Circling Women

You must take these tweezers and move this mountain of sand from here to here...

Phantom Tollbooth reference. Did anyone catch that?

The computer was being a right [insert fanciful expletive] yesterday. It took all day just to load Word, and so I got precious little writing done. There's no harm though. I managed to write close to two thousand words. I should be finishing up soon.

What I really wanted to talk to you about today, though, is my dear friend Leonie Allan. As some of you may already know, she provides spiritual materials to help women everywhere realise their inner divinity. She believes that every thing is divine and that art and creativity is a way to access our own personal divinity and connect with the greater divinity that surrounds us constantly and is easily forgotten.

Sounds a little too hippy-ish for you? Well... that's your issue.

In any case, she came across this work - her path, if I might reference yesterday's post - when she first attended a women's circle. I've never done it, so I can't tell you what it's about other than what Leonie has said. In any case, she found it one of the single most profound moments of her life, and it sent her on her way.

She's now bringing that experience to the virtual plane. Women can now circle no matter where they are in the world. If you sign up for the circle, you also have access to all of Leonie's meditations and projects, as well as any other things she comes up with during the year you've signed up for. That's about $600.00 worth of stuff, in case you were wondering.

You can sign up HERE. It'll cost you $99.00 a year (or thereabouts), which is a steal of a deal.

If you wondering what I believe, I believe that Leonie is right. Miracles can happen when women gather in a spirit of understanding and love. Sign up. You'll be glad.

Oooh, also, and dear to my heart, she is bringing back hand-written letters with a goddess pen-pal programme. You should check that out too while you're there!

Right, there is much work that I need to do. Have a wonderful Tuesday all!

My Path, Your Path

Have you ever wondered why you were put on this earth; why you are alive?

Have you ever felt lost, and floundering, and so utterly empty?

Have you ever felt that life could be so much better - that you were meant for more than what you are doing at this moment?

That was me, for all my life up until a couple of years ago. I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't know who I was or why I even existed. I had no idea where the hell I was supposed to be.

It may seem trivial to some, but it was a big deal for me. It was the source of incredible anxiety and, though it might sound a tad dramatic, even despair. I know that many people don't or won't understand what it's like to have no direction in life. From personal experience, it's hell.

I didn't want to get up in the mornings. I didn't want to eat, or I wanted to eat myself into oblivion. I was so incredibly empty. Nothing felt right. Nothing was true.

I had always written creatively, but I never thought that I'd ever be a novellist. I went through phases of career choices, none of them writing. I actually fought against writing as a career choice. I graduated university with a considerable amount of debt, and so sought out a job, any job, just so I could pay my bills. It turned out to be the world's crappiest job - baby-sitting a 40 year old toddler who continually bounced my pay-cheques.

I started writing as a way of escape - throwing myself into a world other than the one I was inhabiting. It was really at the story's insistence that I did it, but the way I felt about life in general made it incredibly easy to do. One day I decided that I would pursue this seriously.

It was as if the sun had come out for the first day since I can remember. Life wasn't a drudgery anymore. I'd get excited to wake up and vanish into my 'other' world for the day. I was energised and mobilised. When I started writing seriously, good things started happening.

I lost my job (not the best, financially speaking, though I didn't have to worry about what bounced cheques did to my credit score anymore) which freed me up from a lot of bottled-in anger towards my employer. I didn't have to hide it anymore. I could be angry at him and not worry. More to the point, I didn't have to deal with him anymore. Though I was worried about my financial future, I was also incredibly relieved to be out of there. I later found a job that paid the same (and now pays a little more) where I wasn't nearly so stressed out, and where the pay-cheques never bounced. I'm still there. I rather like it.

Not long after finding my new, improved job, I lost my apartment. My landlords were expecting a child and so requested I move out to give them some space. I wasn't angry about that, though I did spend a lot of time stressed out of my mind. I had some terrible experiences with flatmates in the past, and I was determined to never live with anyone EVER again. As it turned out, I had no choice whatsoever (no, seriously... no choice at all). I, through no fault of my own, moved in with a friend of a friend.

