Can I ask you....

what you're working on today. I am working on a travel article. I'd love to know what you're working on.

No news might be good news.

Remember the stories that I had to resubmit because apparently the magazine had lost them? They were the ones that I was expecting to be rejected straight away because I thought a sub editor had forgotten to send a rejection slip before deleting the email attachments.
Well they weren't rejected straight away - it's been a couple of weeks. But they weren't accepted immediately either though they never have been before from this magazine. So I guess they're still in with a chance.
Yay.

Looking forward

I've been working on the things that my friend pointed out with regards to my book. I corrected the grammar that she pointed out and then I thought about the points that she had made. I realised that she was right about the way that my central character was reacting to a situation and I changed that and I do think that the story is better for it. Also I have now decided that the way another character (not G) behaves isn't right so I have changed that as well. It will mean a substantial re-write later in the book but I'm up for it if it makes it better. I have now given myself the target of having it accepted by an agent or publisher by the end of next year.
I also wrote a short story yesterday. I haven't had much published in 2008 and what I've earned would hardly pay for a good night out but it's full steam ahead with 2009 in mind.

Anybody got a frying pan?

Something happened to me yesterday which started me thinking and this morning I decided that it would be a good premise for a story but wasn't sure how it would end. When I was driving to work it hit me like a frying pan over the head and I could see the ideal ending. However being a woman of a certain age by the time I'd parked the car it'd completely gone out of my head. I've thought and thought all day but I've got no idea what it was that I came up with.
Very annoying!!!

Which does it for you?

Writers News or Writers Forum.
Discuss.

Verdict's in

My friend has read the three chapters that I sent her and the verdict is in. The response was very positive and I got so much from having the feedback of someone else. She pointed out a few grammatical/typing errors which is horrific considering the amount of times that I have been through it. Also her observations on certain things have got me thinking and there are things that I will be developing and changing. The best thing that she did say apart from the fact that she thought it was a great story and that she thought that it had the potential to be a good novel was that it kept her interested all of the time. That is particularly satisfying because that is what I set out to do. Oh and by the way, she asked to see more.

G update

No don't worry I'm not still banging on about my "secondary character" again. This time the G is for Goulash. Just wanted to tell you that if I say so myself it was spectacularly good. Himself said it was the best that I had ever made. Result! It's been a good day. The only thing missing was someone accepting one of my stories but at least there were no rejections so that's good too.

Writing and other important stuff

This morning I made a determined effort to be more professional. I set myself up with my laptop and pads on the kitchen table instead of it being on my knee with me in my favourite chair and set to work. I allowed myself 15-20 minutes to check on a few blogs, write a few emails and take care of a bit of banking and then it was nose to the grindstone time.
I am happy to report that I feel like I have accomplished such a lot in the last couple of hours. I decided that I would carry on where I left off yesterday with my book and okay there may only be 300 or so extra words than there were yesterday but I have written a lot more given that I have chopped chunks out here and there. The plan for this morning was to make the relationship between my two central characters more interesting from the start and I hope that I've succeeded at least a little. I have decided that I need to get the reader to connect straight away with my central character and then see the secondary one through their eyes.
This afternoon I think I'm going to type up some of the short stories that I have written in long hand with a view to getting them submitted in the next week or so. And then I'm going to make a goulash. I know it's not writing but it's food and that's important too.
The only annoying thing is that apart from Sunday I'm not going to get chance to have a day like this for another two weeks and I've enjoyed it so much.

G

I've spent the last couple of hours going over the sample chapters that I sent to the last agent as well as re reading the letter that they sent me. Reading it again (and I think I may have mentioned this before) she didn't actually say that she didn't like G just that she wondered if he would work as a character. Well like i have also said in the past he is vital to the dynamic of the story so he can't be cut out so therefore I have to make him more interesting which hopefully I have gone some way to doing. it will however involve a major re-write but ho hum c'est la vie and all that.
I did manage to add 1000 words to the three chapters that I looked at. Not that more words mean a better story but I think in this case it is.
I'm also going to ask one of my dearest friends to have a look at it. And I can hear it already, some of you are saying that she will only say good things about it but I can assure you she won't. She is a commissioning editor for a major art company in America so she is used to being objective. i'll just ask her to put her "work" head on when she reads it. The three agents that I have sent it to have all said that the writing is good so I guess I need to make the story more interesting.
I'll let you know what my friend says though it may be a while before she gets back to me and also keep you abreast of how the re-write is going. maybe I should have one of those widgety things that calistro has to show how it's going.
Must go, the laptops about to run out of juice which must mean it's time for a cuppa.

