this next week and weekend to make the 30k and the outline as good as I possibly can. Then it's being emailed over to Lizzy on Monday 21st. Which, coincidentally, is pay day. I think there may be a small treat reward from Body Shop for any me that gets all this done...

And back in the office

2008-01-07T22:02:00.000Z

First proper day back at the day job - and a variety of things had exploded in my absence.

Still, managed to put it all aside to work on the book this evening - and finished rewriting the first big multipart scene that sets up the whole story. Phew.

This is about the seventh rewrite of the opening chapters to fit subsequent revisions of the outline - all involving major changes in plot and backstory. I'd actually forgotten that the opening scene of Chapter One never existed in the original pages I sent to Lizzy.

Still, now the plot's actually approved, hopefully this might be the last big reimagining of the action. I know that there will still be changes, and notes, but perhaps nothing quite so big!

Most importantly, this version, this outline, really feels like the story I want to tell. Now I just need to tell it.

Back to Work

2008-01-06T20:57:00.000Z

Today I finally felt well enough to get back to work on the book - thank God!

I've revised the outline, and rewritten the prologue and first part of chapter one, and am feeling quite pleased with myself.

Now I just need to plough on tomorrow before work...

We apologise, but 2008 is experiencing a slight delay...

2008-01-03T09:50:00.000Z

2008 doesn't start until Monday 7th January. I've decided.

There's not enough time otherwise. Normally I have all those days between Christmas and New Year to get myself ready, but this year I came down with a fever on Boxing Day and have just started taking antibiotics for the resultant chest infection yesterday. I've been too sick to think about 2008.

Add in the breakup of two close friends' five year relationship, just before Christmas, and the fact that one of them is (probably) moving in with us tonight until he finds somewhere new, and the New Year really does seem to have snuck up on me.

So I've postponed it.

It actually makes sense - because of the chest infection (which my husband swears is not consumption... but how does he know?!) I'm off work until Monday anyway. So, hopefully I'll be all nice and healthy to start my new year.

2007 was an excellent year in many, many ways. I sent my book out to my number one agent and actually got a phone call, a meeting, and many, many subsequent conversations. Admittedly, these were because of the huge changes the story required, but on December 21st, we finally agreed the basic outline for the book. I'm still doing some tidying as per her notes, but they were of the "Can they argue for longer here?" and "Sorry, what?" variety. The characters now spend more time fighting, and everything should make sense. I think we're there, finally.

We got a title, too - one that I love, that fits the story I'm telling now, and reflects the sort of things I want to write in the future, too. So that's good.

Of course, I still need to now rewrite the book in line with the new outline. Which is not inconsiderable work, but it should be fun. I just need to get back into my habits.

So, 2008 writing goals:

Finish re-writing Breaking the Spell so that Lizzy can submit it
Work up outlines and sample chapters for the next two books I have in mind
Rewrite Black Cat Hollow
Update this blog once a week (yes, really, Bonnie)
Read one new fiction and one new non-fiction book every month

That's it. The reading goal may look small, but it's just that left to my own devices I tend to re-read stuff a lot. I want to make sure I'm hitting new stuff too. I love my library.

Right. I think I might be almost ready for Monday!

November, Nano & the Worst Holiday Idea Ever

2007-11-18T09:50:00.000Z

I was really looking forward to Nano this year. I had an idea; a book I really wanted to write, but that was one that needed to be written fast, without too much thinking, to make it work. I was excited.

Then events started changing my plans...

First off, the book previously known as The Fairytale Way. Once it became clear that there was actual interest in the novel, and I started working on it with an agent who wanted to sign me, I figured that I could use Nano to bring it to a swift conclusion, before the inevitable rewrites. It wouldn't be a true Nano, but it would be close.

Except, by the beginning of November I still wasn't in the position I had hoped to be - with an approved outline and the freedom to write until the thing was done.

Work continues, sort of apace, but it's hard going. The main problem seems to be that, in discussion with my agent, we've added all sorts of stuff that makes the story stronger. Unfortunatley, until last week, we'd forgotten to take anything away.

Cue cut of entire subplot and two major characters, and a quick reshuffle of the remaining facts and figures. I think I've just, now, got the actual events and so forth in place, but the first thing I need to do is go back and rewrite the first 60,000 words to conform to the new plot. And that's not the sort of thing you can do for Nano.

It's also not really the sort of thing you can do with confidence in my usual fifteen minute stetches. It's the sort of thing that requires concentration, and time. Bearing in mind that while trying to write this Sunday morning blog entry I've continued several conversations with my mother, dealt with a teabag crisis my husband was having, and solved a variety of Vista issues on my parent's new laptop, it's clear that peace and quiet to work is not available in large quantites.

But what the husband and I did have as a surplas of holiday days to take from work before the end of the year. And so was born what I am now terming the Worst Holiday Idea Ever.

We drove up to the parents in Wales on Friday night for a couple of days, and tomorrow we're driving over the mountains to spend the week in the family caravan on the Lleyn peninsula. It's going to be very cold (snow predicted on the mountains) and probably rainy. Everything's going to be closed because it's November in a seaside town. The TV only gets BBC 1&2 Wales, Harlech TV and S4C, the Welsh channel. There's no internet for miles.

We've prepared well; we've packed dvds and books and playing cards and games and things. And we've made a deal; Simon lets me work on the book in the morning, and then we can go shiver at some castle or Neolithic burial mound in the afternoon. The evenings are for the dvds. We're packing extra blankets, possibly a heater, and Simon bought me a hot water bottle yesterday.

And by the time we get back, I want a full synopsis and revised opening chapters to send to my agent.

Wish me luck!

My Brain Hurts

2007-10-18T20:04:00.000+01:00

I spent an hour on the phone with my agent this evening, discussing the whys and the wherefores and the way forward with The Book.

The good thing is that she still loves the story. She just wants to make it bigger and better. She wants my little book to be all that it can be. This is great.

But it involves a lot of work, and a lot of thinking.

When we first met and started making adjustments to the book, the main things that changed were the location and the magic level. And somewhere along the way, implementing these changes has buried the why of the story underneath a stack of tarot cards and empty coffee cups.

So, while she's away in Wales next week, I'm going back to basics and thinking about what the story is about, and what the individual character tales are.

It's about language. It's about the stories we tell, and how they change into what we want to hear. It's about how what we're told is what we believe, even when it's a lie. And it's about what happens when people start telling the truth.
It's about the town, now. It's about how this little market town in Hertfordshire isn't like anywhere else. It's about how that affects the people who live there. It's about the history of the place, and its people, and how that's not what they've always been told, either.
It's about family. It's about sisters and about brothers, and about how there's no limit to what you'll do for family, or, in some cases, what you'll do to them.
It's about magic, and the magical in the everyday. It's about the feel of the seasons, the world, and the inexplicable things that happen. It's about fate and fortune and destiny, and how they're not always world changing futures; sometimes they're about cookie cutters.
It's about fairytales, and how to live them. It's about knowing that you can live a charmed life, and have your happy ever after, but that they're not always what you'd expect. And it's about how, if you work at them, sometimes they can be better than the stories.
And most of all, it's about love, and how real love doesn't need magic, or fate, or fables; it needs understanding, passion, trust and patience.
It's also about tea, calligraphy, getting what's coming to you, and hot chocolate. And a cat.

So, yeah. I guess that can be summed up as: Truth, and making your world the way you need it to be. Or something.

To summarise - my brain hurts.

Absent

2007-09-28T08:37:00.000+01:00

Now, I know I haven't been here, but I have been working hard.

I'm finally hitting the home stretch - the almost final revisions of the first six chapters and synopsis are due over to the agent before Monday. She's already had the top forty title list... and we still haven't decided on one. She'll have a better idea once she's read the revised chapters - so much has changed, it's hard to keep it all straight.

I'm working a half day at the day job today, and plan to spend the afternoon in my local Costa with a large latte, my printouts and my pink laptop.

It's all very scary but exciting. Agent keeps saying things like 'I mentioned it to so-and-so, an editor at Big Publisher, and they're very excited to see it.'

Hopefully by this time next week, I should know what the next step is.

On the cards

2007-08-21T13:19:00.000+01:00

In the first chapter of The Book Previously Known As The Fairytale Way (I either need a new title or a symbol of some sort, I feel) one character, Fliss, reads her love interest's fortune, using tarot cards.

In the original draft, I'd skimped over this a bit, and one thing that came up in my meeting last week was that the agent would like to see a fuller reading in the scene, for a variety of reasons.

Sadly, I don't know a great deal about tarot. But I do have a book. So last night I pulled out my cards and my book and I did a few sample readings for my fictional character, Mac, just to play around with the meanings and the combinations and the spreads.

I wasn't expecting Mac to be the unluckiest bugger ever imagined.

