You know, I just gotta get outta town...

I love saying that. This is my new saying of this week:
"I'm going to Harrogate for a couple of days, just gotta get outta town... unwind..."
Because no one ever says this in the UK, it's such an American thing to say. And I love it! hehe.

So yes, all, I am off to Harrogate for 2 days (1 night for all you night counters) and staying in what looks like a LUSH apartment, but I'm kind of scared it's going to end up a dump. Although research says otherwise, I'm still worried... oh well.

It's the fella's birthday so we're visiting his once home town... out of many home towns. He used to move around a lot, but this place is one of his favourites so who am I to stand in his way? I love Harrogate. Any old spa town really. So for the next 2 days I'm going to be chilling (literally) in the park, walking around the streets, going to the cinema (That amazingly old Odeon they have there... if they're showing anything other than Titanic. Not watching that again), and eating my face off. I feel I need this. I'm stressing about Uni work and real work and writing. Well, not writing. I'm loving the re-writes for my book, but it's always playing on my mind and I just need to breathe for a bit.

In other news... I have no other news. This past week has been filled with nothingness. But that's ok, riiight? I have been trying to figure out how to succeed in my next assignment for uni, which is to find and write for a magazine competition/ publication that is suited to my writing style etc. So I need to find a magazine which has, like, a fiction competition or something. But I am the WORST person when it comes to finding anything. Can't find the salt and pepper in the cubboard, can't find a competition in a magazine. So, yeay... but not really.

If you know of any please link me!

Thanks

Sam
x

It looks like I'm working... but I'm not

I just like to click click click on my keyboard so it looks like I'm working. In a second I'll stop typing and look out of my window thoughtfully, like I'm pondering something really important, because I should be writing an essay but I just can't get my head in the game.

This is my life. There isn't even anyone around to bust me on not doing this essay, just my Dad who is reading in the living room and not giving a damn about what I'm actually doing - which means I am just trying to fool myself. Jeez, I'm sad!

SO! Hello world! I haven't blogged for a while just because I've been busy and writing blogs is the last thing I should be doing at the moment. I am still doing uni work, which is getting really difficult, but mostly because my brain doesn't seem to be picking things up very well... oh well. I have decided next year I'm doing 2 courses which don't include exams at the end, which leads me to Children's Literature and Advanced Creative Writing. I'm not even joking when I say those courses are SO far up my street I might as well squat in their living rooms for the rest of forever.

Recently I've also been editing my novel - which is now printed and in an A4 folder with post-it's all over it saying which chapters start where, and soon it will be covered in red pen with edits and then I'll be back to the laptop implementing those edits. I am halfway (by which I mean 1%) into finding an agent I want to represent me when I get to the stage of wanting it published. It's not even a dream anymore. It's a reality. I know, it's hard work getting published etc, but I'm pretty set on doing it and I'm going to put in the hours and the work and I think having a positive attitude is a good thing here. I know I won't get the agent/publishing house of my choice, but that's just fine right now. I am going to go out there with a smile on my face and everything will work out.

What else have I been doing? Hmmm... spending too many hours and too much money on my Tumblr. So, I said I had set a new Tumblr up. It was for funsies because I was doing it anyway but it's kind of gotten going quite well. I was just making replica outfits of Zooey Deschanels ones in New Girl (her TV show), because I started watching in ages ago (I couldn't wait for it to come to UK TV, so I watch it another way...), and her style is one a lot of people, including me, love. So I started hunting around for things she was wearing. Then I posted them on my Tumblr (www.likezooey.tumblr.com) and now I have a largish following for me (nearing the 200 mark) and I spent about £30 buying a new layout to make it look all cute for people. It takes a looong time to get the outfits together, because I try to make them affordable and I, in no way, ever saw myself doing what I supposed is a 'fashion blog', but hey ho!

Recently I've noticed someone else started one...She calls hers 'dress like zooey'... I have been rather miffed lately, because it's almost identical to my own. I know this happens, but still...