It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened (for living arrangements). My flatmate is simply awesome. We get along really well.

Since I started writing, life has never been better. I feel complete.

There is a moral to this very long tale. That is this:

Explore your world, and yourself and follow your heart fearlessly. If you want to be a carpenter, be a carpenter. If you want to be a singer, be a singer. If you want to be a stockbroker, be a stockbroker.

When you walk your path, the world opens up for you.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy. Like all things, it takes hard work. However, you will find that, even if you don't quite make it in the end, the trying is worth it.

I am no longer lost and floundering. I've found my path. You can find yours.

Milo on Toast?

You know it's time to unwind when you are thinking of Vegemite on toast, and instead, you say Milo on toast.... in your own head.

Yep, editing has made me insane.

I'm thinking that I need to step away from it for a while. I've done a good job all week - the entire manuscript has been broken into roughly 34 longish chapters, with the rewrite of the ending contributing to probably two more chapters. I can afford to goof off today.

I will goof off today, darn it!

Have a happy Friday, I know I will (no editing!)!

Running Late

I was running late this morning when I woke up.

I was running late this morning when I walked into work.

I was running late this morning when I started this blog post.

Sorry about that.

The cats were fighting on my bed at 5:30 this morning and so I slept in after it was all settled. Normally, Persephone bugs the hell out of me to feed her 'round about 7:00. She probably decided that I needed the sleep...

I did well yesterday. I've gotten through to page 403, which ends chapter 33. I've noted down some continuity errors, wrote an entire new chapter and several new sections of other chapters, and then, at about 4:00pm, I gave up and rested. I felt very productive yesterday.

Today, I am going to rewrite the entire ending. There is a large section of narrative in the following book that I am getting rid of, and the lead up to in this book much also go. It's a fire sale! It's about two chapters worth of stuff I'll be removing in Lord of Horses. Not to worry, however, I have a new narrative that was just touched on in the next book that I want to make the focus of the next book, so I think there is roughly three chapters of new material to be inserted in their place.

Right, there is a lot to do today, so I have to get going. I'm running late.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Unusually Productive

Yesterday was great. I worked well. I managed to get through 152 pages to create ten chapters. I wrote an entire new chapter, which rounded the story off a little better. In fact, I was so involved yesterday, that I forgot what time it was an stayed late at work. Oops.

Granted it wasn't very late, because someone walked past and said, "What are you still doing here."

I'm hoping for more of the same today.

Since I'm eager to get going, I won't bore you here any longer. Have a good Wednesday everyone!

What, Already?

It just occurred to me yesterday afternoon that exactly fourteen days ago, this blog turned one year old.

Oh my goodness!

It all started when I finished The Great Man series. I had written four books in under a year (with intermittent fits of writing for two or three years prior... when I ought to have been studying, of course) and I started this blog. How fitting that two more novels, ten short stories five illustrations, and one full year later, I should be back to the story that started it all...

To rip it apart and make it new again.

Ugh!

Oh well, such is life.

Life in general had improved significantly just prior to starting this blog. I was fired from a terrible job, with a terrible boss, who'd change his mind about a task (but only after I'd already done it) and bounced my cheques. I was barely getting by with help from the government.

I was in a miserable place.

Then, just as 2008 ended, I got my current job. I quite like it here. The people are friendly and, perhaps most importantly, not a single bounced cheque! I also started writing again. I don't know what happened.

It had only been a hobby of mine prior to this. I would jot down bits of story as I contemplated what the hell to do with my life. Then suddenly the floodgates were opened. I couldn't stop writing. Moreover, I had this ridiculous urge to publish.

For those of you who know me, willingly putting myself up for rejection was a big, big, BIG deal for me. As readers of this blog will know, it hasn't been easy. I've cried many tears, gnawed many a nail down to the quick and even had a temper tantrum or two. Sorry about that.

