Progress and life

I got a new album the other day of one of my favourite Drum and Bass artists – Chase & Status. I have seriously been bouncing along to it since I got it. It is providing me the perfect soundtrack to end this book to. Especially their track End Credits. You can take what you will from the lyrics… but just know that this book is shortly about to completed, and the stored into the literary drawer for safe keeping.  

I had issues with writing since the first weekend in June, because I seriously got stuck on a plot line. Very stuck. I needed my characters to find someone they know, dead. Yep. It was the only thing that could happen, or else the scene would have been completely pointless. It would have been just another stagnant scene that I would be cutting in the edits. Last weekend (the 10k weekend) I actually worked this little kink out – and finally decided who to kill. Tough decisions… Kill your darlings.

This weekend I will finish this book. I’m thrilled, sad, and excited all at the same time.

Book III is somewhere on the horizon. I just don’t know when I’m going to write it yet. It actually makes me really really sad knowing that I am two thirds of the way through this trilogy. I am going to miss the characters so damn much when I finally finish. I think that a part of me wants to drag this out for as long as possible… which means me procrastinating with writing. Not a good idea, people. I just have this massive attachment to all the characters in the Talent series… even all the badasses. I love the badasses. In fact, I think that throughout the editing, I’m gonna ramp them up even more to become even more badass than ever.

And so the end is near.

This really does scare me, because that means that now I will be going onto at least two months of editing. Yeah, holy crap is right. The month of July to edit The Mediterranean Source, and in August, I’m going to do the first edit rounds of Talent – Book I.

Onwards and upwards.

In other news, I was talking to a friend last night, and she was giving me some really good advice towards the publishing side of things. And you know what? I think I’m a little sadistic. Instead of just being scared of the rejection from publishers, I’m looking forward to it. I mean, what is up with that? I want the rejections… I want to hear what publishers have to say when they reject my work… Shocking, I know. I’m sure that I will probably get pretty sick of it after a while, but for the meantime, I want to hear it. up front, and centre.

Anyway. I’ll be finishing this book this weekend, and then starting up the editing, and then one day – I’m going to get rejected from a publisher and revel in it like a wee piglet playing in the muck.

 

Who said writing was a solitary profession?

So, I just thought that I would write a quicky blog about my day today.

7000 words later, and here I am… tired, exhausted, satisfied… Damn this is almost better than ………..!

My good friend and Critique Partner, Kim Koning, told me this morning that she was going to attempt to write 10,000 words. So since I had nothing better to do apart from go to the market, lunch with my mother in law, and a dinner date – I though ‘why not word war with my buddy to help keep her motivated.’

And so I did. All day. We had plenty of scheduled breaks, but five and a half hour worth of work later, we each had more than 7000 sitting on our plates. And do you know what this means?

This means that if I manage to crank out another 10,000 or so words between now and the next five days – I would have finished this book by my goal time that I set. And I probably wouldn’t have been able to even get close if Kim hadn’t decided to try the impossible but yet possible task of writing 10,000 words in a day.

So… whether or not I meet my goal will be a different story – but I just thought that I would blog about my 7000+ words day… as I don’t think that this will be a very common occurrence in my writing life. Something to celebrate. Just a little celebration….probably more like a pat on the back. But I feel better, and my characters are all in turmoil, and the end of this book is very close.

 

Emperor of the Coast

Apparently the area that I live in has caught the attention of international media. Why? Because of a little penguin, on a big journey.

Emperor Penguin on Kapiti Coast, New Zealand

Three days ago, a young Emperor Penguin landed on Peka Peka Beach for a rest, a few kilometres from my place, Now, it’s really not surprising that this wee fella wanted to stop fo a rest. After all, he has travelled over 3,200 kilometres from his home in Antarctica. Now, that is a hell of a journey for a 10-month-old.

