Monday 7 April 2008

The number you have dialled is engaged ....

Has it really been a week since I last posted. Oh dear, I knew something had to give in the new regime. I'm managing to fit in writing and working into the day but at the expense of my blog. I haven't even been reading other people's blogs and feel quite out of the loop. Never mind hopefully I can catch up.

I actually spent most of today neither writing nor working but frustratingly trying to buy tickets for a lovely festival up on the Solway Firth. Not much point me promoting it here as the ticket sales web site has crashed (in fact it crashed within minutes of it being wound up/ prodded awake this morning and it takes on average nine hours to get through on the phone (seriously folks!)). But at 5.30 this afternoon I became the proud owner of two and half tickets and we will be there August Bank Holiday, rain or shine. Good luck to any one else out there still pressing the redial button.


(not a very relevant cartoon but it made me smile)

Got up for my early morning writing session today and - didn't write a word of my novel! No it wasn't the delights of Spider Solitaire or the pile of dirty washing begging to be stuffed into the machine that distracted me - it was my planned entry for the Harper's Bazaar / Orange Short Story comp.


I already have a story on the theme (Ambition). I've had it for a while, it's never been submitted anywhere else and I really like it, BUT - it needs some tinkering. Quite a bit of tinkering actually, besmattered as it is with my trademark [,,,,] and [????]s which stand for 'something brilliant will be inserted here, at some point, I just don't know what it is yet'. It might be something as irrelevant as the name of the cat or as important as the whole reason why somebody has acted the way they have. Sometimes I find the right words, other times I just give up and delete the brackets, neatly sew up the sentence and hope nobody spots the join.

Anyway I tinkered away quite happily for a couple of hours this morning. It felt really good to be working on a short story for a change and I plan to do the same tomorrow, when I might just get it finished- deadline is Friday and I don't particularly want to hear this one wooshing past.

10 comments:

Jen said...

Sounds as if you're doing brilliantly. Something has to give though, even is it is the blogging. What is that say? You have have anything you want but you can't have it all...

Karen said...

As long as you don't give up blogging altogether, I'll forgive you.

I thought about the 'Ambition' short story competition, but that's as far as I got, sadly. Good luck :o)

HelenMWalters said...

Sounds very productive. I got a great idea for a short story during the night - it involves spaghetti and olive oil - no, I don't understand either!

Jumbly Girl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen said...

Sarah, I just noticed you left a comment while I was Fiddling About with my blog, with a view to making it annonymous. A case of shutting the gate after the horse has bolted, methinks. Basically, I don't know how to do it, and keep my readers so I'm leaving it as it was for now...do not adjust your settings!! Sorry about that.
As if we haven't got enough to to...

Moondreamer said...

Oh my godness, I nearly missed your move, Sarah!

I have been busy too and haven't had chance to catch up with everyone for a while. But I read a lovely post this morning (link at mine) about Blogger Appreciation day and you are certainly a blogger I appreciate!

Bit late in the day now, wish I'd had chance to do this earlier ... hope you had a great start to the week!

:o)

Jumbly Girl said...

Karen - I'm not too convinced that I won't lose people too - although I have left up my old blog with a redirection post which I am hoping will do the trick.

Moondreamer - Well done for finding me I think you were the first visitor to the new me - many thanks for the appreciation - the feeling is mutual :o)

HelenMWalters said...

Welcome to your new blog!

Jumbly Girl said...

Thanks Helen - glad the redirecting thing appears to be working

Jumbly Girl said...

Spiral -so true, you've just got to prioritise sometimes haven't you and decided what you want most

Karen - Don't think I could give it up completely - just might get a bit more sporadic

Helen - sounds like a tasty start for a story - had you gone to bed without your tea?