It seems like such a nice day.

It’s a little colder than it has been the last week or so, perfect weather for a nice hot coffee any time of the day. In fact, I’m having one now… Mmmm Coffee…

I slept in today. After four days in a row of getting up at 3 am it’s pretty sweet to roll out of bed after nine. I got up and had a coffee while I read a bit of American Gods. I had a bit of a ride on my stationary bike and then settled in on the couch to watch some Tv while I read some blog updates.

Aaaah…

Then I remembered I had to do some work today as well.

Especially since I’ve barely written two thousand words in the last eight days.

Urgh!

I have done a couple of things, though. You may’ve noticed a spanky new static front page to my site. Internet high five!

Okay, that’s about it. Just one thing.

I’m supposed to be starting my novel but alas, find myself as unmotivated as a post-coital praying mantis. Tired, drained and headless.

Every so often I try looking for a better way of working. Some way that keeps me going. Something that flips a switch in my brain and makes me crazy productive and nutty creative.

I’ve read about how several authors, Neil Gaiman for example (since I’m reading some of his work at the moment), write long hand pen on paper style for their first draft. And I’m considering trying that again.

I’m also wondering If I’m focusing on the right project. So I move from one to the other to the other again. I have one project that I know how it begins, unless I change something, but I still have no idea what the story is. I was hoping I could write a sentence or two and it’d show me itself but no. It’s to lazy to do that.

I have another project that I’m just not into working on at the moment. I think I made a wrong turn somewhere a while back, and I’ll have to go back and do something about it.

Then there’s another project that I know the whole story (I’ve mentioned this one a lot before - Project Apocalypse) but I don’t know how to write it. I’m starting to think I just don’t have the skills to write it yet. Also - I think there’s something missing. One tiny element. Not sure what, yet.

Mostly I think I’m just looking for a reason why I can’t get past the first page.

So, What’s your excuse?

Go on, talk about it.

Okay, I’ll go first.

Today, I got a lot of work done… at work!

I’m serious!

On the weekends I get to work at around quarter past five. I set up everything for when I open and then I sit down for a coffee and a cigarette or two. Then, at six a.m., I open the store. It’s always very quiet for the first hour and a half to two hours, sometimes even a bit longer.

First off I make my way through all the paperwork that needs doing but that still leaves me with a whole lot of time before it gets any busier than a customer every twenty minutes or so.

Sometimes I use the time to do some cleaning around the store and sometimes I spend the time reading…

(If my boss is reading this - I swear these are all lies! ALL LIES!)

But today I decided to get some writing done. I keep all of my writing files synched to my treo 650, so I can write or make notes wherever I am.

I’ve been working on a short story for several months now, (not because I was working very hard on it but because I kept pushing it aside for other things but always kept it on top of my work list.) and yesterday I picked it up again and got a few hundred words done… see yesterday’s entry, I think I remember mentioning it.

But, anyway, At work this morning I picked up my Treo 650 and the words start flowing out of me and I tap out over a thousand words on that little keyboard.

Over a thousand!

So, I actually got a whole lot of work done at work.

Oh, the irony!

Then, once I was home, I had a bit of lunch. Then a nap. (hey, I was up at 3 a.m.!!) and then finally finished off the story. And gave myself a pat on the back. Good boy! Good boy!!

It’s called Out of Reach. It’s about a family heading out on holiday… in outer space!… and they run into trouble….

- insert suspenseful music here.

I’m really happy with the way it turned out but it’s kinda funny. Not ha ha funny but weird funny. I began writing this story because there was a scene in an old crappy short story that I wanted to keep, so I started writing this story to fit it in.

Then I didn’t write it in.

I know what you’re thinking - Osh me gosh! are these things probable?

Yes, Yes they are.

Bye now.

I’m as nervous as a haemophiliac vampire hunting.

Well maybe not that much. At least a Haemophobic though.

If your remember back here. My short story Icy Dead People is being published in the Anthology of the Living Dead

Well, a couple of days ago they sent me back the story with a couple of editing notes added here and there. A couple of small things to add or change, no biggy.

I think I made some good changes. Cleaned up the story a bit and yadda yadda yadda. I think it came out good.

And now I’ve sent it back to them.

Eeeeerghk!

apart from that, I’m feeling pretty good with my first dealings with editors and what-not and people who seem to know what they’re doing.

Back to work on my other projects now. Well tomorrow anyway, my brein is feeling a little fried right now and I also have work tonight. Gak.

P.s. - I’m not adding the changes to my site just yet. There might be more changes to make.

also, just a note, - This is my 101st blog entry. I guess that deserves a coffee.