Seriously, no matter which way I cut the cards or shuffled them, every spread ended up with the ten of swords in it, and me reading the words 'unavoidable disaster and ruination' in my book. And that was just one of many feared cards that kept landing in his fortune.

For a secondary character with a happy ever after planned, this was not a particularly good sign, I felt.

Anyway, after removing most of the ill-omened cards from the deck, I was able to cobble together the sort of fortune I think Fliss should read for him. Still, I'm now worrying about what Mac's got in store for me in the later parts of this book...

Exciting news

2007-08-18T10:09:00.001+01:00

I've been a bit quiet lately, because exciting things have been happening.

The most exciting of these was a meeting I had with a very lovely agent in London on Tuesday. As an upshot of that meeting, I'm currently revising (and finishing) the book previously known as the Fairytale Way, which has yet to find a new title. It also used to be set in London and now... isn't. Which is why the counter on the left is about to go back to the beginning and start again, although since I've already written the stuff once, hopefully it will move a bit faster this time round!

The changes we're making are strengthening the story, though, which is all that really matters.

And, unless I do something really dire to the thing, once I've finished, she's going to try and sell it for me.

Told you it was exciting.

Back on course

2007-07-31T14:35:00.000+01:00

The last month or so has been unexpectedly busy, as evidenced by the way I dropped off the planet here.

Still, things have finally quietened down, and I seem to be getting back on course.

It's always hard to get back into the habit of writing when I haven't for a while, so I've been building this up slowly, with a nice, leisurely plan, and I'm back on course for finishing The Fairytale Way by the end of August.

And then I have all sorts of interesting new things to start in on...

Wicked

2007-07-30T18:18:00.000+01:00

We were down in London at the weekend visiting some friends. Had a lovely time, but felt very old by the end of it; we were in bed by 1am and not at all hungover the next day. We then spent Sunday visiting garden centres.

It's all over.

But we did go see Wicked on Saturday night. It was so great! Simon bought me the soundtrack, which I think he might be regretting a little bit now he'd had to listen to it for forty eight hours straight...

I Am Returned

2007-06-22T23:23:00.000+01:00

Had an excellent time in Wales, despite a variety of injuries and illnesses inflicted upon me and the husband. Still, we got to go swimming in the sea, which is the important thing. (Even if our most outdoory friend texted later to say 'But the sea's at its coldest at this time of year!')
Back now, and back to work. Took a bit of a break from the writing while I was on holiday - more thinking than actual writing on the current WIP, but I did get to do some fabulous research for something I hope to write next...

Anyway, some photos from our trip:

The beach outside our apartment

Kings Quoit, Manobier

One of a colony of around 200 Grey Atlantic seals on Caldey Island

Tenby! Wales!

2007-06-09T10:37:00.000+01:00

We're off on our hols today - to a world without the internet (or, at least, a flat without).

See you in a couple of weeks...

Family Achievements

2007-05-29T22:22:00.000+01:00

I might not have mentioned this, but I have the best family ever.

They're wonderful; supportive, fun, loving and intelligent. We also sing a lot. Often in public.

There are plenty of us - I have eight cousins, a variety of aunts and uncles, and only relatively recently lost two of my beloved grandparents.

I am truly blessed and fortunate to have grown up with such a crowd.

The only downside, if you can call it that, is that they all are, and always have been, highly successful and brilliant.

Living up to my elder cousins' achievements has always been hard; whether it was exam results, university acceptances, roles in plays, careers, even boyfriends and husbands. It's just lucky that they're all so nice, and that I love them so dearly.

At twenty seven, I'm finally having to deal with living up to my younger cousins' achievements, too.

Which is by way of saying, look out for David Whitley's new Children's Fantasy novel, The Midnight Charter, sold to publishers across the world, and due in stores in early 2009.

For more information on Davey, here's his agent's website: http://www.mvagency.com/davidwhitley.html

Eighteen

2007-05-26T08:39:00.000+01:00

I'm at home in Wales this long weekend for my baby brother's eighteenth birthday. He's nine years younger than me, so it's been a long time coming. He's off to university in Warwick this October, and we're all terribly proud of him.

Anyway, so I'm curled up in my Grandparents old armchair by the French windows in my parent's lounge, listening to my family bustle about their day. We've had the traditional boiled eggs for breakfast, and any time now I have to start making a chocolate & coconut birthday cake.

In the brief meantime, I'm going to try and ignore distractions and get some words down.

The Swing of Things

2007-05-21T18:51:00.000+01:00

So, I've re-instigated the word counter on the right hand side of the page; I always feel better if I can see myself making progress.

Of course, progress is a little thin on the ground at the moment, but I've written one scene today, and that's better than nothing.

Spent the weekend hunting triffids in the back garden, and causing snail Armageddon. Much fun, but I ache today.

Back to the words...

Playing Tag

2007-05-10T17:42:00.000+01:00

Bonnie tagged me, as she is wont to do.

Eight Random Facts About KJ

I talk to myself a lot. Not usually when there are other people around, but still.
I count my steps whenever I’m walking somewhere.
I make my husband watch 80s brat pack movies, even though he hates them. His least favourite so far is St Elmo’s fire, which just happens to be the one that I love best.
I call my mother almost every evening, even when neither of us has anything much to say.
I’m much more useful in the mornings that the afternoons or evenings. If only I would get out of bed earlier I’d be unstoppable.
I recently bought a pink laptop, even though I probably really shouldn’t have.
I love local folklore and mysteries. I have many books on the subject and delight in telling people all about them, even though they don’t care. Sometimes I make them visit sites of extreme interest with me, and they wonder why a piece of wood at the side of the road is in any way interesting. Then I tell them, and they still don’t care.
I’m never really satisfied with the seasons. My favourite is always which ever it isn’t right now. I always think that Autumn is my favourite, but actually, since it doesn’t have Christmas, my birthday, or pretty flowers, I’m not so sure.

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to do it, feel free.

What I'm working on right now

2007-05-07T17:16:00.000+01:00

After a few weeks off to mess around with some edits and some submissions and stuff, I'm finally getting back to working on the book I started writing for Michelle's Write On Redux.

I've already got just over 30k, and some reasonable background and character work.

More importantly, I just finished the collage that's been hanging, half done, over my desk for the last few months. I'm hoping that its completion will help spur me on to finish the book itself; certainly it's helped get my head back into the story. You probably can't make out much from the picture, except teapots and jampots, but obviously they're the most important features.... Not really. It's a story about fortune, fable and falling in love. But most of all, it’s about families; what we do for them, to them and because of them.

Recent submissions of my previous Write On Novel have started to get replies - so far all declines, but some very nice, personal ones, and requests to see whatever I write next, which I'm taking as a good sign. It's one of the reasons I want to get this finished, so I can send it out. I really love this story, and have high hopes for it. If it turns out on paper the way it is in my head...

I also have my soundtrack almost finalised. Just a few more tweaks when something jars - sadly I have to actually write the words to notice this. Which means it's time to get back to work!

Mary Elizabeth Reeves

2007-04-29T17:25:00.000+01:00

My cousin Mary is getting married this year; we're all traipsing down to London for her hen night next weekend. This is why I'll be spending my six month anniversary having dinner with various relatives, assigned to my house for the weekend, while my husband runs screaming as far away north as he can get.

For the actual do on Saturday, one of Mary's best friends has asked us all to email her a memory or story about Mary, like the first time we met her, that she can put together into a book for the bride-to-be.

I had some problems narrowing down my memories, so at the moment what I plan to send is this:

Mary Elizabeth Reeves

I don’t remember meeting Mary for the first time; she’s simply always been a part of my life.

I do remember the excitement of a visit to Wrexham, back when we still lived in Surrey, because it meant we’d be at HQ on a Sunday, and I’d get to see the cousins. It meant I’d get to play with Mary. When we moved to Wrexham it was even better. I was nine, Mary was eleven, and we got to see each other every single Sunday.

We had endless games we could play at HQ; climbing the walls on the landing (before they were repapered); seeing who could jump off the swing at its highest point; searching for fairies in the fairy ring (although we never found any); weaving designs into the seat of the garden swing with red and orange twine; playing Scooby Doo (although Mary was always Daphne. I had to be Velma); hunting for Narnia behind the wardrobe in the Brown Room, or for the cuckoo clock anywhere else in the house.

There would always be egg sandwiches, or cheesy scrambled eggs, on offer for when we got hungry. And if we were lucky enough to be staying over (top and tail in the Pink Room, whispering secrets until the Spar sign across the road went out), the sweet fairies would come and fill the tin on the dresser with goodies for us.

Then there were the holidays; weeks and weeks of sunshine and swimming in France, or of squalls and seagulls in Porthmadog, where we filled our days with boule runs, Jimbo planes and tuppenny falls. Or cycling round Center Parcs, listening to Bryan Adams and drinking non-alcoholic cocktails named after characters in the Robin Hood stories.

