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Thursday 28 February 2008

Hoorah!

Just a quick post before I stare at the backs of my eyelids for the next 8 hours. I have just sent my entry for the 5photo story comp. V. excited. I now have 2 stories 'out there'.

Wednesday 27 February 2008

This just came throught my door!!


It's payday on Friday and I just received my Waterstones Card. I feel a very heavy paperbacky shopping spree acomin'!


I have booked today off work to get some writing done. In the last hour I have worked a fair bit on my 5 photo short story (which is nearly finished, I just need to fight the urge to stop thinking of new ideas for it, damn that one entry only limit), sorted through the post, made coffee and eaten 2 rich tea biscuits and 4 chocolate hobknobs, made coffee and now written most of my blog! All that and its only 11 o'clock. At my paid job I probably wouldn't have managed half that.


I would have been up even earlier but last night was a work night out. We had a visitor from our Belgian Office who coincidently is one of my main characters so it doubled up as novel research for me. I think it is true that a writer is never off duty!






Sunday 24 February 2008

I must not make the reader feel sick!

I did a lot of work yesterday on my novel and I have noticed that not only am I not being descriptive enough but my chapters are way too long and have too much going on in them. Not just in comparison to The Domestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (which I am using as a reference point). There is just way too much going on in general. Too many characters and settings and not enough description. Its enough to make the reader feel dizzy. So now I know where I am going wrong I can start on it again. I have missed it a lot but I haven't given up the ghost. I have also been busy with my short story writing which I am loving. I've told one of my story ideas to three people. 1 who keeps pestering me to finish it so she can read it in full, the other who doesn't really get it as I explained the ending already and so has thrown him off, and the other who thinks its a great idea and likened me to one of her favourite writers which I was quite pleased with. I just have to finish it now. There are so many works in progress on my lap top right now and I would love the time to spend with them equally but the bills need paying as do a lot of IT contractors zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz anyway enough about my job already. I am taking a well earned couple of days off next week which will be spent writing.

Friday 22 February 2008

Make sure you dont miss this


I've just been to see Juno. What a great film. It wasn't side splittingly funny or anything but it was witty and clever. Ellen Page is great in it and sounds like she knows what shes talking about. I loved it when she used the word Expedientially and it sounded so natural, not at all pretentious.

On the writing side of things I have made a start on making notes on The Domestic Goddess. I have done the first 2 chapters so far and despite being quite short you learn a lot about the character. My chapters don't really give too much away and they are even shorter.
I also have a word count of 287 for my short story (1st line comp) and I'm really pleased with what I have written so far. I made a start on a story for the 5-photo comp but I'm not sure if I will make that one as I've just realised the closing date is the 1st March. I might put Cally's theory on last minute writing to the test!

Monday 18 February 2008

Little Miss Impatient

I'm quite tired today as last night I couldn't sleep. Thats the problem on only having a 2 day weekend. You are up early for work Friday so therefore you go out saturday night. Then you spend half of Sunday asleep and you can't sleep Sunday Night. The three day weekend has my vote. Anyway something good came out of my lack of sleep. I shot up and grabbed my writing folder (yes I still have it) and managed to write out a whole page of stuff on my entry for the First Line short story competition. Its quite eerie for me which I like. I'm used to writing chick lit and never thought I could do any other genres. I would love to be able to write a good thriller, maybe its an avenue for me afterall. Anyways its back the novel today as I have not done anything with it for a looong time. I seem to be whizzing through my chapters too quickly. That's me Miss Impatient! I've taken out The Domestic Goddess to read again and I will take note of how descriptive it is.

Wednesday 13 February 2008

I finally met the Boosh

I met the cast of award winning series The Mighty Boosh at the ICA in London on Monday. I even got to interview them... well i asked one question which they all answered in turn. They were really nice and down to earth, and instead of making a quick exit they stuck around in the bar to chat with us only for them to watch us leave as we made our way to the London eye which gave us an amazing view at night.

Me and Noel Fielding aka Vince Noir

My boyf and Noel from the Boosh

My boyf and Mike Fielding aka Naboo from the Boosh


London by Night

Sunday 10 February 2008

Interesting MeMe

Thought I'd do this MeMe from A. Writer's blog

1) Answer the questions below
2) Take each answer and type it into Photobucket
3) Take a picture from a page of results, copy the html code (bottom left of the photo image) and paste directly into your post.
4) You can’t copy the persons answers who posted this before you!

Your age at next birthday
28 years

A place you'd like to visit
a

Your favourite object
Photobucket

Your favourite place
home

Your favourite food
SteaK

Your favourite animal
tiger


Your favourite colour
green


The town you were born in
leeds

The town you live in now
MiddleSex

The name of your pet
No pets allowed

The first name of the one you love
Richard

Your nickname
Leaning tower of cheeza!

Your middle name
no

A bad habit of yours
laziness icon

Your first job
Paperboy

Your grandmother's name
Freda Web Server - Property

Ida

Your favourite book
Secret dreamworld of a shopaholic

Tuesday 5 February 2008

Short Stories

I haven't written much of my novel lately as I have been busy setting up character profiles for my 5 main characters. Two of the male characters are completed on paper and the rest are in my head waiting to reach the big screen.
I have also been hooked on my short story writing. I went onto Cally's website http://www.callytaylor.com/ and had a go on Cally Taylor and Sally Quilford's short story generator which I think is genius. I struggle when it comes to deciding who or what to write about and now I don't have to. The setting I was given was a Telephone Exchange and I remembered my mum telling me that my Aunt worked their many years ago so I decided to ask a few questions:

What was the name of the place where you worked?

Did men and women work there? Was it mostly women or men? Were there a lot of people working there?

Can you describe what the building smelled like (if any particular smells)

Was it noisy - if so what were the noises (people talking etc)?

Did you enjoy working there?

What did the place look like (messy, cluttered, large spaces or small)

Was there a uniform?

When did you work there?

Did it pay well at the time?

Was it a strict or relaxed atmosphere

What was your job title

Any stories/anecdotes?

I'm looking forward to the response. I think it will give my story a lot more authenticity.

Monday 4 February 2008

Guess who's playing Becky Bloomwood

http://buzzsugar.com/553825

Not sure I can picture it. This article is quite old so apologies if someone has already posted about this. This is news to me however, I didn't even know they were making the movie!!!

Oh my god I feel like Carrie Bradshaw

I am so so happy. I am actually lying in bed writing my blog on my new laptop. I feel like Carrie from Sex and the City only without all the cigarette smoke. My wonderful family bought me this genious creation for my twenty ahem seventh birthday today. I can now write in my room without getting distracted by the 300 channels in the living room where my main computer is set up (tiny bedroom you see). Anyways its been an exciting and tiring day for me so Il sign off until next time.

Sunday 3 February 2008

Short story, Subway and Synopsis

I am just tidying up the punctuation in my short story for the children's writing competition. I have the hangover from hell as I sit and write while waiting for my lovely boyf to return with my Subway. I am feeling positive about the message my story promotes and its not too cheesy sounding. Anyway I shall get this finished today and then return to the novel writing. I seem to have hit a stumbling block here as I came to the end a little too fast. This was the problem with having to write the synopsis for the Miss Write comp. I'd rather have let it flow more instead of knowing what was going to happen so early on. Oh well I'm sure I'l enjoy getting my character to her final destinaion. I have also made a good start with my folder of work. Everything is all in one place now and I look forward to seeing it grow.