SOL (Slice of Life) – Refresh

I have enjoyed slicing for the past year or so, although I admit I don’t post a weekly slice, just dip in from time to time (usually when another blogger’s slice has caught my eye)… but as I came home from my appointment this morning, I got to feeling excited about the day I have planned and I realised (to my horror) that one of the reasons it feels so good is because it has been so long coming!

A few years ago I changed my life, gave up a regular full time career with a good salary (and 80 hour weeks) for a life! I have until recent months balanced my teaching and writing lives quite well, I need one to pay the mortgage and the other to feed my soul, I hope that in years to come the writing life will have the bigger portion of pie, but I doubt it will come with a golden wage…. although it might. I realised when my health suffered that there is more to life than money and a career and emotional wellbeing plays an immense role in our physical and mental health. I would rather be alive and get by, than sit on piles of cash, exist on 4 hour sleeps, exhaust myself to the point of collapsing, take the brunt of negativity in the workplace, wake up hating everyday before it begins and not have any time or pleasure cells left to enjoy spending my HARD earned extra cash.

Today I have a LOVELY day off! I was looking at the work in my diary so far this month and due to numerous cancellations by rights I should have managed a writing day before now. The universe threw broken cars, broken phones, sleepless nights, masses of chores, a few poetry events and weekends with Mr G (as he is currently working away I like to keep the weekends free as best I can to plan stuff together). I also pretty much took the Christmas Holiday off too (from writing/ internet) which means that it has been about 5 weeks since my last day of great creativity and action. No wonder I feel rusty!

Today in between appointments I am working on submissions for this month and listing new inspiration and ideas in my notebook (yes, you should always carry one around). I also have tomorrow morning off and hope to get productive on the laptop before going to work.

I called this post ‘Refresh’ because we live in a world of tech – we refresh pages all the time online, we sometimes forget to refresh ourselves. You know how the computer struggles when you have 11+ windows open and you’re waiting for it to load, well life can get like that too.

Think about yourself this – what do you need to do to REFRESH?

As far as the past week – you can read the relevant parts here:

https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/a-weekend-of-writing-words-poetry/

https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/mouth-music-3rd-birthday-spark-off-special/

the rest of my week has just been work (although I did work in an interestingly named location – ‘World’s End’ … it was a bit of a tough day too) and box sets – Mr G and I finally finished watching Dexter.

Join in with the SOLC here:

https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/challenges/

Submissions, Deadlines, Workshops and Events… did someone mention rest?

After a wonderful and exhausting INKSPILL weekend I am taking a 2-3 day break from the blog.

My main reasons are that I need to be OFFLINE writing, I have many end of month submissions to edit and am also completing a job application.

I do want to tell you all about the wonderful events in October but will do a catch up after all my deadlines have whooshed by with my manuscripts attached hopefully!

This week I have a workshop, 3 Halloween Poetry Performances, 1 non-Halloween poetry Event and then I am planning a restful/ writing-ful weekend before going back to work and welcoming NOVEMBER! Where did this year go!?

I should have some time on Wednesday to pile the posts in from this past week before finding fancy dress costume – 1 of 3…. I didn’t dress up last year, I think I am making up for it this holiday!

If you didn’t dip into INKSPILL – there are enough posts there to keep you going until I blog again.

© 2014 Deborah Alma

 

Poet Cloning

Seriously – poet cloning – it is a necessary experiment! I have struggled since re-launching my writing career with clashing events. It used to be two things I wanted to go to – nowadays it is double bookings and I really get a lot of negative feelings rising when I come across one.

I have missed the last two months of Stanza (and some before the last meeting I made it to back in May) due to performing at events in Birmingham. This month’s meeting was last Friday and I missed it as I was promoting Restless Bones in Birmingham. As it happens, although it is not customary for poet’s to do so, I could have gone to most of stanza, missed the last few poems and made it across the 20+ mile trip to promote the book as our set was late. I had no idea of the running order of the night or our set of 6 promoting poets before the event so couldn’t have made the decision to do both and to be honest I was mid a 4 day run of poetry events which may have turned into a run of 6 had I not fallen short on energy, so the idea of squeezing 2 events in and being barely present at either didn’t really make sense.

Next month’s Stanza was booked back in June, it is 2 days before my birthday and I have arranged to take cake! Then yesterday I discovered Word Up – which is an open mic event I regularly attend is celebrating a 2nd Birthday on the 15th AND they have Rueben Woolley, Jacqui Rowe AND Sammy Joe as headline acts AND I CAN’T GO!

Then later in the month 21st August I was already booked for a KAF Festival show and then discovered this was the evening of the Restless Bones Book Launch. Argh! There are 7 days in a week – why does everything have to fall short?

 

Today is my first writing day in a while, I have been scribbling in my notebook over the past week when I was out on the road and have managed to get some material edited and completed. Mr G has taken this 1st week of the summer holidays off though, so I had to get up at 6AM to squeeze in writing time.

I was working on Monday still and yesterday had a private tutoring so today IS my 1st holiday! I am 2 hours in on a Things to Do List…. less than 1/3 through it.

After my busy poeting weekend I was sad to miss poetry events on Monday night and Tuesday but my energy levels are back to normal and I am going to the Theatre tonight, I know if I had gone to Shindig on Monday and Poetry Bites last night I would not make it through the show tonight nor would I have the energy to complete my submissions, next on the To Do list.

Mr G and I have managed to pack lots into the time we have had together so far and we do have the rest of this week to do more. Today my priority is not the garden, or the man, it is writing… there are deadlines…. I need to knuckle down.

My plan now is to go and write, submit and then come back later to update the blog on the wonders of the past couple of poetry days. It has been an EPIC weekend, truly and I cannot wait to share it with you.

 

Happy Writing

 

 

 

Clear Space to Write

Clear space to write, get all those niggling jobs done before you sit down to create.

My new method of time management is working well – except it is past lunchtime and I haven’t had breakfast! (Didn’t schedule that in to the video list.) A productive morning of sorting out a whole heap of life/ paperwork things that have been on the back burner since the summer.

I am only part way through, but for a 1st day trial it does seem to work quite well. I always said I needed a manager. Bit crazy that it is a video version of me. But still, nothing wrong with crazy.

I am also dedicating part of the day to the writing schedule, preparations for Inkspill (writing retreat), writing poetry for submission, some editing and a few character writes to support my final attempt at writing the short story before next weekend’s deadline.

Getting all the chores and things that stay inside your head and nag at you when you hope to be creative is a great way of clearing the mind ready for writing.

I have also received confirmation that the final checks are being made on my paperwork, so before the end of this week I hope to be able to start earning again. Yes please, especially as I spent my savings on furniture this weekend… and I have secured 2 jobs in 3 days – whoop, whoop for striving, leaping and trusting.

‘Money will flow’

‘Writing will flow’

Happy Writing

Inviting the weekend in with open arms

Another big workday over. I managed to write over 1000 words this morning on my manuscript, before having to run errands in town. I spent time looking over the February writing schedule to ensure I stay on top of things, there is at least a week this month that I wont be working on writing or the blog. I need to make sure I factor that in.
Looking forward to having a wander around Blogland right now, may try a few challenges.

Have a great weekend!