The last week...

I've been slack, I know I haven't done as much as I should have. Every day I've written something, even if it's just been tweets. Then there's reading, I'm always reading something.

I probably have missed days, but that's okay, once in a while it's okay to miss a day. I had a bad week, I'm sure you'll understand.

Read: Feb 7th

I appear to be having some brain freeze, in all fairness I've had a few things going on for the last couple of days, so I appear to have forgotten what I read.

Oh yes, I remember now...I read a blog! I wish I could remember more than that as it was a good one too. Apologies this week isn't going well blog wise.

Write: Feb 7th

Last night I stayed in bed, from the moment I got home from work pretty much until I went to sleep a few hours later. So how does someone who's been feeling pretty sorry for them self write...well I asked a friend for some word or phrase to prompt me. She gave me Adele's song Someone like you and I listened to the song and heard the lyrics and there, like a Phoenix out of ashes, not just my writing grew but a whole idea for a story of some sort appeared.

Feb 5th where art thou?!

I know I've been keeping on top of my reading and writing...but I appear to have lost of a whole day of blogging about it. If anyone finds it, please return to this address...haha.

Write: Feb 6th

I've been writing, though apparently not blogging for a couple of days allows me to forget just what I have written on which days. But I know I wrote. I probably wrote some of my Holiday fic again as that's making good progress.

Read: Feb 6th - sewing!

I spent most of the day sewing. I have a bag I'd been working on, mostly waiting to buy some interfacing and I finally got the chance to do it. So I spent most of the day reading instructions as to what I had to do.

Read: Feb 4th - The Postmistress

I read the same book again and I'm a little curious as to its direction. The storyline that was beginning to unfold had a sense of foreboding, as though something bad is going to happen...I've learnt a lot about the craft over the last few years and something that's always stood out for me is that words matter. Everything you write will matter for the story.

So now I'm curious as to what something I read alludes to. In no normal universe does someone mention something unusual in their thoughts, without said unusual thing having an impact in some way on the story.

I'll keep you posted...

Write: Feb 4th - Holidays and bunnies

I finally pulled what I'd written for my holiday fic off my phone and onto my computer, which meant it needed editing. I had a small sliver of doubt over whether I should switch POV or not, as I already had done.

I read a blog at some point basically telling people that POV switch isn't the best idea...but since this is fanfiction and it's quite a laid back fic, compared to the last one at least, it doesn't matter as much.

I also wrote a blog about musical bunnies - that is, plot bunnies that come from songs!

Write: Feb 3rd - coffee shops and counting

I didn't write anything substantial. It often happens that I find myself unappealed to what the world is offering by way of inspiration and so, I don't write as much as I want to.

I sat in a coffee shop hoping for something to push me into action, perhaps someone with an interesting look having some form of argument with someone they know.

Something I didn't realise about the road outside said coffee shop, people walk fast. I had 3 possibly directions by which people could appear. And so I started a tally. In just FIVE minutes, I counted ONE HUNDRED people passing by...and those were only the ones I caught. There was probably another twenty five per cent on top of that.

So I sat back and I watched and I wondered if I'd probably been witness to about a thousand people going about their day. Now in a town of about two hundred and fifty thousand, that's quite a proportion to be able to see in only three hundred seconds.

So I made a few scribbled notes about a couple of people who caught my eye - like man with backpack right up against shoulders and black bob hat with a brim, he looked like one of the less well functioning members of society. Perhaps that's a judgement, an unfair one at that, but I went there looking for inspiration as to what people do and say on an average day walking past a coffee shop in the centre of Bolton.

Read: Feb 3rd - The Postmistress

I tried to read my book yesterday on a bus full of passengers. It was hard. Two women were gas bagging behind me, making the task rather difficult. In the end, after the Police and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE to us locals) had hopped on to check tickets, I gave up.

I did look at that third book from the Richard and Judy book club, but it didn't appeal enough for me to actually spend £4 on it.

Have to admit, I didn't do an awful lot of complete fiction reading, but that's okay as I did read some blogs and also twitter! Though the grammar and such in 140 characters is shocking, so hardly the most inspiring thing in the world.

Write: Feb 2nd - blogs and bitches

I wrote a blog. My first attempt at this post a day malarky. It was about what job I'd like to do. Instead of rehashing my post about rhinos, flying and the job currently doing, I'll talk instead about the fiction writing I did.

Katie Fitch (character in UK tv show Skins) for all the love that I have for her, is a bitch. It's a choice, I think, or perhaps she struggles to handle all of the feelings bubbling inside. In the show she's seen heavily as the bitchy one, but I know her differently and have done since I started writing the other side.

In fact now you're making me want to write a fic about this...best pop off and make some notes before I forget.

Read: Feb 2nd - The Postmistress

With the recent twists and turns and dramatic moments of this novel, I find myself just as excited about it as the day I bought it. That was most probably a Tuesday. I had a half price voucher from WHSmiths that I didn't hesitate to use.

Unfortunately for my bank balance I got a second voucher for another book that appears to have moments set in the first world war. Then on purchasing said half price book I got a third voucher. So now I've been only a start date away from purchasing a third book.

Where before I didn't plan on buying any, I've now spent the cost of a whole booking on buying one great and one (I hope) is great. We'll see if a third is bought...at least now I'll have plenty to read.

Watch this space...

Write: Feb 1st - holiday/blog

I finally found the starting point for my story that I've been struggling over for weeks. I'm glad. I need something that will capture my whole attention again. I don't mind writing one-shots and general short fiction, but I love to become embroiled in the lives I've created.

I also started a new blog, a second blog where I will write about creativity from a more general perspective. It's my hopes of improving my writing and putting myself out into the writing world as a blogger. I also happened to come across a post a day challenge which grabbed my attention.

So look out for it... http://misspegdaily.wordpress.com

Read: Feb 1st -The Postmistress

The saddest fact of war, of anything, for me, is children losing parents or parents losing children. The Postmistress, being set during the Blitz, was bound to include some form of death and destruction.

But there's something very different between the news reporter, Frankie, talking about people dying and her ending up in a shelter with a little boy from two doors down her own flat. Seeing that tiny snippet of his life was enough to send the shivers through my bones and the tears down my face as Frankie explains the seven year old boy's mother's death. As well as that of her flat mate and fellow reporter Harriet.

My original intention was to talk about how out of place it felt for Frankie to have sex in an alley with a man she doesn't even know the name of. But that seems barely significant with the later events.