The incredible thing, is that the last Emperor Penguin that was sighted here, was in the deep south of New Zealand in 1967. I guess that this wee fella was much more adventurous. And if you are going to come to New Zealand, why not come to an amazing part of it. But can you imagine what it’s like for this penguin at the moment? This is most likely the first time it has ever felt sand, or the air and waters as warm as they are. The first time it has ever encountered humans, or dogs, or probably even boats. Our conservation department has decided that it would be too much of a traumatic journey to transport this Emperor back to Antarctica at this time of year. So in the meantime, our little coastal community has a guest staying.

Our current beach guest

Emperor Penguins are amazing animals in terms of communities, parenting, mating, and hunting. They do everything in packs, and groups. They journey across the ice together, and they coordinate their hunting. The males look after the eggs once the females lay them, and they mate for a year and then switch. In a way, they are very much like humans. Apart from the males looking after the eggs.

Which makes me wonder what this little nomadic penguin was thinking when it decided to swim to warmer shores. What is the real story behind the journey? Was the penguin out hunting with his pack, and got lost? Did a big nasty seal interfere and scare the penguin, bearing in mind that this penguin is not very old. I think it would be wonderful to be able to communicate with these animals on some level to actually find out what their stories are. Especially the story of a traveller like this one. Could be an awfully good little children’s book series.

And just in case anyone is really interested in the annual cycle of an Emperor Penguin – here is an image care of Wikipedia.

Emperor Penguin Life Cycle

 

Living on the edge

This is not a bitch or a moan or anything… more of an observation of myself.

I have given up smoking, so my whole life is currently out of kilter. I am living on the edge.

The moodswings are instantaneaous, directed, and I have absolutely no tolerance for fools right now. Example A: Yesterday, a work colleague asked me to fix something on her computer. When I said that the system was too old, and that ‘it’s not gonna happen,’ they argued with me, saying that there is not such word as ‘can’t.’  I repeated, ‘it’s not going to happen,’ and yet they argued with me again. They told me that I might have thought that was what I said, but that I definitely said the word ‘can’t’. This was when I turned around and finally snapped. “I am more than aware of what came out of my mouth, and it definitely wasn’t the word ‘can’t’ – if it was anything in that vein – it would have been ‘can not’, but it wasn’t. even. remotely. close.”

That shut them up. Not only can I not stand the word ‘can’t', but I definitely did not utter it. Seriously? Seriously. Do I seriously have to put up with this sort of behaviour in my workplace when I am doing a favour for someone who is too computer illerate to work things out for themselves? Yeah. Remind me to say no next time. Then they might actually take my word for it. 

But it’s all good. I’m on Day Five of no smoking… and just taking each day at a time. The biggest problem I’m facing at the moment is that my house is way to clean… and I am drinking way too much coffee as I try and replace my nicotine addiction with caffeine and cleaning. Must do something about that…

Oh, and I can’t write.

No – I mean… I can write – it’s just that I can’t write right now. No concentration, nerves are practically shattering, and my temper is something that Athena, the Goddess of War and Battle Strategies would be bloody proud of. Yep – I’m doing good.

What amazes me even more, is that throughout this whole thing – my husband still has his cheerleading outfit on, and is waving his pom poms at me, cheering me on every step of the way. That man has the patience of a god. If I was married to me in this state, I probably would have left me by now.

That’s my update. Sorry it’s not very entertaining, but I’ll take it that you’ll believe me when I say, ”I’m not really in the mood….”  ;-)

Get back to writing.

 

Deadlines…

Douglas Adams once said, “I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.”

S Dali - Persistence of Time

As I read this quote – I am shaking my head at myself because I set myself a good and achievable deadline to finish my current manuscript. I said mid-June. Oh, it’s still a good deadline if I knuckle down and get some serious work done – today. The reason why it is almost whooshing past me is because over the long weekend we had a couple of weekends ago, I had the good intention to get some serious writing time in. But between a toothache, and having to do other things about the place, as well as reviewing an ARC, I only managed to get 500 words down – and then I got stuck and put the manuscript down.

Oh yes, I can also just about feel that serious ass-kicking  my crit partners are going to send my way as well. Never the less, my deadline was still mid-June, and I’ll make it if I can crank out 20,000 odd words today. Ha! But you know what? I’m actually alright with this. I know that I shouldn’t be, but there has been a lot going on, and besides… the small part where I got stuck, well. Obviously my planning was out, and I smacked into the wall when I couldn’t decide who had to die. Yeah. Still thinking about that. Been thinking about this small compounding issue for the past week. Ah, the joys of being a writer. I think I’ve almost worked it out though.

