To be, or not to be...

... I must never try to evade the question.

:-)

Sometimes I overdo it

I wouldn't say I've been writing a lot in this two weeks' break. I've been thinking a lot, though, which is more than enough to give me a headache at the best of times! But I haven't been feeling all that great - the first day off found me lying on the settee, watching tv. It was Fred Astaire, so it did perk me up a bit.
But throughout the week, while I was thinking, I was a bit listless and rather lacking in energy.
By and by, it took a lot of doing, but I began to put pen to paper - or finger to keyboard, as it was. Instead of actual writing, I began to record, step by step, the pathway to the end of this first book. Now, as I said, it took a lot of doing, as it is rather alien to me to write things out in that way. I've never done that, though when writing Sword I did write temporary notes to get me through a chapter, or to remind myself to amend a previous chapter. Here, I found myself writing dialogue, postures, movements, to the point where I had to bring myself out of things in order to get the story to pan out before me. The need for more clarity was uppermost in my mind. I had to get the story out of my head and in front of my eyes.
It was amazing how the storytelling took over whenever I allowed it. I know, now, that when I write each future chapter, the writing will come into it quite naturally again. Only, I'll get more of it right instead of tripping over things like a novice.
However, I'll have to be careful. On Wednesday and Thursday I did two nights in a row, writing until around 5 a.m. both times. I almost did myself in. Never felt so tired, and no amount of 'good' diet since and extra sleep has brought me round. I had a birthday party to attend on Saturday, but I've had to give it up. I just couldn't do it. I did a quick shop and came back home. I'm at work on Monday, so perhaps I'll be out on Sunday for a few hours. Hopefully, young Kyle will be there and I'll be able to buy him a drink. You're only 21 once. Jeez, once you're past that milestone, time flies like crazy. Don't I know it - I feel 101 right now.
Cue the music: Just a young man, by an old road, by an old road he chose...

4000 Holes In...

Have you you seen that new contraption invented in Japan? The yellow ball that you are supposed to climb into if another flood comes along? It comes with built-in holes and costs £2400 each!! Built-in holes!!??? So it's not just our guys who study how much milk it takes before cornflakes get soggy lol Still, it's true what they say: you can't take your money with you when you die - not if you spend it on stuff like that! I'd love one, though, to roll downhill to work... ;-)

The Bells

I went off to Newcastle, first to visit Noel the Ultimate Proofreader and his lovely wife, Chris, for coffee; then to look for a new winter coat.
At Noel's, I was served soup and then strawberries n cream - and coffee, of course. Marvellous, though I could only stay an hour. Such great company and I'll be heading back there next week for a longer stay. I hope there'll be strawberries n cream again!
Off I went to look at coats. A simple task, one would think, with a million shops to choose from. Not so - jeez, they don't half sell a load of rubbish when it comes to coats. In the end, I gave up, deciding to just go and buy one in Shields when it became too cold not to have one. That'll be next week, probably lol
It was about then that I recognised the sound of church bells ringing from the Church of John The Baptist at the bottom end of Grainger Street. I couldn't resist and went through the gate and into the grounds. The sound of the bells was amazing and I rang Noel so he could hear what I was hearing. The churchyard is the scene of an important part of my new story. I felt like I was being heralded for being there. I began to record the sound of the bells. For about 15 minutes I held my phone to the clock tower while the chiming went on. I couldn't stay much longer, though, and I thought about keeping the recording going only as long as a fade-out into the traffic of noise as I walked away. Two steps out of the church gate and the bells immediately ceased. Ha! That was a spooky moment in the dark of the night. I felt I was being told, in no uncertain terms, that the peal of the bells was only for me! I mean, why did they chime as I approached the church, then stop abruptly the moment I left? To attract me? Persuade me to pay a visit? Then to inform me that they had chimed only for me as I was leaving? A shivery thought! A lovely one, too.
I noticed there were only three flowers left on the lawn as the dusk drew in. There are three people in the story associated with the churchyard...
I've got the recording on my new phone, which uses bluetooth to transfer files to computers. I have to investigate how to do that now. I'm sure it's simple enough, though I'm preparing myself for the usual idiotic error messages...
A day to remember x

To do, or not to do

Well, it's Saturday and the first day of my two weeks off. Just as I was about to go out, I discovered that a Fred Astaire film was starting: The Gay Divorcee!  I ask you, what a name. Of course, it meant something different then, so don't let it put you off!  Fred's version of Night And Day is not that great, but it was the dancing with Ginger that I was looking forward to. It never disappoints, though I sometimes wonder what it would have been like with Eleanor Powell, instead. There's a dancer! Still, Ginge could cut it, so why ...  but that's me, always wondering.
And so, from Monday, I will be writing like crazy for two weeks - or should that be: writing like a crazy man? Because that's how I feel. I've not been the the most clear-thinking of writers, lately. It's probably to do with my notes: some of them are unclear. Some of them don't go far enough, and some of them just aren't there! It'll be fun, though, which is how it should be.
The engine's running ;-)