OK, I've started ranting. Let's wrap this up so I can eat lunch and then attempt to start this essay properly.
So far this year I have read 20 books. I'm onto number 21 (well, almost finished).
I've been to the cinema 3 times in the past 7 days.
And none of my blogs about such things have been updated. So.... joy!

I am sorry I haven't been actively on here, reading your blogs and posting my own - it's just been the last thing on my mind - but I miss all my regular reads and I will catch up soon!

Sam
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Let the edits begin

So, as most of you will probably know, I'm writing a novel. Well, I've written a novel - I started in October (completing just over 50,000 words that month) and finally finished the first draft of my manuscript in January (at just over 71,000 words). This was kind of a big deal for me. I've started countless stories but never finished them because I never really thought I could do it, and I also (even though I kind of fantasised about being one), never thought I could be a writer.

I'm not 'smart', or 'linguistically gifted' - I'm not putting myself down, honestly, I'm just not one of these book learners you so often see writing books. However, when I was writing in October I realised I COULD do it. I could actually finish a book, and then a realised I could actually get it published (still a long way off), because, well - just go into Waterstones. How many books do you see? There. I mean, even if I could only sell 100 copies of a book that would be amazing. Selling 1 would be a step in the right direction.

SO - without further ado, I'd like to announce phase 2 of The Book. Which is: EDITS!

This is probably going to be the hardest part. I've put the book away for a month. I'd like to leave it longer, but I'm getting twitchy and I just want to start looking back into it again (a good sign?). So the 1st of March starts the 2nd draft of the manuscript, which is basically spell checking that bad boy! And checking grammar, kind of. I won't be editing the actual story for another few weeks because spell checking is probably going to take me forever, but the day has finally arrived where I can start working again and I'm excited.

I'm not going to divulged any information about the story or title (which still hasn't been set and probably won't be for a LONG time), if you are super spy like, like me, you'd probably be able to find something on the internet about it... somewhere, but I'm probably going to be taking that down soon. (cryptic!).

Wish me luck and if you have any helpful hints or tips I'd appreciate. I do take writing class at Uni and have a load of information to hand, I also have a couple of writing books but any first hand experience would be fab!

Sam

No more, cakes, no more.

Nah, I'm not stopping baking, but I am stopping the eating of the cakes.

I am, as of tomorrow, back on my slimming world food eating. Back to healthy eating and what not. I slowly introduced healthy food back into my diet, after a 2 week hiatus, last week. I ate mostly healthy things and was then eating bad snacks in the middle. I don't usually snack on bad things so I should be able to snap out of the habit pretty quickly. But yes, next week I am going to put a stop to this post-holiday madness.

I haven't really put on that much weight since the joyous days in December, probably about 5lbs - so if I work on it I could lose that in a week, 2 tops. Then I'm back in business. I started my new work out regime yesterday too and good god, my legs. MY LEGS! I'm kind of looking forward to the 2nd day burn that usually follows a bitch of a workout. I'm already hobbling so we'll see what happens. Eeks.

I'm also restarting my writing project tomorrow. Over 1000 words a day will be achieved just so I can put a lid on the novel, shelf it for a month (which will be Feb) and start to edit in March, most probably. This should give me enough time to look into how you go about sending into to publishers etc. Because that's the part my brain is foggy on. The correct protocol. Though I'm kind of lucky my course will explain all of this, so all I have to do is skip ahead several chapters and find what I'm looking for. This is the year of Sam, and the year Sam (who's me... keep up!) will finally realise her dream of writing.

And to keep you all posted, I'm on book 3 of 2012, so the challenge is going well. Just need to whack my reviews onto the other blog. I'll get that sorted this week, I swear!

Sam

NaNoWriMo - week 1

Apologies to everyone, but this month will pretty much just consist of me either blogging about the wondrous NaNoWriMo or blogging about working on my new website - The Vortex.

