What I'm Reading
Since last week I've finished Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (loved it!) and read The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove, and Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders by Susanne Alleyn.
At the moment I'm reading Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield, which I'm really enjoying; it's like a subtle ghost story hidden in a gothic novel, and Setterfield has the most beautiful writing style. It's a great read for this time of year! And in the spirit of Halloween I'm going to try and finish Bellman & Black and Blackout by Mira Grant, and I'm going to attempt to read Half Bad by Sally Green too, all before November arrives.
Let's see how well that goes...
What I'm Writing
I should be plotting and planning for NaNoWriMo, but as is usually the case whenever I try to plan anything, a SNI has been tickling my brain and I've jotted down the odd sentence. It's only a short story, but it's been that long since I've sat and written a short story that I want to try and get a draft of it written this week.
What Works For Me
Being left alone. I know that probably sounds so grumpy and antisocial, but I've finished university (for now - with any luck I'll be able to do a PhD either next year or the year after) and I'm back to living with my parents because it's a very lucky person who can leave uni and afford to leave home, too. I love my parents; they're lovely and supportive and just genuinely some of the funniest people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, but we live in a bungalow where it's very hard to find quiet, alone space unless I'm in the house when both of my parents are at work. I don't have a desk in my room - again, we live in a bungalow, so while my room is beautiful there's no way I could fit a desk in there - and I couldn't sit and write for hours with my laptop on my knee.
As great as my parents are, it's very distracting when I'm sat at the dining table and they want to talk to me or ask me what I'm doing. It's not that I don't like talking to them and don't appreciate their interest, it's just that I think they're still learning that even though it doesn't look like it, I am actually working when I'm sitting at my laptop and typing furiously. Even if I am still in my pyjamas.
So alone time. Alone time works for me.
What Else Is New
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| No, that's not a typo. That's really how you spell my name! |
Oh, I'm also going to be taking part in Sci-Fi November, hosted by Rinn Reads and Oh, The Books! I'm still something of a newbie when it comes to science fiction, which is why I decided to take part. I've already scheduled the majority of my posts for throughout November, which is a big weight off my shoulders considering I'm attempting NaNo this year!
Other than that it's been a pretty quiet week. What's new with you?
Yay for a new writing group and a shiny new idea! I love Diane Settefield - I didn't know she had another book besides The Thirteenth Tale (ooops???). Good luck with all that reading!!! Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThank you! =)
DeleteI recommend Bellman & Black - I enjoyed it!
haha your parents sound like mine--embarrassingly supportive! congrats on the degree and good luck with the reading and finding alone time to write! :)
ReplyDeleteEmbarrassingly supportive - that sounds about right!
DeleteThank you. =)
SNI -- so exciting! Best of luck with it. And congrats on your degree! I love that your parents want you to frame it. That's so sweet. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThank you! =D
DeleteCongratulations on your degree! I thought everyone framed their degrees, since that's what my parents and I did, and a lot of friends.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with finding a good time and place to write. Is there a good local library you can frequent? I sometimes write at the various local libraries, though I now prefer a different library since the other one I usually frequented got rid of their carrels. I feel too exposed writing at a public desk, with possibly other people all around me.
Thank you! =) Haha, I'm sure a lot of people do, it's just a personal preference on my behalf.
DeleteI do have a local library, but like you I feel too exposed to write there.
Congrats on your degree - that's fantastic! :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely find it hard to write anywhere other than my room - I know I'm really lucky that I can use it as an office!
I've started my NaNo project early, because I'm apparently incapable of not writing. Good luck with the challenge! ^^
Thanks Emma! =)
DeleteIf my room was big enough to squeeze a desk in I'd write in there, but sadly it's a bit too tiddly for one!
Congratulations on your degree! Framed or not framed, it's amazing :)
ReplyDeleteI can't write when the family's around. . .way too disturbing and they get irritated when they ask something and I miss half of what they said.
I might get my outline together before NaNo and I might not. Good luck with the challenge!
Thank you! =)
DeleteYeah, my family can sometimes be a little distracting too - I find wearing headphones usually gets across that I'm busy, even if I'm not actually listening to anything!
Congrats on your degree turning up in the post! It's looking fabulous. Typing away with parents around can be super frustrating! With time I think they learn to understand the typing noise is productivity though! Good luck with Nano :D
ReplyDelete<3
Thank you! =D
DeleteCongratulations on the degree! :D
ReplyDeleteYes, alone time when writing is very important. I know people want to chat, but ARGH I NEED TO WRITE!!!!
Thank you! =)
DeleteHaha, pretty much!
Congrats on your degree!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear Bellman & Black is good. I loved The Thirteenth Tale, but haven't read this latest yet. I do love her writing, though.
Thank you!
DeleteI'm the other way around, I haven't read The Thirteenth Tale yet but I've heard great things about it. =)