Maternity Leave

Just in case you wondered where I'd been I've posted on my non-writing blog.

Writing endorphins

Yesterday I had an excellent writing day. Husband and son went swimming, daughter was wrapped up snug in her pram, so I sat down with my laptop at the kitchen table and opened the document. And wrote 1000 words. I haven't written anything for a few weeks and I do feel you get out the habit very easily making it harder as time goes on to get back into it.

I had a very odd experience when writing though. Firstly, as I was drawing on a bit of my own experience when writing it, I knew something bad was going to happen to my lead. I felt awful for doing that to her. No! I thought. Give the girl a break. She was very real to me at that point.

Secondly, my husband returned with son. They were in the lounge and I heard husband saying to son, 'would you like a snack?' I thought, who are these people in my lounge talking? I was so involved with the story I was living that life, instead of my real one.

Just like when the endorphins kick in after exercise I am still feeling good after yesterday's experience.

Arrgghh

I have lost my ability to write (yes I know, ever the melodramatic).

I was trying to write a post over at my other blog and I didn't know what I was trying to say and what my point was. I'm even thinking this post sounds a bit crap, but as this blog is all about my struggles (and triumphs) with writing it's only fair I carry on.

But now I have come to a full stop.

I think my problem is I have taken some time out for Easter, then my husband was away, then my mum came to stay and this time out has extended by a fair few weeks. The good news is I have lots of ideas for posts as well as my WIP (and I've come up with an idea for a project I'm most excited about). The bad news is the ideas are filling my head and I am putting pressure on myself to do something but I just don't know where to start.

Plus I know I have to finish my LSJ assignment. I need to do about half an hour more work on it, then I can send it off. Maybe I'll go and do that now. Then it's done.

Progress

Total words written on the second draft of Burnt Chocolate now stands at 12,066. Feeling pretty good about it so far, although I want to go back and add layers to it. I'm re-reading draft one and you know what? Even though when I read it ages and ages ago I said I hated it, well it's not that bad. Autobiographical, slightly cringe makingly so, but not too bad. There is a lot of stuff I can harness and use.

It's amazing what a little distance does.

Ten percent!

Words written today: 1409
Total words written: 10,017

I have hit a milestone tonight. I now have 10,017 words written of my second draft for Burnt Chocolate. (And when I say second draft, I mean a complete rewrite.)

Last few days

So much has happened in the last few days. I'm going to bullet for ease.

• I am up to 5722 words on the second draft of Burnt Chocolate (thanks to Bubble Cow and their challenge on Twitter) and I'm really ENJOYING it
• I have, sadly, left Trashionista. It was great while it lasted but the company who owns the site is suffering in these financial times
• Happily I will still be writing about books on Five Minutes Peace
• I have relaunched my cake blog site, now called Simply Bake. I am very excited about this and today I've been testing recipes to talk about on the site. Tough job, but someone has got to do it.

Progress (day 3)

Words written yesterday: 1050

Words written today: 550

Total words written: 3555

Exercise achieved today: 8:55 minutes on the rowing machine/1500 metres

Gordon Bennett, my legs are tired. The weather was quite blustery so I decided not to go running with Tiny. Instead I went on the rowing machine whilst she was asleep. It's a hard exercise that. I've only managed 3 or 4 minutes before.

I. Am. Shattered.

I've written another 550 words today but I need to put my feet up read through some notes now so I'm going to call it a day.