So - lets start! :P

NaNoWriMo started this week and so far.. so good. I think... I have hit the word target each day and I think it's going ok. Today I have to get to 8000 and something words, but I'm going to starbucks with my laptop so I'll get a cheeky eggnogg latte and type away, sans internet access which should hopefully help keep the distractacons away! If you click the link up there you go to my user page, which tells you what I'm writing about and how well I'm doing, word wise.
I'm enjoying writing so far. I've never actually attempted to write a full book before, I've always started writing, to note down story ideas or scenes etc. but never actually thought to myself to expand on the story and, perhaps, try to write it. Partly from fear. So here I am. Over 6000 words in, and really enjoying it. I started up a little playlist to get me in the mood over on YouTube - if anyone is interested in listening to said playlist you can click the link :P

I'll keep you posted on how I get on with the rest of the writing though. To be fair, having the 1st 2 weeks of November off work is helpful so I dread the last 2 weeks when I have to go back to work and I'll have to try to fit writing into my every day trials. Hmmm.... we'll see what happens.

As for the website, its a slow start. Got a few articles, links and videos up so show what kind of direction we want to be heading in. I've been trying to get friends involved in looking at it and stuff, but my friends don't generally have the same internet aspirations as me, so they really couldn't give a tiny rats ass. It's fine with me, I just want to try to get it going though - so anyone who ventures past the site, please let me know what you think - what you like and don't like! I want honesty!

In the meantime - when I've not been working on such things, I've been watching New Girl, the Tv show with Zooey Deschanel. And I love it. I like her anyway, but I was worried it would be a bit too 'quirky' and play too much on the fact that she is cute etc. But it's actually so well done, and so well written it doesn't come across as OTT. In my opinion anywho!

Right I have to get going to 'bucks so I can start writing!

Sam

Plate full!

No, not of food - everyone knows I gave up eating in January (and my size 14 skinny jeans are getting more loose fit as the days go by!).

Plate full with work. Not 'real life' work - no, I try not to think about that - after someones attempts to bully me at work (he failed, and is now on my hit list) and a lot of mathematical calculations (and I can't do maths!), I've switched off from work at the moment, which means my 2 week holiday from it after this week was well planned!

'work' being that stuff I'm trying to do to get on with my life. It's all experimental and fun and I'm excited about all of it. I've had to write a 'to-do' list just now, so that I can stop stressing about what I have to do this week and just get on with it.

The first on the list is - running. I need to start it up again properly. I did 3 miles the other day and it took me 50 minutes. Well... I lie, I ran for a mile and a half which took me about 20 minutes and I pretty much just walked really slowly to songs such as Coldplay and Aqualung (so slow motion!) for the rest. But I want to really get into running for prolonged periods of time. Anyone have any tips on how to break through that barrier of tiredness/ boredom?

The 2nd thing on my list to do is NaNoWriMo - which I've talked about before, and decided I'm going to participate in... probably not a realistic goal, but oh well! It's National Novel Writing Month in November - where the challenge is to write a 50000 word novel in 30 days. You can write whatever you want, it doesn't matter if its not brilliant, it doesn't matter if the plot is thin and not mind blowingly well thought out, the only thing that matters is you write... and you write those god damned 50,000 words before the month is up! And me, being stupid, decided this is the year I'm going to do it (see my profile here and you can watch my progress), so I have my novel in mind (something I thought about a while ago but never did anything with. It's not brilliant, but it's something!) and my pen in my hand. This week I have to write the plot out in my note book, write some profiles for the characters and try to draft up some chapters... scary.

Of course this all comes at the time of the website launch, which will be on the 31st October. Yes, Halloween. I still can't say what the site is all about, but it should be a fun site to share with people, friends, and if people like it that's all that matters. So this week I have to fully OK the layout, and make sure the design is OK and set up the content so it's all done and dusted, and of course, make sure all the links work and the email address is working OK, and the facebook page and twitter page is all set up (even though it's in the early stages, I wanted to get things ticked off the list). So that should be... a lot of work.

And of course - Uni work. I'm working through it all OK, and really enjoyed last weeks book, Othello. This week its The Duchess of Malfi, and we're learning about themes and love and death in Renaissance literature. Cool stuff. But I have my first assignment due in the first week of November.

So yes - a good time to take 2 weeks off work, because I'm going to be damned busy for the next 3 weeks I think!

What am I doing?!

Sam