Later, we found ourselves buying the same clothes; a throwback to the days when our mothers dressed us as twins. We’d bump into each other in the Golden Lion (Mary was present the first time I ever kissed my husband), then later in Marks and Spencer in Wimbledon. Living just down the road from each other in London for two years, we met often with Emma in the Weatherspoons to drink Lindemans Bin 65 and eat Chicken Pasta Alfredo with garlic bread.

I live further away now, but we still get together often; she’s always up for a visit to Stevenage if Simon’s making bread and butter pudding. And we’re still there, as often as possible, for family Sunday lunches, usually with our heads together, whispering.

So, no. I don’t remember meeting Mary for the first time; but I think that’s probably the only thing that I don’t remember.

Write On Redux - Day Ten

2007-03-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

Another good day yesterday:

Stats for Day Ten:

Day Ten Word Count: 5,131
Day Ten Page Count: 20
Overall Word Count: 30,216
Overall Page Count: 112

Fun scene coming up next!

Write On Redux - Day Nine

2007-03-27T21:55:00.000+01:00

Now, this is more like it:

Yes indeedy. That means that the stats for today are:

Day Nine Word Count: 7,005
Day Nine Page Count: 26
Overall Word Count: 25,085
Overall Page Count: 92

Today also brought me to the first major turning point for my heroine, and the first up close and personal scene with the hero.

Such, such fun!

Write On Redux - Days Six, Seven and Eight

2007-03-27T13:05:00.000+01:00

Let's just say that it's a good job Michelle gave us that extra week.

Day Nine going better, though.

Write On Redux - Days Four and Five

2007-03-24T10:14:00.000Z

Sucked.

Variety of reasons, but since this is a no excuses kind of deal, I won't go into them.

Anyway, as Michelle has graciously granted us an extra week, I'm just writing the days off and continuing from here. Although, I'm off to Cambridge in a second to do some shopping, so I'll have to write hard this evening.

Tomorrow is entirely dedicated to writing, and other writing related activities.

Latest numbers:

That's 66 pages, for anyone who's counting.

Write On Redux - Day Three

2007-03-22T18:54:00.000Z

Late posting again, but still.

Excellent progress on day three - 23 pages / 5705 words

Day four going less well...

Write On Redux - Day Two

2007-03-21T06:56:00.000Z

I forgot to post this last night - far too tired. It was harder going on Day 2 than Day 1, and I think the page count only came out at 17, but that was a hair over 5000 words, so I'm not going to complain too much.

Went back to sleep after the alarm for the first time in ages this morning. It's now almost seven am, and I'm just getting stuck into Day Three.

This is tough.

Write On Redux - Day One

2007-03-19T20:49:00.000Z

Not a bad start. It worked out at just under 20 full pages, but the words are there. And the story... oh, the story is flowing like a beautiful thing. It makes me very happy.

Sadly, I have used all my words for the day. See you tomorrow.

Black Cat Hollow

2007-03-08T10:05:00.000Z

And it’s finished. Ugh.

6,000 words yesterday brought me to the, really quite gruesome, end. I was actually surprised by how gory it got. I’m going to have to consider, in the rewrite, if this might not be better as a YA story.

Anyway, for now I’m forgetting about it, and working on other things instead. Had a lie in this morning, then got up to tidy up an article I need to send out this evening, then came to work.

Tonight, I’ll finish printing out the Making the News first draft for editing on the long, long train ride to Scotland tomorrow, and the even longer trip back on Monday.

Also on the to do list – outlining for the Write-On Redux challenge, starting a week on Monday. I am surprisingly excited about it, even though it will mean getting up even earlier than normal.

Home stretch

2007-03-06T07:22:00.000Z

I'm into the penultimate chapter now - just another 8000 or so words to go. My main characters are separated in the forest at night, and one of them is just about to get captured by the bad guys... it's fun stuff to write.

The only problem is that I have a very low threshold for frightening things, and I keep spooking myself silly if I write in the house on my own in the evening!

Anyway, whole thing should be done and dusted, in first draft at least, by the end of the week.

Woohoo!

Half Way House

2007-03-02T10:46:00.000Z

Last night I hit the half way point of my current novel.

I've been working on this story only since January, when the idea first came to me. It was a direct result of a Christmas present that my husband bought me; the dictionary of superstition. It's fab.

Anyway, I've really stepped up the pace this last week - averaging 2,000 to 3,000 words a day - and I'm steaming ahead.

And I was delighted to discover as I hit the midpoint, that the story just got deeper, more understandable, and that things are going to get very messy, very soon for my main characters. On the other hand, they're both going to get some answers, now that they're asking the right questions.

I like this story. It's not quite like anything else I've written, but it's really flowing. I'm working with a fairly vague outline - just a sentence or two for each chapter, and there's only ten chapters - so I'm still discovering new things as I go. If I can keep the output up at the level I've been working at this week, I can get the whole 40k rough first draft finished by next Friday. Which would be great, as I'm taking the train up to Scotland on Friday and plan to use the six hours of peace and quiet to start write in edits on Making the News.

Chances are, though, that I'll be finishing this off once I get back. Which is fine - as long as its done by March 18th. Then I'll ignore it for a fortnight while I write something else!

Write On Redux – This is Hardcore

2007-02-27T11:33:00.000Z

So, Michelle is leading me in to trouble again this year.

Two weeks, twenty pages a day, one book at the end of it. Absolutely no excuses.

We’ll be partaking of this insanity from March 19th to April 1st, so I’ve got a bit of time to prep. And finish off the current novel in progress. Oh, and continue revising last year’s Write On Novel.

Still, I’m optimistic. I have a plan.

1 Get into training
2 Work out my timescale
3 Find the time
4 Outline
5 Write

I’ve even made a start. I’ve upped the daily word count on my current novel, Black Cat Hollow. It’s a children’s book, so shorter than the average, which helps. I figure that if I’m making 2,000 words a day on this, which I am, then it won’t be such a huge step up to twenty pages a day come March 19th. Hopefully.

The timing actually works very well for me. The two weeks chosen are completely empty in my calendar, for a change. Apart from work and family, I’m clear. And my husband has agreed to entertain himself and do the cooking for a fortnight.

I know what I need to finish before I start the challenge, and I know what I need to do daily to reach that.

20 pages a day is a lot. It’s suggested in Candace Haven's notes on the Fast Draft process that most people take around three, three and a half hours to produce that. So I figured that’s what I needed to find in my day to make this work.

It wasn’t that hard. With my current word count I’m getting back into the habit of getting up early and writing first thing, before I’m even really awake. I find it easier to get into the flow at that time, and even just a little in the morning makes it easier to get the words throughout the rest of the day.

So, that’s one hour.

With my new job, I tend to get home around an hour before my husband. If I sit right down and get to it, which I try to, that’s another sixty minutes. Knock out cooking time, and that’s another half an hour.

Two and half hours – nearly there.

After tea, I tend to have an hour to read, watch telly, or generally lounge around, before I start clearing up and getting ready for the morning. Simon will help out with all that stuff anyway, especially over that fortnight, so there’s another hour there, easy.

Three and a half hours. Add in thirty minutes at lunchtime, or extra time at the weekends, and this suddenly becomes eminently doable. At least, for a two week burst, anyway – I don’t think it’s something you can keep up all the time!

So, that’s steps 1-3 done. Now I just need to get outlining…

Wish me luck!

Words and Curry

2007-02-15T18:21:00.000Z

All is very busy at the moment. We've got a conference in London next week, running for three days, and generally being difficult. Still, somehow I managed to write 2,500 words today. I know!

I do get annoyed with myself sometimes. I mean, I know how I work. I know that if I write a little every day, then it's much easier to keep momentum, to keep going, and to go over my word goals more often. Conversely, I know that if I leave a story for more than a day, I lose any speed I've built up and tend to languish in 25-words-a-day hell. I know this. Hell, if you've read this blog more than once, you know this.

And yet, time and time again, I don't put the writing first and I lose days, weeks, sometimes months worth of words.

So I've spent a lot of this month pushing back slowly against the drag of the tide, and trying to get the words, any words, down. I finally pushed through today, I think.

The book I'm working on at the moment is another kids novel, about 40k, 10 chapters, fantastic fun. I set my goals very low - 500 words a day - partly because it's nice to exceed expectations, partly because it adds up nicely to finish just before my birthday (27. God.) and partly because I've got a lot on over the next month or two, including revising my Write-On novel.

Still, I have very good feelings about this book. And now I've ploughed through Chapter Two, exciting things are happening. Or will do, if only I remember to write every single day.

In other news, we booked train tickets up to Scotland in early March to visit some friends and their daughter (our Goddaughter). That's six or seven hours each way in which I can read, write and revise. I am very, very excited.

Anyway, off out for curry with friends for tea. Suppose I'd better go make myself look presentable...

