SNOW!!!!

There is snow! It isn’t settling, just getting everything damp and cold. The snowflakes are so tiny that you really need to concentrate to see them ... but still, SNOW! Pretty exciting stuff. Unfortunately this means that I probably won’t be going for a walk today. I’ve got a cold trying to worm its way in and I’m trying to keep it away. It would also be horribly bitter down on the seafront.

Good luck to those Wrimo’s still trying to achieve 50k today! You can do it! Today is the last day and last chance for anybody out there still trying to reach the 50k goal. I’m pretty glad I haven’t been one of those last minute rushers, to be honest. It must be ridiculously stressful doing it that way and the pressure to get down words would be immense.

Little bit of good news for my readers: I’ve been watching my e-mails for “rejection” letters from the two publishing e-zines I’ve sent work to. I haven’t seen an e-mail, yet, so I figured I’d go and check out the website. (They take submissions through a special program built into the website and not via e-mails!) Well, “Untied Shoelaces of The Mind” have updated my status on “Hugbugs.” Apparently it’s made it to stage 2, which means it made it through the first read from the genre editor. “Bus-Route Rain” got rejected at stage 1. So I’ve definitely made it further than last time! Fingers doubly crossed now. I’m guessing that it’s gone to another editor to have a read. Really feeling the pressure now! (I did scream and hyperventilate, for those wondering!)

The weekend was insane. Saturday I didn’t actually do much, apart from the beach walk ... but Sunday was just wow. It was my last free weekend (the part-time job is now soaking up weekend time) and I wanted to do something pretty awesome with it. So, I hit up a friend and we went on an adventure!

I’ve been really wanting to visit Cittaviveka (the first Buddhist Monastery in England, Chithurst) since I came back to England ... and Sunday I finally got to go! (Thank you, Ian, for being my driver!) I’ve been investigating Buddhism for a little while now and I wanted to go and see for myself. Before now I’ve been mostly a “floater” undecided or following my own plan/rules (which are very close to Pagan rules).

I can tell you right now that it is well worth visiting the Cittaviveka even if you aren’t a Buddhist. There are some 20 Monks and Nuns there, living and working with their set-routines. It’s a fully functioning Monastery – not a meditation centre – where people go to practice Buddhism and live the Monk-life. The main house is beautiful ... if a little cold currently, so wrap up warm! And wear shoes easily put on and taken off because I didn’t and it was a hassle. There’s also an amazing hall with under floor heating, in which we allowed to join them for the blessing chants and messages. The Monastery is situated in 180 acres of land in the middle of nowhere. The feeling on the grounds is just amazing; so much positive healing energy.

We spent a lot of the day with Ajahn Tim (he wrote the book “Blistered Feet, Blissful Minds” which I’m going to have to buy! I’ll give you a review once I’ve read it) listening to his experiences and advice. He shared a great deal with us and helped me, personally, to see something I was missing. I won’t be going into detail here because spiritual practice is very private. We saw some of his photos from Thailand and he even let us try [read: mess about] with his Tibetan singing bowl.

He is an absolutely amazing man and Monk. He’s disrobing next month due to ill-health and family reasons but said he plans to stay within the Buddhist community, this time as a lay-teacher. Major respect and good/healing wishes to him. I doubt I could ever say thank you enough.

Everybody there made us feel so welcome and I had a lot of very interesting conversations with lay people. The other Monks and Nuns were just so easy to approach. We were even invited to stay for lunch but be warned: Thai like their food hot. It was almost too much for my sensitive tastes. (We took some fresh fruit and vegetables as a gift because there is no admission fee and they rely on the donations. I’ll be taking a lot more up there with me next time.)

It is definitely worth it. I think I needed to visit a lot more than I realized too. Finally doing something for me and getting out of the crawl of daily life and stresses. It makes a huge difference. I’m still not sure how I feel about Buddhism but there are practices I am taking from it: thinking about me, my thoughts, and what I do to my body. It’s like it isn’t a religion ... more like guidelines to a better way of living life!

