The job in hand

The plan for today after I have visited Mr. Morrisson is to prepare BTL for a foray out into the big bad world without her Mummy (just like the boys starting school all over again) and then work on the edits of the first part of NMBK. I will have approximately two and a half hours to do this and I am determined not to spend that time flicking around the internet, looking on facebook etc etc which is why I'm doing that now, over breakfast.
I must fight the hypnotic lure if cyber world and live instead in that one that exists only in my head (but in a good way.) Must focus.
I had my PDR with my line manager (actually ex but it gets very complicated) yesterday and one of the things that I said I was going to do to help me achieve my objectives was to - in the words of Jack Reacher, take care of the job in hand. I did leave out the Jack Reacher reference because said ex line manager doesn't strike me as a Lee Child fan.
So that's it - focus on the job in hand - hopefully.

Being realistic.

How's this for prolific blogging - twice in one day.
So anyway, here's what's on my mind. Remember the project that I said might not have the legs? Well I've been giving it a lot of thought and I'm not sure it would work the way that I wanted it to. You see, it was based on something that I thought I had started i.e. a screenplay. Some of you may remember me harping on about it a life-time ago. So I was going through said screenplay the other day trying to get inspiration and before I knew it I'd read it all and realised that I'd actually completed the first draft. As a screenplay I can see it very clearly. I can see the things happening in my head. Sadly I'm not getting the same feeling from the prose experience. I think it may be because to try and convey what I want to say in words is just that, a lot of words and not much dialogue to move the thing forward. So for now anyway, I'm going to stick to the screen play version.
Anybody know what you do with one of them?

Bit of a buzz actually.

There I was, in the supermarket that shall remain nameless (no free advertising here) walking down the aisle that has magazines down one said and televisions down the other when I threw a cursory glance at the magazine that someone was holding and thought Hang on! That looks familiar. Sure enough it was the article I wrote about Rome for My Weekly. As I'm not sure if MW provide contributor copies I bought one just in case. Said magazine is now sitting very pretty on the kitchen table, open at the appropriate page.
Deep joy.

Plan the plan

I logged onto the computer before 7am for something totally different which I have now completed and found myself drawn here. I read a couple of comments that had been left and then it hit me. When Suzanne wished me luck with the planning I suddenly thought that I should be good at it because I plan lots of things for the day job - usually big changes around. When that happens everything has to be planned. Where we're starting, where we're finishing and each stage in between. It occurred to me that I need to apply the same theory to this - or at least give it a go.
Anyway, must go. I should have been in the bathroom ten minutes ago.

The fog is clearing a bit

I've tried all the things that were suggested by you good folk and I am feeling a little more motivated. My concern (it doesn't qualify as a problem) is that I now want to write but don't know what to concentrate on.
BTL is in the bag as it were and just looking for a home and I have started on my second "great" work. But there is another project that I want to work on. So I decided to work on the project that is exciting me the most and that's great. However (didn't you know that there would be one) it needs planning and I struggle with planning. But it is a skill that I would like to learn.
At the minute I have the idea but I'm not sure it's got the legs to get to 70k. If I just write it I think that it might fall a bit short.
Any ideas for best practice for planning a book?

Foggy

My friend asked me the other what writing I was working on at the moment and I had to be honest and say that I wasn't really working on anything. It made me realise that I've been in a bit of a fog (for want of a better word) for the last few weeks. I just can't get myself going on anything, I'm lacking motivation.
I'm not sure why this is because God knows I have enough projects planned. Maybe I need to start a completely fresh one and hope that I can get excited about that.
I know that I'm not the first one to go through this and I'm pretty sure that I won't be the last but I would be really interested to know what others have done to shake off the lethargy.
Any ideas?

What I've done and will be doing.

I'm going to be spending the best part of today trying to get a feel for CT - the project that I started a couple of months ago and then had to put on the back burner while I fiddled around with another project. I need to try and climb back inside my MC's head. Then it will be onwards and upwards with that one.
Had a rejection (collective boo) from WW yesterday. They actually have 4 of my stories at the moment and the rejected one was the third one that I sent them. I don't know what to think about the two "older" ones. Is is a good sign or have they just not got round to sending them back yet? Who knows? Time will tell I suppose.
I've also resubmitted stories to TLFF that were sent before the new editor took over so everything is crossed for those too.
On a different note, I have a new steam cleaner which I'm looking forward to laying with later and who knows, maybe I'll watch a couple of games of football and some tennis.
It's all go.
Must get on, I've got a head to climb into.

Unlucky for some?

I realised the other day that it's been quite a while since I subbed a short short story, the BTL rewrite has been dominating my thoughts for a month or so. Well I put a stop to that lack of productivity today and have subbed two stories. One was a brand new one and the other was one that has been "reworked" as it were. That brings me up to 13 stories out there but at least two of them have been with That's Life for nigh on six months so there's not much longer for them. They do still have their if you've not heard in six months you've been unsuccessful policy don't they?
I'm planning on more subbing this week or certainly next.
I go through phases like this - I should really learn to pace myself.

A lovely award

Thanks Amanda for this lovely award. Apparantly, part of the deal for getting this is that I tell you 10 things about myself. I'll warn you in advance - prepare to be underwhelmed.
Here goes.
1. I took my last A level (Economics) 29 years ago today.
2. My maternal grandmother, had she lived, would have been 120 years old last Monday. It might actually have been 121 - my mum's not quite sure.
3. I love musicals.
4. I'm enjoying the World Cup.
5. I used to be a Playgroup Leader and helped out in a nursery.
6. My children both weighed the same and were born in the same delivery room.
7. If I've had one too many sherry's I want to eat pork pie. Thank goodness I'm not much of a drinker.
8. I had to take my driving test 7 times before I passed it.
9. I have a memory like a seive - literally. People know that they can tell me anything that they don't want anyone else to know because by the time I've had a sleep I'll have forgotten it.
10. I have a pair of lucky earrings.
Phew that was hard. Hope you've not nodded off.
Now I have to pass this on and I send it to:
Olivia
Caroline
and
Karen
I know it's not many but it seems that every other blog I visit on a regular basis already has this award.
Thanks again Amanda.