Welcome to Blog entry #45 for this year, which means I have already surpassed the amount of entries I wrote last year. I’m on fire, I’m on a roll. I am a rolling fire. Watch out I’ll burn you. Then I’ll administer sub-par first aid, leaving you twisted and scarred.

Oh yeah!

Last week I decided to set myself a deadline for Doug of the Darkness updates. After some serious consideration involving a coin, I decided on Thursdays.

I’m happy to say I missed my deadline… by only 14 hours. How is that? Sa-weeet!

So check out the new update here - Link

Also, I HAVE A NEW JOB!

okay… not really.

But, in an effort to be more productive, I’ve decided to do things a little differently… Or at least attempt to do things differently. You know how I am with sticking at stuff.

I’m going to try and treat writing as more of a job. With a schedule and a lunch break and shit.

The way I do it at the moment is this - My laptop sits on my coffee table, a file or two open. I write a bit when I feel like it, sometimes inspiration seems to hit and I’ll suddenly type out about five hundred, maybe a thousand words. I manage to get things done, for the most part, but I feel like I could be getting ten times as much done if I did things differently.

The other problem with doing things the way I have, is that it feels like I’m always writing and yet I hardly ever am. I don’t really have a time where I say “Nope, I’m on a break. I’ll just write a note and I’ll get onto that after lunch.”

And it’s not that I won’t write after my “work hours” because I will. But I won’t feel guilty about stopping every five minutes to watch whatever is on TV.

So I figure I’ll start about 9 or 10 o’clock. I’ll work for about three hours and have a lunch break. Maybe a half hour. Then I’ll come back and work another two hours and Bang! I’m done for the day. Five hours of work everyday, and still plenty of time to read and watch movies and shit.

So, what’d you think?

Will it work and I’ll suddenly be a super-productive writer and finally get a novel or two finished? I hope so.

I plan to start this on Monday. So I’ll let you know how I went that afternoon.

After work.

Four, if you include this blog entry…

Due to a long afternoon nap yesterday and a few too many coffees I wasn’t getting any sleep, or even attempting it. At around one o’clock I finished editing some photos of me in my spanky new glasses and uploaded them to my various sites as profile pics.

With my procrastinating finally done, I was free to go back to writing the next Doug update. I had been, well not blocked but… stalling, for the last day or so because I wasn’t sure where I was going but suddenly - Inspiration struck me like a cricket bat wrapped in tin foil - And I was off and writing.

I finished the entry two hours later and uploaded it - Check It!!.

I think it’s one of my favourite scene’s for a while now.

Also, as I mentioned a blog entry or two ago, I finished a new short story. I’ve finally given up editing it and Have uploaded that too. It’s called Alterations. It’s gotten a little bit of good feedback so far over at writing.com, but some have also complained of it’s ambiguity. Maybe I’ll turn it into a novel sometime, but not just yet.

There was also the short story I finished a couple of months back. I finally got around to rewriting it and I’ve finished editing that as well. It’s called Dah’min. So that’s posted on my site too now. Read, enjoy, have a coffee, pat a kitty.

In other news - I’ve entered Icy Dead People into a contest at Writers Cafe, where the winning prize is being published in an anthology! Do I think I’ll win? Not a chance, unless no one else enters. Cross your fingers for me?

And here’s the bonus… for me… I’ve finished one of my New Years Resolutions!

Booya!!

#3 - Complete 3 short stories.

Now - Onto the Novels!!!

So, All in all it’s been a pretty eventful few hours of the freezing cold morning. It’s now 5am. I’m going to bed…

Good thing I’m still on holidays.

Good night/morning and remember to check out Dangers in the night Sky, The latest update to Doug of the Darkness… and my new short stories Alterations and Dah’min.

Photos, photos, photos!

It’s day four of my holidays and I’m still going strong… apart from the getting things done part.

But!! I do have a more substantial reason for my worklessness today then yesterday.

I had shit to do.

First I donned my shoes -

Then I played with a yoyo -

Then I went digging through the garbage -

… for which I have a reasonable explanation. - I’m a stalker… wait no, that’s my garbage!

I had to go and pick up a shirt that I’d ordered (damn no-having-stock-in-my-size stores!) and realised that while I was cleaning up last night, I’d thrown away the reciept. (cut to me at the store not needing the reciept anyway)

Also while at the store - I got my hair cut, I bought some pizza pockets, I bought some wine, I got my eyes checked at the optometrists (and I didn’t giggle!) , and I bought some new glasses.