And in the meantime, my library is looking great – and it’s a really nice space to work in. I just have to refocus myself to get this manuscript done. End of June – absolute latest. That is the new timeline I am giving myself, because at some point, I’m just going to have to stop so that I can start the final edit of The Mediterranean Source. That is one book that definitely needs to be released from my literary drawer. I actually know that it will only take me two solid weeks of quality writing time to finish this manuscript, so I just have to knuckle down.

I know that there are people waiting with bated breath for the next installment of this trilogy – and I don’t want to let them down and keep them waiting, now, do I? After all… these are readers and friends that are investing their time in me, my writing, my characters and my worlds.  

So. End of June it is. I give you all full permission to slaughter my backside if I don’t pull this off. I already know my critique partners will be smacking me around to get this finished.

 

Finally, I can breathe

I feel as though I can actually take a deep breath, and it gets the oxygen to where it’s meant to go.

The before photo - click to enlarge

The ‘library’ that I write in at home has been bugging the crap out of me for a really long time, and I just had absolutely no idea why. But then I figured it out. My back was to the door when I was working, and every time someone came in while I was writing, they would scare the bejeezus out of me. So, as mentioned in a previous post, this weekend I decided to pull my library apart to refigure it all out, so that my back wouldn’t be to the door anymore. This way, I’ll have a focused workspace, and will stop aging 10 years each time someone walks into the room.

My husband at least had the decency to warn me that he was standing there by playing with the light dimmer, as he knows that when I’m writing – I’m totally immersed. But everyone else would just walk in and I would jump and panic, and practically have heart failure. The next thing I am trying to do at this stage is climb out of my writing world and back into reality. And do you know how long it actually takes to get back into that writing groove? Well, depending on how pissed off I am at the person for interrupting me – it can take a while.

Reference books all lined up!

And now it’s complete. WOOHOO! Yes, I am dancing. I am just feeling so amazingly better about this space, than I have in a very long time. I know that I have put the bed kind of under the bookshelf – but it is bracketed, and ifthere is an earthquake and all the books fall off – well – I don’t think that’s such a bad way to die in the great scheme of things. Okay, I know, I know – death by books… time for my injection. I’m a little twisted.

Click to enlarge

But seriously. How gorgeous is this? It makes me feel wonderful. A great space to create new and wonderful worlds. I’m very lucky that my wonderful husband had the foresight to buy me the most amazing sound system, which is now completely hooked up, and mostly hidden from plain sight. Also – you will note from the photos that there are no wires anywhere! I know. Pretty much got rid of the acres of wiring that would get tangled up around my feet and annoyed me. Now they are hidden away nicely.

So, here’s to a new writing space makeover. I absolutely love to see other peoples writing spaces, so direct me to photos of your space if you have them online.   

Heart-attack prevention: Desk now facing the door!

 

Quitting the Evil Day Job

One of my good friends who is also one of my critique partners, is leaving her Evil Day Job this week to write full time. I have three critique partners, and they are all now full time writers. (One has three children, so she’s also a full time Mum.) I personally think that this is totally wonderful, and it means that these inspiring women can tap into some serious creative potential to achieve their dreams. They even have the time to achieve their dreams.

But for my friend who is leaving her job this week, this is where the story unravels a bit. Apart from her husband and children, she is lacking support with the real humans in her life (not the writers). Her friends and real family are criticizing her for her decision to leave work, refusing to even talk to her about her creative endeavours, and this is right royally starting to piss me off. The audacity of these people. They call themselves her friends and family? But where is the support? Or the love? Or the shoulder? No where. They appear to be more worried about how she will make money, or the recession, or things like that. Personally – it is absolutely none of their business to what arrangement she has with her money situation. What business is it of theirs? If she has some sort of way to pay the bills and live, then that is her business and hers alone.

