CrimeWrite

“Rough weekend.”

I’m going to leave it at that. My neighbor did promise me, though, that if I get a lot of work done today, then we will walk to Starbucks tomorrow in the week-long rainstorm that just rolled in. (:

Maybe I’ll get some writing done then. Either that or at 2am this morning when I’m still trying to convince myself to sleep; I subscribe to the notion that my best work is churned out while I am at least a little bit delirious. TTFN.

“Writer’s block does not exist.” Utter that phrase to any whinging writer and you will receive the a truly fearsome glower. No really, there may even be lasers. As a (budding) writer myself, I can say you’ll get a death stare from me too, but you would still be correct; there is no such thing as writer’s block. There are such things as procrastination, internal editing, illusions of grandeur, refusal to write subsequent drafts leading to unrealistic goals of perfection, and simple whining. Essentially, when we are “stuck,” when we just don’t want to write or think that what we are writing is rubbish, we claim “writer’s block.”

Silly writers.

The only way to get over this imaginary affliction is to KEEP WRITING. Just push through that weird section that you don’t like; you’ll get to a better one soon, and that bad section is far easier to edit when it is already written!

Now, having said all this, I am also going to confess that I have taken none of my own advice. I reached the end of my outline a good few thousand words ago and have no idea what to do with myself, no idea how to get to the planned ending (and in a mystery novel that ending must be planned…). I am in what I like to refer to as one of my “dead zones,” one of those chunks that are vital to the advancement of the plot but unfortunately troublesome to write. I think too long about each sentence, I jump about when I shouldn’t, and by this point, I am contemplating killing off every single one of my characters if only to force the book into an apocalyptic ending. So yes, I have WRITER’S BLOCK.

I also claim outside stress as having a large hand in my deficiencies. I am in the second quarter of the school year at university, and my classes are kicking my butt, to put things nicely for my imaginary, innocent readers. It has gotten to the point where I am sitting here writing this bollocks (literally with the screen containing my novel behind this one), headphones in, listening to crazy Irish music (yes, bagpipes and all), avoiding even my homework (and therefore increasing my stress levels), trying desperately not to take any painkillers for my legs as they too seem to be up in arms, and trying and failing to break my caffeine addiction (yeah, like that’s ever going to happen!).

As well as schoolwork piling up, I am trying to find an apartment for next year with my roommate and neighbors, I am sleeping less and less for no apparent reason, certain people in my life – whom I care deeply about – are driving me absolutely bonkers, and I’m probably getting that knee surgery after all and will end up in a chair for a while. And my dressmaker STILL hasn’t gotten back to me…I have resorted to pestering. Hmm.

And it hurts to write anyway because I punched a door the other day. Yeah. I know. I’ve been surly for a good few days now.

Anger management, anyone?

All right. I think I’m done now. None of this is any excuse; I love writing! But I’m making excuses anyway, and you are not going to judge me for them because you are not real – no one reads this rubbish – and I feel just a little bit justified. TTFN

… I do have a good reason for disappearing! Promise. Let me just find it here …

No. Really though. Nano was a rousing success, hit the 50k mark; still working on the book though, but it is leaps and bounds better than the first miserable attempt. And for you poor saps who read the first one (so sorry about that) you might actually appreciate this. Because the second isn’t literary genius by any stretch of the imagination. But I like to think I’m improving. It is currently untitled though.. Must rectify that situation.

My Christmas break was far too short; three weeks is not enough! Worked a lot (70 hours), saw my favorite people, reconnected with an old friend, danced myself into the ground with the DARLING lads of Molly’s Revenge, and had some interesting adventures (:

I also found myself in a tattoo shop with my tip top pal Maggie, where I made an appointment for this March. So. Thrilled. Finally, after a year and a half of planning, the date is set, and I am so ready to be inked. Hurrah!

Back at school now, just finished up my first day back. Yesterday we rearranged my room a bit by lofting the bed (far too high; I fear for my life). My poor fish – Jack – almost died on the drive down here but he is currently racing about in his tank like a crack addict. Probably not a good thing to have sitting on my desk: bright blue/green fish that is OH so very distracting when I’m supposed to be doing homework… But. Anyway. Today started off well, as I saw my two favorite soccer players out and about, then went to my Greek Mythology class (fab), had a nice lunch, tried to pay attention in math but was more interested in the cute boy next to me, barely made it to my (2 hour!) physics section on time but my TA was late anyway (who, by the way, is half-Swiss, but went to school in France; try to work out that accent!), walked in on my roommate and neighbors doing yoga, went to the gym, got lost with the neighbor trying to find classes for tomorrow in the dark, and then had to evacuate the building due to a pointless fire alarm.