(I will be going back to Cittaviveka some time in the future and I’m hoping to visit the Amaravati, near St.Albans – which is more a meditation retreat – in the New Year. I’ll probably go when I visit my relatives up there. Fingers crossed one of them doesn’t mind joining me for the day as a driver; otherwise I’d never be able to get there!)

Hmmm – what else can I tell you?

Oh, first day on the part-time-temp job went swimmingly! I was nervous as heck and learning the till was difficult at first but I eventually settled into it. My feet are now pretty painful because it is standing all the time but the customers and co-workers are nice! I think I’ll be alright there. I’m pretty lucky really because I have so much experience with Customer Services. I’m also amazing at keeping a smile on my face! Heh.

Until next time, folks. Love.

 

For my readers delight! The first author interview ... and its Tree man! Kaez. *The crowd roars with excitement* Many of the folks reading this probably know him as one of the Administrators for "A Writer's Recluse." Hope you enjoy.

Promise to give you another personal update soon. Had a bit of an interesting weekend and an awesome idea for a little author story.

Love!


SHOWCASED: 16.

you radiate the color
of the sunflowers in december

your eyes are slowly dulling
but they used to be a symphony

you smile at people more now
but i think you know you dont

yeah youre really good at dancing
in a superficial sort of way

id like to know where you bought your costume
i bet its one of those expensive places

sometimes i think of the metaphor
of a circus elephant born in africa
who got caught up in performing
and forgot all about everything else

i just wanted to share that with you
for my sake more than yours

okay the poem is over
now get out of my fucking house

© Pete Crivellaro



Name(s)?
Pete Crivellaro (Kaez of “A Writer’s Recluse”)

Age?
17

Location?
Pennsylvania, US

Favourite -physical- feature about you?
Well, yes. Lots of things [I like]. But nothing physical. I've never been one to care about anything physical at all.

Favourite -not physical- feature about you?
My horribly short attention span. It never, ever lets me finish anything substantial or stay with any writing project for very long at all, but it means I'm constantly trying something new; I'm always experimenting with a new style, a new plot. It lets me explore a lot that I otherwise don't think I'd have the opportunity to. Sort of a bitter-sweet thing.

Favourite colour?
Favourite colour would have to be green. Vegetarian hipsters have to prefer green. It's in the manual.

Favourite food?
Favourite food is something I can't really boil down to a single answer. I'm an avid cook and I'm always toying with new foods and trying out new recipes -- if it's vegetarian and it's weird, I'm going to make it. It's given me a pretty wide appreciation for foods, but I think my favourites would probably be any of a wide variety of fruits: pomegranates, lemons, limes, kiwifruits... I'm a bit of a junkie for fresh fruits and my juicer is at the centre of my kitchen.

Favourite music?
Favourite music changes far too rapidly for any sort of definite response. Lately, I've been hooked on Animal Collective -- their discography is basically on a constant loop around here and they're forcing me to upgrade my audio equipment just to further enjoy their music. Before this it was Devin Townsend, and before that it was tons of shamanic music and, oddly, some hip-hop. Who knows what'll come next, my iTunes library is constantly expanding in every direction. Kanye West's new album is pretty great, so there's that.

When writing – What is your preferred genre/style?
Yet another thing that varies with a remarkable frequency! For a long time I stuck around fantasy and sci-fi and worked my way into long, epic story-lines. Lately, I've taken precisely the opposite route and done short, real-world, informal poetry. I'm sure I'll have a new writing fetish soon enough, but I'm pretty stuck on this poetry kick lately, only rarely diverging.

What are you really proud of so far in your writing career?
Well, I finished NaNoWriMo in pretty great time. The story I wrote, which I later went and revamped, is pretty good. It's unfinished and could use a lot of polishing, but it's easy for me to see the subtle changes in my writing from the first few chapters to the last few. It definitely was crucial to developing my prose and I think, without having done it, I'd likely be much less skilled on various fronts than I suspect I am now.