This decision that she has made is primarily about her happiness, and her goals in life. Life is what we make of it, and if you are happy sitting around working a 40 hour week in a job that you don’t like, and getting paid sweet F.A. to do so – then fine. That’s your life. Be happy with what baskets you put your f*!king eggs in. But if you see someone taking a risk with their own life to make their dreams come true? Well – that’s just inspirational. Be inspired by this. Do not be jealous, or worry about their potential money problems!

I can’t wait till my friend has more time on her plate to create her worlds. It’s very exciting for her, and I am more than willing to give her as much support as she needs to make her dreams come true. What goes around, comes around.

So, let this be a warning to those who are not creative or to those to have no idea what being creative means. If someone is quitting their day job to pursue their dreams, then support them in achieving that. Be their shoulder to cry on, and be there to talk to them. That’s what friends and family do for each other. It is not about how much money you earn, or what you spend it on that shows your quality of life. It’s how you feel within yourself.

 

A writer’s update

So close! So, so, so close!!

What am I talking about?

The end of my current work in progress – Talent Uprising. Yes, I am just about jumping for joy, and I haven’t even crossed the finish line yet.

Last weekend, early on Sunday morning I was chattering away to one of my critique partners. Every day we make a list together about what writing work we would like to get through for day, and we were discussing this abdominal list that I had to get through. Then she said something to me that made me pause. “Leigh. What about your own writing? There is no point writing blogs, or critiquing work, or doing everything for everyone else, if you are not actually making any real progress on you own stuff.”

I knew she was right. Oh man, she was more than right. Then she said to me, “Come on – let’s just do ten minutes right now together, and then you have at least accomplished something for yourself this weekend.”

And so I opened OmmWriter, and I wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I finally stopped because I had to, but the main thing was that I actually got something down for me! Then on Monday, I did the same thing, and spat out close to two thousand words before I even started work for the day. Tuesday, wasn’t so good, but it was still over a thousand words on the page. (I’m telling you… if you don’t have OmmWriter – go and get it. Wonderful programme to write in. Absolutely fabulous.)

You see, the reason why I am so excited about all this, is because I am wrapping up the ending of a book. I can almost feel the complete novel. I promised myself that I would get this book written by mid-June, and I am almost there. And I love that feeling more than anything else in the world. If I just keep tapping away at it, day by day, in my own little NaNoWriMo style, then it will be done. I would like to reach a minimum of 85k of words before I put the pen down on this book.

Then I’ll be celebrating. Maybe. I the meantime, I’ll just keep writing till I get there.

Port Underwood, Marlborough Sounds

This weekend I am in the Marlborough Sounds, working on the house. So, think of me up a ladder doing under floor insulation and painting. Yuck. These things do need to happen though, and I need to keep visualising how lovely it will once it’s all finished. Naturally I would much rather be at home for the three day weekend just doing my own thing, but there are necessities in life that you are obligated to. Besides, the Marlborough Sounds is beautiful, and there is lots of inspiration here for me.

In other news, the hard copy of Tales for Canterbury is getting sent out, and I am so praying that I have my copy sitting at home for me when I get back there. Very exciting! It’s a shame I can’t frame it. Well, I could… if I box framed it, but then I wouldn’t be able to read it!

Next weekend I plan on sorting out the feng shui of my library, not that Husband actually knows that yet. But he’ll figure it out when he sees me dragging things through the library door and piling them up in the living room. When I get it all sorted out, I’ll blog it with a picture. I just need to double check all of the measurements… and maybe use my wheel barrow as a skip bin to throw out horrendous amounts of junk. I promise that I won’t throw my first drafts though, despite the need for it. I’ll put them somewhere safe so that I can reflect on them later in life.

And according to Marie Burgos, a feng shui interior designer says:

GETTING RID OF CLUTTER: is an essential step to apply as the problem with clutter is: “it leaves no room for growth!”

I think that’s about it from me at the moment. Editing of The Mediterranean Source is planned to start in mid-June. Fingers crossed that I stick to my timeline.

Oh, and almost forgot to say – this is Parchment Place’s 50th post in the blogging world!

