Sunday Recap, 11/12

The weeks seem to be shooting by at the moment. I can hardly believe it’s the 11th of December already. I’m feeling quite pleased that I’ve got the majority of my Christmas shopping done already, including my work secret santa.

It’s been a good week for writing too, with a new idea inspired by a book I read (been doing a lot of reading – three reviews next week!) and the start of an old idea inspired by a random thought in the car. I’ve written well over my target 1000 words, and although they aren’t on the story I intended to add them to, I’m going to chalk this one up as a win.

I think next week will be another week of reading and hopefully a bit of writing too. When I’ve excised the new idea from my head by getting the details typed up and saved, I will return to the story opening and see if I can blitz out the first chapter or so. Then I am off for Christmas for a couple of weeks and I’m hoping to start editing and writing in earnest before I go back to work in January.

Very exciting times!

Target For Next Week

• Type out story plan
• Finish chapter one of new story

Sunday Recap, 4/12

1. Blogging

Staying on top of things. My buffer of reviews extends into next month, as I’ve done a lot of reading lately, but I still need to keep up with my wednesday and friday posts. Have a few ideas, though, so all is good.

2. Writing

I wrote another song (almost) and have found a winter writing competition that I intend to enter, so things are looking good here too.

3. Exercise

Ah, my weekly foil. I have been for a very brisk walk around town while doing some shopping, so I’ve not been completely lazy.

4. Music

I wrote a song (yes, I am claiming double points for that) and discovered some interesting chords on the guitar in my quest to find chords I can transition between easily. G6add11 anyone? It’s very easy to get to from C and Fmaj7.

Targets for next week

• Get some words done on my story for the writing comp. Aiming for a 1000, but not going to feel too bad if I fall short!

Sunday Recap, 27/11

The fact that this post is going up so late is indicative of the sort of week I’ve had. It feels a little, at the moment, like the more I try to take control the more things are thrown my way which I then struggle to manage. I can’t wait for the Christmas holidays, during which I’ll only have to worry about moving house and decorating and other such things which are nice things to worry about.

1. Blogging

Rather than increasing my buffer of posts, I’ve actually now completely depleted it. I’m about to write a review to schedule for tomorrow, but beyond that I won’t have anything. I will have to find some time on Wednesday to catch up with the blog and hopefully rebuild the buffer, otherwise this one area in which I have consistently not been failing will start to go down the pan with the rest!

2. Writing

Much like last week, actual writing has been nil, but I have been adding to my notebook (with a little help from Ivy, the master of finding faces to match your characters) and have made some notes on a story idea I had mid week.

3. Exercise

Unless you count keeping warm in gale force winds for three hours and lugging music equipment into town and back as exercise… none.

4. Music

Not Quite played the town light switch on this saturday, which was really nice. We polished off our christmas repertoire and pulled out a few favourites. We had a few issues with our new sound set up – mostly distortion from wind and too high volumes, and at one point our music did actually launch itself from our music stand, but other than that I thought it went very well. A good practise run for some of the songs we’ll be doing at our upcoming ‘gigs’ and we got picked up for another market. Not Quite – Queens of the Farmers’ Market scene XD

Targets For Next Week

• Blog posts!!

Sunday Recap, 13/11

Ugh, this has been a hell of a week. I’ve worked and worked and worked and on my day off I worked. Today has been the first day I’ve spent any time literally doing nothing. As a result, I have been rubbish. Completely rubbish.

1. Blogging

Well, I’ve kept up with it, but my comfortable cushion of posts is somewhat depleted. I will have to do something to remedy that this week.

2. Writing

Terrible. Haven’t written a word. I just haven’t had the time. I feel really bad about this, but I’m trying not to beat myself up too much. I can’t help the difficult weeks at work – I just need to make up for it more.

3. Exercise

Well, I did a lot of dancing last night, which has to count for something…

4. Music

Last night’s Bandeoke definitely made up the music quota for the week. And I’ve been practising my new song on the guitar, so I’ve nearly got it good enough to perform.

Targets For Next Week

• Try not to let work pile up so I can actually do some of the things I want to

Sunday Review, 6/11

1. Blogging

Not much to say here, besides the fact that I’m keeping up to dates, with posts all scheduled ready for next week.

