Well except of course for right this minute where I am listening to football chat where I haven't the slightest clue what anything means. Boyf is watching the Pompey/Chelsea game while I have sat here dutifully not asking which team is which, drunk my wine and been glued to my net book (which I am secretly loving). So far in the time that a bunch of wet blankets have managed to kick a ball in a net* I have managed to finish and send my story for womag 2 weekly, sink an entire glass of wine, make a new friend, ignore some football chatter, facebook some friends and read up on blog posts. Not bad for 45 minutes work - and no injuries whatsoever. I know who the real winner is here!!
So yes, here I am in sunny Cyprus for the third time in 2 years and I still love it. This time we decided to visit Paphos where it is pretty quiet but the weather is glorious and the sea, just a stones throw from our hotel, is a silky blue bed of come get me heaven and the sun never fails to give me a nice warm hug whenever I step outside in the morning. I haven't ventured in the sea though as despite the sun leaving me with burnt bits here and there, the water is still bloody freezing. Just 2 and a bit days left and I feel properly chilled. Car insurance paperwork and scrapped cars are but a distant memory but I know it can't last forever. I may stay here forever. Call it research....
*Apologies to any hard core footballers/fans - I just cannot stand being a football widow!!!
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Saturday 20 March 11am - 5pm - Picador Day
Just had the following info from one of my writing groups. Sadly I shall be jetting off to Cyprus that day so can't make it but thought you might be interested:
Saturday 20 March 11am - 5pm
The Gallery at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB
Picador Day
In association with leading literary imprint Picador, we invite you to spend the day with top authors and publishing insiders as they discuss literature from all angles.
11am - 12pm Family and Self
Things are getting personal in the first session of the day, as our panel of authors discuss the ways writers bring their nearest and dearest into their work, and reflect on literature's greatest fictional families. With:
Jackie Kay
Jon Ronson
Kate Clanchy
William Fiennes
Abi Grant
12.30pm - 1.30pm Writing of Place
How do you conjure up the spirit of a place in writing? And how important is the setting in shaping a work of literature? Our four literary explorers will attempt to find out. With:
Graham Robb
William Fiennes
Jim Crace
Charles Lambert
1.30pm - 2.30pm Break
2.30pm - 3.30pm Poetry and Beyond
How easy it for a writer of prose to create poetry? And what happens when a poet decides to put verse to one side? Discover the answers with our multi-talented panel. With:
Kate Clanchy
Jacob Polley
Jackie Kay
Gerard Woodward
Paul Farley
(chaired by Don Paterson)
4pm - 5pm Becoming a Writer
If you've ever dreamed of getting published then our final panel, including freshly published debut novelists and experienced creative writing teachers, will guide you through the whole process, from writing your first sentence to seeing your book on the shelves. With:
Gerard Woodward
Trezza Azzopardi
Ben Myers
Simon Lelic
Naomi Wood
(chaired by Paul Baggaley)
Tickets are £18/£15 concessions covering admission to all four sessions. Tickets include a goody bag. - I AM SO GUTTED I CAN'T GO!!!!
http://www.foyles.co.uk/events.asp?#picador
Saturday 20 March 11am - 5pm
The Gallery at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB
Picador Day
In association with leading literary imprint Picador, we invite you to spend the day with top authors and publishing insiders as they discuss literature from all angles.
11am - 12pm Family and Self
Things are getting personal in the first session of the day, as our panel of authors discuss the ways writers bring their nearest and dearest into their work, and reflect on literature's greatest fictional families. With:
Jackie Kay
Jon Ronson
Kate Clanchy
William Fiennes
Abi Grant
12.30pm - 1.30pm Writing of Place
How do you conjure up the spirit of a place in writing? And how important is the setting in shaping a work of literature? Our four literary explorers will attempt to find out. With:
Graham Robb
William Fiennes
Jim Crace
Charles Lambert
1.30pm - 2.30pm Break
2.30pm - 3.30pm Poetry and Beyond
How easy it for a writer of prose to create poetry? And what happens when a poet decides to put verse to one side? Discover the answers with our multi-talented panel. With:
Kate Clanchy
Jacob Polley
Jackie Kay
Gerard Woodward
Paul Farley
(chaired by Don Paterson)
4pm - 5pm Becoming a Writer
If you've ever dreamed of getting published then our final panel, including freshly published debut novelists and experienced creative writing teachers, will guide you through the whole process, from writing your first sentence to seeing your book on the shelves. With:
Gerard Woodward
Trezza Azzopardi
Ben Myers
Simon Lelic
Naomi Wood
(chaired by Paul Baggaley)
Tickets are £18/£15 concessions covering admission to all four sessions. Tickets include a goody bag. - I AM SO GUTTED I CAN'T GO!!!!
http://www.foyles.co.uk/events.asp?#picador
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Here in my car...
