Staying Alive

I find it's better to leave a short note saying, hello all, I'm still here than to leave my poor blog neglected for months while I'm tightly locked away in my cancerian shell doing what cancerians do.

Hey, I'm still here buried beneath 9 hours of work with little people, writing, editing and rewriting of Freak Shows. Hmm, any updates? I'm thinking of creating a tab specifically for Freak Shows, including character details, the writing process, music and any sketches or pictures relating to the characters.

I'm loving spending time with kids, it definitely provides a regular source of inspiration and fresh prespective that keeps the blood pumping through my muse. I miss writing full-time though. Boohoo!


Anyway, early start tomorrow - Night Night x

28. Hold On, I'm Coming

Hey!

I reached my deadline on time. I should be happy, right? Well, I am and I'm not. Let me explain... (I have a similar post about it on my tumblr A Letter To Khimi, yes; I'm into everything these days.)



This post is about promotion and the lack of it among up and coming artists, or shall I just get to the point and say me? I have a huge problem with promoting myself and not in a snooty sense either. I don't think promotion is beneath me at all; in fact everywhere you look people are promoting their brand. You go on Youtube and you're not only bombarded by cover songs artists wanting a sub, but professionals too, using the channels to share their music and tour updates. Writers are producing shows and each week they're releasing promos to intrigue and excite their viewers.

It's simple enough, right? Hey, I just updated my blog, check it out and tell me what you think. Check out my new book on amazon and in selected stores. So, why do I struggle with this?

Lucky 7

                                                  Seven lines from new works

So, I made a friend over on twitter, fellow writer @TQuigley_Writer. He's shared a great blog challenge that was passed on to him and kindly tagged me in it. It's taken me a while because you know, I like to be fashionably late. *cough*

For all aspiring authors, the rules couldn’t be simpler;

• Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
• Go to line 7
• Post on your blog the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they are – no cheating
• Tag 7 other authors to do the same

Quick Run Down - This isn't an ordinary circus. It tells the untold story of an immortal ringmaster whose desperate need not only to revive his livelihood but to ensure he'll never be alone leads him to steal children from all over europe, children with gifts like him.

Fifteen year old, Kit Acuzio, is the latest victim but there's a problem. He's too old and too stubborn to succumb to his new life in Pandemonium.

This scene is right after the snatch of Pandemonium's first victim.

Chapter One : Line 7 of Page 7

27. At Last

“I think that to write well and convincingly, one must be somewhat poisoned by emotion. Dislike, displeasure, resentment fault-finding, imagination, passionate remonstrance, a sense of injustice–they all make fine fuel.” – Edna Ferber

FYI Writing is very hard, and no, I'm not just figuring it all out now, I thought it better to say aloud to get it off my chest. I don't think anyone chooses to write, if it's in you, it takes you and there is nothing you can do about it, so shut up and do as the voices say.

                        (I blurred the last line of the story, I have friends reading this blog, you know?)

I have two main reasons for writing this blog, firstly...

While I think it is pitiful that this is my first post of the New Year, I do have a good reason, and that reason is obviously writing related. In my previous post  This Woman's Work I spoke about completing Nanowrimo. The good news is I think so far I've been able to keep the discipline it enforced, by writing consistently and swallowing back the excuses I've got a lot done, hence no blog posts. I finished the Freak Shows!!!

26. This Woman's Work

Yatta! (I did it – Thank you, Hiro) 

I completed the Nano challenge four or five minutes before we hit Tuesday 22nd and for the first time in, I don't know how long, I was able to fall asleep within seconds of dragging my arse to bed. This month was definitely tough and I hate how much pressure I put on myself to do a certain count each day. Nano was challenge enough and then I added to it, yes I finished early but because I really don't like the thought of not finishing a deadline on time.


Nano in 2012? I’ve proved to myself that with enough discipline I can deliver, I can hammer out thousands of words and even finish a novel. I’m not sure I need to prove that to myself every year, what I do hope is the habit of writing consistently, swallowing back excuses and repeating positive mantras such as ‘keep going’ continue well after Nano is over.

25. Many The Miles

On your marks, get set...

I love Sara Bareille; she makes beautiful music like 'Breathe Again' and inspiring music like Many The Miles which I chose for the title of my post today. I joined Nano in 2009 and wrote and completed a novel called 'WIPS' about, you guessed it, a writer who never finished anything. But, because of stresses I sat out last year, this year I'm jumping back on the bandwagon with a new title 'Freak Shows' which is a young adult, slightly dark themed adventure.

Although I won't have time to post about my progress on nano, you can check my profile on there. It has a word count scoreboard. I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know about Nano by now, unless you're not a writer and have no writers in your family, but in short you have to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days.


I think it looks a little arrogant of me not to post a synopsis, it looks as though I don't want my idea stolen, because as original as you think your idea is, it really isn't, everything has been done before. My problem is writing a synopsis that engages you without giving away the best part so until then; I'm leaving it blank, because no summary is better than a bad one.

Check out Sara's music, she's great.

Title info. Mentioned in post

Ciao x

24. Hope For Now

City and Colour.

I can't remember when I actually discovered City and Colour, I know it was sometime last year but his music touches me so deeply. The lyrics, it's like he's talking to me and understands exactly how I feel. It probably sounds silly but I feel as though we're going through this hard time together.

Hope For Now is one of my favourite songs, along with 'Grand Optimist' and well his whole album is beautiful, but those stick out the most.

 Check him out

I miss God

She's not here anymore. I'm barely here. Nothing means anything to me, and I don't want anyone to tell me to move on or tell me 'you'll be alright' because it's a lie.

When you spend 23 years of your life next to someone, protecting them, loving them, growing with them, learning from them, when they go, there's no filling the HOLE.