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 |   A day in the life of... me! |
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A HUGE Thank you to Emily   for the beautiful ribbon  First place in "The Bard's Hall Contest"  for July/August 2012!A day in the life of... me! Sometimes I need to rant. Sometimes I have something burning on my mind. Sometimes I'm so angry I feel like reverting back to old coping mechanisms. So I thought a journal was a good idea! I feel ranting is an important part to life, everyone does it to some degree or another and it's not healthy to bottle things up inside. So for those moments where I feel a rant (or just a general thought) and want to get it off my chest, here it will be! However, ranting is not everything. Sometimes I just feel like I want to share something with someone, and often there is nobody to listen (wow that makes me sound sad! I do have friends but I tend to let them do the talking rather than share). So here I can get things off my chest, rant or be happy, whatever the mood ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| So it's now day three of Nano but because of the way my shifts work (nightshift and all) I'm kind of working a day behind. So last night I wrote a little over 3k words which I'm counting as my second day and the first day I wrote the same. So currently I'm sitting at 6,543 words and quite proud of myself In the past (and this is my third nano attempt) I've managed the 'set' daily count of 1667 per day and not really much more than that. At the minute I feel like I'm getting through this really well and without having to constantly do word checks. I'm just going with the flow. I'm tending to think it's going something to do with the fact that I did prep this year so for the whole month of October, though I wasn't working on it, I was constantly thinking about it which has certainly helped. "October Novel Prep Challenge" Of course, I know a lot of what I'm writing now will need edited majorly after Christmas but for now, I write! Speaking of editing... does anyone have a particular theme they work to or particular way of doing it? I think it would be good if we could have an 'edit' schedule much like we had a prep schedule On other things, I had a nice and successful weekend. I had a Halloween party planned at my house for Friday night. I know it was the day after which kind of sucked but I was off work that night and more people could come, so it made sense. I feel like I did nothing but clean or prepare for the party from Wednesday morning which was my first day off but I'm glad I did. The flat was spotless and I got everything done I wanted to including baking bloody cupcakes of two varieties, carving a pumpkin, putting up some decorations and trying my hand at making a pumpkin pie (which I was told went quite well!) I had a lovely time and yes the cleaning up after was a bit bleurgh but still all worth it. I also, of course, managed to fit in writing 3k words on Friday too. We have a mini firework display planned for Tuesday night. I'm joining my partner and his family for lots of     , hot dogs (with onions of course) and sparklers! I'm going to be sure to wrap up warm as it looks like the weather here in the UK has taken a turn for the worst with cooler temperatures and lots of rain  Phoebe has been absolutely fine since having her anti-inflammatory drops. She's back to her normal self, jumping around like a little bundle of loony and being affectionate too. She has taking a big liking to my dressing gown which she loves to knead on (sp?!) and when I'm wearing it she's constantly sitting on my knee. I love it! So... onto more nanoing! |
I got in from work yesterday morning and could hear Phoebe meowing at me while I was getting my pyjamas on. It was really cute! I went through and she rubbed against my legs looking for strokes as she always does. I picked her up and took her through to the kitchen where I put her down. And it was then that I noticed something wasn't right. Her meows were more like mewls and as I crouched down and called her over she was limping. I watched her walk for a while and realised something wasn't quite right. Of course, in my mind, she had jumped off the top of the sofa and landed funny on her paws and been in pain all night while I was at work and I was feeling insanely guilty. I phoned the vets and took her right in. They checked her over and said that they couldn't feel anything broken and suspected it was some sort of reaction to the injection she had on Friday (limp-something). They gave her anti-inflammatories to take as drops in her food and we went home. (Yes it cost a fortune.) I sorted her out and made sure she ate and kept her in my room with me. All day I didn't sleep well. I kept waking up and checking to make sure she was okay. By the time 4:20pm had arrived and the carpet measurer (who wasn't supposed to be there for another hour and woke me up early  ) arrived Phoebe was back to her normal self, running around, eating and being generally kitten like. It was lush. It's really weird though. I think she's the first pet I've ever had full responsibility for and I was so worried about her.I've managed to finish a story and submit to a contest:
I didn't think I'd do it but I wrote and wrote and I think it's proved to me that I can stand the test of the Nano doing those few extra words a day. That and the support I had in my last blog entry. Thank you all! |
| So I've just managed to finish my Nano Prep "October Novel Prep Challenge" It's the first time I've done the prep, though I've done Nano twice now. I'm glad I did it too. It really made me consider parts of my storyline and elements of character building and timelines that I wouldn't have otherwise. The timeline in particular is something that has always eluded me, I struggle to get a sense of time into my story, but by working through the prep I've gone through the numerous outline revisions to finally come up with a chapter outline with dates and an idea of where every character will be. I'm proud of myself for that. I think doing the plot points as well was really important for me as it helped me lay down the background information, the stuff that leads up to this point. A huge thank you to Brandiwyn🎶  for running the Prep Challenge tirelessly every year as well as all those who were also involved Storm Machine  , Jay's debut novel is out now!  , Lonewolf  , Elle - on hiatus , Crys-not really here and cheerleaders ember_rain, Robin  and Christine . Your support and just knowing you were there has been invaluable!So now, onto Nano itself. How am I feeling about it? Well, excited and kinda scared. I made my writing rota (so to speak) for next month and I'm feeling quite daunted by it. I've had to cross a whole day off as I know I'll be out so I've worked out I have to write 1724 words a day. So I worked this out amongst my shifts and on my first day off, though I may be able to write, I don't want to have to rely on it as I can be pretty sleepy (sometimes being up for around 36 hours straight). So to take that into account there may be an additional five days that I won't be able to write or struggle to write so much. Which actually means I have twenty five days in which to reach my goal of 50,000 words = 2000 words a day. I'm sure I was writing at about that speed last year so I'm sure I can do it, but you know right at the beginning of something, before you get to start, that anticipation builds? I'm feeling anxious about it at the minute and wish I could start already! Oh but I forgot to mention, I'm also now decorating for at least two days and am hosting a Halloween party on Friday too. Every minute of free time must be utilised! So to aid me in that endeavour I'm off to write some draft reviews for the entries to "Invalid Item" which leaves less to do next month! Thinking ahead is  |
| The past two nights at work have been pretty busy. I feel like I haven't had a chance to stop, but if I'm honest, I quite like that. The first night there were people around all night but then there ended up being a huge argument that almost escalated into something else. Tonight, there have been police and arguments and tears. It seems to have finally calmed down now though and you know what, I'm so proud of one particular person as I feel like she's really made a break through. We're planning to have a Twilight marathon on Sunday when I'm at work (I work a longer shift then) and the women are all really excited about it. I'm bringing snacks and stuff and even a onsie to make it a proper pyjama party! I think it will be awesome! In other news, nano prep is going well. I'm a little ahead of schedule and plan to keep ahead as much as I can. I'm really looking forward to starting nano this year and I feel like doing the prep has given me more to think about and really helped me set the plot in my head, set the timeline (which is something I always have trouble with), really hone in on the characters (perhaps not all of them yet but the major ones) and picture the settings too. I'm looking forward to doing my procrastination list! The only thing I worry about doing nano is work. I tend to plan to write when I'm at work because it's usually quiet but as the past few nights have shown me, this isn't always going to be the case. So I need to be aware of that and take any free time that I can. Phoebe is getting along very nicely and is a playful menace most of the time but she has her super cute moments too. I can't resist her, even when she's naughty! But I guess she's still a baby so I forgive her. The fourth series of the Walking Dead has started! I've only seen the first episode so far and I love it! I can't wait for the next one. Anyone else watch it? I feel like this month has been so hectic. I've been wanting to take part in all of the creepy festivities around the site but just don't feel like I've had much time to. I have started a static to enter the official contest and have an idea too but I haven't even started writing it yet. I'm hoping that I'll get the chance to at least start it in the next few days So that's my general update. I don't think I do so great with updating my blog. I sometimes feel like I should but then realise I don't actually have too much to say. But I still think it's important so I know where I'm at, if that makes sense! |