So following my accident back in December it has only taken my insurance company Diamond 3 months to inform me that my car 'Maisy' is a Total Loss. I am gutted. My Dad bought me my Peugeot 106 for my 21st and now sadly 8 years later I have to say goodbye. I am very upset.
As the accident was not my fault I have been supplied with a courtesy car until my money comes through.
So in the space of 1 day I have gone from a red Peugeot 106 with a pink bonnet, rattling exhaust and mouldy windows
to this.....
As the accident was not my fault I have been supplied with a courtesy car until my money comes through.
So in the space of 1 day I have gone from a red Peugeot 106 with a pink bonnet, rattling exhaust and mouldy windows
to this.....
I don't want to sound ungrateful but I really don't like it. It's too new and shiny for my liking. The brakes work too well which means I pratically hit my head on the dashboard every time I even so much as tap the brake pedal. It's too smooth a ride and its unnerving. I miss driving in my tin can and being able to feel every bump in the road and actually being able to hear the engine. It has power steering though and OMG I have never parked so quickly in my life!!
No writing news today as this whole car business has been stressing me out. I will get on with my story for my short story group tomorrow. I bought two magazines today, Yours and Peoples Friend. I might try and aim for these markets but I need to take a look first as I know they are aimed at an older market. The stories look eye catching to me though so I might be able to try my hand at this market.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
About time too!
No I haven't been published, nor have I received a massive cheque for any amazing stories I may have written. I know it's a long time coming but that isn't my news.
WE HAVE INTERNET!!!
Only 3 months late but I'm not one to complain...much. Normal blogging/commenting/surfing/procrastinating shall resume. I am slightly afraid that my writing will suffer as a result of me now having the gift of website surfage but I shall try and be good. I can now start my course...well after I get back from holiday at the end of March.
I now have another womag story 'out there'. One at My Weekly and the other with the Weekly News which I sent yesterday. I did receive an immediate response from the Editor but only to tell me I'd hear back in around a month. Not sure if that's a good thing but I won't dwell, I shall just work on more stories for my short story group Womag 2 Weekly and get them out into the big wide world.
WE HAVE INTERNET!!!
Only 3 months late but I'm not one to complain...much. Normal blogging/commenting/surfing/procrastinating shall resume. I am slightly afraid that my writing will suffer as a result of me now having the gift of website surfage but I shall try and be good. I can now start my course...well after I get back from holiday at the end of March.
I now have another womag story 'out there'. One at My Weekly and the other with the Weekly News which I sent yesterday. I did receive an immediate response from the Editor but only to tell me I'd hear back in around a month. Not sure if that's a good thing but I won't dwell, I shall just work on more stories for my short story group Womag 2 Weekly and get them out into the big wide world.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
I hate Sky!
So it's now been 2 months and still counting that boyf and I have been waiting for Sky to pull their fingers out of their arses (pardon the phrase) and sort us out with some much needed internet. I shouldn't complain, I have been leant a dongle which, albeit it painfully slow and limited, is an absolute godsend. I also have mobile internet but it makes it difficult to view blogs and can also be slow at times.
We were assured out router would arrive and a switch would be flicked by 17th February. This, as we suspected, did not happen and now we are being told this will not happen until 1st March. So there, I hate Sky and will not be recommending them to anyone in a hurry. The service is p*ss poor and we are in a long list of unhappy customers. I had to laugh when boyf asked the customer service advisor (if that's what they can call themselves):
Boyf: 'Does this sort of thing happen all the time or is it just us getting treated like this?'
CSA: 'Oh no Sir it happens all the time'
So that makes it all OK then!
We were assured out router would arrive and a switch would be flicked by 17th February. This, as we suspected, did not happen and now we are being told this will not happen until 1st March. So there, I hate Sky and will not be recommending them to anyone in a hurry. The service is p*ss poor and we are in a long list of unhappy customers. I had to laugh when boyf asked the customer service advisor (if that's what they can call themselves):
Boyf: 'Does this sort of thing happen all the time or is it just us getting treated like this?'
