At last our house is back on the market (for the third time) - I really hope we get the place sold before the spring ends. So far, our new agents seem better than the other two and we're both feeling optimistic, so let's hope they deliver the goods!
We're also going to view a couple of houses this weekend, one of which looks promising - it's a good price and ticks most of our boxes - but I find you never really know whether you could / would want to live in a house until you've stepped though the door.
But, even though I can't say why, I've a feeling this is going to be a much better year for us.
Bar the odd day here and there, I've continued to make progress on my book, having now written 41 chapters and a bit, bringing the total wordcount to approximately 60K! I know there is at least one chapter which I'm going to completely rewrite as I'm not at all happy with it, but before I do that I'm determined to finish the (bleep!) story. Something tells me there's going to be more than one book - there's no way they can complete their entire quest otherwise. I'd just really like to get it finished this year!
Monday, 27 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Chug chug
Well I've written 17 days out of the last 18 (every day bar yesterday) and I'm now part-way through chapter 36. The book was never intended to be anywhere near this long and I suspect some serious editing will be needed at the next stage. But I reckon it's better to have too much and cut it down and than have too little and have to pad it out.
R and I have been out and about plenty although mainly indoors thanks to the sub-zero weather. I've also been to pilates twice in two weeks and am determined to keep at it.
Oh, and the washing machine blew up on Tuesday. So I have been driving up and down the road every day to use my parents' machine while they are on holiday! And this Saturday I am going to be mostly cleaning the other house. We have fallen way behind. partly due to the boiler packing up and having to get it fixed last weekend. Once I've finished it's going to sparkle and shine and someone will fall in love with it and buy it instantly (in my dreams!) Seriously though it's looking great and there's not a great deal more that can be done to it. Here's hoping that the housing market picks up in February and we can start looking for a proper family home at long last.
R and I have been out and about plenty although mainly indoors thanks to the sub-zero weather. I've also been to pilates twice in two weeks and am determined to keep at it.
Oh, and the washing machine blew up on Tuesday. So I have been driving up and down the road every day to use my parents' machine while they are on holiday! And this Saturday I am going to be mostly cleaning the other house. We have fallen way behind. partly due to the boiler packing up and having to get it fixed last weekend. Once I've finished it's going to sparkle and shine and someone will fall in love with it and buy it instantly (in my dreams!) Seriously though it's looking great and there's not a great deal more that can be done to it. Here's hoping that the housing market picks up in February and we can start looking for a proper family home at long last.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Slow progress
Well, I've been writing every day for the past eleven days, so that's something to shout about. However, my daily word output seems to be gradually diminishing! I'm making slow progress on the book, and am positively crawling towards the end of chapter 33. It's funny how the words just flow some days and hardly come at all on others, but I think (I hope!) this is quite normal.
But, before the month is out, I've GOT to write R's thank you cards. This Saturday, I have to clean and 'prettify' (okay, this may be another of my made-up words!) our 'other house' and get it back on the market. But, at least we have lots of socialising to look forward to from Sunday onwards :o) And the days are finally getting longer; yes, yes, I know they have been doing that since December 22nd, but it's only now that it's become apparent, to me anyway!
I've just started pilates classes, and I am determined to get my neglected yoga practise kick-started again, until I regain my pre-pregnancy abs, dammit. I've been out walking with the pushchair twice this week and have another walk lined up this Sunday, weather permitting. I love cold, windy days - sounds mad but I think it really does blow away the cobwebs. Onwards and upwards!
But, before the month is out, I've GOT to write R's thank you cards. This Saturday, I have to clean and 'prettify' (okay, this may be another of my made-up words!) our 'other house' and get it back on the market. But, at least we have lots of socialising to look forward to from Sunday onwards :o) And the days are finally getting longer; yes, yes, I know they have been doing that since December 22nd, but it's only now that it's become apparent, to me anyway!
I've just started pilates classes, and I am determined to get my neglected yoga practise kick-started again, until I regain my pre-pregnancy abs, dammit. I've been out walking with the pushchair twice this week and have another walk lined up this Sunday, weather permitting. I love cold, windy days - sounds mad but I think it really does blow away the cobwebs. Onwards and upwards!