| So I've had a bit of a hectic night at work. It was quiet to begin with so I busied myself with some cleaning, tidying the kitchen, mopping the floor. I noticed a puddle in the corridor between the kitchen and dining room and I thought *meh, someone just spilled something* and planned to mop it up. But then, someone pointed out that the puddle got bigger. So I took a closer look and I got dripped on. I realised there was a leak. So I went to investigate the obvious looking for over running baths or sinks, but there were none. By the time I got back downstairs the drip had worsened and was added to with a gush of water coming out from beside the skirting board. Uh oh! So I rang for an emergency plumber (who took about half an hour to arrive) and in the mean time the leak (both of them) got significantly worse, the mop broke and the few towels I managed to find were sopping wet with water. Eventually the guy came and took a look in some of the obvious places too and came to the conclusion that the leak came from a burst pipe under the building. So now the stopcock is off (I looked for about ten minutes for it but instead of it being in the cupboard under the sink it was underneath the cupboards, go figure!) and we have no running water but a flood-free building once again. Hopefully it'll get fixed before I come in tomorrow! I also just found out I got some fab sponsors for NaNo this year, I had no idea ANYONE was sponsoring me so a huge thank you to... Fi , Elle - on hiatus , Annette and LostGhost: Seeking & Learning !  I'm also very happy for Vaun-Away-Busy-MissingEveryone who has been asked to submit a full manuscript to a published! I'm so happy for you, you have no idea. Can't wait to see it in print Phoebe is gorgeous, she's a bundle of fluff who has decided she likes eating my socks (particularly fluffy socks) and generally the ones with my feet in them. With having my first night back at work last night she was alone for quite some time and when I got back this morning she ran straight over for cuddles, it was so adorable! I never thought I'd be a smitten cat lover but I'm totally transformed, don't think I could be parted with her now! Anyhow, time to get on to things and update etc thanks for listening! |
| So I'm back. My holiday was a lot of fun. I spent a lot of my time doing not a lot and relaxing in the hot tub with a drink in my hand. I was surrounded by my friends and thought the weather wasn't as great as it has been in the past, we didn't let it stop us. We visited this awesome underground cave which was beautiful and enlightening and then we went to an aquarium not to mention swimming and the amount of eating we did! The only thing that was missing was my partner. He came down with either a tummy bug or had food poisoning and couldn't have stomached the drive, nor would he have enjoyed it. So while it was okay I really began to miss him towards the end of the week, especially when the other couples were all snuggled up on the sofas and I was on my lonely chair all alone... hehe! So I am glad to be back! In other news, I got a kitten! She's gorgeous! I picked her up yesterday along with all of the other paraphernalia needed for a kitty cat. I still haven't named her yet though a few have struck my fancy (Phoebe, Willow, Peanut). But she's quite shy and at the minute is hiding under the sofa. She played for a while last night but I feel like she's almost gone back a step and hasn't eaten or used the litter all night. Should I be worried? Any suggestions to help entice her out? WdC related: I have so much to catch up on. In the next few days I will be making that effort thought it may have to wait until I'm back at work and have a little more free time. So bear with me but I promise I'll get there! |
| So I found out I have an interview Monday morning! It's really exciting I'm already half way prepared with written answers to potential questions I just have to practice now. I'm not feeling too nervous yet but there's a lot riding on this and I really want the job! So I'm going to try my hardest. In the mean time, I'm going on holiday on Monday for a week. I'm just going to Derbyshire with my friends to stay in a cabin (the annual holiday) and I'm really looking forward to that too but I've just had so much going on that I don't even feel I've had time to sit down. I just got back from a trip to Blackpool and now I'm packing for that. And in between it all my partner is ill so I've been looking after him. I feel like I haven't had a lot of free time to spend on WdC lately and I miss it and everything that's going on, as well as the cool things that are starting up too. But hopefully that'll change when I come back from my holiday and I will be able to make more time! |
