Monday, January 17, 2005
Quite a couple of days

I have finally landed back at home. I drove S to the godforsaken place she has to spend the next eight weeks yesterday and stopped over. She was doing her induction and stuff so I just chilled out and lounged in her room. I sat for a while in front of her laptop absolutely determined to write and after about an hour made myself another coffee and had a bath.

Have I mentioned we don't have a bath at home? Just a shower. I have always loved lying in a scalding hot bath with a good book and an even better wine (preferably at least a bottle and certainly red) and I only get to do it when I'm away now.

Anyway once I had gently simmered for a while I did indeed write. After a couple of false starts I managed roughly 1000 words. It is an unusual take on a very common idea. Of course when S came back she pointed out that it didn't have an ending. Sometimes she is sickeningly good at finding the faults in my writing...

Ah well, it just means my little twist in the tale will have to be in the middle!

I also popped down to Dover and drank dodgy coffee in a bed shop with my mate Dave. If you're ever in Dover, pop into Beddy-Buys in the Carlton Centre and tell Dave he's a wuss. Go on, I dare you...

We met through Martial Arts (see earlier Blog entry) and kinda hit it off. We have similar ideas about what a Martial Art should be though he is so fast it is like fighting a Jedi. He is also covered in Tattoos from head to toe but likes a nice cup of tea....

Posted by Martin Austwick 2005-01-17 18:10:16

Sunday, January 16, 2005
:(

Well since my somewhat impressive start to the new year I have reverted to writing nothing at all. No, that isn't true, I have managed at least three more words to my story. I have done the usual thing, I have manage to put a character in a position that completely stumps me. I think I wil have to go back and re-write her. Maybe introducing her watching her husband die from his wounds wasn't a good way to start...

Oh god, I have beer riding on this! I can't possibly miss out on beer, I need beer, I LOVE beer. Before you decide I am an alcoholic I'd like to mention that this is a mutual relationship. Beer loves me too, it told me the other day... I like Ben Elton's comment about drinking, I try very hard not to be the person who drinks too much because I couldn't cope with being the person who can't drink at all.

I'm taking S to Ashford today, gonna be gone a day or so and then I'm all alone for a while. I'm hoping to get some writing done, have a feeling that the sofa and the tv will be too enticing though.

We'll see................

Posted by Martin Austwick 2005-01-16 06:37:00

Wednesday, January 12, 2005
2000 words

and counting.

We now have three main characters and two supporting characters as well as one planet and a significant item. It would seem to be working out well. Only another 73,000 words to go before reworking the whole thing!

Posted by Martin Austwick 2005-01-12 20:09:11

Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Yet more self doubt

I took an old piece I wrote and reworked it. I changed it form Fantasy to Sci-fi and expanded it somewhat to show more of the surroundings. I was quite happy with it until S pointed out it wasn't a short story any more, it was a prologue to a novel

The thing that scares me is my lack of confidence that I'll manage to finish a novel. I can just about get my head round 3000 words, or even all the way up to 10,000 but 75,000 words, that is just too big...

I hope this works out, she is right you see. I can see the beginnings of at least three plot lines in the 700 words I've just written. I even have another character sat in my head waiting to be written.

The question is will I make it live for them or will I kill them before they are even born?

Time will tell I suppose

I

Posted by Martin Austwick 2005-01-12 14:16:11

Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Writing and self doubt

I am damn good at writing.

Or am I?

I've had this dream for a long time now. I make a living from writing...

I know I have the talent to do it, my mum told me...

Seriously though, I now have two publish credits. Not a lot I hear you say, but consider this... I have submitted two poems for publication, one has been published. I have submitted three stories, one has been published and one I am still waiting to hear back about. I have submitted one factual article, the journal went bust but I had a message from the editor asking if he could keep it for three months because he was trying to start a new mag and wanted to use it.

So I know I can write

The problem is of course that I don't write.

I have pretty much submitted everything I have written. I try and try and try but I just can't come up ideas worth putting down on the page. I desparately wish I could. In fact sometimes when I have been sat in front of the monitor for hours and have nothing to show for it I could cry.

It is a shame that my news years resolution is to write more because I am bound to break it.

Perhaps I am just not meant to write...

Maybe I just ned to find my muse, the current one gives me loads of great ideas but then watches tv really loudly and badgers me to get off the computer...

I will write a short story today.

Or maybe not...

Posted by Martin Austwick 2005-01-12 08:23:06