Wednesday 28 May 2008

The perfect way to work

For reasons that I won't bore you with, Himself dropped me at work at 6.50am. A ridiculously early time I know but needs must and all that. I'd told him that it was fine because I would be able to find things to do and I could have but none of them would be very interesting. However I received an email yesterday from a publisher that I had approached with my Topsy project who had originally asked to see a brief outline saying that they would like to see a full synopsis. So that's what I've been doing for the last hour and a half. It's so quiet here (well it would be, there's only me here) and it's been great. For once I haven't faffed around looking at this website and that, checked emails or anything. I just got down to it. I have to say though that I don't know where that hour and a half went to. If anyone had asked me I would have said thirty or forty minutes. This may well be the perfect way for me to work.
I'll send the synopsis off tonight probably. I'll go over it a couple more times first. I don't know what will come of it because the publisher said that their list was full for the next 18 months anyway so it wouldn't be an imminent project and they're not quite sure if the subject matter is right for them. But tey asked to see it so that's encouraging.
Anyway, as it's getting on for 8.30 now I should maybe think about the day job - or at least about putting the kettle on.

Monday 26 May 2008

A new character

I've just been having a rummage through my work in progress folder and come across some things I'd forgotten about. Now that I see them again I remember having the ideas but I had forgotten that I'd ever had them (if that makes sense.) One of the best things that I came across was an outline for a character. I love her. Unfortunately I didn't know what to do with her then and I still don't. Oh well, something might come to me.
I also came across a poem that I wrote about a million years ago but which is missing one line. I'm going to try and come up with that line this week and get that tatty bit of paper out of the WIP folder. And I found an address that I'd meant to send something to so I'm going to check that out too.
I haven't gone through the rest yet. I wonder what else is in there. Hopefully the nugget that's going to make me a household name. Having said that I don't know if I would want to be a household name.I'm quite a private person and I don't know how easily I would deal with mega success. I'll not worry about that until it happens though.

Friday 23 May 2008

Kicking myself

I'm kicking myself because I think I may have made a very basic boo boo.
I wrote a story a while ago which I submitted to a magazine on 4th April. I duly recorded on my submissions list that I had sent it to the magazine. However when I was going through some letters I see that the covering letter for that story is for another editor at another magazine AAAGGGHHHH!!!!
I'm hoping that I've recorded the wrong magazine on my list because if I've sent it with a covering letter to the wrong person I'll be black balled forever. I've had a look at my list and in the past the magazine that I think I sent it to have taken 2 - 3 to get back to me with a rejection so I'll have a while to wait until I find out.
On a brighter note I did receive a nice fat cheque the other day from a magazine that's had a couple more of my stories for over three months which is promising.
I'm still kicking myself though.

Sunday 18 May 2008

My week

Like I said in my last post there's been upheaval at work this week and it has been quite big so I haven't been left with much time or energy to write. In fact, I'm sorry to say that I have hardly thought about writing. I did enter a competition the other day though so the week wasn't a total write off (no pun intended.) This morning however I started to work on the new idea that I was so excited about last weekend. I've only written a few hundred words but I'm happy with them. Without realising it I've given my central character a couple of traits that will come in very handy later on. I hadn't meant to make her that way it was just how she turned out.
I'm going to try and get my head around some serious writing this week. What's happening at work will continue to happen regardless of me so I may as well take my mind off it by doing something that I enjoy.
I am pleased to tell you all that the other thing that occupied my mind this week, namely the surgery to the dogs nether regions has turned out okay. he was back at the vets on Friday for a post op check and they were happy with the way that it is healing. the vet said "They're still a bit red," which made me laugh. What does he think his would look like only 3 days after surgery?

Tuesday 13 May 2008

On the back burner - again

Okay, for some reason only the title of this post was posted (as it were.) Just to recap, what was/is on the back burner is everything that I've been working on recently because I got a new idea the other day and it had taken over my writing mind. Unfortunately for me, upheaval in the day job and surgery to the dogs nether regions have taken over most of my mind this week so it hasn't got very far. I have at least planned the story and the serious writing will start next week when I've got the hassle at work sorted and the dog has forgiven me.
Hopefully it will post properly this time.

Sunday 4 May 2008

Competitions

I was reading through Writers News this morning and I've been looking in a few other places recently and come across some competitions that I would like to enter. I also came across a list of competitions that I'd planned on entering but forgotten about. I need to come up with a diary I think or at least a list that I remember to refer to.

Thursday 1 May 2008

A good week

This week has been a good writing week. The other day I received a relatively large cheque (well the most I've ever been paid for a single item) in the morning and another smaller one later on. The second one may have been much smaller but it represented something valuable. It was a royalty cheque and that's what real writer's get. They get royalty cheques and that's what I got the other day so that must mean.....(you know where I'm going) Then yesterday I had an article accepted for a magazine. There's no date for publication yet but it's good to know that they want it.
The article is related to the Topsy project that I was working on which is a bit weird as I've said before that that was something I initially started just for me. I guess I was meant to share at least part of it.
All three things were very different which is good because it started me thinking that maybe I'm not the one trick pony that I thought I was. I think that if I want to make even a small second income from this I have to be able to turn my hand to lots of things.