Thursday, November 27, 2014

There's nothing to see here

By the end of today, I should have 45,009 lovely novelly words.

Unfortunately, I am currently 14,009 words behind.

Despite this crushing news, Carol's eye (Carol the BBC Weather lady) is getting better. THANK GOD.

Although I try not to be a shallow person, it's very difficult to eat your breakfast and catch up on the forecast looking at this:


Sorry Carol, but I don't make many demands for my small life, and I've found this a very difficult and stressful time.

I am so glad that she's on the mend.

So like I was saying, before you interrupted me, I'M SO BEHIND GUYS.

Also, one of my characters has turned into Gollum. Is it plagiarism if I change his name and cover him with fur? He's not obsessed with the ring either. He's obsessed with the internal destruction of my protagonist. Phew!

I'm off to that writing lock-in thingy magingey on Saturday and they've just sent me a goal setting worksheet. I don't really want to spend the whole day finishing my novel on admin and Gollum, so for the next three days I need to write 6333 words a day. Is it warm in here, or is it just me?

As if things couldn't get worse, on top of my floundering ability and Carol's eye, GingerBeard caused a double shop pile up. CAN YOU IMAGINE?

That's right, after I'd completed the shop for the week and had filled all of our space, GB turned up arms laden with bags. I nearly died of shock. Which would've been a real shame as then there would be even less people to eat the stupid amount of food. I wanted to positively reinforce this behaviour but at the same time, I was pissed about being inundated with broccoli.

So I had to go with, "I know your heart was in the right place, but this is offensive."

I don't think anyone's problems are as bad as mine. No one comments on my blogs, and I can only assume it'd due to a sense of awe and pity. Keep it coming.

ALSO

I fell asleep standing up in the shower this morning. Maybe I fainted? Probably due to the weight of all the tremendously crushing things in my life. Luckily I swayed into the glass partition, and managed to cling onto it as I woke up. The last thing I remember thinking about is the plot of my novel, which really goes most of the way to explaining it.

Luckily, the drama in my story is really ramping up; I've just written:

'I can’t read his face at all. This has always been a problem and makes me nervous in every conversation. At least, for once, he’s taken off his suit and tie, in exchange for some slack pants, with white paint marks from doing up the lounge last year.'


 I know, incredible, and I've not even edited it yet.


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Smile like you mean it

I'm only 11,000 words behind.

I could be doing a lot better than this, but for my past two lunch breaks I've grabbed a coffee with my colleague and occasional friend JB instead.

Luckily, I've got the whole day free tomorrow for catch up, and I've set the alarm for 6am.

Will I get up though?

Or course I will.

But will I?

Who knows guys, who knows.

Isn't it always the thought that counts?

Things have got very exciting in it. I've moved on from break-ups in Nandos. There's now domestic violence in Tesco, AND you think a little girl has been taken from school, BUT SHE HASN'T.

Ramping up the drama.

As always my efforts to loosen up my mind, in hope that a few original thoughts might fall out, is resulting in some rather disturbing conversations, disturbing for me and those around me.

I can only apologise. It's part of my process. For you, you're scared, uncomfortable, and close to ending the friendship. For me I'm relived, impressed, and I might just end up with a novel which surpasses the subject of admin. Here's hoping.

In other news, I've been hanging out with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two french guys claimed to have seen him some seven rows below us at The Book of Mormon. I spent the whole second half trying to recognise the back of his head. The first half was stupendous.

I especially liked how one woman said, "There's no way he'd be with us in the shit seats." And he was. Arnie was choosing to slum it with the commoners. And I for one, appreciate that.

Well I did, until the guy in front of me said, "Ooh yay, floor smartie," and ate his finding. Then I was just embarrassed for us all.

ALSO

I held a rather successful (if I do say so myself)  wine night at a posh bar. We did have 'All about the bass' on a speaker phone on repeat, let the female Gingers play fight in a corner, and stop a poor girl from leaving the bathroom until she answered questions about how her date was going. But the main thing guys, is that I didn't fall over, not once, didn't even totter. Or vomit. There was no vomit in sight. Well done me.

I've been to many, many events recently. It's not because I hate London and am desperately trying to stop myself from being one of those Monday morning commuters who looks across the rain splattered train tracks and decides to jump. IT'S REALLY NOT.

It's just because I love spending all my money. Yeah, that's the reason.

Luckily I don't even have to bother to smile anymore, because I've bought one of these signs from ebay. You should get one; they are very reasonably priced. Also, as if you need another reason, arguably a good work out for one of your arms.






Thursday, November 13, 2014

The puppet show


Oh bejesus guys - by midnight I'll be 7,640 words behind.

The only saving grace is that my last chapter is bloody stupendous - my protagonist gets dumped in Nandos.

GingerBeard says that I involve food in every chapter without fail like some obsessive fatty. But as he's only a fake Doctor, and not a writer, I don't take him very seriously.

To his credit, he is entertaining me. I took him on a surprise visit to Bath for his birthday. Well it was going to be a surprise, until the night before when I bellowed out, "So, when we get to Bath...Nooooooooo!!!"

I'd bought him a laptop and a bag for it to live in, but only taken the bag to Bath. He opened it and thanked me profusely saying, "That's so great, I'll go out and get a laptop for it."

And I was like, "What?"

GB: "To go with the bag."

Me: You think I've bought you a laptop bag without a  laptop?

GB: Yes, and I really like it.