CSA: 'Oh no Sir it happens all the time'
So that makes it all OK then!
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Catching Up
Thanks to all those being patient with me right now. I've not been blogging or commenting a lot recently due to still not having normal speed or regular internet access but fingers crossed it will be sorted this Wednesday.
Since my last post this is whats been happening:
- I FINALLY treated myself to a netbook. I love it. Its got up to 7 hours battery so I can go out with it without fear it will run low in the space of an hour. It also plays movies really well so I can watch movies when I'm not writing on long journeys. I just need to get used to typing on it!
- My insurance company finally came through and I am getting some treatment for my bad back. I had acupuncture yesterday which I personally didn't really like but I'll try anything if it helps. I have been told I can't go running but I can sign up for this years race 4 life so I am feeling confident about feeling better soon.
- My writing is going well. I'm hoping to start the novel rewrite soon but for now I have been concentrating on writing stories for Womag 2 Weekly. I love the group, the critiques and reading some really great stories. I am planning to sub some stories next week once they have been through a final edit.
- I took part in Womag Writer's magazine swap. I received 2 Australian womags which I intend to study well before getting some stories down under! Thank you Womag and Claire!
- Work has calmed down a lot and I feel a lot less stressed out. I scored well in my appraisal on Friday and it turns out that arguing with my boss pays off. He said it showed him how much I care about my work and that made me feel a lot better. He also gave me some really good advice which I can apply to my writing which is to set myself achievable goals and to break things down into half hour segments. I also need to be realistic about my goals and to tick things off to get a sense of achievement. He also told me to take a cigarette break to access situations but as I don't smoke I might just ignore that but I get his point. It's all about time management and writing this blog post is something I can tick of my list. I'm now off to get tea and a muffin (that's a very achievable goal for me).
Since my last post this is whats been happening:
- I FINALLY treated myself to a netbook. I love it. Its got up to 7 hours battery so I can go out with it without fear it will run low in the space of an hour. It also plays movies really well so I can watch movies when I'm not writing on long journeys. I just need to get used to typing on it!
- My insurance company finally came through and I am getting some treatment for my bad back. I had acupuncture yesterday which I personally didn't really like but I'll try anything if it helps. I have been told I can't go running but I can sign up for this years race 4 life so I am feeling confident about feeling better soon.
- My writing is going well. I'm hoping to start the novel rewrite soon but for now I have been concentrating on writing stories for Womag 2 Weekly. I love the group, the critiques and reading some really great stories. I am planning to sub some stories next week once they have been through a final edit.
- I took part in Womag Writer's magazine swap. I received 2 Australian womags which I intend to study well before getting some stories down under! Thank you Womag and Claire!
- Work has calmed down a lot and I feel a lot less stressed out. I scored well in my appraisal on Friday and it turns out that arguing with my boss pays off. He said it showed him how much I care about my work and that made me feel a lot better. He also gave me some really good advice which I can apply to my writing which is to set myself achievable goals and to break things down into half hour segments. I also need to be realistic about my goals and to tick things off to get a sense of achievement. He also told me to take a cigarette break to access situations but as I don't smoke I might just ignore that but I get his point. It's all about time management and writing this blog post is something I can tick of my list. I'm now off to get tea and a muffin (that's a very achievable goal for me).
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Teeny Tag Post
Just a quickie as the ongoing tinternet saga continues and I have a short story to get written. (I am also off out in a bit for a spot of Birthday Bowling).
I have been tagged by Debs. The rules are:
1. Name a song that makes you happy - This is a tough one as there are so many songs that have a positive effect on me. Most recently a friend at work thought that Adele's Chasing Pavements was meant to be Chasing Payments. We quickly adopted this as our theme song while doing credit control.
2. Post an image that makes you smile - This photo makes me smile as it has to be one of the most special times in my life. The first of my siblings to tie the knot this made me really proud to have him as my brother. Awww all growed up (gets all choked just thinking about it).
I have been tagged by Debs. The rules are:
1. Name a song that makes you happy - This is a tough one as there are so many songs that have a positive effect on me. Most recently a friend at work thought that Adele's Chasing Pavements was meant to be Chasing Payments. We quickly adopted this as our theme song while doing credit control.
2. Post an image that makes you smile - This photo makes me smile as it has to be one of the most special times in my life. The first of my siblings to tie the knot this made me really proud to have him as my brother. Awww all growed up (gets all choked just thinking about it).
I shall tag Colette to carry this MeMe on.
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