So much has happened since writing found me, lost and floundering like a fish out of water. I've made some incredible friends (thanks, you guys), and done a whole lot of writing. Two more books in a different series have been written. The Seraphimé Saga only has two books in it, so it wasn't quite as much work as finishing, or pseudo-finishing, The Great Man.

I will be submitting Book 1, The Osprey and the Crow for a competition as soon as my Beta Readers hand it back to me.

I've written and illustrated a short story anthology entitled The Dying God & Other Stories. It has just been returned by the Beta Readers (thanks so much everyone) and I'll be making final adjustments. It goes on sale on Hallowe'en at Lebrary.com. I'm quite excited about it. I've received good feedback for it, so I'm happy to be publishing it.

I had, prior to the sudden burst of inspiration, retired The Great Man series from active life. I had become so disheartened by the rejections, though most of them were very positive and lovely (I still have one from a lovely agent posted on my computer monitor, so I can look at it and be happy), that I figured it simply wasn't good enough for consumption.

At the beginning of this month, I had a sudden urge to dust it off and look it over once again. There have been some additions to the first book, some rearranging and so on. I've given the first book, The Third Prince, another shot at life. Who knows? Perhaps this time around, it might get picked up.

In the meantime, I'll be going through the second book, Lord of Horses. Then I'll be ripping apart the final two books, turning them into three books. Thus the series will now be five books instead of four, and a good deal stronger, I think.

Yesterday, instead of doing any of the stuff I was supposed to, I ended up mucking around on the internet. Curse thee, internet! I am determined to make a start on rearranging Lord of Horses today. Right after I judge these short stories that have been sitting in my inbox since Sunday morning...

Have a great Tuesday everyone! Righto, back to work for me!

Die OC Transpo

The title might sound a tad dramatic, but I am very, very ,very angry with the local transit system at the moment.

Jerks.

I won't bore you with why I'm so furious. Just that a bus didn't stop when I flagged it down - caught another one to try and catch it - didn't catch it - had to wait for alternate bus - was ten minutes late for work, wet and cold.

I should have just walked. Jerks.

Aaaaand, I'm done.

How was your weekend everyone? Mine was good. I spent a lot of time daydreaming. I also had a Skype call from one of my Beta Readers re: The Dying God. I was quite pleased with his reaction and feel much more confident putting the book out in October. Thanks so much M.F. for your time and serious effort. I owe you many drinks.

The Great Man series is taking over my head again. Just like when I first wrote it. I suppose the story is not yet done with me, though I had thought I was quite done with it. Le sigh.

I also have a short story competition to judge this week. I'm just so busy!

On that note, have a wonderful Monday everyone! I have to get back to work. Now, where did I put my coffee...

Friday and Nothing to Say

The title rhymed. Did you notice? Of course you did.

Well, I was supposed to start on The Lord of Horses yesterday, which was a delay from starting the day before. Instead I struggled, all day, with writing a synopsis for The Third Prince.

I dislike editing.

I despise synopsis writing more.

Practice, however, makes perfect, so I'll keep at it until I write a synopsis I like... if that ever happens, I'm buying champagne!

Today, however, I'm giving myself a break. No writing stuff. I don't know what it is about Fridays that cause an allergic reaction to writing in me. Perhaps it's just that I get so burnt out by the time Friday rolls around that I just need some mindless time.

In that spirit, I think I'll watch my favourite anime today. Or not. This synopsis thing is really bugging me.

Oh! Before I forget, I had a really strange dream. REALLY strange, and I think everyone needs to know what this dream was about.

It involved a Facebook friend of mine who hacked my computer just to install pictures of herself as my desktop image and screen saver. What the?

Then I was flying in a plane, and I noticed I was being followed by two aircraft. One looked like a satellite, but with a bulbous black centre, and the other looked like "Serenity" from the T.V. series Firefly, but red. The satellite thingy was being remote-controlled and was shot down by the red thingy. I figured the red thingy was what hacked my computer, so I shot it down. What the?