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Going great guns
I've just had a really productive week on the writing front, with 32 chapters now under my belt plus several more ideas re. plot and character development, and scene setting. If I can only keep this up for a week or two longer, I might even finish the first draft before Valentine's Day! I know I shouldn't get too upset if I don't achieve this, but I find I have to set myself a goal to work towards or my motivation just goes out of the window.
On a completely different note, until I get published, I'm still looking for part-time work and think I may have a possible lead on that front. I would have to pay for my own training and be self-employed, but, as I've always wanted to be my own boss, this isn't a problem. It mainly depends on how much my earnings would be and whether I can still spend enough time with my daughter. It would be good to have paid employment of some kind until I can get myself established as a writer.
Well, it's time to start R's bedtime routine, so I'd better sign off now.
On a completely different note, until I get published, I'm still looking for part-time work and think I may have a possible lead on that front. I would have to pay for my own training and be self-employed, but, as I've always wanted to be my own boss, this isn't a problem. It mainly depends on how much my earnings would be and whether I can still spend enough time with my daughter. It would be good to have paid employment of some kind until I can get myself established as a writer.
Well, it's time to start R's bedtime routine, so I'd better sign off now.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Chapter 30
At long last I have finished writing chapter 30! It seems a funny place to get stuck, but I suppose the mind often works in mysterious ways. I'm still not sure how many more chapters there will be - I originally thought that 25 chapters would be about right, but I was clearly wrong! I'm sure I will have to later take out a few bits anyway, to make the story flow better, and I'll be adding in some descriptive details, so it will end up a completely different length once the first draft has been revised. According to all the books on writing that I've read, I'm still doing the 'easy part', which is a little worrying! If I could get the first draft done before the end of this month it would be nice. If I could get an old-fashioned housekeeper to take care of the household chores, then I reckon it would be do-able! Seriously though, I realise I need to pace myself and stop trying to race ahead all the time. But it helps to have a challenge.
The other challenge is solving our living situation, which unfortunately hasn't changed. Our 'other house' is currently undergoing a makeover - it's been a bit of an obsession of mine lately and taken a lot of organising, but it seems to be taking shape at last. By the time we've finished we're hoping it will be snapped up by one of the first viewers. If we can just get it finished and marketed by the end of the month...no pressure then!
The other challenge is solving our living situation, which unfortunately hasn't changed. Our 'other house' is currently undergoing a makeover - it's been a bit of an obsession of mine lately and taken a lot of organising, but it seems to be taking shape at last. By the time we've finished we're hoping it will be snapped up by one of the first viewers. If we can just get it finished and marketed by the end of the month...no pressure then!
Monday, 16 January 2012
The light at the end of a very long tunnel...
Not long after my last post I hit a wall (figuratively speaking) and have been lying in a wordless coma for almost two months. The dreaded writer's block kicked in as Life once again took over. Aside from the writing, it's been a tough couple of months for reasons which I won't go into. But today I started writing at 6am (I had intended to start at 7am, but some loud thumping from next door woke me rather earlier than expected) and did over 1,300 words in an hour! It's probably complete jibberish, but it's a start. And I've just completed over 700 words this afternoon in a good (but scary) writing exercise. I owe my inspiration to my new-found mentor, Dorothea Brande. She was a creative writing teacher in the '20s and '30s and her book, Becoming a Writer, is a real find! But the real challenge lies ahead - now I have got myself writing again, can I actually press on and finish the book? Only time will tell...
Monday, 21 November 2011
On a roll...
I've been writing every day for eight days now and am making good progress on my book - I've completed nearly 27 chapters so far. I'm feeling extra-pleased as I should hit my self-imposed deadline to finish the first draft before Christmas.
It has taken me a while to get this far. I was pregnant when I began writing it, and over the months that followed I had the disruption of a new kitchen (plaster dust everywhere and me heavily pregnant and frustrated as I was unable to begin nesting!), the joy of a new baby and my first taste of motherhood, two burglaries (within six weeks), the stress of moving house (thanks to the previous 'events') and the excitement of getting married (although the planning was a nightmare!). And all but the new kitchen took place within the space of little over seven months!
