Number 1....away

I sent my first submission out yesterday to a market that I would DEARLY like to crack this year so fingers crossed. It's a story that I wrote sometime last year but never submitted, I don't know why. Probably lethargy and procrastination got in the way - as usual. But that was in 2009 and this is not. This year I'm going to try and knock those babies on the head.
having said that, it's snowing again and those flakes have a very hypnotic effect. I could sit and watch them for hours.
Just kidding.

Just the way I am

Those of you that followed this blog in 2007 will know that I went through a dark period which thankfully I got through. 2008 was better but had it's dodgy patches for different not half so important reasons. 2009 was better still and I am feeling optimistic about 2010, but then I am one of life's eternal optimists and my glass is always half full. It's an attitude that's got me kicked in the teeth on more than one occasion but it's just the way that I am.
I only had 4 short stories published in 2009 so there's room for improvement there. I am however acutely aware that it's getting harder for us all to get work accepted and that I had 4 bits more than some people and I am very grateful for that. I still have 8 stories out there though so there's still hope for them giving me a good start to 2010 (told you I was an eternal optimist.)
On a different note I am finally going to bite the bullet and send BTL out to agents. It'll never get anywhere sitting in a metaphoric drawer.
Some of you may have read here the other day that I was mothballing NRIMH (my 2nd attempt at a novel) and I'm sticking to that but I am very excited about another project (NMBK.) Can someone who is better at grammar please tell me where a full stop is supposed to go when it's next to a )?
Anyway, we had snow again overnight which meant another walk in it this morning with my beloved Zachary. Isn't he cute?
Two cups of tea later I can now feel all of my extremities again and its time to get to work.
Here's to a great 2010 everyone.

Chin up and say "cheese."

Had a visit from the press today. Re the day job I'd organised for a press release to be sent to all the local papers and someone came to take pictures today. What a nghtmare. I actually felt sorry for the poor photographer because when he got into photography he probably hoped he'd be photgraphing Kate Moss or Angelina Jolie but instead the poor lad got me and Dave. When he told me to lift my chin up, Dave (the wag) asked "which one?" Oh he will suffer for that.
It better do the job I meant it to cos if I go through this public humiliation for nothing I will not be a happy bunny.

NRIMH going into storage.

NRIMH is going into storage - so to speak.
I've been struggling to move it forward for a while and this evening I was sitting curled up on the end of the sofa when something (or someone) told me that it's not working.
A few months ago I was full of enthusiasm for the project but I don't feel that any more. What I do feel is that I don't know where it is going and I don't see any way of working the problem out. Not at the moment anyway.
So for now it's going into storage and I'm going to concentrate on other things.
On a different note - Am I the only person who is getting heartily sick and tired of the snow. Well not the snow as such but the ice that the compacted snow has become. Any of you that are up at 6.45 in the morning please spare a thought for me taking my life in my hands to walk the dog before I go to work. God love him he can't understand my squeals when he pulls. He's not the sharpest tool in the box but he sure is pretty.

Should have remembered number 13

I meant to make the most of my "writing morning" honest I did but just for a change the morning disappeared and before I know it, it's time to shuffle off into the kitchen and cook. Luckily for me I love cooking so that's not a chore. But I had intended to write and I haven't so I am a tad disapponted. I have looked up a couple of markets only to discover that they are both (might have been three) closed for submissions. Yah boo hiss!!! However having said that one of them is still open to competition entries and I think I already have a piece written that would fit it rather nicely, thank you very much.
Yesterday, in honour of the impending new year I tried to come up with 100 things that I wanted to do before 2011. This is not as exciting as it might sound and would have included things like finally get round to sorting out the cupboard under the stairs. However thinking of 100 was proving a bit tricky so I decided to bring it down to 50 and then to 20. Yeah, I know, I clearly don't have much ambition for the coming year. Anyway, I finally gave up on number 17.
Reading them back, I realised that everything as encapsulated in number 13. My whole life is right there in number 13. I should have had it in mind this morning.
Number 13 reads, "Stop thinking and start doing."
Amen to that.