Next thing I know, I'm in the Commonwealth Games. Apparently I made the Australian diving team. What the?

I'm sitting by the pool and I suddenly realise how incredibly stupid this is. I mean, I can't do a somersault mid-air to save my life. Worse still, I'm terrified of heights. How the hell did I make the Australian diving team?

I ask someone, who looked like an assistant coach, and I was told that the dive the got me in was one I preformed in High School - simple, yet perfectly executed.

"Do that," she said. "You'll do just fine."

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the person who hacked my computer accuses me of shooting down the black satellite thingy, and in the process, killing, in a very painful fashion, a kitten. What the?

I won't go into the terrible description here of what happened to that poor kitten, but I appear on the scene and rebuff the accusations, then make accusations of my own (the nature of which I've already forgotten, but judging from the reaction of the dream people present, it was pretty grave), all the while in my Australian team swimsuit. What the?

And then a very loud roar jerked me violently from sleep. The roar was a ride-on mower that started just outside my window. Poor Galahad almost had a heart attack, and he jumped off the bed and hid beneath it. Worried that the horrific noise will wake my flatmate, who got in late and needs to sleep, I went through the house and shut all the windows.

And thus ends the tale of my very odd dream. I swear, with dreams like mine, who needs drugs? Well, have a great weekend everyone!

Getting Pretty Excited

Good morning readers!

Yesterday, I was supposed to start tackling Book 2 of The Great Man series. Lord of Horses, however, just had to wait. The scanned images of my illustrations arrived in my inbox yesterday morning, and so I spent a great deal of time inserting them into The Dying God & Other Stories. I have to say, I am pleased with the result, although, I noticed (far too late) an anatomical anomaly in my dragon. Oh well, there's nothing for it now.

Tomorrow is the deadline for my Beta Readers. After that, I put the last touches on the book and then it's ready for publication... a full two months before it's to be released. I'm so very excited to be bringing this out.

You, of course, shall just have to wiggle in anticipation until Hallowe'en when it'll be released into the world.

I am also looking at P.O.D. options for the book, but I've decided to wait a year before doing anything about it. If I do decide to bring out a paperback version, it won't be until Hallowe'en of next year.

I have so many ideas running through my mind right now, it's getting very hard to focus. I think I'll leave writing alone for the rest of the week and explore these ideas. I'll start on Lord of Horses on Monday.

Alrighty, then. Off I go to dream and explore. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

A Bunch of Stuff

Stuff is, of course, the technical term.

Ugh... stomach growling. Hang on a tick, I'll get breakfast and be right back.

...

Aaaaand, I'm back. Mmm.... Vegemite on toast and Milo in my coffee. I could almost be home.

1. Author Q&A. For those of you who have downloaded (or perchance bought) Unlocked and loved the stories, you have a chance to speak with the authors directly on Goodreads.com. You can ask questions of me, or of any other author you fancy from the anthology.

Click HERE to start asking. Don't worry, everybody involved is quite generous.

2. The scanned images of my illustrations have been completed and were sent to me last night thanks to my father. I love you, Papa! I will be putting them in today. YAY!

Provided that my last two Beta Readers don't come back with something different from my other Beta Readers this Friday (hint, hint, fellas), then I'll be all ready to publish. You're all going to have to wait until Hallowe'en though. I won't be publishing it before then.

3. The Osprey and the Crow is all ready for my Beta Readers to take a look at. Two people already have it to review. The rest won't be asked until Friday. They've already given me so much of their time with The Dying God & Other Stories, and I don't want to be too much of a pest. I won't be expecting any comments back until the last day of September.

4. I've finished breaking The Third Prince up into chapters. There are 44 in all (including the Prologue and Epilogue). New stuff was written in to make more sense of certain events, and other stuff was mixed around and shuffled about. I have a stronger narrative now, I think. We'll see if the publishers like it.

5. Today I will be working on Book 2 of The Great Man series, Lord of Horses. The same deal will apply here as it did with Book 1. Hopefully it'll only take me two days as well. We'll see.