Talking of the little one, she has a rotten case of chickpox at the moment and is utterly fed up as we can't go anywhere until she's gone scabby - poor thing! And she is most definitely awake, so I'd better sign off now.
It has taken me a while to get this far. I was pregnant when I began writing it, and over the months that followed I had the disruption of a new kitchen (plaster dust everywhere and me heavily pregnant and frustrated as I was unable to begin nesting!), the joy of a new baby and my first taste of motherhood, two burglaries (within six weeks), the stress of moving house (thanks to the previous 'events') and the excitement of getting married (although the planning was a nightmare!). And all but the new kitchen took place within the space of little over seven months!
Talking of the little one, she has a rotten case of chickpox at the moment and is utterly fed up as we can't go anywhere until she's gone scabby - poor thing! And she is most definitely awake, so I'd better sign off now.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
The Invisible House
Gemma had heard the story before, but she couldn't quite believe it.
A house which was there one minute and gone the next. It had been seen many times, outside the town, but no one ever seemed sure exactly where they had seen it. There had been several sightings in recent months, but it was never seen by the same person twice, so the accounts varied wildly.
It was a very old house, that they all agreed, half-covered by ivy with two chimneys and a big green dome on the top. And it was always half-hidden by mist or trees. But, after that, each tale differed. Its size varied from a cottage to a mansion. And it never seemed to be in the same spot twice. It seemed that no one ever got close enough to get a proper look before it disappeared again.
It was only the second day of her summer holiday and Gemma was already bored. She had been sent to stay with her Aunt May in Devon while her parents went on another dig – this time they had gone to Keros, a remote Greek island. She had been given the choice to stay in England with Aunt May or follow them to Greece. She had chosen the former. Although Greece was sunny, it would be no fun sitting around a dusty site watching people dig up broken pieces of pottery. Why couldn’t she have a normal family who went on normal holidays like the rest of her friends?
Luckily, she liked Aunt May who was sweet and scatty and let Gemma do more or less whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t make too much noise and kept her company at dinner. Aunt May spent most of her time in a large shed which she called her ‘studio’. She made what she called ‘a moderate living’ out of painting members of the well-heeled families of the area.
Gemma realised she would be left mostly to her own devices. She wished she could have had her best friend Izzy to stay, but she was at her family’s villa in Spain for three weeks and had some two-week Duke of Edinburgh thing lined up for when she got back. She would miss her. The coming weeks stretched in front of her like an endless road. How was she going to amuse herself? It was a good job she’d brought her Smartphone, MP3 player and Kindle - Aunt May didn’t believe in ‘new-fangled gadgets’ and so only had one small TV in the entire house. On arrival, Gemma had been shocked to find she didn’t even have a games console or a PC!
She thought again about Aunt May’s tall tale of the ‘Invisible House’, which she’d told to Gemma for the second time over dinner on the day she’d arrived. Perhaps that was it? It might be a load of rubbish, but it would give her something to do. She would look for this mysterious house and, if she found it, she would take a picture with her phone and post it on her blog. Maybe she could even get it published in the local paper? It would make a good story – a bit like the Loch Ness monster or something. She was sure it didn’t exist, but it was an excuse to explore beyond the town.
Gemma was sure Aunt May would only worry if she wasn’t at dinner by seven, so she would have the best part of each day to explore the town’s boundary on her aunt’s rusty old bike. If she hadn’t seen anything remotely like this mysterious house by the end of the week she would just write it off and think of something else to do.
A house which was there one minute and gone the next. It had been seen many times, outside the town, but no one ever seemed sure exactly where they had seen it. There had been several sightings in recent months, but it was never seen by the same person twice, so the accounts varied wildly.
It was a very old house, that they all agreed, half-covered by ivy with two chimneys and a big green dome on the top. And it was always half-hidden by mist or trees. But, after that, each tale differed. Its size varied from a cottage to a mansion. And it never seemed to be in the same spot twice. It seemed that no one ever got close enough to get a proper look before it disappeared again.