Writing On Again

2007-02-02T14:51:00.000Z

I mentioned to Bonnie that I was reading through my Write-On novel from last year, with an eye to (finally) starting the revisions. She asked me if I still liked it.

It’s funny, but until I actually started the read through, it never occurred to me to wonder if I would. I assumed, if I thought about it at all, that since I would be walking through my own words, since I’d already know everything that was going to happen, that it would be more of an academic exercise than an enjoyable one. It was work, after all.

But I was surprised. There were scenes I don’t remember writing. Characters were much more themselves than I thought they would be. And after six months of not looking at it at all, I really enjoyed reading it.

It’s full of problems, of course. There’s lots of stuff still to fix, but I definitely feel that it’s worth fixing.

So I’m going right back to the beginning, reminding myself why these characters are where they are, what they want, how they’re going to get it, and who is trying to stop them and why.

It’s actually a lot of fun…

Kite Flying

2007-01-30T17:46:00.000Z

We went down to London at the weekend, to visit some friends who have just moved to Black Heath. It was a wonderful, lazy time, incorporating roast lamb, pub lunches, good wine and kite flying - as you can see (just about) from the photo.

My husband keeps a kite in our car at all times, just in case the perfect kite-flying opportunity should occur, as it did on Sunday. It's a great kite for such a thing - you just toss it up there, and it flies. No fancy string work, no running starts, no hassle. It's like taking a bird for a walk on a lead. And it has a very pretty tail.

I, on the other hand, keep a notebook on standby at all times, in case the perfect idea arises, or I see something interesting, or I want to look busy so that the woman sitting next to me on the train doesn't try to start a conversation. It comes in handy a little more often than the kite.

The only problem, really, is that it's not just one notebook. It's dozens. And many of them have a few pages of scrawled notes, then lots and lots of blank pages. Or shopping lists.

I am currently spring cleaning the study. This includes emptying the filing cabinet of the piles and files of paper that have been dumped in there, randomly, over the last year, and sorting them all out into a coherent system. I'm almost done with the household stuff, but there's still a vast pile of paper on the sofa.

That's right. Writing notes. Reams of them.

Notecards, pads, paper scraps, receipts, notebooks, pages torn from notebooks, pages of diaries, things torn from magazines, photocopies, folders, envelopes (backs of), files, printouts, charts, family trees, and pages and pages of A4.

I have hanging folders. I have square cut folders. I have plastic wallets. I am (normally) very good at organising things.

I will find a way to make sense of the madness.

And then I'll start on the computer files.

Winteriness

2007-01-24T19:40:00.000Z

We had our first snow of the winter here today; all gone by lunchtime, sadly. I had an email from a delegate for a conference in February asking if it would be cold - it's 25 degrees Celsius where he is.

I don't think I'd like a warm winter. Much as I may complain about the cold, it still seems the designated order of things, to me, and I'd be absolutely bamboozled by warm sunny days in December. I like my seasons, and I like them at the correct times, thanks.

For anybody counting, I've now gathered four rejection letters for my novel. It's not actually surprising, and I can't really be upset by it. More a feeling that this is the process, and it's a learning one. I like the idea that I'm still taking steps forward, however small they may be. Actually submitting anything at all was quite a reasonable one, in fact, and I'm still a little bit proud of myself for it.

Anyway, I have new and better things to work on. So Far and Out of Sight was proving particularly stubborn with regards to POV. After a few attempts at the opening, I stepped back, and am now scribbling away in long hand. Somehow I've found the tone I want much easier to reach if it's handwritten. Perhaps it's something about the story. Or perhaps it's something about my beautiful fountain pen and new ink...

While I was trying to fix whatever it was that had gone 'bang, crunch' with that story, I started absently writing another one that was hovering in the background, and that's chugging along at a reasonable clip. Also a couple of articles, and a short story. Sometimes I forget that I get much further, overall, if I can shift my focus when something isn't coming together, rather than just staring at the screen and waiting for it to right itself. Often, when I come back to the problematic piece after working on something else, everything is miraculously resolved. I think it must be pixies, or aliens, or something.

Thanks, guys. New hats with bells on for you for Christmas.

Tagged

2007-01-09T18:30:00.000Z

Bonnie tagged me, so….

5 Little Known Facts About Me

I was born in the United Arab Emirates. My Dad was working out in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, and my parents moved over there for a couple of years. The day they flew out, they discovered that Mum was pregnant with me. My Mum’s parents flew out for my birth and stayed for about a month. In 2001, I went back out there with my Dad, on my way to Singapore and Australia, and we found their old flat, and the hotel where my Grandma would drink triple gin and tonics at lunchtime (that she thought were singles) and wonder why she felt tipsy.
I have a weird obsession with spreadsheets. Whenever I’m faced with a problem, I usually decide that the best way to deal with it is by making a spreadsheet. Every story I’ve written has a spreadsheet. As does every story I’m ever going to write. I find it impossible to keep going if I don’t know where I am, where I’m going next, and what else needs to be done. Admittedly, they do change hugely once I’ve started writing.
When I was twelve, I read Tamora Pierce’s In the Hand of the Goddess fourteen and a half times in two weeks. Then it had to go back to the library. Some time later I bought my own copy, and have read it many more times since then, along with most of the others in the series. When I was younger, I really thought that Alanna and Jon belonged together. Now I see that she made the right choice. Being old and sensible is boring.
One day I’m going to learn to speak Welsh. When we moved to Wales, I was almost nine, and all the other kids had already been learning for years. No one really bothered trying to teach me any Welsh until I hit secondary school. I’d just started to get into it when I had to choose my options. Welsh clashed with Drama, so it got cut. Now I can only speak half-remembered phrases and mistranslations. My Mum teaches junior school Welsh, so I can understand it at around that level. My Grandfather was a Welsh speaker, and so is my Uncle. And one day I’ll learn too, even if only a little bit. On the other hand, I did do my Paleography and Codicology coursework at university in Welsh; we had to make a book and then fill it with text of our choosing, written in a certain script. I chose a Welsh text; it was harder to see the errors that way.
This morning I went to the Post Office and sent my query and sample pages for Saving the Unicorns to a selection of ideal agents. I feel very courageous about it, too.

Snowdrops

2007-01-02T21:13:00.000Z

The snowdrops aren't actually out here yet, lest you be all excited. But I am patiently waiting for the bulbs to sprout. The picture is to keep me going in the meantime.

As usual, we've planted bulbs all over the flower beds, and no longer have any idea where they're going to come up. It'll be a nice surprise, I think, and at least I won't notice if any don't make it.

With the New Year comes the New Novel. I'm patiently polishing the synopsis and first three chapters for Saving the Unicorns, and will be sending them out to prospective agents over this month. But I promised myself that come January 2007 I would start writing So Far and Out of Sight, and so I have.

Over the festive period, in the hour or so I had to myself during the week and a half spent at my parents' house, I set out my vague outline, splitting the major events of the novel into the relevant time frames. And when I say 'vague', I mean 'smoke-like in its ability to slip through my fingers'. But, it's there, and I've worked with less. I know that once I get into it, things will start firming up, and becoming clear.

I'm aiming for 1,000 words a day, averaged out, and am on target so far. I like my beginning. I'm becoming interested in my characters. I'm unsure as to why Saskia is staying in the Yellow Room, but at least it's over the Rose Garden, even if the colour is going to give her a headache for the next 100,000 words. And Edward's looking pretty cute already.

I've been thinking about this story for about the last year, so even if I don't know exactly how I'm getting from A to B, I do know the heart of it, which helps. I put together a sparse storyboard of pictures for it last month, a triptych of images that define the three parts of the story, and it's hanging over my desk. If I remember, I'll take a picture tomorrow to post here.

This story is my snowdrop; a sprouting idea of a thing, and I'm unsure where it will emerge, bright green against the backdrop of the everyday, and growing, growing, growing. But soon it's going to start to flower.

2007

2007-01-01T23:14:00.000Z

It's only just 2007, and I already appear to be having posting issues. I had this fab, new year, new start post all done, and now it's missing.

Anyway, the decorations are down, the tree dismembered, the holiday spirit abandoned. In their place, a fresh, cool new year, full of opportunity and wonderment. Lots to do, see, achieve in 2007, which I'm sure I'll discuss as the year progresses.

In the meantime, this is Dinas Bran in North Wales, where I got engaged, just over a year ago. This photo was actually taken by a friend of my father on that very day, just a few hours after the momentous event.

25,051

2006-12-19T17:41:00.000Z

And that seems to be where it wants to stop. Little bit more fiddling, but no more big chunks to add in. Still seems to fit within the usually given guidelines for children's (9-12) novels in Britain.

Query letter, incidentally, is also substantially written. I keep messing around with it, but I think it's time to stop.

Synopsis still to do. Blergh.

Most Christmas presents wrapped, now, and laundry for going home mostly done.