6. I still despise editing.

7. I am stupidly busy, so I'll leave you all alone and get to work. Have a wonderful Wednesday all!

No Rest For the Wicked

As I wait upon my two last Beta Readers to return their comments about The Dying God to me, I went through and I fixed up book one of The Seraphimé Saga. That achieved, and still waiting on those Beta Readers, I went on and revisited The Great Man series.

Can I just say... wow. I'm a tool. I should have just left it well enough alone. Now, it turns out, I have two more books in the series to write. I'm inserting a story between books 2 and 3, and one between 3 and 4, making 6books in total. Also, the final book's title is being changed. I'm most excited about the planned book 5 (which has been tentatively entitled Puppet Master). The planned book 3 is less exciting, but just a necessary.

Books 1 and 2 will not change. Luckily. So all I have to do is go through and try to divide them into chapters and possibly fill in some holes. Then I have to tear up the last two books and mix them all up into four books...

Le sigh.

Also, I hate editing.

Grr.

Since I have so much work to do, I'll leave it there and let you all get on with your lives. Happy Tuesday everyone!

What a Weekend!

It has been a great weekend.

I met a new friend, I rejoined old friends, and reconnected with family.

Lion Dance training has begun again. It was a very hot and muggy day when we practiced. There was nothing more than an open door and some ceiling fans to help us cope with the heat... but it was still awesome.

Sunday, I went out to Dim Sum with my Dad for a very belated Father's Day gift. It was lovely. I quite miss hanging out with dad. I should do it more often.

Sunday was such a great day. There were early morning thunderstorms. I adore thunderstorms. It poured down rain for most of the rest of the day. This morning around 4:00 am I was awoken by yet another thunderstorm. It was so lovely. Though, Galahad spent most of that terrified under my bed. He meowed when he saw me stick my head over the side to check if he was alright. I'm in such a good mood because of those storms!

This week is going to be one of incredibly hard work. I have decided to revisit The Great Man Series. It looks as though I might add two more books now, making it a six book series. There are great chunks of Julian's life that I glossed over because I thought them relatively unimportant. The first two books will not change, so my first priority is to go through and fix up books one and two before breaking apart books three and four for a colossal rearranging!

Since I await the rest of my Beta Readers to get back to me with The Dying God & Other Stories, and Book One of The Seraphimé Saga (The Osprey and the Crow) is ready and awaiting the Beta Readers, I have nothing else to do but improve the story I am most fond of.

Until tomorrow, then. Have yourselves a lovely Monday. I have tonnes of work to get started on.

Unlocked Today!

Ladles and Jellyspoons!

Today is a day of days. A momentous occasion in literary history....

And other purpled praise....

That rather spectacularly exaggerated introduction was simply to perk your interest, you understand. Today is an exciting day, however. Today, Unlocked, the anthology to which I contributed, is released into the world. There are ten stories by nine very talented up-and-coming authors. Well, eight plus me.

There has, I've just read, been a technical glitch with the paperback version, so it won't be available until next week, but keep checking Amazon to nab your ridiculously inexpensive copy!

If you just can't wait one more second, you can download your free e-book here:

http://unlockedproject.blogspot.com

Go on, get yourself a copy. You'll love it! Happy reading everyone, and have a great weekend!

Dear Online Community

Dear Online Communities,

Firstly, I would like to thank-you for all you have given me. I have met some marvellous people through you. You have provided insights on all things writerly, good or bad. However, I find that I simply cannot keep up with you.

I write a large amount each day - most of the time. In order for me to be able to write so, I must be able to concentrate. I cannot concentrate with you always bleeping updates in my face as you do. More to the point, I feel terrible that I cannot contribute more often. To do so would adversely effect my writing.

I know you miss me, and I'm so sorry, but I'm going to have to cut many of you loose. Please understand, it's not you, it's me.

I wish you all the best in your infinite lifetime, and am supremely grateful for all you've done for me.

