Wednesday, 3 December 2014

What's Up Wednesday! | 03/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Since last week I've continued on my contemporary kick by reading A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson, which I didn't like as much as I'd hoped I would. If you want to know about my thoughts on it I'll be reviewing it later this month as part of my Twelve Days of Christmas.

Right now I'm reading Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, both of which are on my Winter TBR. So far I'm really enjoying them both!

What I'm Writing

On Monday I accidentally wrote the first lines of my Christmas Sci-Fi/Contemporary Romance SNI, featuring an Asian/British protagonist with one leg and a figure from Greek mythology who falls from the stars. I didn't really have any plans to work on it - I still don't even really know where it's going - but the mood took me, so I wrote!

What Works For Me

Reading! This year I've challenged myself to read seasonal books for Christmas (something I've always been really rubbish at in the past) and as my SNI is set during Christmas all the festive books I've been reading are a really fun inspiration.


My writing goal for the week: Write the first 2,000 words of my SNI!

(I'm probably not going to give myself writing goals very often, because I'm very, very bad at sticking to the goals I set myself. This week, though, I want to give it a try!)

What Else Is New

Yesterday I started my new job! I am now an Administration & Marketing Assistant at Seren Books, which is a tiny publishing house in South Wales. I've been made to feel very welcome and I really enjoyed my first day. I think the job titles in publishing can often sound more dull than the jobs themselves, because the majority of my role - which is guaranteed for at least six months, but will hopefully last for a year - is helping to organise the centenary celebrations for a Welsh WW2 poet who was born in 1915. I'm a big fan of war literature, so it's really exciting!

Other than that I haven't been up to much else aside from Christmas shopping. What's new with you?

14 comments:

  1. I love that you're reading holiday books this month. I tend to avoid them as well, but perhaps I should give a few a chance this season. And best of luck with your Christmas-set WiP!

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    1. I'm really enjoying reading festive books, you should definitely give it a try! =) Thank you!

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  2. Congrats on the new job! That's awesome, Jess! :D
    I'm totally feeling the Christmas book thing this season as well. I love that you're working on a Christmas novel! We need more good Christmas stories, in my opinion. Good luck as you start your new SNI! :D

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    1. Thank you! =) Yeah, you just can't go wrong with a good Christmas story - we definitely need more. In fact I'd love to see more Christmassy novels that aren't all contemporary (as much as I'm enjoying my contemporary kick right now).

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  3. Congratulations on the new job! It sounds fantastic. I hope you enjoy it. I haven't even thought about reading a holiday book this month...I think I might give it a try. Have a great week!

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    1. Thank you! =) And do - I'm really enjoying all these festive reads!

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  4. I can keep writing goals that I set for myself (most of the time) but if I try to give myself a house-cleaning goal of the day- forget about it! I am enough of a rule breaker that if I plan to do it, I won't. I'm messed up.

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    1. Hahaha, unfortunately I just completely lack self-discipline when it comes to things I need to do in my own spare time. Give me something to do at work and I can get it done - I'm getting paid after all - but give me something to do when I could just browse the internet, read and watch TV and the procrastination monster strikes. I think I need to put improving my self-discipline down as one of my New Year's Resolutions.

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  5. Your new job sounds amazing! I hope you enjoy your time there no matter how long it lasts. Congrats on writing those first few lines of your WIP! It's so exciting to jump into a new story, isn't it? Have fun reading all those Christmas books and getting down 2k this week! :)

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    1. Thank you! =) Yeah, it's really exciting and it's a nice feeling just to working on something a little different.

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  6. Good luck with your writing goals and a huge congratulations on the new job! :D

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  7. Good luck with your writing goals and CONGRATS ON THE NEW JOB!!!!!!! It sounds awesome! Have a great week.

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