Me: I've got you a laptop too!

GB: No you haven't.

Me: I really have.

GB: It's cool, I like the bag.

This is the kind of thing they were thinking of when they stated that relationships were hard work.

And anyway, who appreciates a bag for something they don't have?

I would've gone fucking nuts.

I wonder what else he's lying about, now that I know he's a really good actor. Probably loads of stuff. I'm pretty sure that the trust we've developed as a couple is disintegrating.

Could you tell him for me?

Thanks.

ALSO

Nia Edwards took me to see a Russian play last night. They promised English subtitles, but there was a good stretch in the middle where they couldn't be bothered. My interpretation of that bit, is that a giant girl was bitten in the vagina by a lion. They put a bowl under her bum, for her to bleed into, and then a real dog came over and drank some. Then she died. Then her boyfriend killed himself with a sword to the ribs. Then she came back to life and had a sleep over his body. And finally, her head fell off.

Nia's thoughts were close to mine, but she's certain that the girl was bitten everywhere, then peed herself in terror, and the dog drank her pee.

Either way, the main actor for the whole thing was a dog, and he gave the best dog performance I have ever seen.


At one point, they undid the male puppet's crotch and his penis fell out. They pumped it up with a  bicycle pump.

I think I liked it.

But I'll get back to your formally in a few weeks on that.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Park life

Yesterday, I was hit by a falling suitcase as I walked down a spiral staircase. No, it wasn't a magical, Alice In Wonderland staircase, or an especially dull dream.

This shit actually happens to me.

In my shock, and as the woman ran down to reclaim it, I turned and said, "Woah, easy there!"

As if she was responsible for a reckless horse.

Maybe I am secretly a suitcase tamer? Not such a secret one anymore!

I think I really need to try and be the person that doesn't experience things like this. I think it's known as being normal.

Any tips?

An old English teacher of mine often said that I was eccentric.

So maybe I only have myself to blame for the suitcase incident. Maybe I was walking in such a peculiar fashion, that the woman was trying to put me down for the greater good - end the horror.

It's possible.

ALSO

I'm starting to get over how awful my novel is. I don't mean that the writing's getting any better, it's not. Previously, I would've compared generating it to undergoing something painful without help, like getting a filling. Whereas now, I have taken the anaesthetic. Because I cannot complete this thing kicking and screaming my way through, and I have to complete it in order to uphold my thinning, pathetic wisp of a dream.

Otherwise, as discussed in an earlier blog, I will have to be an astronaut.

And the more I think about it, the more I worry about me as an astronaut. I think I've managed to become a bit spesh despite being in the company of  well turned out others, imagine what isolation would do to that. I bet the only thing that keeps me in check is public shame and embarrassment.



Guys, it's not looking awesome for me right now. I am precisely 4,663 words behind.

My main problem is that I'm trying to write something of value, which is also at least mildly entertaining/interesting. I'm also reading 'The shock of the fall' by Nathan Filer which is super, super good. Nathan is a mental health nurse and has used this knowledge to produce a novel. If I did that, I would have a novel about admin. I just don't think it's fair that some people have quite exciting lives, which they are able to use to inspire successful art.

Whereas I, am writing a novel which in the main, is about admin, and get hit by falling suitcases.

Yes, that's correct, the best fiction I have been able to generate follows a protagonist through which can be specifically described, as my work history.

I think if a lot of you comment on this post saying, 'Sounds like something I'd read.' and 'You've really landed on a gap in the market with that one,' then everything will be okay.

I don't want to pressure you, but I will blame you if I fail.



Wednesday, November 05, 2014

You crazy

I'd forgotten that one of the biggest jobs of Nano (aside from painfully extracting 1667 words a day) is when you realise that there are a few impossible writing days ahead. You do some basic maths and find that on the 5th November, you need to write 10,400 to be on target for the end of the week.

I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN ALREADY.

I appreciate that I've been out of the writing game for some time, but guys my writing is BAD, I mean seriously AWFUL.

Every time I read it back, I do a mini sick.

I'm sure that this happened at the start of the other four novels - I've probably just blanked it out to protect myself.

At lot of the prep talks are about letting go, re-embracing the vast imagination you had as a child. My imagination is currently like the misplaced car key when you're trying to escape from zombies.

I'm frantically patting my brain down and screaming - 'WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS IT?'

My 9-5 life has gobbled it up. Nom nom.

Is it possible, that there's just nothing new to say?

I think that's way more likely than me just being a shit writer.

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood because I got kicked on the tube, and only mouthed 'Ow' but remained silent.

I'm a mime artist! I know just how Ariel felt now, when she traded her tail for legs with the sea witch, but found out that her voice was gone, and she couldn't tell Eric who she was.

It's really nice when you find that Disney can be relevant as an adult.

At least I seem to be fulfilling one compulsory part of NaNoWriMo:

 GOING COMPLETELY MENTAL.

Only 25 lovely days to go.

And now for this weeks, Sleep of the week, temporarily re-titled to Sleeps of the week.


It's only been submitted by Sand Man extraordinaire Nia Edwards!

For those of you who don't know Nia, here is a recent photo of her, from our night out at Dine in the Dark:


You can see from the Tube photo, that she has managed to knock out three defenseless commuters using only one pinch of magic sand.

What happens to them when they're asleep?

Only Nia can say.

Still sponsored by Durex - ;Respect it, Protect it.'