Week in brief

Right now I’m attempting to do some editing on a couple of short stories but made a silly mistake of putting on Time Team. I don’t get to watch it much and it is very distracting. I love this show, it incorporates everything I love about archaeology, and makes me wish that I could make a trip over there and do some digging myself. It also makes me think that if I had my time all over again I would defiantly do some type of an ‘ology subject and/or history as well as writing. I like ‘ology subjects.

I’m very excited. Tomorrow is my last day in my current position before I start in another position in another section. This new position involves everything I like about my work and the people are nice, some I have known for a few years. What I am most excited about however is I get to help design and play with a new program. Much geeky happiness will be happening soon. As much as I hate to admit it, nothing gets me so excited at work the chance to play with and learn a whole new program or application, except maybe to train people in how to use it. On Friday we are planning on going to the poetry slam at the street theatre. Seems a lot of people we know go to this monthly happening and we are hoping to finally make one. They look like fun. I may post a review on here later.

Next week we are heading off to the snow, Thredbo to be exact. We have rented a house with a group of friends and they will be going off skiing during the day, leaving me alone to enjoy the serene quiet and catch up on a whole lot of writing I have been planning on doing for some time now. I’m looking forward to it with a lot of relish, I haven’t had much time over the last couple of weeks and his will give me a chance to catch up on some short stories and more importantly continue of finishing the never ending manuscript.

Funny how people don’t seem to understand that the idea of sitting in a house surrounded by snow and drinking hot chocolate or mulled wine and writing writing writing sounds like a perfect time to me. There have been a lot of suggestions of what I could do including coming along and watching others ski, meet for lunch, go tobogganing because they think I will be bored. How can someone be bored when they can sit down a write or edit? When I keep saying no they look at me like I’m crazy. In a nice, kind affectionate way.

Until next time

Work art

I have started a little, tonge-in-cheek art gallery at work with stuff left there for recycling. A kind of Wombles type of art work. The first thing I made was a corkhenge from corks set aside for recycling.

The next was a South Sydney football team supporter. This was a dedication to a workmate who really is a one eyed South Supporter.

Until next time

The wedding day

An old story from a competiton for 55 word stories.

The Wedding Day The wedding bells tolled. His eyes slipped to the one who had stolen his heart. He noticed her strawberry red lips as she smiled back at him, seeing his love reflected tenfold. His heart sang for her beauty.

There was a small cough beside him. He turned back to his bride and said, ‘I do.’



All the usual copyrights apply

 

 

Until next time

I forgot, I have been asked to be a judge for the Stringybark Australian History Short Story Award 2011 which begins in August/September.

I’m looking forward to judging. I have to find a decent picture of myself and a blurb for the website and I may use them for my blog her as well.

I have a few stories that I’m thinking of submitting for the other competitions that Stringy Bark is running as well. Not too sure of the erotica one as I don’t really pay attention to those scenes in books.

Until next time

White page of death....well idealessness

It’s been a while since I posted and to tell the truth I sort of forgot about this Blog. I originally started it when I came across it accidently when I was checking out the capability of Google and found out that, because I have a Gmail address I also have a Blog site as well. Since I had the Blog I thought I might as well use it to record some thoughts and see what happens.

Sometimes when I write I come across the dreaded blank page syndrome. That is where I open a new Word document and nothing comes to mind to write, and any of the ideas that I have written down in my little notepad when inspiration hits don’t fire up my imagination. I have read several articles and book chapters from different writers on how to combat this but these techniques only work occasionally for me.

The most consistent technique is one that I have come across myself, and that is changing the medium in which I write. That is, instead of using word I will write in a notebook, or talk into my phone to record a story or, now, blog about an idea. This may not be a big revelation for most writers but it has been a huge help for me. For some reason changing the medium changes the way I think and so the writer’s block goes away. It also changes the type of stories that I write. I tend to write more contemporary novels on Word, Sci Fi/fantasy on paper, history on voice recordings and twisted stories on the blog (as stated in an earlier post I have two blogs. I use the other one for ideas as it is under a pseudonym) and once I write a 1^st person introspective story in excel, just to see if that would work. It didn’t but the story idea is still there when I want to try it in another medium.

As a technophile I find it ironic that I write Sci Fi on paper but that just seems to work best for me. As lazy speller I also find I make a lot of spelling mistakes on paper. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as that ends up making exotic sounding place and people names to use, but it can be difficult sometimes when I get obsessed with correcting all my spelling mistakes on paper. I can’t wait for the day they invent paper with a delete button It will save a lot of crossing out. I’m just glad that Blogs such as this one have spell check on it as well. I am becoming a very lazy speller indeed.

Anyway I am using this as a way of procrastinating at the moment and should get back into finishing editing my latest story. There are a few competitions coming up that it would be good for and these things don’t edit themselves. Unfortunately.

Until next time