Today was the first day it's been really cold here (minus 2 - 5 depending on who you ask) and I had to scrape ice off my windscreen this morning, before I left for work, and this afternoon, when I was trying to get home.

Tomorrow night we're going to a friend's for mulled wine and minced pies, and to Hitchin town centre for some carol singing!

It's all so festive.

24,342

2006-12-17T11:28:00.000Z

I've finished typing in everything I had. Now I just need to go back and fill in a few bits I identified on my trip through.

Not until we've been back to John Lewis to argue some more about the gift list.

Parcel, incidentally, still hasn't arrived.

Printer is finally working though, so I'm feeling a little calmer.

15,694

2006-12-15T15:52:00.000Z

That's over 10k today, and over half way there.

Actually, I think it will run a little short, even when I add in the scenes I know it needs, but that's okay.

Still no parcel. Still can't leave house. It's pretty dark outside, already.

Think I might take a little break now.

12,045

2006-12-15T14:35:00.000Z

But still no parcel.

Damn Parcelforce. I can't go anywhere until the bloody thing arrives - its my Mum's birthday present, and this is the only day I'll be here to sign for it!

7640

2006-12-15T13:42:00.001Z

And cheese toasties for lunch

Revision Timetable

2006-12-15T12:00:00.000Z

So I'm home alone, with the next twelve hours stretching ahead of me.

I've got some errands to run in town at some point, and I'm waiting for a parcel to be delivered. I want to wrap presents this evening, preferably while watching some bad tv. Same sort of schedule for the next couple of days. I need to go down to London, and I need to do some house sorting, but they're only half day errands.

The rest of the time? I'm revising.

It's midday, and I'm starting at 5132 words. It's a novel for 8-12 year olds, so it doesn't run long. Ideal length is 30k.

How far do you think I can get today?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2006-12-13T08:26:00.000Z

Only ten more Christmas Cards to go! The last ten are for the people in my immedate department, and I need to make the cranberry shortbread to take in with them tonight.

I stayed up last night to finish writing the family and friends ones, while watching the Royal Variety Performance. They had the cast of Wicked! on doing a few songs from the show - it looks really good. Also they had Spamalot, so I suspect I'll have to take Simon soon.

I'm working on goals for next year. They're still nebulous, and keep being spoiled by certain items in the shiny new idea box being shiner than usual, when they're supposed to stay dull for the time being, while I do other stuff. So. Possibly a slight rejig of next year's schedule.

Of course, first I need to finish 2006's goals. For example, the Saving the Unicorns rewrite etc. I have Friday off work, as it's Simon's birthday, but as he's going to London for his work's Christmas do at lunchtime, I'll have all afternoon to work on it. And wrap some presents.

Right. Off to work!

The Close of the Year

2006-12-07T08:45:00.000Z

We're heading into the dregs of 2006 now, and the Christmas rain is setting in here in the South East of England.

It's been a pretty huge year so far, what with the changing of jobs, doing up of house, oh, and the getting married. I finished the first drafts of two novels - one romantic/mystery fiction, one children's - and a few articles and bits here and there.

But I still have things to do before 2007, and the new progress bars will be going up very shortly:

Write Christmas cards
Buy and wrap Christmas presents
Finish type in edit of Saving the Unicorns, write synopsis and query letter and send out to selected agents

Not much, then, really. How many days do I have left?

Normal Service Will Resume Eventually

2006-12-05T08:11:00.000Z

For the last few months, all I seem to have been saying is 'After the wedding, things will get back to normal, and we'll have time to actually do things again.'

Now the wedding is over? Not so much. Guess I forgot about Christmas.

I love Christmas - mostly because I have the most fantastic family to spend it with, and we always have such great fun.

As a rule, my Christmas preparations are ready by early December at the latest, allowing me to enjoy the last few weeks of anticipation without worrying.

This year, I've done nothing.

On the plus side, the thank you notes are finally finished, just in time to start on the Christmas cards.

And believe it or not, I've actually been getting some writing work done, too - mostly on a very long train trip to York this weekend, but it still counts!

More on this next post...

In the meantime, I expect Normal Service to resume for 2007.

Mrs Lydia Wickham

2006-11-30T08:25:00.000Z

Or: The strangeness of being married, Part One

I’m still getting used to this marriage thing, it seems. Today I identified myself by my maiden name on the phone to a very confused gentleman that I had previously contacted under my married name.

But more that the surname, it’s the ‘Mrs’ that throws me. When people address me as Mrs, I start looking around for someone older and eminently more sensible than myself.

I feel a bit like a small girl playing at being a proper grown up.

In fact, I feel like Lydia Bennett, newly become Mrs Lydia Wickham, telling her eldest sisters that they must walk behind her now, because she is married and they are not.

Just as well that I always liked Lydia.

Alternative Nano

2006-11-22T18:15:00.000Z

Due to spending most of November in Wedding Frenzy, I've had to forgoe Nano this year.
Actually, I had to skip it last year too, although that was due to an entire month of conference frenzy, so a lot less fun.

I do, however, have my own, special, alternative Nano running.

83 thank you letters to write and post before the end of November, when it's time to start writing the Christmas cards instead.

It's not that I actually mind writing the letters; people were so very, very kind to us in all sorts of ways, and I really want to acknowledge that and show my gratitude in well written, personal notes with good handwriting.

It's just that it might take forever.

As we all know, progress tracking is always a good motivator for me, so there's a new progress bar on the right. Don't laugh. It's making me feel better.

Still Here

2006-11-21T08:36:00.000Z

Okay, so I really, really meant to post before this. I just can't understand how the world can continue to be this crazy busy when the wedding is over, already.Part of the problem is that I wanted to write a nice long post telling you all about the wedding and Rome and everything, and because I haven't had time to write that, I haven't written anything.So, I'll get round to the proper thing eventually. In the meantime, I'm still here, and here are the photos to prove it:

Me and Dad outside the church

My new husband and I pretend to sign the register

Me after the ceremony

From left to right: My brother Kip, my Dad, my husband Simon, me, my Mum, my brother Mike

So much wedding, so little time

2006-10-23T21:21:00.000+01:00

So, Bonnie nagged me, and so I am updating. Kinda.

The wedding is a week on Saturday. The favours have gone missing in the hands of the courier service. I'm still not sure I can fit into my dress. I spent seven hours on Saturday shopping for cufflinks. My world is askew.

Family start arriving this weekend (my cousin flies in from Toronto with her husband on Saturday - my Dad's staying with us on Friday night then picking them up from Heathrow to drive them up to Wales) and we head up North on Saturday. There is much packing to be done.

Still, there are fab plans in place! Chinese takeaway at my Aunt and Uncle's on Saturday night. Church on Sunday to hear the banns (now the vicar is assigning Simon to the correct parish, and the wedding is no longer illegal). Make up trial and pub quiz on Monday. Haircut and lunch with the cousins on Tuesday. Pre-wedding celebratory meal on Wednesday (it is not a hen night). Jo Malone facial on Thursday, courtesy of the aforementioned fantastic cousins. Manicure and pedicure on Friday, and then Lockdown.

Lockdown is my father. He's locking my entire family in the house from late afternoon Friday until the wedding. He says he can't risk any of us wondering off and being late. We're not allowed visitors, either. But, he's promised to cook, so that's okay.

Saturday is the wedding - plenty of canapes, Kir Royale, Leek and Potato Soup, Welsh Roast Lamb, Sticky Toffee Pudding (with sparklers) and cheese plates. Proper 30s Jazz band and then guitars and singing in the bar in the wee hours. My family. Huh.

Sunday, we have a family fireworks thing for Bonfire Night at my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Sunday, Simon and I fly off to Rome for the week! We're staying right by the Coliseum!

Anyway, I'm getting irrationally excited by the whole thing, and am totally unable to concentrate on edits. Instead I've been using my daily half hour to develop my next story idea, as only bright shiny objects can hold my attention at the moment! Once I'm back I'll do edits. I promise.

Other things

2006-09-30T09:24:00.000+01:00

For some reason, it's been a really hard couple of weeks.

Partly, this may be down to autumnal health issues - Simon's been sick all this week with a cold/throat/head bug which I'm now suffering from (and complaining at least twice as much as he did).

Also, the wedding planning is kicking into high speed now, with only five more weeks to go (oh God).

Add in the new job, which inevitably involves a lot of concentration if I even want to remember people's names (something I am very bad at) let alone what I'm actually supposed to be doing.

All this is by way of saying, "The writing's not going so well."

On the other hand, I have my half hour agreement with Bonnie. This, at least, has enabled me to keep moving with stuff. I've actually used the time mostly to finish up loose ends, get some short stuff written, and plan and plot away quietly, which is more inkeeping with my limited attention span right now.

I'm also very aware that it is nearly October. It seems kind of pointless setting lofty goals for the next month, when I know that so much of it will be filled with table plans and place cards. But as long as I can keep my 1/2 hour a day, I should be okay.