Now I must go, dear readers (the two of you out there, bored to tears), as I have physics at 8am tomorrow, and I have a date with The Iliad. I’ll try to find time to keep working on the book… later…

Want a preview of book #2? Check it out, folks:

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2742692/1/untitled

I have just hit the daily word count requirement! .. For last Sunday. But still, charging on! I was determined to catch up by Friday so that I could get well ahead over the weekend and coast to the finish line. Still am, but …

Yesterday, this shitebag decided that he needed to cross over the bike path without looking behind him. My front tire smashed into his back tire, and next thing I know, I’m sailing off of the bike and skidding ten feet down the path. What does he say? “Oh … sorry.” and walks off. Cheers. I was mostly fine, but I’ve managed to sprain my wrist. Typing is a bit painful – and slow – but I’m getting there!

I will be caught up by Friday. I will be caught up by Friday. I will be caught up by Friday.

Oh goodness it’s nano time again!! That is why I have been absent. And other school-type things. This is going to be quick because I need to hit the 20k mark today and am currently sitting just under 19; almost! Things are going well, I’m liking this novel so far. Heaps better than the first, though I’ll be running out of outline soon…. Let me know how your novels are going!! I’d love to read an excerpt or two. Maybe I’ll post one of my own…

So. I’m supposed to be packing for uni. But it’s such a hassle! And there is so much that I still have to get. My art stuff is all packed away… but when I finish moving, I’ll have my brand spankin’ new scanner hooked up, and then I won’t have to take photos of things any more; I can scan them!! Happy happy days. It’s good that I packed the art stuff first, because otherwise, I’d be more distracted than I already am and wouldn’t get anything done. (not that I’m getting much done as it is..)

My school books came in the mail yesterday! That was a legitimate source of distraction. My math book absolutely terrifies me. I flipped to lesson 1.2 and almost cried. My teacher from last year did warn me… But my chemistry stuff looks really good; I’ll be all right! :)

Not much progress on the outlining process to report. I kind of get motivated in erratic bursts, but at least I get a lot done when I’m in the mood. Another few chapters knocked off, just trying to finish it all before NaNo!!! Christ, November will be here before we know it, and I hope I’ll be ready… Good luck all!

Finally got things up and running with createspace for my friends/etc. The book can be purchased online, but as of right now, I don’t receive any sort of payment from it; I’ve lowered the price to cover just creatspace’s cost. Drop me a line if you’d like the link. :)

I started designing my tattoo in October of last year, but it never looked quite right. So yesterday I spent over two hours on it, redoing it and redoing it, changing this, tweaking that, and now it’s perfect :) I’m planning either sometime in November or over Christmas. Hurrah!

Question of the day: do any of you have tattoos? If so, what are they? What do you think of tattoos in general?

Just some nonsense bouncing around in my head. Thoughts?

Chapter I

The sun’s rays could not penetrate the inky darkness that poisoned the alleyway like a black cloud. Even the boisterous sounds from the market square seemed muffled by the void. Filmy water puddled along the base of one wall, fouled by decades of accumulated grime. One puddle at the alley’s mouth managed to catch a small flash of light, reflecting in bruise-colored hues the brightly colored scene mere feet away. 

  A large boot suddenly splashed through the puddle and sent the images scattering. The boot’s owner ran straight out of the alley and collided with the girl walking past. He bumped into her shoulder, and she spun wildly, dropping her brown paper packages. 

“Hey! Watch where you’re –” She shouted after him, but he was already gone, snaking out of sight through the startled crowds. The girl cursed under her breath and bent to collect her packages, long auburn hair falling like a curtain around her face. She straightened, and was about to continue on her way when she froze. She cocked her head to one side, listening. A sound, very faint, but audible. There was something in the alley.

Someone, she thought to herself, instantly feeling panic’s icy grip tightening around her chest. She listened more intently and recognized the sounds from within not as those of menace, but of a creature in pain. Thinking immediately of the man who had almost knocked her down, she hesitated. Torn, she chewed on her bottom lip. The right thing would be to offer any help she could, but the prudent thing would be to steer clear of any danger. She heard the sound again and gripped her packages more tightly. Oh all right, she thought, and took a tentative step into the mouth of the alley.

Almost immediately, the roar of the crowds in the square disappeared, swallowed up by the gloom. The cry came again, this time more recognizable: a wet, choking cough. She took another step, and another, until she had reached the back end of the alley. Blinking furiously to adjust eyes that had been squinting in the daylight mere seconds ago, she struggled to see what lay ahead. She heard the cough once more, inches away. She looked down. Her hands flew to her mouth and her packages tumbled to the grimy concrete. A man was sitting slumped against the crumbling brick wall – more of a boy really, hardly older than she. The girl gasped. Protruding from his stomach was the long, curved blade of a knife.