Who is your biggest inspiration/muse?
Oh, boy. I've got tons. I've always taken a lot of inspiration from Tolkien, who really defined a lot of my earlier writing. Later I moved onto Clarke and Asimov and soon enough I had a wider range of inspirations than I could give credit for. More recently, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, R. Scott Bakker, Dostoevsky, and interestingly, quite a few webcomics: Pictures for Sad Children, Noncanon, 8-Bit Theater, and Everything Dies being four that come to mind.

Tell us about the piece you have selected to “Showcase”?
'16' is a piece in an untitled poetry collection I've been working on lately. Most of them are at least significantly inspired by first-hand accounts and I'm using virtually no punctuation in them -- not for any real metaphorical reason, just because I like the look of it. I think it helps the words flow into the reader. This one, specifically, sort of relies on the fluidity of the reading and the natural way that certain words and stops create pauses and hesitations. Or maybe I think it's a lot more complicated and fine-tuned than it actually is and that really it's just a pretty okay poem.

Pete’s other poems! http://www.awritersrecluse.proboards.com....d=s&thread=2727

Dedicated to Anonymous

I take your heart
The broken pieces
I will tie and mend
With pink ribbon
And glittery glue
Once fixed
I will place it
Lovingly
On a shelf in a room
That contains
An identical heart
With similar broken pieces
Held together like a fragile
Spider web
Caught in a light spring breeze

© Jennifer Delaney

 

Just as a little treat! There’s the love poem I was working on. I think I finally got the sorrow “mirror” feeling I was aiming for. Hoping it translates well enough to my readers. Somebody pointed out that it was a little creepy because it's like I am collecting hearts ... but its only two! I’m not creepy, honest. Basically it is me taking “Anonymous” dodgy ticker and storing it alongside my own broken heart – which I’ve also tried to patch up. Dark but beautiful and innocent ... I hope!

Not much to tell folks today. I went for an awesome walk on the beach last night and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful and it’s always peaceful there. Surprisingly I didn’t feel much of the cold either but that could be because the wind had settled down. I played with my footprints along a stretch of sand. It is just so nice to act like a child again sometimes and the sand here can be really fun because it leaves mega-deep prints; feels like a trampoline. It is surprising sometimes how calming such places can be and how they can make you feel. I’ve always lived by the sea. I don’t think I could imagine what life would be like away from the sea or without a river.

The pub social event was good. It was really weird seeing some of the people again. Not seen them for a good 5 years? They‘re just as wicked as they were before! I only intended to nurse one “KoppenBerg: Strawberry and Lime Cider” and then move on to lemonade/Sprite but they kept buying me more ciders. Suffering today for it! Seriously considering that teetotal option now. I love the taste of the cider but getting tipsy isn’t all that fun and especially not in the morning with the acidy feeling in your belly! Muddled thoughts because of the alcohol aren’t much fun either (and it is a depressant). This just leaves another question in mind: what do you drink if you aren’t touching alcohol in a pub? I’m wondering if there is a non-alcoholic cider because I do like the taste (not just apple juice). Friends will probably find this a little weird – everybody drinks!

On the bright side I do recommend the 5-bean chilli that The George (“Wetherspoons”) does in Littlehampton, West Sussex. Its also vegetarian friendly because it uses Quorn mince. So yummy! Had mine with chips (fries to the American folks reading this) and tortilla chips, with a huge dollop of sour cream. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy. It was a pretty amazing meal for only £6-ish. They’re doing really good business-wise and even have a vegetarian breakfast option that could feed two!

Got pretty much nothing to do today. I might go for another walk to the beach. Should take a pen and paper with me this time too because I had all sorts of inspiration hit me last night that got washed away by the cider. Supposed to be meeting up with somebody later (or sometime this weekend) but he has a cold, so I doubt it would be a good idea to haul him out of his warm house. Heh, I’m such a Mum! Worrying about everybody all of the time and taking care of the sickies.