2. Writing

My target was to finish the plan for the story, which I have -yay! I did this fairly quickly in the week, so also set myself the target of getting a few words down. I have. Not many, but it’s a start. It’s not like anything I’ve ever written before, so I’ve been debating almost every word, every image I’m using. Does it set the right atmosphere? Am I overdoing it? I think I need to just take a step back and remember that writing first drafts is actually about getting the story down, not about the nit-picky stuff.

3. Exercise

Well, I was supposed to be going for a jog/walk with Mum today, but then remembered I had a christening to be at… Hopefully as this posts I’ll be heading off into town for a walk – even if it is just to the shops. Exercise seems to be the thing I’m consistently failing at, and I’m not really sure what I can do to change that. Every week for the foreseeable future I’m at work late at least once, which always leaves me feeling apathetic at best. I really need to find something that motivates me.

4. Music

So, my guitar playing hasn’t really improved this week, mostly on account of only playing songs that involve what Ivy calls ‘Claw hand’. Basically, you always hold down the bottom two strings and just move your first two fingers, so chord transitions are really easy. I did write a song though. Another one. So go me!

Targets For Next Week

• Reach 1000 words. At least.
• Make a plan to solve the exercise issue.

 

Sunday Recap, 30/10

1. Blogging

So, I’ve decided on a new weekly feature, which means with everything I’m already posting, the week should look something like this:

Monday – Book Review

Wednesday – Character Study Feature

Friday – Something from my life/my writing

Sunday – a recap of my goals for the week

Obviously, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday become spare days on which to post anything extra I might have to say, but also give me a chance to schedule future posts and do some actual novel writing. Plus, you know, spend some time with the Boyfriend and do my actual job.

2. Writing

So, the big one is out of the way – finish the first draft of my novel. Hooray! I’m so glad to finally have committed the last few chapters to virtual paper. Of course, it’s going to take a lot of editing, as I am well aware the last two chapters were written in a haze of ill health and cough syrup, so they aren’t likely to be any good. But it’s done, which is all that really matters right now. It’s been printed and put in a box ready to hide in a cupboard for a few months so I can attack it fresh.

3. Exercise

Due to still feeling the need to cough my guts up every once in a while, I’ve done fairly badly on this, but I did walk my baby brother to the shops and back, and had a very swift walk around another town centre with the Boyfriend, so I’m not feeling as sedentary this week as last week.

4. Music

Well, we didn’t quite get around to arranging the song. The time Ivy was up to spend with us was unfortunately interrupted by Taylor having a driving lesson, but I have learned a new song on the guitar, and have some ideas about what we are going to play at a wedding we’re doing in the new year. So not all bad on that front.

Targets For Next Week

• Finish plan for new story project
• Maintain current level of exercise, if not improve

Sunday Recap, 23/10

So this week was my last week at work before my holidays, and they came just in time. After two late nights at work on Monday and Tuesday, I wasn’t in much of a fit state to do anything. And then my cold, which had just been a niggling annoyance for the past few days, became the worst sore throat I’ve ever had. The past two days I’ve basically been in bed. Which sucks. I wrote of my running target for this week, but elsewhere I have been keeping things ticking over.

1. Blogging

Still doing okay on this front. Haven’t done much by way of writing posts as my brain has been pretty much mush this past week, but I’ve sorted out all my tags, linked all my reviews to Goodreads, and rated on Goodreads all the books I’ve read during my break from actually reviewing books, so I have a nice list of books to review when I don’t manage to finish a book in a week. All in all, feeling very organised.

2. Writing

With Tuesday being one of my late work nights, I didn’t get my allocated hour. Combined with the aforementioned ‘brain mush’ issue, I was worried that I wouldn’t make my target. But this morning I was feeling a lot better and I’ve got chapter 18 done. That means next week’s target is to finish the thing! At long long last!!

3. Exercise

Er, yeah, not so much this week. But there’s always next week.

4. Music

Despite having no voice for the past two days, Taylor and I have managed to have both a jamming session (in which I played the guitar) and a song writing session. We put music to an old set of lyrics that I wrote a while ago. The harmonies and stuff I’ll have to work out when my voice is back, but it’s a cheerful song (shock horreur!) and it’s sounding really good so far. Ivy will be impressed when she comes home from Uni to find we have two new band tracks!