It was only the second day of her summer holiday and Gemma was already bored. She had been sent to stay with her Aunt May in Devon while her parents went on another dig – this time they had gone to Keros, a remote Greek island. She had been given the choice to stay in England with Aunt May or follow them to Greece. She had chosen the former. Although Greece was sunny, it would be no fun sitting around a dusty site watching people dig up broken pieces of pottery. Why couldn’t she have a normal family who went on normal holidays like the rest of her friends?
Luckily, she liked Aunt May who was sweet and scatty and let Gemma do more or less whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t make too much noise and kept her company at dinner. Aunt May spent most of her time in a large shed which she called her ‘studio’. She made what she called ‘a moderate living’ out of painting members of the well-heeled families of the area.
Gemma realised she would be left mostly to her own devices. She wished she could have had her best friend Izzy to stay, but she was at her family’s villa in Spain for three weeks and had some two-week Duke of Edinburgh thing lined up for when she got back. She would miss her. The coming weeks stretched in front of her like an endless road. How was she going to amuse herself? It was a good job she’d brought her Smartphone, MP3 player and Kindle - Aunt May didn’t believe in ‘new-fangled gadgets’ and so only had one small TV in the entire house. On arrival, Gemma had been shocked to find she didn’t even have a games console or a PC!
She thought again about Aunt May’s tall tale of the ‘Invisible House’, which she’d told to Gemma for the second time over dinner on the day she’d arrived. Perhaps that was it? It might be a load of rubbish, but it would give her something to do. She would look for this mysterious house and, if she found it, she would take a picture with her phone and post it on her blog. Maybe she could even get it published in the local paper? It would make a good story – a bit like the Loch Ness monster or something. She was sure it didn’t exist, but it was an excuse to explore beyond the town.
Gemma was sure Aunt May would only worry if she wasn’t at dinner by seven, so she would have the best part of each day to explore the town’s boundary on her aunt’s rusty old bike. If she hadn’t seen anything remotely like this mysterious house by the end of the week she would just write it off and think of something else to do.
In the zone...
At last I am 'in the zone' and making progress on my children's book once more. I've been writing four days in a row and have now written a total of 23 and a half chapters. I had planned on making it 25 chapters long, but I'm nowhere near the end! I'm still aiming to have the first draft done by Christmas, which I think is feasible.
I owe a lot of my motivation and inspiration to my lovely husband B. and my fellow writing group bods, especially K.
To celebrate, I think I'll try and squeeze in one more cup of tea before R. wakes up ;o)
I owe a lot of my motivation and inspiration to my lovely husband B. and my fellow writing group bods, especially K.
To celebrate, I think I'll try and squeeze in one more cup of tea before R. wakes up ;o)
Friday, 11 November 2011
All systems...STOP!
I think I was tempting fate with the title of this post - as soon as I'd finished it my PC crashed and I lost the whole thing!
The title actually refers to our whole buying/selling house triangle, which is getting far too complicated and stressful. I think we'll have to knock the whole thing on the head until the Spring. This means we still don't know where we'll be living next year and, until we can sell one of them, we'll have to rent it out. The whole housing market is in a right mess. I've been a 'landlady' before and I'm really not happy about it, but I think it's our only choice.
On the plus side, I've found suitable childcare for R. starting in February, when I start my first proper freelance contract next year. That's one less thing to worry about at least.
And, I've had another book idea, which means I've got a lot of work to do over the next few years if I want to get them all written! Perhaps I will make some real progress with my writing when things finally settle down a bit...?
The title actually refers to our whole buying/selling house triangle, which is getting far too complicated and stressful. I think we'll have to knock the whole thing on the head until the Spring. This means we still don't know where we'll be living next year and, until we can sell one of them, we'll have to rent it out. The whole housing market is in a right mess. I've been a 'landlady' before and I'm really not happy about it, but I think it's our only choice.
On the plus side, I've found suitable childcare for R. starting in February, when I start my first proper freelance contract next year. That's one less thing to worry about at least.
And, I've had another book idea, which means I've got a lot of work to do over the next few years if I want to get them all written! Perhaps I will make some real progress with my writing when things finally settle down a bit...?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)