There went another one

So I guess that was Christmas.
Hope you all had a good one.
Mine was wonderful. The nest was full again and we laughed loads and there was a house full of happiness (sounds like an advertisers dream for a chocolate advert.) Christmas lunch was a triumph even if I say so myself and I do and everyone liked the presents that I'd bought them. Even Number 1 Son declined to take the receipt for the stuff he'd been given when it was offered. Whether he'll ever wear them is a different kettle of fish though.
I love Christmas but for me its over now. I've worked between Christmas and New Year for the last 8 years so its not a long break - though I do get 3 days off instead of 2 this year. But even before that once Christmas Day was over I was always ready to get back to "normal."
I don't mean to be a Scrooge but I'm just giving you all a little insight into the way my mind works.
Now that I've spread the Christmas Joy I think I'll make a cup of tea and have another handful of Quality Street.
For those of you still enjoying the Fetsive Season I insist that you continue to have a Merry Christmas.

Seasonal felicitations

It is 04.09am on the morning of Christmas Eve. As was pottering back from the bathroom about an hour and a bit ago I noticed that it was snowing heavily again. I've spent most of the time since then laying in bed wondering
a) will I get to work (the wheels of charity retail keep going right up til Christmas Day.)
b) will I get back.
c) MOST IMPORTANT will Number 1 Son make it for Christmas Lunch?
So in the end I decided to get up and do something.
I decided to come here and wish you all a very Merry Christmas (see got to the point eventually.)
I hope that the season is everything that you want it to be and that you enjoy it with those that you love around you. For those of you that are missing a loved one I wish you peace.
Hoorah I've started to yawn, maybe I'll be able to go back to sleep - as long as I don't look through the window at the top of the stairs and see that it's still snowing!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

Still here

Not much writing going on around here at the moment. There's too much going on with that Christmas thing that's just around the corner. I know that shouldn't be an excuse but it's a fact. I will try to do better next year.
I did do some planning during for the next section of NRIMH the week and I have a story for Womag2Weekly that is a work in progress so actually on reflection that's not too bad considering all the other things that are floating around in my head.
And on top of all those floating thoughts there's been the snow to contend with. We probably have 5 or 6 inches at the moment and the local roads aren't pretty but at least we're not snowed in as long as we take them very slowly and carefully. I had to go shopping (no I HAD to - we were running out of stuff) and it took me three times as long to drive the first mile and a half as it did the final three miles.
Anyway, just thought that I would check in and confirm that I am still alive and kicking.

Any ideas?

Please can someone help. I'm getting so annoyed with myself because I still can't comment on certain blogs - Olivia's and LilyS's to name but 2. The thing is that I have absoloutly no idea why. There's probably a very good chance that I've clicked something but God only knows what. Or does He? Does anyone else have any idea what I have done.
BTW Hope you're feeling better soon Lily.

Any ideas?

Not a total write off.

Normally after I've walked the dog, Sunday mornings would be when I sit down with a cuppa and write because the house is quiet and I am on my own - even the dog normally disappears but today was different. I had to give today over to the day job and while I'd rather have been doing what I usually do on Sundays it wasn't so bad. I was on my own for the first 2 hours so I just pottered around doing things that needed catching up on.
So no writing today. I could be doing some now but as its after 11pm and like I said I was at work earlier I thought I'd give myself a break.
I actually want to write a story for a particular magazine and am currently trying to come up with an idea for that. Maybe I'll have half an hour brainstorming some ideas.
Wouldn't want the day to be a total write off.

A message for Olivia

Is anyone else having trouble posting a comment on Olivia Ryan's Bolg? I haven't beed able to comment on the last 2 posts and I don't know why. Any ideas?
maybe I'm having computer trouble of my own Olivia.
And while I'm on the subject. Has anyone else's followers pictures disappeared mine have and I can't see any on other blogs but I fear it may be a problem with the geriatric laptop.