Now that most of the loose ends and smaller things are finished, I need to commit to using my half hour to edit Saving the Unicorns. I'm going through the hard copy, very slowly, at the moment, although I've barely started. I also haven't brought it to Wales this weekend, so it'll have to wait until Monday. Instead, today and tomorrow will be spent getting over this stinking cold, and thinking and noting my way through a few writing issues I know I have to deal with next month.

It's frustrating to have everything moving so slowly at the moment, but at least it is still moving.

Things that are happening to me right now.

2006-09-28T08:44:00.000+01:00

Right now, I am about to be late for work. However, I'm not going anywhere until my fiance has managed to saw his way out of the bathroom.

Seriously.

A couple of weeks ago the mechanism in the door handle broke on the door to my study, while Simon and I were outside. With the aid of a screwdriver, Simon managed to jimmy the door so we could get in, and has dismantled the mechanism so that, while we can't shut the door properly, we can't get stuck in or outside the room.

Same thing just happened to the bathroom door, except this time, Simon's inside.

Because of the way the door is set up, you need to be inside the room to do anything about it. And there isn't enough space under the door to pass a screwdriver.

I managed to get a saw blade underneath, though, and he's currently sawing through the mechanism. He thinks he's nearly there.

I'd better go give some more encouragement...

New Job

2006-09-19T07:56:00.000+01:00

First day at the new job went well, but I was so exhausted at the end of it I went to bed before nine.

Of course, some of that may have been to do with the trek up to Wales, going out partying with my brother on Friday, shopping for wedding shoes all day Saturday (still don't have any), and shopping for clothes all day Sunday. Add in a few wedding related in-law issues, along with general wedding planning, and a four and half hour drive back on Sunday night, and I was just whacked.

On the plus side, it means I'm up early this morning and already have my half hour done.

Okay, off to the day job!

New Start

2006-09-15T09:05:00.000+01:00

As one door closes, yada yada.

As I may have mentioned, I'm starting a new job on Monday. They sent me a stack of forms to fill in (if I go missing, my fiance mayhave bumped me off for the life assurance) one of which was a New Starter form.

The more I thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed.

I've spent the last four and a half years organising conferences, all around the globe. I worked damn hard, for long hours, many weekends, and I was very good at my job.

But you can only do that for so long. So I don't any more.

The last month has been a limbo period. I've temped, written, decluttered, thought and slept a lot. But now it's time for my life to begin. A new life, with a new start.

Other signs that my world is starting over, whether I like it or not - I need to renew my passport, as it runs out on November 6th. So I need to renew it in a new name, with a new picture, and a signature from my vicar that I will be becoming this different person in a month and a bit.

I'm heading up to Wales this weekend (luckily, as that's where the vicar is) and my mother and I are going to visit the personal shopper at Debenhams - something we booked ages ago, and that coincidentally falls now, just when I need a new wardrobe, in order to be this new person.

But it's not all coincidence. I'm making some active changes too.

One reason (among many) for leaving my previous job was that I wanted more time to write.
And I know that my stories progress if I write on them everyday, however little. Bonnie reminded me of this, and we set ourselves a challenge.

We will write for half an hour, every day. No matter what.

How hard can that be?

New regime, people.

September

2006-09-09T09:08:00.000+01:00

It's all change over here in Katy's Wonderland.

I've just finished my temp contact at the council, and on the 18th I start my new real job, right here in town, with ordinary hours and everything.

It has a pension, health care, free Alta Rica coffee on tap, and free lunch in the restaurant!
My old job had none of these things.

I'm very excited.

The darling fiance has just disappeared in a taxi for the airport - he's off to a conference in Vermont for the week, while I sit here at home and pine.

Well, not exactly.

Lots to do today, before my cousin comes to stay tonight. There are plans for Red Dwarf dvds and Chicken Pad Thai. I do make damn good Pad Thai. And then I'll probably live on ready meals until Simon gets home.

Then I've got until Thursday to get the house / my life / everything in order. I'm up in Wales over the weekend, going to a personal shopper with my mum, and probably meeting with the florist again, I think.

And, of course, the writing.

I want to get Saving the Unicorns revised this month. And, potentially, sent out.

I've also accidentally started in on something new over the last week, which appears to be running faster than I can keep up with. I said I wanted 20k on it this month, and I'm at 14k now, so hopefully that should be achieveable too.

Oh, yeah. And I need to finish planning the wedding, as it is now less than two months away.

Right, must get dressed and go to the cash machine to get money to pay the nice man who's coming to clear out our gutters in about 45mins. It's a wild, wild life I'm living.

Very Nearly There

2006-08-18T16:20:00.000+01:00

So, I just finished my week of unemployment. It's a weird time when I'm the slacker in the family.

Still, I have been using my time profitably. I've just finished the first draft of Saving the Unicorns, more or less. I want to go back and add in a couple of obvious scenes over the weekend, then I'll leave it alone for a little while before beginning a redraft. I'd like it to hit 30k when it's finished; I suspect it'll be around 25k by the end of Sunday, so we'll see what the read through throws up in a couple of weeks. My research tells me that anything between 20k and 40k is fine for books aimed at 8 to 12 year olds. Hopefully. It's only recently that they've started running a lot longer.

Monday, I start an ongoing temp job for the council, which will mostly involve photocopying, apparently. I've got a couple of interviews for permanent work coming up, which is good. Everything's slow at the moment because every company has vital people on holiday, I guess.
Anyway, at least we can pay the mortgage this month.

I need to get stuck back into the Snow Child rewrite. It's kind of fallen by the wayside while I got caught up with unicorns in South Wales. I also have a couple of non-fiction articles I need to work on.

But just for now, I think I'll take a break. Maybe have a cup of tea and a crumpet.
It is Friday, after all.

London

2006-08-10T12:40:00.000+01:00

No work done at all this morning, as I've been glued to BBC News 24 watching the coverage of the foiled terrorist attacks on UK to US planes.

My Dad flew into Heathrow from Cairo around midday, and obviously his connecting flight to Manchester has been cancelled. Mum and I have been on the phone all morning trying to figure out how to get him home quickest; he's been away working for a month, and just wants to get back!

I've found him a coach to Watford that should be quicker that taking the train into the city then across to Euston and back out again. He should be able to pick up a train to Crewe from Watford, and if they're too packed, I can go pick him up from there and he can stay with us tonight and try again tomorrow.

I was all set to drive down to Heathrow, but looking at the traffic, this should be quicker for him, I hope.

I've seen a few people complaining that the security measures regarding hand luggage are too strong, but personally, I think that anything that keeps people safe has to be done, no matter how inconvenient.

In other news, I spent yesterday in London with my cousin who's down from Birmingham, having afternoon tea at Selfridges and doing some shopping. Then we met up with her brother and went to see the stage musical of Footloose. It may have been the wine in the bar beforehand, but we thought it was fantastic! My cousin Phil bought each of us a Footloose bear, complete with logo tshirt. Mine's called Kevin.

May have to watch the dvd of the film this afternoon...

Snow Child Revision

2006-08-07T10:51:00.000+01:00

2000 words on Saving the Unicorns this morning, so now a short break, then onto the Snow Child revision.

Snow Child is a YA novel I wrote a couple of years ago, and have never got around to revising. Partly, I think, because I don't believe I could sell it anywhere. Still, I need the practice at the process of revision, and who knows what I might end up with.

I do love the story, and the characters, and the whole tone of the piece. Hopefully the revision won't be too much of a chore.

I've already been through the manuscript, over the last couple of weeks, making extensive notes of what needs changing/rewriting/tightening or just editing a bit. The first sections need quite extensive rewriting, which is what's making it so hard to start.

Still, I'm working on it this afternoon. Definitely.

Saving the Unicorns

2006-08-02T15:51:00.000+01:00

This is a story I began last summer, that got derailed by a number of events that upset my life for a while.

It's aimed at the 8-12 year old reading group, so it's short. I'd already done about 8k on it last year, plus all the required planning, so now I just want to steam ahead and finish the thing.

I really like the story, the characters and the setting; I'm even fond of the plot. It should be a lot of fun to write.

I've just hit 10k on it, so that's 2k since I restarted it, and I'm already engrossed. Hopefully this will go quite quickly.

It can't possibly go as slowly as the Snow Child revision, but more on that next time.

August

2006-08-01T09:04:00.000+01:00

A whole new month, and my write-on novel off my back. What joyous days!

Except, of course, that I now have a new list of things to get done in the next 31 days:

Finish the revisions for Snow Child
Write 20k on Saving the Unicorns
Get a job I like

I expect that somehow 1 and 2 will be much easier than 3.