Targets For Next Week

•  Finish the novel
• Do some exercise
• Finish arranging the song

Sunday Recap, 16/10

So, today marks the end of the first week of changing my lifestyle. All things considered, I haven’t done too bad, though illness and a 7am-9pm shift at work were working against me. So, here’s the summary of my week:

1. Blogging

I’ve written several posts this week – actually posted some, others saved for next week. I’ve decided to try and do a book review every monday (haven’t got a chance in hell of reading a book a week at the moment, but fortunately, I have a rather large backlog of things I read while I wasn’t posting book reviews, so I’ll be able to think of something) and one other post to do with writing, or my life, or anything really. That way, with this post, I’m posting three times a week. I’ve already got next week’s two posts scheduled, and some ideas of other posts that I might write. So, all in all doing very well in this department!

2. Writing

I spent my hour on tuesday writing, as I promised myself. Didn’t get too far – managed about 400 words, but I did finish a chapter that had a hole in it for months, so it was a very rewarding 400 words. I’ve also started planning my next story as a bit of impetus to get the final 4000 odd words on this one done. Together with Taylor and Mr Taylor (and a whole litre of VK Blue) I designed a town – something I used to do when I wrote (very bad) epic fantasy aged about 15. This town is not the setting of an epic fantasy, but what I intend to be a claustrophobic little mystery story. The setting is very important to the story, so I needed to have it clear in my mind. Mr Taylor had a little bit too much fun laughing at my drawing and my lack of knowledge of linear settlements, but it all turned out well in the end.

3. Exercise

I was supposed to be going for a jog this morning with my mother, but after being up til 2 in the morning last night, and having to sleep on the sofa to stop my tossing and turning waking up the poor Boyfriend who had work at 8 this morning, I really didn’t feel up to doing it. We’ve rearranged for a ‘brisk walk’ this afternoon. I’ve recorded 1.76km on my RunTracker app, which was walking to Mum’s on Friday. Not exactly the 5km I wanted to do a week, but I did spend all yesterday pushing a pram up and down hills while shopping in Shrewsbury with CaroleFindsHerWings, so I’m thinking I’ve probably exceeded my 5km target even without the brisk walk tonight, and given my arms (and credit card) a good work out too.

4. Music

I’ve been playing lots of different guitars this week, including one with nylon strings, which sounded a bit twangy but was so much easier to play! I’ve decided that the guitar I own, while it has nice soft strings (as steel strings go) due to an accident that snapped its head a few months ago – it was fixed with superglue, but putting too much pressure on the joint would likely cause it to break again, so soft strings are needed – is actually quite difficult to play. The neck is wider, which makes playing bar chords tricky. But, as I’ve discovered from playing everyone else’s guitars, learning to play on mine does make everything else a lot easier to play. I’ve nearly got the transition to both F#m and Bm fluid now, too. Also, Taylor and I wrote a song. Well, most of a song – it still needs a Pre-Chorus – but I’m happy with that!

Targets For Next Week

I have another late one at work on Tuesday, but it’s also the last week before my holidays, so I’m on a bit of wind down. I will have to rearrange my writing time to later in the week though, as I won’t be able to get my hour in on tuesday, but I should have plenty of time.

I’m going to try to:

• Finish Chapter 18 – this should only take 500 words or so, but it’s more knitting together scenes that have been part written. I find this a real pain in the neck, but if I can get 18 done I’ll only have two (already partly written) chapters left.
• Jog at least 1km of my 5km a week – even if I have to do it about 400m at a time!

Time For A Change

On Thursday, I hit a pretty bad low. Not the worst I’ve ever felt by a long stretch, but the worst I’ve felt in a while. I snapped at the Boyfriend (he did (sort of) deserve it. Sort of.) and generally stomped about the house being rather pathetic.

This was due to a lot of things, not least my own inability to deal with stress and an often overpowering desire to do absolutely nothing. I’ve not been writing, I’ve not been practising guitar, I’ve not been keeping on top of things no matter how hard I try.

At work for the past few weeks a lot of people have been bandying about a mantra about change. They want to see everyone making a positive change to help the environment and generally make the world a better place. Now, I’m the sort of person who gets cross when the Boyfriend puts cans and plastic in the bin, not the recycling box, but I confess, I’ve been having trouble connecting with this ‘change’ mantra. I’ve paid it lip service, but I’ve not really committed. But I think I’m ready now to make a few changes.