Congrats

I apologise for being late to the party but what with the day job and everything life's a bit manic at the moment. I just wanted to publicly add my congratulations to Karen on her great news of bagging an agent. I'm sure that the book deal is just around the corner and I for one can't wait to see it on the shelves.
Do you keep wanting to pinch yourself just to make sure you're not dreaming?
Couldn't be happier for you. You deserve it.

Answers on a postcard please

That would be a metaphorical postcard of course.
When writing a first draft do you
a) Get it all down as quickly as possible and worry about errors later
or
b) revise and review as your going along?

Bless Him

I think that I've mentioned here before that I don't give what I have published to Himself to read as they're not his cup of tea - not enough murder, mayhem and intrigue.It's not something that bothers me and don't give it any thought. So imagine my surprise when over breakfast he picked up my contributor copy of The Weekly News which arrived yesterday and read my story. Better still, he laughed at the punch line. Bless Him.

Would be interested

I know that the Weekly News can sometimes be hard to come across (I haven't found a copy yet) so you may not have seen my story "Just the Job," that was in this weeks issue but if any of you have I'd be interested to know what you think. I don't show my writing to anyone but editors and occasionally Jan so I rarely get feedback.
Having said that, if it's not a publication you would normally get please don't feel obliged to buy it on my account.

Distracted again

I was sitting in my chair, laptop on my knee, coffee by my side looking out of the window instead of preparing the submission I should have been doing when look what popped into my garden (see top right hand corner of trellis.)
I nearly had a heart attack when it first appeared because it just leaped (I originally wrote "leapt" but the spell checker corrected it) out of the trees but isn't it cute. I'm not sure the birds would agree as they didn't get a look in for the ten minutes that it was there.
The dog wasn't as impressed as I was though. He never even opened an eyelid.
Fantastic! Just what I need - another distraction. Nonsense! life is short - enjoy the good stuff when it happens - even the little things.
It's not a great picture or even a good one but considering it was taken through 2 panes of glass and sleet its okay.
In conclusion I will just point out that I have completed the submission that I was working on and it will be posted in the morning. Who said you can't have everything.

Just the Job and Christmas shopping

My story "Just the Job" is in this weeks Weekly News. Yay!! I haven't seen it yet so I don't know if its been changed much but I'm told it's definately there.
On a different note, Himself and I did the bulk of our Chritmas present shopping today - presents that is. Just another couple to get. Hope they're not expecting much this year because I've (I'll not say "we" because I know I'm the skinflint) have cut back this year. I'm personally trying to reinvent the notion that its the thought that counts.

Is that the phone ringing?

I have to be honest and say that my mobile phone rarely rings especially when I'm at work. The Hogs used to ring it sometimes and tell me to get off the phone when I was talking on the land line but that's about it. So it was a bit of a surprise when it rang today especially as there's not a great signal in the basement. Anyway I digress - sorry. My mobile rang this morning and when I answered it, it was someone from Prima magazine saying that an article that I sent them has been shortlisted for a competition that I'd forgotten that I'd entered. Well it was April when I sent it to them after all.
I know it's only shortlisted but I've never got that far in a competition before so I'm feeling ever so slightly chuffed with myself. So now I just have to wait for someone to get in touch with the results.
Come on - fingers crossed everyone.

This post over on Olivia's blog got me thinking (no wonder I've got a headache).
I think that writing is a casserole. You take the basic ingredients and then you add this or that to taste and you let it cook for so long or maybe a bit longer depending on your oven or the way you feel. Writing, like the casserole is an extension of you and the way your feeling on that particular day. The casserole is made up of what you've bought from the grocer or what you've got left over in the fridge. Likewise what you write comes from what's going in in your head and what research you've done or what it is that you want to say.
When the casserole comes out of the oven or the piece of writing is finished, it may be perfect it could be okay or maybe the only place for it is in the bin. Either way you'll have learned something. Perhaps you realise that you have found the secret to perpetual success in which case you carry on doing what you did or you try a new recipe.
Like the casserole writing is not a precise formula. It is not cake.