Stepping back into the Writer

It is my first day of freedom and I am thoroughly enjoying not having to break my morning and evening schedules up with work. My main priorities before next week are to finish the flat and get it on the market (FINALLY!), unpack and build furniture – Mr G is taking some time off to help me with that tomorrow and the lifting of extremely heavy boxes. Over the weekend we should be able to get the place straighter and that will give me some space mentally!

I also need to source and sign with agencies for work from September.

The most exciting prospect of freedom is being my writing self! Today I have been (in between unpacking and cleaning up) mainly catching up with the Online Writing Course – Stunt Writing and working towards the 2nd module. I have pottered a little in Blogland. I hope to write for some of the challenges later and also CATCH up with Camp NaNoWriMo and my more manageable 20,000 word count!

I loved spending the night with writers yesterday and it really was the perfect end to what had been a highly emotional, non-eventful departure from a 13 year career. (Oh well!)

And the icing on the cake was seeing my friends from London.

Today I will;

Stunt Write

Nano Write

Challenge Write

Before re-uniting with friends at a country pub! (Lovely not having work the next day!)

 

Happy Writing!

Picture Book Authors

Do any of you write picture books for children?
Please reply to this post if you do.

A Night of Critiquing

 For a first experience with a critique group it was good. I feel I may have offered more help than I received – but I have now got a whole page of notes to work on the manuscript with.

We are told not to be too precious. I think I will have to work on that because it seems that I have to rework my idea and may loose the very essence I started with. Which builds the plot. I may get around this with a bit of research. It is good to know and take the advice though – I have built a much stronger manuscript about something completely different (focus) since the 1st critique.

It was lovely to see everyone again from the classes and meet a new writer who was an excellent thorough critic.
I wish we had been able to stay for drinks and chats, but my friends are up from the South-East and were staying in a hotel not far from our venue, so I went for a catch up after instead!

(Bit of a mission as all the roads are being worked on in the city and the ones open are only for public transport so I had to go a strange way! I know the city better by foot so in the end I parked up and walked back to them!)

I got in just after midnight with the writer inside me begging for time – but I was exhausted. It was hard to get myself out of the door at teatime as it was, especially as a good friend had come over to drink with Mr G in the garden and funnily enough drinking was the one thing I associated with leaving work!

Message to tired writers;
Push yourself through it! It is ALWAYS worth it!

Stunt Writing Gratitude Journal 4#

Gratitude 4#

I am grateful for the first day of the rest of my life!

For those of you who do not read all the posts I resigned in May and had my last unceremonious day (after 8 years service) yesterday, I know I have done the right thing for myself and the only thing I could have done. The future is uncertain and yet I feel totally placid. The waters are soft and free flowing and I can allow the tide to take me forward to the next chapter. I am not feeling negative or concerned. Sometimes when you have lived between a rock and a hard place for so long, the dank, darkness can be quite comforting, realistically unless you want to spend the rest of your days squished and stilted the ONLY thing you can do is MOVE FORWARD. I have taken my first steps back into the light! And it feels good!