%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
 Well, not so much fun and leisure as...get some damn writing done, you fool! |
|
A while ago, I attended a writers' workshop and the lady who hosted it told us all to go away with this bit of advice - to write for just ten minutes a day. I was determined to go ahead with it and I did...for two days. So today I remembered that I'd resolved to do so and I whipped out my journal and wrote for fifteen minutes. I'm typing out pretty much the same thing that I wrote earlier, with some differences. I find I can go a lot more in-depth when I'm typing than when I'm writing by hand. Writing by hand is such a chore! I've struggled with loneliness a lot throughout my twenty-nine years. I struggled with it when I was the only one home with my mum when I was a teen and everybody else had other places to be. I struggled with it after marriage and when we moved into our own house for the first time. I struggled with it after my son was born and I felt torn between pursuing my writing and being a good mum, because my culture seems to indicate that a woman has absolutely no chance of living her own life - or at least, she has no chance of attaining any goals she hasn't already attained - once she has children. I feel it occasionally still, even though I get so little time to myself nowadays that any alone time is simply awesome. I've tried to come to terms with the idea that being alone isn't a bad thing - and a lot of the time, it isn't. My friends don't live nearby so I don't get to see them often, and even when I do, I feel like there isn't much depth to our conversations. I'm surrounded by people who do not think like me, who do not share any of my interests and hobbies. I feel like I've become desensitised to isolation. Loneliness is my preferred way to be. I walked into my college cafeteria at lunch today and it was the usual hubbub of activity. Youngsters walking around, chatting animatedly, shouting across the room, laughing, eating, socialising. I could recall how that clamour wouldn't have bothered me ten-twelve years ago, when I would have been one of the youngsters talking excitedly with her friends. But, as this moment, I just found an out-of-the-way little table and sat down. I watched the crowds for a while, wondering why it was only at moments like these that the sense of isolation became so strong. In the middle of a crowd, I feel most alone. |
| Hello. I'm getting better! It's only 19:23 here in the UK. So, ten mins, ten mins...What to write about?! My brother and sister-in-law invited the family to have lunch at theirs today so, basically, I've spent all day lazing around sat in pretty much the same spot. This is why I dislike family dinners; I become a couch potato....except, on a dining chair. Dining chair potato. When you've back pain that only gets worse after sitting in such chairs, being a couch potato is not a good thing. My back is so stiff. On the plus side, I finally got my computer swivelly chair thingy today and I don't know that I feel loads better. I mean, don't people lean forward when typing? That sort of renders the chair's tilting function rather useless. Anyways, I have a story prompt to write so I've just been wondering what the story will be. I have a lot of ideas stored away on my computer but I still want something new, because my ideas are usually for novels, not short stories. Let's see how I do! I've written my previous blog entries on my phone but I'm on my computer today. This entry is looking pretty pathetic. I still have 3 mins to go! This is always my problem, IRL and now even online - I don't know what to talk about! My friend is coming over tomorrow, after many weeks of us hanging out and chilling...well, I say "hanging out and chilling" but what I actually mean is...allowing the kids some time to play together while we supervise and chat. That doesn't sound much like chilling but I suppose we take what we can get. These meetings are usually planned so that they happen right after the week we previously met, but it never works out. Someway, somehow, we end up cancelling and then the weeks roll on by before slots open up for a meet-up. It's ridiculous how little time there is to do anything! Well, it's been ten minutes! Eleven, even! I'm off! YES! HUZZAH! ...Ahem, 'til tomorrow! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| It's nearly 22:00 over here in West Yorks, England. I'm glad I've remembered to write at a more decent time today! I've not done much today. I pencilled in some lettering for the canvas I was working on last night so hoping to finish it off now that my little one has gone to bed. I was asked to have a look at a little bit of my mentor's story today. Such an honour, to have someone ask such a thing of me! In honour of this...honour, I'm going to be as honest as possible! I still struggle sometimes, saying what I honestly think of someone's work, but it was a lot more pronounced at the point in my life when I couldn't handle criticism very well - which was most of my life, I guess. But recently, I've rather come to appreciate someone being honest when it comes to what they think about my work. So that is why I will try my very best to be sincere and honest! It's nearly been ten mins since I started, think. This might be getting easier...possibly. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Aaah, nearly missed today's entry too! I am so bad at this! There are eight minutes left before Thursday is over and I suddenly realised a few minutes ago that I had yet to write my blog entry. Aside from dealing with awful back pain today too, I've been with my niece to Brownies, where the adorable little girls all made a special room out of boxes and various craft materials. Since the adults were uselessly sitting at the side in the wake of the girls' energy and enthusiasm, I absently turned to origami. I'm no whizz with papers but I know how to make a box. Another lady saw it and she was just so amazed and had me teach her how to do it. I was rather embarrassed by her wonder lol. Anyways, this evening, I've been painting (or rather, just making a hell of a mess on the front room floor). I'm trying to improve my canvas designing skills, which are pretty poor at the moment. I'm trying to do some cool lettering but don't know what to write. Shocker! So right now, I've a pile of canvases lying around with colourful backgrounds, waiting for something to be written on them. I don't want to write cheesy messages. Quotes will only do if they're particularly meaningful. Or if someone ever requests it. With the painting having taken over, I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get that much time to pursue some of my other interests. Where does the time go?!  On the flip side, I learnt something interesting today. I have discovered that reading my old stories really helps to get me back into a writing mood. They have to be old so the whirring of the cogs doesn't immediately start up upon reading, so my head isn't buzzing with where I want to take this scene, or what should be the result of that encounter, etc. So I'm reading my stories like a reader. This helps because none of my old stories are finished lol! So by the time I get to the end, I feel like it's such a shame because I was getting really absorbed! Then I want to continue writing it! Oh, would you look at the time! I've been writing for 16 mins! I guess you do get better as you go! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| In keeping with my resolution to write every day, I am doing my Wednesday entry...although there are only 3 minutes of Wednesday left. I've had a pretty painful day. My back hurts bad, probably because I spent too long on the computer yesterday and have yet to receive the office chair I've been pestering my husband to get for almost a week now. Ah, well. Onwards and upwards! I've been home all day. I tried to do some writing and took my rusty old laptop downstairs with the idea that my back would be better supported on the couch and the laptop is crappy and slow and surfing the net on it is a waste of time, hence no distractions. The damn thing wouldn't turn on!  I guess it's been too long. I had a bit of a meltdown while bathing my little boy. He was being stroppy because he was tired, I was feeling stroppy because I was in pain, there was some yelling involved and then I went away and had a little cry over it. It's ridiculous. My husband was ill yesterday and he literally slept the whole day away. When I'm feeling crappy, I still have to do my bit. Gender inequalities, I tell ya! It's not quite been ten minutes but hopefully, by the time I'm done saving, it will be. Success! :D ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
)
