Jam Tomorrow - That's The Rule.

It seems I'm even more behind down the rabbit hole than I am up in the clouds on Bushy's page. No excuse really - unless you count Facebook and other time wasting activities.

Note to self: really must do better. Better - be-etter - baa-ett-er - baa-aaa.....

Tons of work to do. Yes it is work! How dare you suggest it's just playing about with writing! For such a "Nice little hobby" it does have it's frustrating moments. For one thing, no-one takes it seriously. You are expected to break off what you are doing in favour of something far more important, because you're not really doing anything. Well - oftentimes - if I'm being entirely honest - I haven't been doing any actual writing, because I've been doing other stuff. Mind you - I also get so overwhelmed by that other stuff that it can slip by the wayside too. What I think I'm trying to say is, procrastination has got the better of me (again). Some call it writers' block - but I know what I want to write (and edit - but that's a different matter altogether), I'm just putting it off.

So, even though I've been beating myself up for months (years?) about not achieving as much as I would want to, I'm going to say it all again:

Life is marching by - rapidly. You only get one chance - you know what you have to do!

Stop!

So what's a girl to do? I had a dream that I had to take O out of school early to see the dentist (I do actually have to take him out of school twice next week - one time being for a hospital appointment). We had to race to find the dentist as it had moved (and never mind the fact that I haven't been near him for the last four years- well he keeps threatening me with stuff...) Anyway, we can't find the dentist and we are on Victoria Street in Douglas. P is with us by now and he and O are suddenly on their bikes. N has also joined us (where did he spring from?) We are crossing the road via a zebra crossing (which doesn't really exist as it's a pelican in reality). We cross. N and I are over to the other side when a car with an old man at the wheel drives up the wrong way up this one way street. We scream at him to stop but he hits O and doesn't stop. I phone for an ambulance straight away and we tend to O at the side of the road. We think he's going to be ok but there's no ambulance. I phone again because I realise I've forgotten to tell the emergency services exactly where we are and an ambulance has been roaming Douglas all this time trying to find us apparently.

I wake up and O presents me with a letter from school telling us that year 6 are to start cycling proficiency next week...

The Clock Had Stopped

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Picture of Dreams

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Down, down, down...

... Would the fall never come to an end?

It's very easy to become despondent when things don't go to plan. Trick is to pick yourself up and start again...

On a different note, I went for a run last night - when I say run, it was more like a gentle jog... punctuated with some walking - OK - a lot of walking. I went with a friend and my oldest son (youngest was playing football). So, there was the football pitch and the athletic track side by side, then a track all the way around the outside of the two - this is the track we used. We managed four laps (O did five) and I did manage to keep running (jogging lol) for the whole of the last lap. It was a bit of a caucus race though, where we picked up and left off whenever we felt like it. So, I guess we all won and all should have had prizes!

Hunting Snarks...

I wonder if this is a good sign? (I'm sure it is!) I found myself dreaming about certain plot elements - well, when I say dreaming, I was actually waking up from the dream and trying desperately hard to cling on to the details. It's like a very delicate piece of paper with ideas and important notes written on it which you must memorise before the whole thing disintegrates into dust. I didn't need to think twice, if ever a sign was more obvious that I must crack on and do it, this was it.

I got the essence - which has spurred me on to finally work on a synopsis. (Hey - I'm not the only one who procrastinates over writing a synopsis - so don't be too hard on me!) It's a start and at least I can now see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. It might be handy at this point to find a tiny golden key on a three legged glass table, together with a bottle marked "Drink me."

I often give myself very good advice (but very rarely follow it...)

While Bushy is having her crisis up there, I thought I would see what's going on down here... Not a lot it would seem! It's true what she's saying; I do need to get my life in order. Starting from now, I will not:

- be distracted by Emails and internet.
- laze around in bed for too long, daydreaming about what life could be like if only I could get up an hour earlier. Why not just... get up an hour earlier?
- procrastinate any more...!

Roughly, in no particular order, this is my writing "To do" list:-

Editing

1. NaNo 2004 (a fantasy novel - not in your traditional sense)
2. NaNo 2005 (a sort of sequel to 2004's effort - both need a LOT of work - especially this one)
3. NaNo 2006 (a complete change of direction)

4. Several short stories to polish up and sub - I want to find a home for all of them!

Writing

5 & 6. Two collaborative projects (one of which might end up becoming NaNo 2007...)

7. A Mystery/Romance just started (as an experiment - can I work with this genre?)

8. A couple of short stories for two (Skeelley) anthologies.

And there we have it; something that looks ever so cunningly like - a plan! (I just have to find the time to put some of it into action now...)