Of course, there’s always the option of staying home all wrapped up warm too.
*Silly grin*

 

 

 

Eeew! Dog slobber! There’s four dogs in the household currently and each as “licky” as the other. I love them to bits ... but goodness it’s like getting showered with doggy-kisses when you get greeted. Dogs really do solve all your problems and usually with just one wag of the tail and a lick. Remind me to attempt to get a picture for the blog some time.

It is freezing here. I cannot feel my fingers and I wish I could not feel my toes! The wind has such a chill that it feels like its pulling off chunks of soft flesh when it catches you. The northern parts of England have had some snow and I reckon this year we might get a fair snow-fall in the south too. If snow does happen I will get you a snowman picture! That is a promise. It usually doesn’t snow this far south and the clouds struggle to get over “The Downs” ---get over the downs. Sounds funny typing that out! It’s basically a whole bunch of hills and countryside, and extremely beautiful! Excellent for walking the dogs along.

For those who haven’t yet seen: Alonzo snippet is finally up! Sorry it took so long to sort out. I hope you enjoy it. That is the first chapter, the very beginning of the book, right up until the first “jump” back to his past. It gives you a little taster as to the darker side of Alonzo and his urge. It is a little ... adult but not by too much, I don’t think. It should be safe for most audiences. If that little passage doesn’t get you hooked immediately then ... then ... well, you aren’t human!

I’m in a fanciful mood today: feeling mushy and romantic. I attempted to write a mushy poem last night but it wasn’t great. Probably revisit it today (after lunch, just noticed my belly grumbling) to give it a tidy up and rework. It didn’t capture the sorrow and “mirror” that I wanted it to. I’ll probably post it up here once it’s finished. The idea just popped last night while chattering and it was too powerful to just let it die.

I’ve also got a section from “Bel-Gonows: The Child” that I want to turn into a Flash fiction for sharing. I want to get some Fantasy-work done, some of the lighter side of writing. Indulge in my vast imagination for an afternoon. Might even sit down and get some more done for Alonzo! Got plenty “on the go” within my creative mind. Definitely feeling the creative burn on my fingertips (... but that could just be the rawness from NaNoWriMo! Heh)

I did end up sending “Hugbugs” to “Untied Shoelaces of The Mind” yesterday. (Thank you, Mako!) Fingers crossed again folks. That’s two things out with publishers (of the e-zine kind). Other authors say you just need to keep sending the story out until somebody takes a liking to it ... so I’m going to try and keep at least one piece out at any given time. Very nervous about “Hugbugs” though. The two pieces I have sent for publication so far have been “Bus-Route Rain” and “Cardboard Spaceships” which are both under 200 words. “Hugbugs” is around 1.3k. It’s the first longer piece of fiction I have sent off for consideration. The story is a rather funky one though! It’s perfect for the younger generation and pretty creepy. Just hope they like it!

I investigated POD (print-on-demand) self-publication again this morning. It is all very confusing when you factor in ISBN’s and Copyrights ... and then royalties (which I’m not even bothered about making money from this adventure! I just want my stories to be shared and enjoyed!) I’m considering, next year, collecting up a bunch of my Flash fictions and self-publishing them in a small book. It seems most e-zine companies aren’t very interested in the under-200 area but I have a few that need a home. I’m thinking a small book, with little fun scribbles in the corners, which can be enjoyed just about anywhere. In fact, my vision of the small book is to have it resting in somebody’s bathroom – then when somebody visits the loo they can sit and read it. I don’t really hope or wish for much in life but that right there is a nice dream!

(If that self-publish attempt works and doesn’t prove too much of a headache I’m also considering banding up [read: organizing] with a group of the writer’s from “AWR” to create an anthology. Just something a bit fun. They’re a great bunch and amazing writers. It would be awesome to see their names on a book! Put it through Createspace.com and maybe Amazon.co.uk. Dunno. It’s just a daydream right now and to happen way after I’ve experimented in the self-publishing World first!)