Other things happening this month:

Family weekend in Porthmadog, with a lunch at Portmeirion (Italianate village where The Prisoner was filmed) on the bank holiday
Dinner with the cousins in London tonight
My mum and brother to visit on Thursday for a long weekend
Weekend with friends in London sometime soon
Trip to John Lewis to pick out items for the wedding gift list
Probably lots of other stuff I've forgotten about.

I think I like August. Except that now I have to go get ready to head into the office to wrangle with financial reconciliations with the boss. Only technically employed there for another 13 days...

Finished!

2006-07-27T13:48:00.000+01:00

I was beginning to think that the end would never come, but I've finally reached it - before deadline, too! It's short, but I know it'll grow when I realise all the stuff I've skipped over in this draft.

So, all I need to do now is print the thing off, shove it in a folder for a while, until I can bear to look at it again to think about revising it, and tidy up the absolute chaos that has descended on my study, all in time to start something new on the 1st August.

But more details on that when I've cleared up, and done a small victory dance.

Yay me!

Melting at 58,000

2006-07-19T09:50:00.000+01:00

Oh God, this heat is unbearable. And it's still only 09.45. It's only going to get hotter.

I've caved, and am wearing shorts. I don't intend to inflict this sight on anyone outside my house, so I won't be going anywhere today.

Still, got 1000 words so far. Going to go and do some housework before it gets too much hotter, then I'll plot out the next couple of scenes, I think.

Roll on autumn.

57,000

2006-07-19T08:37:00.000+01:00

I think that this thing is going to run way short - at the moment it's looking to finish at about 65,000.

On the other hand, I know there's stuff missing - in some cases big, wordy stuff. I just don't know how best to fit it all in until the basics are finished and I start revising.

Also, there's little to no description in most scenes. I guess it could be quite a bit longer after the rewrite.

I'm at home today, and for most days until mid-August. I'm choosing to describe this time as 'garden-leave'. Technically, though, I'm working from home. Except this is only because there's nothing for me to do in the office, so it's not exactly labour intensive.

Anyway, I have a schedule for the next few weeks, which also includes trips to North Wales, Manchester and London for a variety of reasons, and high hopes that I may get some serious writing done during this time.

So. On current outline, only 8,000 words until the first draft is finished.

So very nearly there...

55,000

2006-07-13T15:55:00.000+01:00

This thing is really starting to move!

Got an appointment with an agency tomorrow, and already been recommended for two jobs, both considerably more local than my current one. Pay cut inevitable, but quality of life should go up!

Boss took the resignation well, which is fantastic.

Off to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 tonight in celebration.
And may have a very large drink.

What a day.

Holy Stationery Cupboards, Batman!

2006-07-13T13:04:00.000+01:00

I just resigned.

52,000

2006-07-12T11:02:00.000+01:00

I'm starting to actually believe that the ending is in sight. Just 18k to go, and I'm writing every day. I may actually make my August 1st deadline.

I've been working in a slightly new way for this novel than for anything else I've written for a while, but now I come to post about it, I'm noticing some similarities to a system I used a few years ago for the first lengthy story I wrote (novella, rather than novel, though).

When I started writing Making the News (and, Oh God, please somebody send me a better title) I'd just had a bad experience with full plotting before writing the novel. So I thought I'd try something different.

For the first few thousand words, I knew the basic set up, had a vague idea of some scenes I wanted to include, and, as it was a romance, knew that the hero and heroine would end up together. I decided to figure out the rest as I went along.

The only problem with that plan was that I get nervous when I don't know where I'm going, and that tends to block me up a bit.

So, about 10000 words in, I compromised.

I created a spreadsheet where I could put in the main turning points I knew, with blank spaces for the other scenes, which I filled in as and when they came to me. It meant I spent a lot of time jiggling things around, but it seems to be working okay. Completed scenes are in black, with wordcount, scenes still to write are in green. It got a bit more complicated as time progressed, and includes chapter breakdowns and wordcounts and all sorts. And it means I can see exactly where I am and where I need to go next, and how long it should take me to get there.

Now, there are just 10 more scenes to go, and I can see exactly how much I've already achieved. It's really very motivating.

But I'm still trying something new for the next one!

50,000

2006-07-11T09:09:00.000+01:00

Now we're talking!

Had a great weekend back up in Wales - ordered wedding dress, sorted out bridesmaid's dress, had a lovely lunch with Mum and Dad at Moules-a-go-go.

My Uncle's 60th birthday party was fantastic - great food, wine, singing and company. Went on until 3am, though, so I wasn't good for much on Sunday!

It is, however, impossible to write when I'm at Mum and Dad's. People keep coming to talk to me, wherever I am. And I don't have my 'Preifet' sign ('Private' in Welsh) to hang on the door to keep people out. That works a treat at home.

Still, have now broken 50,000 - just another 20K to go!

48,000

2006-07-07T12:16:00.000+01:00

Making progress here!

Just as well, really. Chances are that my output may go down over the weekend - too much other fun to be having.

45,000

2006-07-06T07:20:00.000+01:00

Step by step, people.

My Dad swung by last night on his way from London back home to North Wales, and stopped for dinner and stayed the night. Simon cooked Thai Green Curry, we opened the good red wine, and Dad collected my brother's French Horn that I had to pick up from Cambridge a few weeks ago.

I'm heading home myself tomorrow, for the weekend, and must make sure I keep up this writing schedule while I'm there, however hard it is to get even a moment alone!

The plan for the weekend is shopping with Chester with my Mum on Saturday - where I will hopefully buy a wedding dress (eek) and maybe even some shoes (I want blue ones).

Then Saturday night is my uncle's 60th birthday party, which will be a lot of fun. Lots of family and friends there, and there will be music and singing and food and wine.

Back down south again on Sunday, and back to work on Monday.

Sounds quite exhausting when I write it out like that!

44,000

2006-07-05T07:14:00.000+01:00

You know, if I keep this up, I might actually make it.

Book Review - Angel With Attitude, by Michelle Rowen

2006-07-04T17:43:00.000+01:00

I read Michelle Rowen’s first novel, Bitten and Smitten, during what would have otherwise been a very long, very boring train journey from Cambridge to Durham. Instead, the time flew by, and I missed all the beautiful countryside I could have been watching outside the windows, because I was completely entertained by the antics, character and comedy of the main character, Sarah.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to getting my hands on Michelle’s latest book, Angel with Attitude, released earlier this week. I’m glad to report that I wasn’t disappointed.

Valerie is a fallen angel – stuck in Niagara Falls with a head cold and a determination to get back where she belongs – Heaven.

Of course, it’s never that easy. But with the help of a nine year old prima donna psychic, a fry cook witch demon summoner, a love-rat who’s currently an actual rat, and her very own Tempter Demon, Val’s certainly going to give it a try.

Once she’s finished saving the world, anyway.

What I really enjoyed in this book was the humour with which the matters of life, death and one or two in between states were handled. The characters were wise-cracking, if not always wise, but also contained the sort of emotion that made them real to me.

I loved the corruption of cliché and deviation from traditional stereotypes – for everything from angels and demons to faeries and McDonalds staff members. And I really appreciated that nothing was ever quite what it seemed; Valerie has to trust her heart and not her eyes to stay alive and figure out what’s going on.

I’d certainly recommend Angel with Attitude to anyone looking for a light hearted romp through the underworld, or anyone with a perfect lazy summer afternoon to while away in the pursuit of Heaven. Or truly gorgeous Tempter Demons.

43,000

2006-07-04T07:10:00.000+01:00

Made myself get up early and write again this morning, and I'm so glad I did.

The scene I just wrote really starts the action that leads towards the end, even if the characters don't know it yet. It was fun to write, it flowed, and I can just feel the story coming together.

I know that this is because I've been writing on this story every day for the last week or so. I just can't seem to keep the feel of the thing in my head if I'm away from it for more than 24 hours.

So, I've said it before, but I'll say it again to make sure it is fully drummed into my head:

I have to write 1000 words of this story every day in order to meet my deadline.

Maybe I should get it tattooed somewhere... temporary, of course. Just enough to last out the month.

Getting There

2006-07-03T09:57:00.000+01:00

I have just spent the most wonderful week at the seaside, exploring ruins and castles, shopping in craft shops, eating at fantastic restaurants, paddling in the sea, and writing. I'll try and post some pics later.

I got reasonable work done on the WIP, purely by getting up every morning and sitting down to write while having my first cup of coffee. The lack of internet access obviously helped.

I know that to finish my first draft on deadline for the Write-Ons (July 31st), I need to write 1000 words every day. It'll be a short first draft, as usual, but I know there's more detail to add in - I just can't see what until I have a finished draft!

So this morning, I got up early like I used to before life went crazy, made coffee, disabled the internet access at my study computer for the morning, and wrote 1181 words in 40 minutes.

I just hope the rest of the month is that easy!

Other news; the story I want to write next is set in Tenby in South Wales, my favourite holiday spot, so while we were there last week I took the opportunity to finish the plotting and research for that too. Simon took lots and lots of photos for me, that I hope will jog my memory about layouts and colours and details when I sit down to write it next month.