All my love,

S.M. Carrière

PS - that's not every online community. I do need some friends after all!

Question of the Week

Alright, so this 'Question of the Week' business is really very new. In fact, today is it's first day, and could possibly be it's last, as people don't often ask me questions. This morning I read a question from another aspirant who is working on their first novel. They asked:

I would like to ask you, as someone who as written not one, not two but 6 books, what advice you would have for someone still working on his first?

Great question, no? My answer mightn't be so great as I haven't had my coffee yet and I've had no time to think about it properly. Hold on a second everyone, I'll go get my coffee and then I'll be at least half-prepared for answering this really good question.

...

And I'm back. Hold onto your hats, people, this is a long one.

First off, a huge congratulations to you for daring to pursue your writing. I will warn you that trying to get published is not an easy road (you read that countless times during research, but it never really strikes you until you try to jump in. I've had a fair amount of emotional turmoil this past year!), but you must persevere.

My first piece of advice is persevere. It doesn't matter how many people knock you back (and trust me, some of them can be incredibly vicious), pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. Never give up.

When it comes to the writing itself, so many people do it so many different ways, there really isn't just one "correct" way to write. I myself, for example, write intuitively. That is to say, I know the protagonist, and I know the ending of any of my stories. Then I write about my protagonist until I get to the end. I don't have a set series of events. I have learnt, for me at least, having a plan/map for any story is the fastest route to writer's block there is. For me.

With the first story I had written (The Great Man series), I had initially planned everything out. Beginning, ending, and every major and minor plot point in between. It was supposed to be one book. It turned out to be four. Needless to say, the story I wrote was ten thousand times more different than the story I had planned, and as many times better.

My characters speak to me. They direct the story and it feels as if I have very little say in the matter. I had one character decide one evening to end his life in an effort to save another. I was quite fond of this character, and I argued with him (not literally, I just wasted a great deal of time trying to write a different path for him). It resulted in 6 months of writer's block. No, seriously. When I finally capitulated, and he rode of into a hopeless battle, the story moved forward. I mourned for that man for weeks!

This style of writing drives another writer friend of mine completely up the wall. He plans everything out meticulously, and never, ever, EVER strays from that plan. Unlike myself, he attended classes where they taught that this was the way to write, and that's that. We've had arguments over it (friendly, of course).

If you happen to get writer's block, as happened to me once or twice, there are two schools of thought as to what the hell to do. As I am an intuitive writer, all I have to do is have faith in my characters. I walk away from that particular scene and let my characters figure their way through. Be prepared though, some of their decisions can take you off guard! In this time between the block and resolution, write others scenes in the book (The Great Man series was written completely out of any sort of chronological order, but it still came together well, if I do say so myself) or, if you're just fatigued from writing, take some time to look after yourself. Remind yourself what sunlight looks like, or reconnect with your friends who may have thought you dead.

The same writer friend who disapproves of my writing process tells others to drag their way through a scene. Write it regardless of how crappy it might be - you can always fix it up later. That has never worked for me, but it does for him, and it might for you.

My advice for the writing process itself? Be yourself. If you need to plan everything out to the last dotted 'i', then do that. If you find your characters know what they're doing, listen to them. Most importantly, write from the heart. It knows what it's doing.

Writing can be a very lonely business. I find myself locked away in my room with nothing but music and my characters for company for hours on end. I think I'm developing a twitch... Get outside as often as humanly possible. Attend writing events. Join writing forums (but not too many or you'll spend more time online than writing, and that's not a good thing). Meet up with your friends and enjoy drinks on a patio (but not in the dead of winter... unless you live in the tropics). Socialise.

Get exercise. That is very important. There are studies that prove that in order to keep a sharp mind (absolutely necessary for writing), we need to have a relatively fit body. Get away from writing often enough that you remember what it's like to function in a society that isn't the product of your own imagination (Matrix theories aside).