Going out to the pub later to see a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in ages. Getting the social-life kick-started rather well. The NaNoWriMo “TGIO” (Thank God Its Over) party is next Wednesday too. We’ll be taking over the pub again I expect. There’s talk of performing The Beatles “Paperback Writer” randomly with all sorts of instruments and probably pretentious poetry readings again. That’ll be in Brighton. The perfect place for a bunch of zany and creative people!

I haven’t got much else to say. Make sure you wrap up warm, folks, and stay safe. Until next time, Love.

 
 

Good day, folks!
Updating will eventually slow down but it seems I am on a roll – so for now its daily updates and not weekly. Guess I can talk for longer than I realized ... is that a bad thing?

First thing! Bloodeye (an artist/author over at “A Writer’s Recluse") is entering the “Dominance War” competition again this year. Last year he did some pretty amazing art and it looks like he will be doing the same this year. I felt like this was worth sharing. His attention to detail is just amazing and wicked!

http://awritersrecluse.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=projects&thread=3289&page=1#266097

Go check it out, when you have some time. The link is his project-thread over on “A Writer’s Recluse.” It shows the picture at several different stages throughout the thread but the one linked is his latest version. He’ll keep updating there if you wish to follow his progress, although I’m sure you’ll find me Blog-commenting on it again for the finished piece. This is just the “preliminary round” ... so there will be more to come! Awesome work, Blood!

Little bit of personal good news too. For those who don’t know: I’ve recently moved back to the UK and I’m trying to get my life kick-started again (along with trying to get published!) I want to put down roots, get a job, and find a place to live that isn’t my friend’s attic. Well the good news is that I have found a temporary (until Christmas Eve) part-time (only about 10 hours per week) -job-! Its retail ... eugh, but it is better than nothing. I have a lot of experience in Customer Services so the two go hand in hand, really. It should be good fun and it will keep me busy for a few days, and the existing staff that I will be working with are lovely. More importantly, it will be helping me keep my sanity! Sitting on my butt every day in front of a computer searching for jobs and writing is pretty lonely, especially when I am so desperate to get my life sorted out!

Still working on a snippet for y’all. I did get two new Flash Fictions finished yesterday but they are a bit depressing and controversial. I would like the first snippet posted here for folks to be a fun, silly, nice thing and not a depressing one! I might just make a new fun Flash for you instead ... I have had a silly idea that might work for it! Something in my comfort zone of Fantasy, a little treat for my Blog readers.

I am also definitely updating an Alonzo snippet for sharing. Found the perfect bit from the novel. I managed to write another 3k words for Alonzo last night too. It feels pretty good just sitting down and hashing out a whole bunch. Its not amazing writing right now, just a first draft, but it is fun! Certainly is an interesting chapter too: setting up the deal between Charlotte and Alonzo, with Elizabeth between the two.

Other news: I’m considering taking an old story of mine and giving it a spit-shine. I tried to get published with “Untied Shoelaces of The Mind” last week (sent them “Bus-Route Rain” which is now out with "Vestal Review" for consideration). They rejected the piece “Bus-Route Rain” (with good reason: it wasn’t what they were looking for, even if it was good) but they did say they wanted to see some of my longer stuff. Well, I believe “Hugbugs” comes under that banner. It is longer and it is creepy (almost CreepyPasta but for a younger audience), which is what they seem to prefer. It’s sitting at 1.5k words right now and “Untied Shoelaces” want stuff below 1k ... so I have a bit of cutting to do but revisiting the story will be good. The idea/story is a fantastic one and the shine will do it some good. Watch this space.

Oh, I have a new interview for you next week too! Pete Crivellaro (Kaez)! Go ahead ... get excited ... I won’t mind if you “squeal.”

Before I go rushing off to interview author friends I suppose I ought to interview myself. Give the folks a little more information about me!

So here goes ... this is a little weird, no? Interviewing myself. Ha. Dork! Love it.


Name(s)?
Jennifer (prefer Jenny) Delaney. I have two on-line names I go by: Ditzy and Reffy.