 

Mental Feng Shui

Some of you may or may not know what I mean when I say ‘Mental Feng Shui’… but I know what I mean. For me, one of the hardest things about being a writer is maintaining the mental feng shui balance within myself.

I find that writers are creatures of habit. Cups of tea and coffee are poured as part of the writing ritual. Chocolate is devoured. And every now and then we head towards nature to renew the inspirations. I also believe that we are a superstitious lot. An example of this is when I’m having a downright rotten day, and I decide to write – I light a candle to banish away all the negative energy that is circling around inside me. 

But each of these little habitual rituals is part of what balances our mental feng shui. It’s a bit like tuning a radio to get a good signal. You have to hit the right spot first before you will hear any clarity of sound. With us, it revolves around coffee, chocolate, or even lighting a candle to help us tune into the creative airwaves. This is a fine balancing act.

Sometimes, though, static gets in the way, and therefore throws out all sense of balance that we strive to maintain. This can come in an array of different forms. Some days, we just don’t feel like it, and suddenly the TV seems so much more interesting. Other days we pick up a really good book to read, and can’t seem to keep our noses out of it till we finish. And as much as we absolutely adore our friends and family who support and love us constantly, they get in the way as well. 

Invitations to parties, dinner, movies, lunch, anything… If we writers are in the middle of some sort of creative winning streak – we start turning down those invites. I know that if I drink too much alcohol, then the next day I will be completely incapable of anything creative. Some friends understand, which is wonderful, but others can start to get a bit fickle about whether or not they will continue to invite us to spend time with them. My Dad who was staying with me last week told me that my Mother has been complaining to him about not being able to get hold of me. This is probably because I turn all the phones off if I’m in the middle of writing new worlds, and the characters that live within them. I just can’t afford to be distracted by the phone.

Two weekends ago, we had a bit of a graduation party at our house for one of my closest friends. Did I get any writing done that weekend? Erm. *blush* No. Why? Because I was busy entertaining, chattering away, and when the people had left, I then cleaned, and put everything back together again. Then that same friend had an issue on the road about twenty kilometres north of where I live, and we had to execute a rescue mission. My father then arrived to stay a couple of days after that. Needless to say, that was a solid week where absolutely no writing work was done. Zilch. My feng shui has been right royally screwed with.

This coming weekend is a long weekend in New Zealand, where I would normally be very excited to be able to spend three consecutive days writing… however we are off to work on the holiday house. Some friends are even coming to help! Gah! It needs to be done, and believe me, I wouldn’t be miserable about it if I had some decent writing miles behind me for the month of May. But I don’t, and it’s seriously upsetting me.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to rise early to get in my writing mileage without distraction. However, today is a new month.

Now, if I had the luxury of writing full time at home, then I could probably sort this mess out. Speaking of home, I have been getting more and more upset with my favourite room – my library. It’s a beautiful room, but it’s in such a pigsty. I can’t cope, and yet I don’t want to deal with it either. Some of the mess actually isn’t mine, but I’ll leave that ‘particular subject’ alone. But I will say one thing… When that ‘particular subject’ steps into my library, and proceeds to mess up this beautiful space that I have carved out of our house for myself, I get extremely pissed off. Yeah, I’m talking about the amount of crap that’s left lying around, equipment left on, dirty coffee cups, books moved about, or whatever. So, over the past few days I have been thinking very hard on my library, and the current tip that it’s in. And I think that I need to move it around to get a better sense of actual feng shui balance in there. I’m not happy about the state that it’s in, so therefore I would like to do something about it. If possible. Wish me luck on that one! I’m hoping that once I am happy with the room again, it will assist with getting my mental feng shui back in alignment.

In winter I am a hermit, and I’m happy like that. Even in the summer, I can be a bit of a hermit. I enjoy my own company, and I enjoy chatting to my characters in my head. And I love writing, because it makes me feel such an awesome sense of elation when things seem to be falling into place. It’s the way I have chosen to live my life. Friends and family are extremely important though, as they are the people you turn to when you need them. I think that I just need to find some sort of way to balance out my mental feng shui with those people included in there.