Hooray, Hooray, It's a Holiday!

OK, only one day's holiday  but means a 4-day week!   The next assignment for Writer's Bureau is complete apart from a re-read (again).  I'm allowed to give the historical article a miss, thank goodness.  I don't think my idea of an article on rampant Nell Gwyn in a comical vain would go down too well with WB. 

 Submitted another article to Powderroom Graffiti so fingers crossed my humor will win the editor over for a second time.  

Pounded the Wii board this morning ... well, perhaps not pounded given that I am er, a trifle fat according to the Body Test, so let's face it, I coulld have broke the sodding thing.  Oh, am past it at 43 too.   To be honest, haven't been exercising in a week as had another bug. This one a throat infection but rest assurred, I made it into work and everyone, I mean everyone, is elated at the thought that they could be next.

And this afternoon will retire to the sofa to Write a CV on sitcom charactors.  That's after I have brushed the carpet of last night's sewing remanants laying over the floor.  Been warned by the new hubby that I MUST NOT wake him after a night shift so shhhh.  Mind you, am going to cook first. The smell of burnt food should shift him.

Today

Had a morning of writing now that my laptop is working - bloody modern technology.  How did I know that power lead had pulled out.

The Observer / W.B. :  writing a little something that will suffice for the assignment and if any good will send to the Observer.

Powder Room Graffiti : got paid!! Whoop! Whoop!   began a new article - well, was asked for more. Not sent yet, of course. Will re-read, edit etc etc.

Ok, signing off. 

PS.  if anyone knows how to acquire Followers, do get in touch. Ciao.

Synopsis for Kangaroo Land

I've written the dreaded synopsis and will leave it a week and read it again.  The updated version of Kangaroo Land is updated on my web thanks to Jimmy Boy at Milk Design, and I am saving hard to send to Hilary Johnson's Advisory Service once and for all! Feel more confident to send now! Must start printing off...

Also have had some good reviews on Authonomy ... must get back on there though.

The Book & Tabbing

Absolutely fab of GP to print a copy of Kangaroo Land in book form.  Considering I printed off the manuscript to proof read I didn't catch all the errors.  It was like being in a candy store searching out delights ... only in my case errors in book form, lol.  Found lots. 

So read the book, noted the errors, changed the errors, all in 2-days ...

As per Pete, doing correct-indent-tabbing .. am on page 118 and still tabbing. So inbetween lunch with the girls (http://www.lipstickandhandbags.blogspot.com/ ... well, Walpole has NO PUB so I set up a women's group) Spring clean, I am gonna finish tabbing!!!  Tabitha, the wife of said GP Man Pete, said add my pic to the book.  She suggested the black and white one.  In reality, this one I am freezing my bottom off on a windy day on a Winterton day.  Windy as in the weather not my bottom.

Okay, off to indent ...

Err, coffee first ...

The Synopsis

Why is it so hard to write?

A Bit of This and a Bit of That!

I completed the deadline for Kangaroo Land.. You know, the April 30 one. BUT, received competition feedback from UK Authors which mentioned duplicated words and thought best to go through the ENTIRE book and check them out.  Remarkable how many there are.

Oh, bizarrely, printing a manuscript off is better when editing than reading from the monitor. Goodness knows why but believe me, it is.  Also requires back up ink cartridges!

Thought of entering the opening chapters into a competition run by US writing site Wow, Women ion Writing but  in the small print I read something about fees - don't want to get myself into a money-pickle.

Printed off Summersdale submission guideline and plan to submit Kanagroo Land with the email from Hazel Cushion from Accent Press who advised I try them. In short, I will!

Cinnamon Press have a comp deadline end of June for £16.  I checked as they don't seem to print travel - but Jan assured me that it's for any genre.

Might as well give it a go!

Received a super heavy weight engraved pen from Stephanie Hale (Rich Writer Poor Writer) because Kangaroo Land reached the Top 100. Whoop! Whoop!


That's all folks!

This 'n' That

Well, although I didn't reach the Winning Ten in the Oxford Literary Consultancy competition I feel CHUFFED that I did reach the Top 100 Shortlist for Kangaroo Land.  Glass of Red went down well Monday night. So did the one Tuesday, and err, Wednesday ... oh dear ...

Have finished the book - but had feedback from UK Authors regarding the first 3000 words and I have a few things to change (more soon).  If I got a publishing deal the draft would be back on my scuffed old desk to change things anyway so more hard work ok ...

GP Print of Peterborough are going into cost effective and excellent quality book printing and would like to use Kangaroo Land as a trial run.  Blimey, go for it, I say! They get to practice and I get a book in print, errors and all ....  Who can say no to that?

Off to work ...

Saturday

Well, another chapter of Kangaroo Land completed this morning and it's only 9:47am!  Whoopee! Now I've set a deadline of April 30 I have something to work to.  Also decided am taking on too much so have decided to work on Kitchen Town (kids story) after April and send to kids publisher / agents / competitions after April 30 and while I'm submitting KL  in my bid to get a deal, land my book on a bookshelf, get into The Times bestseller list - oh to DREAM!

OK, should have done this before but assignment 6 isn't err, completed so am setting myself monthly deadlines for assignments too.  It's not that I am not writing Ass6 (which will use for Simon Seeks) but KL is taking up tons of time and that is what is important for me. It's my baby!

Thinking of entering it into Cinnamon Press novel competition this year .. need to read up more on what they publish though as unsure a travelogue fits in with their titles. Would they still consider it or toss it into the Competition Bin because the wrong genre?