Age?
26 ... but that can be varied really! I like to act young a lot of the time but can also be an adult when the situation calls for it. I suppose that’s how it is for most people really? I do still feel like I’m 18! Acting younger probably helps with my creativity too. If you grow old that part of your brain dies ... or something? *Silly grin*

Favourite feature about you?
My princess nose! It’s nothing like my siblings. Goes back to my great-great-aunt Minny or something? It kinda slants upwards an incy bit and is very straight with a square end. I used to hate it as a teen but I fell in love with it when I realized it is unique!

Favourite colour?
Autumnal colours! I love autumn. Greens, reds, oranges, browns. (The smell of autumn ... mmmmm!)

Favourite item of clothing, currently?
Usually it’s my black fedora but right now (and because it’s cold in the UK) it has to be my colourful scarf.

Favourite food?
I have a really big sweet tooth! I love muffins, cupcakes, candy, and sweeties! It would be hard to pin-point my favourite. (A good banana and pecan muffin, perhaps, or a strawberry and vanilla lollypop?)

Other favourite foods include a lot of Italian. I am a vegetarian though. Not vegan, so eggs, milk and honey are okay by me. Just leave off the giant steaks or chicken breasts. Saying that I do love a proper fish-n-chips! When I say “proper” I mean the type that comes in a newspaper from a tiny shop with people who have thick accents! Ha!

Favourite music?
[Oh, you just had to do this to me, didn’t you?]

This is a tough one! A little bit of everything. I love Broadway music. Something I can really sing along too. I really enjoy the oldies from the 70s and 80s – probably because of all the LP's my Dad had in the basement. I cannot stand pop or rap but something with a bouncy tune will always earn my heart.

When writing – what is your usual genre/topic/preferred style?
I usually lean towards Fantasy and Young Adult! I love the broadness of Fantasy. You can make anything there and I do! I have an amazing imagination that occasionally needs reigning in. Think my favourite Fantasy World still has to be Qwibeth which I use as a bit of a personal playground to create some really fun things – outside of the stresses of competitions or publication. Every author needs a playground!

I also love making Flash Fiction. It just feels so short and cheeky – especially when you’ve been working on a longer story. It’s a great way to keep the creativity “popping” and actually a really good challenge! Trying to fit something powerful and with a good impact in fewer than 200 words is difficult.

Lately I’ve been going out of my comfort zone of Fantasy with a few experimental pieces: like Alonzo, which is a little bit Erotica but mostly Gothic Horror. It’s a little scary, I do admit, but pushing your own personal boundaries is something everybody should do! It can create some really genius moments.

What are you really proud of so far in your writing career?
I’m really proud of the two novels I have on my desktop currently – although they are both unfinished so far. Never thought I’d ever be able to write that many words, to be honest! Also pretty proud at attempting to get published (been rejected 4x so far in the Flash market and handled it rather well). I would never normally try such a daring thing but this is my dream and I’ll be damned if I don’t give it a good shot!

Who is your biggest inspiration/muse?
I have a few, to be honest.

I love the characters and Worlds Terry Pratchett creates (in particular his young adult stuff: “Wee Free Men,” for example). That he can have so much going on and still keep “Vetenari” and other characters so true to their personality is amazing. Hats off to him! I don’t think there is one book I have not laughed at (and in the case of “Nation” cried). His creativity is unmatched and the depth to which he goes with it.

Terry Brooks is another I appreciate for his young adult stuff. The “Word and Void” series and “Landover” are amazing. I need to get around to reading “Shannara” again! I would recommend him to anybody. Most people bash “Landover” for its plot-holes (Read: Willow) but I read it as a teenager and fell in love with it. I wanted to create a World like his. I think he was the one who really gave me a feel for creating my Worlds.

My other inspirational sources are other amateur writers! Some of the stuff they produce can really out-shine some published authors! It’s so close to the live-pulse of the creative-community. There is so much unharnessed creativity, imagination, passion! It can be over-whelming some times. Keeping my fingers crossed that a few of them actually do manage to get published because, to be honest, they deserve it!

