Monday 7 January 2013

Progression

And so I start the first (official) working week of the year with shiny blow-dried hair, a new scarf, and firmer ideas about what I want to achieve. I don’t make resolutions in the time-honoured ‘I Shalt Not Ever Again Eat Gorgeous Biscuits!’ kind of way (as that would be sheer January madness), but I do like to plant little virtual signposts in the months ahead. Sort of like this:


 I’d like to be more creative this year. There’s a lot I’d like to make happen, if I can, and a good part of that will mean recognising new opportunities, speaking to new people, and learning to trust in my own abilities (and not disparage the poor things at every opportunity... including just then. Darn it!)

Update on the novel rewrite

Slowly the evenings and weekends, the hours and minutes, the time squished out of the day to tap-tap-tap at the keyboard is repaying me with a stronger story. I downed tools on Sunday evening (far too late) and realised that there’s only 81 pages left to detangle / polish with Super Novel Shine (patented in 1872 by Mrs Paige Turner, no less.)

Ahem.

This is SO exciting!
 I’ve booked two days off in January to give the writing a time-boost and my main mission for the next six weeks is to finish and submit. Whoop! Once the submission process has started on that novel then I need to start plotting out my next idea. There are several lined up but each needs to be explored to see which pulls me in most. During that time I’ll also be looking for a new place to live. (Another whoop!) I am hoping to be in a new place by the time I start exploring ideas, but am slowly discovering life is not linear. For so many years I had the mindset that until ‘A’ happens then ‘B’ can’t happen, and so on and so forth, but that’s not necessarily the best way to live. In fact, it’s time to take advice from Yoda...



... and when he says it, you know it makes sense. Happy creative week all!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Wishing you much good luck with your submission. x

Johanna Garth said...

I'm looking forward to forging ahead with my New Year's goals this week too. Good luck with yours :)

Nick Wilford said...

Good luck with finishing the book. You're so close!

And with finding a new place to live - there's something about sitting in a different place to write, even just a cafe, that can give you a shift in perspective. I'm sure the ideas will flow!

snafu said...

I find it so much easier to make just one new year's resolution, that is to resolve to make no resolutions. Unfortunately by making this I automatically break my resolution, so I can't even keep one:)

Debbie Coope said...

I find I give myself too many goals, but I don't fret if I don't achieve them all. My only writerly goal, so far, is to finish my 2012 NaNo WIP.

All the best with your writing.

Christina James said...

Very much enjoyed reading this post and can safely say that I can feel for you all the way! Sounds exciting and will look forward to your finished book. Thanks, by the way, for your follow.

Kittie Howard said...

I echo your sentiments about resolutions. Like Christina above, I can feel for you all the way. However, you're organized and focused into the New Year. There will soon be light at the end of the tunnel. Wishing you lots of success.

Unknown said...

Jayne, I've tagged you on my blog. :0)

Jayne said...

Hi Carole - Thank you! And ta for tagging me. :)

Hi Johanna - Let's hope all our goals stay in sight. :)

Hi Nick - Thank you! Yikes. Yes, close enough to see The End, if I squint at the horizon... I'm really looking forwards to that new whoosh of energy a new place brings.

Hi Snafu - Ha! Maybe they should be renamed as Thoughts. A thought for January. Thoughts are so nice and vague. At least, mine are, usually.

Hi Debbie - Good luck with finishing your 2012 Nano Wip. I don't really fret, either.

Hi Christina - Very touched you popped over from Twitter! Thank you. Hopefully this year good things will happen with the novel. Fingers crossed!

Hi Kittie - Thank you so much. I really hope so - will try and keep focused on what I want to achieve. Small steps forward!