Writing and other stuff

I love the word "stuff" (when referring to things that is.)
After a chat with a dear lady with a lot of experience (20 books I would think but I haven't counted them) the butchering of BTL is on hold and I am back with the original.She gave me some sound advice and I'm taking it. Goerge is very happy to be back - for now at least.
The day job has been keeping me busy but I have managed to fit in some writing.
CT is back out of the drawer so to speak after it's sabbatical in the drawer while I had the knife to BTL. That's good because it's a project that I'm eager to get on with. At the moment no new words have been added as I'm re-reading what I already had and getting a feel for it again.
I have also been working on my short story for the writing group that I am in. It's all there apart from the end. I how I want it to end and what I want to say, I just haven't found the right words to say them with yet. I'll give that some thought today and hopefully come up with the nuggets of wisdom before tomorrow evening.
Other than that there's not been much. Oh I did receive an electronic copy of one of the travel articles that I wrote. That looks good but I'm sure it will look better on the glossy page. I need to add a "couple of lines" to the end and get that back to them by tomorrow at the latest. As I saw the email after 7pm last night and I had to email them back asking how many words they want added to the fact that I am at work today and I think we all know what I'll be doing tonight.
Speaking of work, I should really get a wriggle on. It's 7.10am and I need to leave in 20 minutes so that I can make a detour to the bank (for some cash) the supermarket (for some bread) and still hopefully have time for a cuppa before the day has to start properly.

Oh eck

Have you ever hit the send button on an email the second before you think should I really be doing this?
Please tell me you have - even if its not true because it'll make me feel better.

When less is more - but only temporarily.

The rewrite of BTL means cutting out huge swathes of the original ms which means that I write maybe 500 - 800 new words only to discover when I check the word count that I'm only 50 or so words better off than I was. Nil desperandum I'll be reaching the totally new scenes soon so that should help the word count. I'm really enjoying it actually even though it is practically a totally different book now.
Different will be good if it is better.
I think it is.

Nothing much (at all really)

Oh I was so full of angst this morning regarding a matter about the car park I use when I'm at work and wouldn't you just know that the Centre Manager that I spoke to was just lovely when I complained to her and it all disppeared. Pity the same couldn't be said for the bloke I spoke to before her who copped it big time. His ears may still be ringing.
However. Isn't it a glorious day. (Statement of fact not a question so no ? required (I think)) Sorry to anyone who hasn't got the lovely weather but we have and I'm celebrating it.
I'm going to do a spot of weeding later on which is always therapeutic and I might even make a quiche for lunch. I have some edits to do before that though. I even thought that I might iron later but I soon knocked that idea on the head.
Edits here I come.

...

Continuing the rewrite, I wrote a new scene yesterday and got to a point where I wasn't sure what to write next. I'm sure that is something that we are all familiar with or maybe not it might just be me. Anyway, I thought that if I left it and came back later it would all fit into place. Not so. I have just edited what I wrote yesterday and have come to "that" sentence and am still not sure what it is I want to say.
So for a bit of fun I thought that I'd ask your good selves. Please complete,
The tea had been made, brewed and partially drunk before Sadie asked....
I can't wait.

Momentous day?

So its a week on from my last post and I'm still waiting. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Personally I've given up trying to second guess and it'll come when it does.
In the meantime what have I been doing? Well I've been working on more rewrites as suggested by the interested agent and I'm very much enjoying doing those. It's like a new book. Also I've just been enjoying having a week away from the day job.
Its hard to get my head around the fact that this time 25 years ago I was just starting labour which didn't end until just before midnight. It was worth it though. Hopefully today will be just as momentous but not so painful. 25 years - that is ridiculous. Where has the time gone? I still remember it like it was yesterday,
Happy birthday Number 2 Son.

???

Why is it that the more you want something the longer it takes to arrive? OR is that fact that it's taking longer than last time a good thing? AND when it finally arrives will I have the courage to open it?
So many questions but so few answers.

Just catching up

I haven't visited blogland for the best part of a week and I can see that I've got some catching up to do. There are lots of places that I need to visit to catch up on what's been happening and I'll make a start on those shortly. I just wanted to apologise to anyone that has left a comment and answering those is the first thing on my list.
I haven;t been away or anything exciting like that it's just that I had to work to a very tight deadline which was exciting in it's own way.
However, mission accomplished and now it's time for a nap.

Allas turnaround

Does anyone have any idea what the Allas turnaround time is at the moment? I had a rejection from them some time ago and that took a month. They have had another of my stories much longer than that. This is the only experience that I have of this magazine so I don't know what is normal.

Found it

I re-read the letter from Prima and it didn't say that the letter had been published in "this month's" magazine it said "May's." As this is a magazine I was supposed to have read that surprised me a bit. So anyway, I got May's edition out of the pile waiting to be recycled and sure enough there at the bottom of page 136 (I think) is my letter about dating agencies and the money that is being made out of them. It was a response to an article that had been in a previous edition.
Mystery solved.

?

I received a letter today to say that a letter I wrote has been published in this month's Prima. Trouble is, I don't remember writing one and I haven't recorded it on my what to where list. I'm sure that the magazine is right so I'm very much looking forward to getting the magazine so that I can see what it was.