V&P Take 2

This time last week I reported that I was full of vim and pep and rarin to go on my writing projects. That was before the lurgy hit me which has meant I've felt pretty lousy for most of the week. I only did the things that I HAD to do and sadly my writing projects weren'y on that list. I did manage to finish a short story that I found written on some bits of paper that I found in the pocket of a jacket that I wear for work. It was a bit risky leaving it in there because it was a risque story (see the play in words? I must be feeling better) Actually it wasn't risky at all because if I'm wearing the jacket for work I usually have it on so I'm guessing that I would have felt someone rifling through my pocket. I should emphasise that as a rule i do not work with pickpockets. Anyway I digress. The point is that the V&P didn't work last week so here we go again with V&P Take 2.
I've got a few hours on my own now so I'm going to look at the opening chapters of my book with a view to looking at G through slightly less rose tinted glasses. I'm going to look at how he can be changed and what effect that would have on the dynamics of the book. You all know that I am actually in love with G so I don't want to change him but I'm going to try and be objective.
I di have other things that I want to do but this will do for starters. I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks Sally for passing this on to me. Here goes

1) Where is your cell phone? On the kitchen table.

2)Where is your significant other? Out with his mate.

3)Your hair color? Brown with grey highlights.

4)Your mother? In bed I expect.

5) Your father? With my mum

6) Your favorite thing? When I read this question I immediately thought "family" but I guess it has to be something that I own in which case it's a pair of earrings that Himself bought for me in Prague 2 years ago.

7) Your dream last night? I don't remember dreaming last night.

8) Your dream/goal? To be happy and healthy for as long as possible.

9) The room you're in? The living room.

10)Your hobby? Apart from writing, cooking.

11) Your fear? Going through again what I did last year.

12) Where do you want to be in 6 years? Retired from the day job.

13) Where were you last night? Exactly where I am now.

14) What you're not? A size 10

15) One of your wish-list items? A rocking chair.

16) Where you grew up? Yorkshire

17) The last thing you did? Had a bath

18) What are you wearing? Beige joggers and blue t-shirt.

19) Your TV? Silver. If you meant the make I have no idea.

20) Your pets? A staffie/boxer cross that we rescued in April. He is gorgeous.

21) Your computer? A Dell Latitude D600. That doesn't mean anything to me. I don't know if it's good bad or indifferent. It was a present from Himself.

22) Your mood? Content.

23) Missing someone? Not really but I do wish Himself was here.

24) Your car? A Ford Ka

25) Something you're not wearing? Anything on my feet.

26) Favorite store? I don't actually know what it's called I've never looked above the door but it's a tiny little shop run by an old Italian man and sells all sorts of yummy stuff. I was in there the other day and it's always a pleasure.

27) Your summer? Wet.

28) Love someone? Lots of people with Himself at the top of the list.

29) Your favorite color? Whenever I'm asked this question I always say red without hesitation. I don't know why because I don't have much that is red. I guess I'm just a red sort of girl. maybe it's the Aries in me.
30) When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday but I don't remeber why. I was on the phone with my friend and had to wipe tears away because I was laughing that much.

31) Last time you cried? I had a tear in my eye earlier tonight when I watched the news about the soldier who had been buried in this country 60 years after he was shot down over Germany. The last time I properly cried was the other day when I was watching a film and the dog died. I hate it when the dogs die.

I have to pass this on so I pass it on to anyone who hasn't done it.

Lost in Space

Himself and I returned from our trip yesterday and it was fantastic. We had a marvellous time and it was just what he doctor ordered.
I have returned full of vim and pep and the urge to get on with writing projects. (If anyone knows what vim and pep is I'd love to know.)
Before my holiday I'd sent off a query email to a magazine that have had two of my stories since the beginning of the year, asking them if they were still under consideration. To my dismay when I checked my eamils yesterday there was one from them saying that neither story was in their system and would I submit them again. I did that but I fully expect to get a standard rejection email from them this week. I think that some sub editor forgot to do that before they deleted my stories. I'm not being defeatest about it just realistic.

Thinking about it

I've spent a lot of time thinking about writing this week but that's as far as it's got. Other than a report for my boss I've not put pen to paper this week unless you count the shopping list. I think my head is too full of the trip that Himself and I are taking next week. I might not be back here before then so if I'm not I'll catch up with you all in a couple of weeks.