I’ve always got a book on my bedside table. Need to get around to picking up some of Gaiman’s stuff! I’ve had “American Gods” recommended to me after another author heard me writing about an Incubus.

What do you class yourself as?
I’d say “nerd” for sure. Bit of a tomboy really. I’m always scruffy and can do nothing with my hair! I have played “World of Warcraft” and I enjoyed it. I’ve also dabbled in “Dungeons & Dragons” and would do so again! A good night out would involve: sitting in a pub with a bunch of creative people, a pint of strawberry cider, maybe some fries, to just throw around plot-ideas and be sounding-boards for other people. (Maybe later to dissolve in to debates about “Dr Who” or “Star Trek.” Heh.)


Hope this fills you in a little more as to me. Now to get to work on a Snippet! I'm thinking something ... fun!

First blog-post and I’m not entirely sure what to say now that I have finally got this kick-started! I’ve been talking about launching this for a while now but I was side-tracked every time I went to investigate. Real life is, for want of a better word, hairy! I suppose I could call it hectic but that might be an understatement.

Still, you don’t want to hear me complaining all night! So bring on the good news:

I’ve just completed (this past week) my second year at NaNoWriMo (the National Novel Writing Month challenge). Got to say: it was easier than last year! Huzzah! Not entirely sure why this was exactly. It could be that last year was my first time ever really writing something above 20k words, so there were a lot of new boundaries that I crossed.

The novel this year was a lot raunchier. (Last year it was a pretty innocent fantasy world: “Bel-Gonows: The Child”, which you will see snippets for and hear about in the coming year.) This time it was about “Alonzo Asa” ... the best character I have ever created. He was just begging to be written about, and again, I had been talking about rewriting his story for a long time before NaNoWriMo. The challenge just gave me the perfect excuse to sit down and actually give it a bash.

Got to say, writing 2k words every day for the last 20-ish days had been pretty hard! The common misconception is that writers get to sit back and really enjoy a luxurious life-style but I think I would disagree. Keeping creativity up and flowing like that, even when you’ve had a hell of a morning and the rest of the day isn’t looking up, takes real guts and determination. I suppose it’s like the rest of the writing World. You’ve just got to keep at it! (Read: “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!” ... I loved Dory from “Finding Nemo”)

Hats off to those authors who have made it and can do it every day for a living. It was pretty satisfying to get to 50k knowing I managed an average of 2.3k every day (yes, I cried!)

I’m pretty pleased with how “Alonzo” did turn out though. There were more than a few genius moments, even if I do say so myself. The latter half of the 50k is not as horrible as “Bel-Gonows” turned out to be either. It also helps that somebody has read all 50k words. The novel itself has got a way to go before it’s actually finished mind you. I’m probably looking at 90k ... which I need to really if I ever want to see it published!

Other good news? Hmm. I finally have internet at the new place I’m staying at.

I visited the NaNoWriMo-Brighton Social Event last night too. Got to say: bunch of awesome people! Such creativity under one roof was brilliant. First time I ever heard “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot (http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html) recited – in English and then French and then back to English. Got to say I have never laughed so much! Really liked the poem too. I would give it a proper review for you folks but I doubt I could ever do it justice!

(Oh, and I did use the “panic jar” at the Social Event. The panic jar is there for anybody panicking because they have ran out of creative juices or if they have hit a road-block in their plot. I just used it because I figured it would be a good challenge to throw in since I already have my 50k. My little bit of inspirational advice was “Chains make everything better!” Not sure how I am going to work that into the novel, to be honest! A little daunted by how ... erotic ... it’s turned out so far!)

Think I have said everything I possibly can do this time. I’m hoping to update this weekly, although I’ll probably do it more often. I’ll get a snippet up from Alonzo soon as well! Some thing for you folks to read ... and maybe a Flash Fiction too because they are just fun.

So for now! Love and see you next time. Thanks for reading.