Quite an exciting day!

Then I came home and had a coffee with my sister who has come up from Melbourne.

Today begun much the same way as yesterday. I slept through my alarm and finally woke up at quarter to six. A half hour earlier than yesterday. So I had a bit of time to have my coffee and get ready at a more reasonable pace, and finally left for work at about twenty passed six. I would be on time. As I arrived at work though, much to my horror, I realised something…

It was sunday…

I start an hour later on sundays…

As a further kick in the nards from the powers that be, somewhere between half passed nine and ten o’clock I was suddenly struck with inspiration. A wonderous idea for a short story was born in my head. I had time to make a few notes in my pad that I carry always, but it would be four to five hours before I could really write anything.

So I anxiously work away serving annoying customer after annoying customer, all the more annoying because I wanted to be home writing, until finally it was time for me to leave.

Finally I arrive home and I think, “hey! why not take the laptop out back and sit in the shade and write there? It maybe as hot as a penguin in a microwave but there’s a nice breeze blowing. it might be good.”

So I gather my things and set out for the backyard. it’s quite a trek but I finally make the 10 metre hike.

And that’s when the breeze stopped.

I sit down anyway and open up my laptop. I open up a fresh new openoffice page and poise my fingers above the keyboard.

And then I thought, “hey, I wonder if anyone else is online? How about writing a mildly humurous account of today in your blog? hey? come on!”

And that’s where I am now.

So even if I have to force it, I’m going to tap in on the inspiration and anxiousness that I felt this morning and pump out another killer short story.

Fingers crossed.

bye now.

February. The Beginning. Time to put the fingers to the grindstone and the eyes to the smelling salts. Time for all the lazy to move aside and make way for the productive. Time to get into a serious work routine.No more excuses, saying I’ll do it later, No more waiting for inspiration to hit.

It’s time to write, bitches!

…Or so I thought.

Day one was a bust. I couldn’t write at all. My computer froze up for half a day. So did my pen and paper. I swear that’s the reason I didn’t get anything done. That and inspiration didn’t hit me…and I’ll do it later.

Really my computer did freeze up. But I didn’t bother to fix it because I was busy reading the end of Perfume. Which is now on my list of favourite books, by the by.

Look!

Now that your sufficiently distracted…

I had work last night., Sucky, Sucky Work, and as usual a spark of inspiration hit me as I walked in the door. Several ideas came to me all at once where I could do naught about it but take down some notes.

At least they were good. I think they were anyway. I haven’t looked at them this morning.

But many questions still remain - How do you get into a good work routine? what is a good work routine? how can you stop yourself from falling out of it again? how can people stand chatting on phones? why isn’t there someone who walks around giving out free pizza door to door?

and most importantly - Can you make me a coffee? I’m trying to work here!

So here’s the plan… in convenient bullet format! yee!

• Write 1500 words per day… (starting from day two)
• Write …. Blog entries per week. (insert number there. I found last november, when I was writing more, I was writing more blog entries too. So maybe it’ll Work in reverse. I was thinking daily but… let’s say 3 a week? yeah? good!)
• Turn off the Damned TV. - I didn’t have it on during the day at all for ages but then suddenly it came sneaking back. Those things are EVIL!! But I do likes me stories! Go Dexter, Kill dem peoples!
• Make coffee. Coffee good.
• Coffee Real good. Make Coffee Now.
• okay I’m back with the coffee.

In other news IT happened to me again. My super natural power of coincidences. This seems to happen to me all the time. I’ll mention something in conversation or I’ll want to see something and then with a wave of an invisible magicians wand there it is… a few weeks later.

A while ago I had a sudden hankering to see Jurassic Park again. I hadn’t seen it in years. So I went to the DVD Shop and asked about it. “it’s been discontinued,” they said “You can’t get it anywhere”. Screw you then, I thought. I bought it on VHS from ebay. cost me 20 bucks. A few weeks later I was walking by that same DVD shop and what do I see there in the front display? The Jurassic Park Trilogy Re-Released!

It happens to me a lot.

So, The reason I bring this up again, I was talking with a friend ( hiya Jo!) about Good News Week and other great old Australian shows a few weeks ago and then just a few nights ago I was watching the Colbert Report and I thought to myself - We really need some Australian News/Comedy shows, Then maybe I’d know what was going on in Australia.

…A wave of the invisible magic wand…

Good News Week was back on the air last night! Paul McDermott and all! Kick ASS!!

I’m very happy about this… and my coffee.

but now, it’s time to get to work.