When your story is done, it is important to have other pairs of eyes look it over to make sure everything you've written makes sense. Find trustworthy, dependable Beta Readers. These people will peruse your work to make sure you haven't made any silly spelling and grammatical errors. They will also tell you if your timeline is a little off, what works in your story, or not, and why. Do bear in mind though, that these are simply opinions, and if you don't agree, you can ultimately (but politely) ignore them.

When you are really beyond ready to start querying agents and publishers, do your research! Don't query an agent who deals only in memoirs if you have a Sci Fi novel. It saves everyone time and postage! Also, it helps you to research every publisher and agency out there thoroughly. Unfortunately there are some very unscrupulous people out there, and they are more than happy to take advantage of unwary authors. This can sometimes end in financial and copyright disasters with almost no recourse for the wronged author. Research is so incredibly important! There is a fabulous site called Writer's Beware that you really should go through so that you learn to recognise a scam or other complete waste of time.

Once you start querying, be prepared. Rejection happens, and it happens often. I think I have a great story, but I've yet to have an agent ask for the entire manuscript. I just cried a little tear. I do have faith that I'll make it though. No idea why, but I do. And so should you!

So, to sum up in neat little bullet points:

• Persevere
• Be yourself
• Write from the heart
• Socialise
• Exercise
• Find Beta Readers
• Research
• Be prepared for rejection; and
• Have faith. You will get there.

I think I covered everything I wanted to say. I hope this was helpful?

Well, I have nothing to do today, since I finished editing yesterday. I might read or something. Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Productivity Report

Turns out I did haul butt yesterday. I waged war on 150 pages, and did some major rearranging so the timeline was correct. In the rearranging, I lost one chapter, so now I have 38 chapters... or was it 37? I can't remember. It was one less than I had before at any rate. If I work at the same pace today, I'll be done before the day is out. Considering I started late yesterday, that's quite an achievement.

I'm feeling pretty good, but that might be blown wide apart when any willing Beta Reader tears the thing to shreds.

In other, non-writing related news, I had a dream about my library. Not the one I have now, but the one I will someday own. It was beautiful! Floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with books, a desk for me to open letters and to write. An enormous fireplace. There was a bay window... so pretty.... Sigh. One day, library. One day I shall build you.

Right, enough day-dreaming! I must get started on this editing thing! Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Weird Weekend

This weekend was really, really weird. Oh, sorry. I should have started with:

Good morning all! How are you?

Now, back to the point, the weekend was odd. For the first time sine I last ate KFC (it was still called Kentucky Fried Chicken, that's how long ago), I got food poisoning. This occurred Saturday shortly after lunch, when I ate some bad rice. It didn't look bad. It didn't smell bad. It didn't even taste bad. But four hours of emptying my stomach while kneeling at the toilet told me it was bad. Very bad.

Shortly after the last bought of stomach-emptying, my mother called. It's always nice to hear from her. Only Skype kept dropping the call. We'd try and talk in 5 - 10 minute bursts before Skype gave out again. I was not impressed. I'll try and call her tonight.

Sunday was less weird. My flatmate slept in until I little past midday, then cooked the most wonderful lunch ever. I don't care what anyone says, bacon and eggs are good any time of the day! Then it began to pour down rain.

Anyone who knows me at all, and pretty much everyone I've met only one, knows that I love rain storms. I love them like.... like... like a cow loves grass. I just heard from one of the lawyers here that we got 20cms of rain (so just under an inch) in a very short amount of time. It wonderful to sit by the window with a book to read and watch the rain come pelting down. Ahhh... rain.

Last night, or rather, early this morning, I had the most intriguing dream in which I starred as a rogue citizen, fighting "big brother" in a bid to save the lowest class (there was a genocide happening!). That can be interpreted in many different ways, I suppose, but the dream was thoroughly exciting. I shot down a recon drone!

There was also a helpful fellow who looked suspiciously like Nintendo's Kirby.....

I have discovered, however, that exciting dreams means I stay in them too long, and end up late for work. Not too late, mind, just a couple of minutes.