Wedding invitations are out, and lovely responses are coming in. One or two problems with family on Simon's side, but hopefully we'll get all that sorted out.

And at some point this week I need to discuss resigning with my boss...

Where I'm going with this.

2006-05-31T20:54:00.000+01:00

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to where I'm going with all this.

You know the days where you sit up suddenly, spill your drink, and realise you've been going about things all wrong and you never notice? That's been my last couple of months.

Since Christmas, everything has been frantic. Some of it was the good frantic, some of it the awful, awful frantic. But it's been impossible to enjoy the good stuff, like wedding plans and the new house, because of the mental drain of the bad stuff.

Some of the bad stuff, like my Grandma's death, was unavoidable. But I bet the funeral wouldn't have been quite so unbearable if I hadn't had to get up at three the next morning to catch a flight to Hungary and work from six in the morning until midnight for the next week.

That's the main problem. Since our Account Director left and I had to pick up the slack (i.e. his job as well as mine, and training a new member of staff) for not much more pay, I haven't had a moment to think about anything but work. I've been travelling an awful lot, which means I haven't been able to spend as much time with my fiance as I'd like, or with my family. There's been a great deal of responsibility and expectations laid on me from all quarters.

So, suddenly I realised that it didn't have to be like this. I could get a new job, without the two hours a day commuting and the constant tenseness.

Because, I remembered, this isn't the career I want. This isn't what I want to be doing five years from now.

In fact, this isn't what I want to be doing two months from now.

So I'll finish out our current projects, the last of which is next week. I'll tidy up the books, go on holiday for a week, then hand in my notice.

Because there is a lot more in my life than this, and everything else is more important.

I discussed all this with Simon a few weeks ago, and he was both supportive and thrilled I was going to get out of something he had seen make me so unhappy lately.

Then on Monday night we told my parents, over dinner. They both thought I was making the right decision.

And my mother said; "It will give you more time to write, too. Because that's what you really want to do." Without me ever telling her that.

I have a feeling that the second half of 2006 is going to be so much better than the first.

32,000

2006-05-26T10:43:00.000+01:00

Slow couple of weeks over here in Fictionville, mostly due to Wedding Issues, last minute trips to Frankfurt and some very necessary Sorting Out of the study and spare room.

Off to Wales again this weekend, with a very busy schedule involving wedding dresses and birthday parties.

Would be nice if I could get a chunk done during my lunchhour today before I go away... I'll keep you updated.

New Study

2006-05-07T20:55:00.000+01:00

Another great Write On Word War today - bringing my wordcount up to just over 28k.

Obviously, major source of inspiration is my beautiful new study, as pictured. On the left you can see my pictures of New York and Narnia respectively, and above the desk my storyboard for my current story.

Also shown; my moneypot, some notebooks, photos of my grandparents and my parents, my files, my iPod, my plant pot (still waiting for the perfect plant) and my very expensive, but non-spine-damaging, desk chair.

It's all very exciting... but we need to put up more book shelves.

25,000

2006-05-07T11:30:00.000+01:00

That's got to be some sort of a milestone right? At least worthy of another cup of coffee, and maybe even some breakfast.

We've got another Write On Word War this afternoon, so I'm hopeful of getting this total up even more before the end of the day.

Perhaps some scrambled eggs...

Home Again

2006-05-02T09:34:00.000+01:00

Got back home yesterday - have almost managed to stop falling asleep when left unattended for more than a moment.

Day off today, mostly. Want to get some writing done, in amongst all the other stuff. Not to mention that I'm still too tired to work up the energy to stand upright in the shower - had to have a bath yesterday, and fell asleep in it. Not good.

Did get some writing done while I was away, entirely due to the jet lag that had me up at 4am for the first few days. Up to around 23K now. Maybe I can hit 25K today... what do you think?

San Francisco

2006-04-25T13:39:00.000+01:00

So it's like five thirty in the morning, but my sleep patterns are screwed, and I had to get up to call the office and a couple of clients in Europe before the time-zone issue became too overwhelming anyway.

So I'm bathed, dressed, I've made my phone calls, checked my emails and they don't start serving breakfast for another hour.

Guess I'd better get some writing done, then.

I'll let you know how I get on.

20,000!

2006-04-23T19:17:00.000+01:00

Fantastic write on word war this evening!

Finally got to 20K, which is just a huge relief, especially as I know I won't be able to write much this week.

On the other hand, I still haven't packed for tomorrow... suppose I'd better go do that, then.

16,000

2006-04-23T10:23:00.000+01:00

Everything seems so very slow on this story at the moment, and I'm getting frustrated.

I know that a lot of it is because I haven't had much time to myself to write, let alone think about the next steps in the story, and that when I have had time my brain is so fried from work that I just can't concentrate.

I also know that May will be better, and that June won't be so bad, so I still hope to hit the August 1st deadline.

Write on word war this afternoon, which will hopefully help. It would be fantastic to hit 20K before I leave tomorrow morning.

Other things to do today - painting the study (2nd coat, finally), laundry, packing, sorting out the work files to take to SF, calling the family, general house sort. And the drinking of coffee.

But most importantly, writing.

Back from Frankfurt

2006-04-12T20:50:00.000+01:00

Urgh. A very long, very trying, very crisis-ridden couple of days over and done with, thank God.

In the office tomorrow, then driving up to Mum and Dad's in North Wales tomorrow night for the Easter weekend - Simon's already up there at his parents.

Come Sunday, Lent is officially over and I can have a glass of wine. Somebody, please, remind me not to give up alcohol next year? Seven weeks, people.

Got maybe 500 words while I was away, which just sucks.

I'm taking Gwennie the laptop home with me (in her snazzy new bag) so I have hopes of getting a decent word count over the long weekend. Although I also have family stuff, friends stuff and wedding stuff to get done. And new Doctor Who to watch. And my birthday party!

Day Off!

2006-04-07T11:16:00.000+01:00

Oh thank God, a day off!

I was supposed to do a teleconference from home this morning, but that got cancelled too, so my day is my own.

Although, we've got a friend arriving to stay the weekend at 16.30, so I need to clean the house and prepare his room. And I have to paint the first coat in the study.

But most importantly - I need to write a lot of words! And type up all the stuff from Gothenburg that I haven't gotten around to yet.

Hmmm. Maybe I need coffee and a sandwich to help with all this...

A mere 500 words and 1 1/2 walls done so far. Wish me luck!

12,500

2006-04-05T20:19:00.000+01:00

Sorry, I've been awful about posting this week!

I got quite a lot done in Gothenburg, bringing me up to around 12,500. Sadly it's all longhand, so I have a lot of typing up in my future. Oh well, it's good for when the brainhas stopped functioning well enough for the new stuff.

Haven't managed anything much this week - work's been frantic and I just haven't felt like doing much of anything by the time I get home. The laundry is also suffering.

Still, I'll try and get a bit down tonight. We've got a friend coming to visit this weekend, staying in my temporary study, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done then either.

Oh, and I suddenly have to go to Frankfurt next week for a very intensive site visit. Imagine I'll spend the flights sleeping.

Then it's off to North Wales for Easter, then it's my birthday, then I'm in San Francisco for the following week.

I'm loathe to set any goals for the next few weeks, as I think I might be less miserable if I reconcile myself to just getting whatever and whenever I can.

Still, I'd like to be at 30K by the end of the month...

7500

2006-03-26T17:52:00.000+01:00

You know, I was quite convinced that I'd posted here yesterday, but apparently not! And to think that I was blaming blogger for being rubbish.

Got another 2500 yesterday, in between shopping and cooking and cleaning, before our guests arrived at six.

We've just dropped them off at the station now, so I'm settling in to try and get some more words before tea.

The first week has gone really well, actually. I think that having a deadline, even one quite far away at the moment, and having the Write On guys hovering in the back of my mind has really helped me get stuck in.

I suppose I should have some goals for the next week, but I'm off to Gothenburg on Wednesday morning and don't get back until Saturday night. I probably won't have much in the way of internet or even computer access while I'm out there, and I'll be working pretty much all hours, so it's difficult to know how much I'll be able to achieve.

Ideally, I guess, I'd like to hit 10K total tonight (which is very optimistic) and then get another 2500 over the next couple of days.

Then, while I'm away, I can concentrate a bit more on plotting and thickening the story, and perhaps get some words down if I get the time.

Maybe I should just see how I get on tonight first!

5000

2006-03-22T21:41:00.000Z

This is going well.

A solid 1500 words this evening, introducing some key members of Emily's family, and getting Em and Joe on stage together again, even if only briefly.

In the real world, Simon has almost finished fixing the rotten windowsill in the study, and is now stripping wallpaper ready to start decorating.

Suppose I'd better go help him, actually.