| So apparently it's been a little while since I wrote. My blog seems to run away from me sometimes! When I looked back at my last entry I thought WOW! I was just so busy. And I'm better a whole load of other people out there in the WdC community were too. The birthday celebrations were a blast. I had a lot of fun and created a lot of items (probably close to twenty) for it up to the thirteenth day. There were a few things I didn't manage to do. I didn't finish the "The Writer's Baker's Dozen Contest" . I wanted to give myself a challenge but the challenge of changing genres (most of them fitting rather uncomfortably on me) was just too much and I gave in. But it left me with more time for other contests. I entered most days at "Invalid Item" . I won days eight, ten and eleven and came third in day four.I came second place in "13 reviews WDC's 13th Birthday~CLOSED!" and completed 91 reviews over thirteen days. That was tough but worth it and fun to spread the birthday joy. A huge thank you to Princess Zelda  for the lovely plaques, I can't wait to display them proudly in my port!I also managed to finish my article for "Invalid Item" as well as enter a few poems into "Invalid Item" . I had so much fun participating in everything and trying new things but I have to say, I was a little burned out afterward!Since then I've still been reviewing and trying to catch up with auction packages donated. Still not there yet but I promise I will be soon (Fran 💜 💜 💜 ).I just got awarded a gorgeous awardicon for my port:  Big thanks to Elle - on hiatus for that!The Newbie Academy is officially open so if you're a newbie or know anybody you think this group would benefit please tell them to stop by "Invalid Item" . I'm the Reviewing Champion "Invalid Item" and my lovely assistant Angels in my Ear and I are already hard at work!In other news, there's a day job coming up at work! I'm so excited. I've worked nightshift for around 14 months now and while I love my job at times it can be exhausting. The post is open to applications for a week internally and I'm already on it. I've used a lot of the personal statement from the application for this post and I plan to go through it with a fine tooth comb tomorrow night with a highlighter and plenty of coffee at hand. I'd love to work days and have more time with the women, be a keyworker and be able to support them in a more proactive way. I'm scared that I won't live up to it but I think that's my inner critic talking. I think everyone is rooting for me. In other news, in my bathroom in the flat I have an extractor fan that comes on with the light (my bathroom doesn't have a window). However, whenever it rains water leaks in through the fan. It hasn't caused me any major problems yet and has in fact created a somewhat murky indoor pool at times (there is now a bucket that lives in there under the fan!). I've got someone coming to assess the damage tomorrow and I can only hope it isn't going to be outrageous! But I guess it's one of those things that will have to be done with winter coming on. I'm halfway through the A Feast for Crows. This one is going just a little bit slower than the last and I wonder if I need a break from Game of Thrones for a while. But at the same time, I'm really enjoying them. Guess I'll see how it all goes Anyway, I think that's me all talked out for now. Until next time |
So WdC is just about to hit the 6th day of September and so far the week has been a blast! I've done so much (and really happy too after it seems I was looking for my muse for a while). I've taken part in: "13 reviews WDC's 13th Birthday~CLOSED!" which was a really awesome idea for an activity. I've managed to do it so far but my arms are starting to lack strength... "Invalid Item" which is a fun-filled forum of frolicking ... games! "Invalid Item" I've entered every day so far and loving the micro fiction. I even won a third place yesterday "Invalid Item" A couple of times with a little bit of encouragement (thanks Fi !) "The Writer's Baker's Dozen Contest" Day five of thirteen down. This has been a fun contest, challenging to write in different genres, but I like that.... I think! "WDC Birthday Obstacle Course" This was such a brill idea! Really enjoyed participating in this  Thanks Diane ! "The Writer's Cramp - Poetry Week" Had a go at a special birthday themed prompt here. "Invalid Item" Drafted an entry for this. Note to self: edit! "The Midnight Traveler's Contest" I accepted a challenge from Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm  to enter this, along with several other poor scrollies (instigators *cough* Fi Elle - on hiatus Marci Missing Everyone Matthew Frederick ) caught that night...  And I can tell there's still so much more to do. I've had such a blast this week |
| Since submitting The Doors and working so feverently on it for a long time, I feel like I haven't done much. I've written a few shorts, entered a couple of contest and really enjoyed it. I've made the decision to take part in NaNo again this year and rewrite what I've already started on The Devil's Playground so I'm looking forward to that, but I want to write again before that. I want to enter more contest and write and be keeping myself active but at the minute, despite the prompts and creating the items and revisiting them I'm not having any luck. So, my question to anyone out there who reads this is, how do you kick start your muse? Is there something you do in particular to make you start write? Do you have a set way of doing thing that sparks the inspiration? Share it with me so I can maybe find mine |
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Just for you BJ Hope your have'n a good day. 
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