Powder Room Graffiti article ... that's another for after April 30. 

Bloody hell, how do writers manage writing a book, articles, anything else, with a family (well, cat family for me), full time job (travelling to and from it for 1 and a half hours a day), suffering acute 40+ tiredness (meaning falling a sleep on very comfy sofa by 9pm), looking after a home (OK, The Man did the laundrey, changed the bed, hoovered this weekend) ... AND I have a November wedding to prepare (yes, I will become Mrs. H).

OK, better get changed - sitting here in a pink fluffy dressig gown and mascara stained face - may frighten the postman ...

O, PS, don't forget to subscribe to the NEWSLETTER because there'll be competitions

Sunday ... Valentine Day

Am on my second cup of coffee and  I still can't wake up - must be the Valentine chocolate we ate in bed this morning ..!  The Other Half is making a cooked breakfast / brunch - bet you he ropes me in for the menial tasks, like cracking the eggs.  At least if he cooks it'll taste like eggs, bacon etc etc.

Yesterday I went over to Union Jack Nursery, Wisbech St Mary's, to buy a Victoria Plum Tree (£10) - Thompson and Marshalls couldn't get there's out of the ground and at Union it was quite interesteing watching three men work out how best to get a 7 foot tree in a Kia Rio.  Oh, my Valentine pressie for The Other Half.  Stopped at Chestnut Nursery to change faulty pots - the red ceramic coating is falling off from the cold weather - they gave us two more expensive and larger ones and told us to keep the faulty ones.  Then to the craft shop for ribbon for my kids Egg Hunt in June and finally for a hot cuppa, tea cake and a read of my book at All Seasons Tearoom (a little 'me time') and to collect a business card for a wedding cake ... yeah, taking the plunge in November. 

• Your Cat competition entry goes in the post Monday.
• Decided against entering in the Brit Awards comp as quite frankly, I don't think I stand a chance
• Going to enter into Cinnamon Press novel comp I think
• Article for Simon Seeks / Writers Bureau Assignment - gonna do a bit more this morning

And got a good feeling about Kangaroo Land  ... well, meaning I think this is the year to send it out.Gulp. Whether it gets taken on by anyone, who knows, but if I get some helpful tips in at least ONE of the rejection slips I'm bound to receive, well, I might learn  something, haha!

Right better get my arse in gear and start very important writing as The Other Half is in the kitchen and I just know he's gonna say, "Right, you gonna help me."

I hate cookery. I might play deaf.

My Organized Writing Weekend

I always feel my weekends are a blundering mess - I write KL and feel guilty because I'm not out in the garden for a few hours.  Although writing is theraputic it's as if I'm getting no-where fast, ARGHH! Today, for the first time in ages, I felt organized, yippee!!!  AND, I got to relax for an hour.  So my new ritual was born this weekend ...

Sunday I made a cuppa and went back to bed for half hour and read (Tess Gerisen book), ignoring the cats whining to go outside.  So Dixie climbed on top of the door to put her point across: Joey and Tabitha really do want to go out and play in the garden. I continued ignoring them.  I even made The Other Half a cuppa and brought his paper up too. (Newspaper bit too wifey, if you ask me). I'm keeping up with this! Er, the half hour in bed with a coffee and book, I mean - The Other Half can get his own paper next time.

I tidied my den - boy, it needed it.  Took a couple of pictures for my blog and wrote KL for an hour and a half.

Did thirty minutes writing for the Your Cat competition.

Then an hour on the Simon Seeks / Writers Bureau assisgnment 6 ...

Then housework etc etc... oh and a quick session in the garden.

This year WILL BE the year I finsh KL's never ending edit (six chapters to go of changing the font Times Roman Numeral, font size 12, re-read, changes, chapter organisation ... ) and I AM going to submit to agents and publishers ... Summersdale first (as recommended by Accent Press publisher Hazel Cushion). What the hell ... I will start with the small presses as well as agents. So how about a deadline for finishing KL once and for all ...  April 30.

Watch this space  ..

Working Progress

I'm busy, busy, busy ... and that's including driving up and down the A47 twice a  day in the dark. In fact, I feel constantly knackered and gonna hit the Metatone this weekend.


Have so many writing-things going on it's hard finding the time, but I do:

• Kangaroo Land : presentation and final read.  Get to work and start writing from 8am to 845am, Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri (after my free 4 second game of Chat Bingo.  Won £65 two weeks ago!) 
• Get to work on Wed and catch up with other writings or Internet given that my 3 home Dongle hardly works. Even hanging it out the window seems to have little effect.
• Writers Bureau : Non-fiction assignment 6, which includes two travel articles and an outline.  If WB tell me I have the remotest chance of being accepted, then I'm submitting to Simon Seeks, online travel company, in a flash.
• Your Cat : short story description competition. Story to be written by Christina Jones. 
• Powder-room Graffiti : Online e-zine. Article is progress. £10 per publication. Small but oh to be published!
• Brit Awards:  Synopsis and three chapters to be prepared to sent off, especially not I have gotten rid of the damn Table Property which keeps springing up on page 1 of KL.
• Academy of Children's Writers: am entering the 2010 competition with a story appraised by Hilary Johnson Advisory Service. (apparently one kids story was Mmm, the other Hmmm.)

Thanks fully I have a diary to keep me organized!

I'm a writing gal in the morning - late afternoon, evenings, no hope in hell. The brain has gone on official shut down then. 

Might crack open a bottle of wine tonight ...