In any case, today is going to be a very productive day. I slacked off Thursday and Friday of last week, but I am determined to make it up. Hopefully, the first round of self-editing will be completed this week sometime, and I can hand off to any willing Beta Reader I can find.

Since the computer is disgustingly slow today (and this is why the post is late this morning - sorry), I am a bit behind schedule. But no matter! I'll make it up before lunch! Have a great Monday everyone. I know it's Monday, but do try. Until tomorrow, then.

Queen Procrastinator

I dub myself"Queen Procrastinator" for my editing efforts yesterday. I barely got through ten pages.

Today, I fear, will be no different. There is a certain anime that is calling my name....

I'll be back on my game on Monday - possibly even finishing it Monday. I just can't look at another page of typing this week! I can't!

Have a lovely weekend everyone. I intend to spend much of it sleeping!

Still Editing

Sorry this post is late. I completely forgot about writing it this morning.

Not that I have anything to write about, particularly.

I'm still editing. Some of the story is pretty good. Some is utter crap. You know it's bad when you're left scratching your head, wondering what the hell you were trying to say when you wrote down that jumble of words.

Oivey!

Right, I must get back to it. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Editing

Well, there's absolutely nothing new happening in my world at the moment. I am awaiting news about rights to a song that I may use, and I am editing.

Ugh. I dislike editing. A lot.

It's just so tedious, and dull, and makes me sleepy....

I'm spending all day going through one chapter. I reviewed the Prologue yesterday and found everything was pretty much clean. It makes me suspicious. I'll go over it again today before I start on Chapter I.

I got so bored of editing yesterday that I decided to write a glossary instead. It's now sitting prettily in the back of The Osprey and the Crow, so that people can look up what I mean when I say "Suma."

Other than that, there really isn't anything much to say.

Right, better hop to it (insert groan here). Have a lovely Wednesday all!

Back to War

Dramatic title, no? Did you like it? I was going for "grab your attention" rather than "relates to post." Did it work?

This post might relate to the title if one considers writing "war." Really, all I'm saying is that I took the weekend of writing and now I'm rested, I'm going to write again. Instead of writing, I took a trip to my flatmate's cottage for one night and one day. I was participating in their annual "around the lake" race. It was fun!

It starts with cyclists, and they go around roughly two thirds of the lake. They hand off to a runner, who runs about 4kms. They, in turn, hand off to two people in a canoe, who high-tail it to where the kayaks are waiting. The kayak then takes the armband and races to where the swimmers are waiting, and the swimmers go about half a kilometre to the finish line.

I was the swimmer in my first ever around the lake race. Can I just say, I'm terrible! I used to swim a lot (I mean, a lot), so I figured half a kilometre would be nothing. Not so! Not five strokes in, I got a terrible cramp all down my left side and the best I could manage was slow breast-stroke for most of the way. I think I got the cramp for two reasons.

1. I was terribly unprepared for the chill of the water and should have gotten in a great deal sooner to warm up; and

2. I haven't swum in a very, very, very long time and I've lost the ability.

Something good did come of it though. I have decided to once again swim in the mornings. As soon as I have the funds, I'm buying a swim pass at my local community centre and I'm swimming for an hour before work - training for next year's race perhaps.

We arrived back quite late Saturday night. I slept like a log!

Sunday I took my Dad to see Inception. Great, great film. Di Caprio has been selecting very intelligent scripts, and I've got to say, I quite admire him for that. I won't spoil it for anyone, but you must go see it - if you haven't already. I also cleaned the house a bit.

Monday I did absolutely nothing except dream. I didn't put finger to keyboard (how could I? The laptop was off with its rightful owner at her work), I didn't put pen to paper, I didn't write at all. That's not to say that I didn't do anything associated with writing. Dreaming Monday was very productive indeed. I now know precisely how to write the opener for The Osprey and the Crow. Speaking of which, I really need to start that.

Thus I must stop my ramblings and bid you all a fond farewell. Happy Tuesday everyone!