Starting with how I spend my time.

I work long hours, and though I do my best to get everything done while I’m at work, invariably I have to bring things home. It’s just the nature of my job. Things are getting better – I’ve been better so far this year than I was last year, and have learned from my many mistakes – but I still allow it to consume my whole life during the week, then spend the weekend doing nothing just to compensate.

I watch TV while doing jobs, which means I don’t enjoy the TV and the jobs take four times as long.

I don’t make dedicated time for anything.

I am going to change this.

Starting from now, I’m going to get back to doing the things I love doing. I’m going to stop neglecting my blog, I’m going to get back into exercise, and I’m going to finish my novel, dammit! It’s been long enough.

So, here is my ‘change’ action plan. My oath to myself. This time I am going to keep it.

1. Blogging

This blog has undergone a lot of evolution in the past year it has been running. It peaked around January/February time this year and has declined in numbers of views/posts ever since. I am going to get back into doing regular updates – I’m thinking probably taking the blog right back to its roots as a book blog, as I have hundreds of unread books I want to get reading. I will try and include at least one post every other week or so about other stuff, as and when things worth talking about occur. I will also post on Sunday a summary of the week and how successful I have been in other areas of my ‘change’ plan, so that even on the weeks I’m too busy to read and review, I will still have at least one post going up.

2. Writing

I am SO close to finishing my novel, but I just seem to keep falling down at this very last stretch. It’s partly because I know there are issues that need resolving earlier in the book, but that’s what revisions are for. I need to just press on. Mostly it’s because I don’t make the time, and I don’t write regularly enough to keep the flow moving. I want to change that. So, Tuesday nights, the Boyfriend is never in the house. He either works the late shift, or has drill with the fire service. Every Tuesday I am going to switch off the TV, my work brain, everything, and write for at least one of the two hours he is out of the house. Even if I only manage to write a blog post and a hundred words of story, it will start to come easier. And everything else I do during the rest of the week is a bonus.

3. Exercise

Another shamefully neglected area of my life. There was a time not so long ago when I could quite comfortably run a mile. Today I struggled to make it halfway to the Boyfriend’s parent’s house. I’m sure this has a lot to do with the late night I had last night, the fact that I’ve forgotten the technique of running slowly to go further, and that I was running on the road not down by the beautiful canal path I usually run, but I can’t ignore the fact that my stamina levels – which were never great – have slipped considerably. So, I’ve downloaded RunKeeper onto my iPhone, which tracks how far you go and how fast, and want to make sure that every week I run/walk at least 5k. Even if it’s in lots of little chunks. For starters I can walk to my mother’s rather than driving round every time, and can just go for quick jogs round my estate once a night or something to make up the rest. It’s only a little thing, but if I do the same every day as I did today then I would be more than halfway to that 5k total. It seems manageable when broken down like that.

4. Music

To be fair, this is the one thing I wasn’t doing too bad on, because it’s so easy to pick up the guitar for a few minutes here and there. I’m a pianist by choice, but until the Boyfriend and I move into our new place (soon hopefully!) we haven’t got the space for the electric piano I own. And I want to leave it at my mother’s anyway, so it’s available for band practise. I want to buy a proper one (Boyfriend is going to take some persuading, but he likes to bash out the James Bond theme on the keys once in a while, so I may be able to talk him round) for the new house – an upright, like my mother has – then I can leave the electric for band practise. I guess what I’m winding up to saying is I want to make sure I continue practising the guitar (I’m getting pretty good… still can’t master Bm though!) and that it doesn’t become one more neglected thing in my life.

 

I’m still wanting to lose a little weight (just to lower myself from that in-between sizes state) but I’m hoping that the exercise will start to take care of that again. And hopefully if everything else leaves me feeling better, I’ll feel less need to binge on chocolate and coleslaw (not ever at the same time, I’m not that disgusting). The fact that I’m sat here in a flapper dress (don’t ask) I’ve borrowed from the Boyfriend’s mother that has as side zip (bane of my fashion-life… I have a very wide ribcage) and is a size ten and yet I’ve managed to get it on and it’s not uncomfortable (haven’t tried getting it off yet, obviously, so that could yet be, er, interesting) makes me feel like I’m not so in-between as I thought I was, which is a good start to the feeling better. Now I just need to keep it up!