At long last, after all those bad things happened (talked about in the Not Happy Thread) and I fell behind on my studies, I've caught up for the most part. There are still some things but some major concerns are gone. There are three modules this semester. I had an assessment for one two days ago (Algorithms & Data Structures) and it went well enough. Not great, but far better than I thought! I don't have grades yet but I'm very confident in what I handed in. Today was the Advanced Programming module. This one went really well too. So now, I'm basically caught up with two modules. Just one is left... Soon, I should be able to write again. There are about ten chapters of my novel left. Ten. Then it'll be finished!
You might want to rethink that. Ten chapters and the editing begins. The editing is more work, than the writing in my opinion.
Ah, yeah, of course! I didn't mean finish as in... it's done forever. Just the first draft I've been trying to finish the first draft since December of 2023. It'll be real nice if I can get it done just so the story is down even in rough prose. I can edit later. In fact, I'll let the novel age for about half a year while I work on other writing projects. Life keeps getting in the way of writing these days, especially since I started university. But I can make time for writing. I just need to try harder.
Letting it sit for an extended period is a good idea before editing. That way when you come back to it you have fresh eyes. If it too fresh I'm your thoughts, that familiarity can cause you to miss things because you are so close to them.
Yeah! I'm a big advocate for this. I've mentioned this very thing multiple times here. I used to hate editing, actually. But this technique made it so much better.
Yay! You almost make me nostalgic for my school days. Hope to see you in a contest soon! (No pressure!)
Trust me, I really want to! I'm very lucky that this week is a reading week, so no new material taught. It's meant so students take a breather and revise on already-taught topics—which is just what I need!
I've been falling behind on my writing lately. I knew it, but a) I was still waiting for critique for my last chapter, and b) I was suffering from an old whiplash injury (purely a pain in the neck and head), which sapped my energy substantially. But yesterday I had the day off, so I took two painkillers and knuckled down to write, and within 2 hours, I finished the chapter. Huzzah!
Things that make me happy: Fellow Bristolians. In the pub I'm having dinner in a woman has just taken charge of another couples' pool game. Total strangers. She's coaching both of them through their shots at the normal Bristol volume, which is somewhere between Brian Blessed on the boards at the Old Vic and standing immediately behind a Harrier Jumpjet as it takes off. "'ard! 'ard! 'it it 'arder! No one likes a soft 'un. Aim for moi face, aim for moi face. You know you 'ates it. Gently now." Its the cider. Rots our brains, rots our teeth, probably rots the gut, but makes everyone very social.
I want to point out, lest anyone think this is some elderly cackling Thomas Hardy throwback, that everyone involved was about 30. Edit: Now I feel ageist, but the older generation really were --- and in some cases still are --- quite something in the West Country. Whole conversations that made no sense at all unless you were born within a few hundred yards of them.
I found Epic the Musical, it's about one of my favorite Greek myths, The Odyssey. It was great, though I wish they'd make one for Psyche and Eros. Psyche gets very little recognition and so few stories about her.
Spent some time with a dear friend today, and she took me to a bookstore where I was staring longingly until I remembered I got paid today. Four new books have come home with me and I really promise they're the last ones I'll buy until I read through some of the ones on my shelf.
A bright ray of sunshine piercing these gray and gloomy times. I learned this morning that I'm a winner in the Goodreads Giveaway of @Catriona Grace's The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree. I almost feel guilty about not fiscally supporting a fellow author, but who am I to refuse the winds of fate, especially when she encouraged people to sign up. Can't wait to read it.
Got the book yesterday, and read the first chapter already. I'm drawn in and can't wait to read the rest. Congratulations on a good job and on being published.
Thank you. I just got a notice from Kensington that Goodreads is running a third Giveaway. I'll post the link later in case anyone is interested in giving it another try.
