Freedom From The Mundane

Reaching Out

Image: Drew (lanuiop)

Week 1 of January gone, and although I’m busy on the writing front, in the day job, and in my home life, I’m struggling with content for my blog posts. Nothing controversial is happening anywhere in my life or in Scotland that could provoke me into voicing an opinion – everything just seems to be ticking over nicely.

One thing I am feeling is reenergised. I always get this way at this time of year, as though I’ve wiped the slate clean and put all last year’s failures and successes behind me, and have a clear view of what’s ahead of me. It’s a good feeling.

In my GDR this year I’ve put more of an emphasis on my fiction and poetry as part of a drive to make more of an impact. My freelance expectations have risen but my target is less than I went for last year, mainly because of the new balance I want to achieve, and the fact I can only do so much within the business world. If I feel it isn’t working or something happens that I have to change this balance, I will.

Gail asked me if I get jealous over her freelance photography earnings recently and I said no – because I don’t. In a relatively short space of time she has grown her business from nothing and is regularly getting wedding and portrait gigs, which as you would expect, pay far more handsomely than a series of articles on drug rehabilitation or hard drive failures.

No, I’m not jealous because our marriage means what belongs to Gail also belongs to me. Scratch that. This is modern day Scotland. What belongs to Gail is Gail’s. What belongs to me is Gail’s.

The point I’m making is that I enjoy writing. Yeah, it’s hard work but nothing worthwhile is ever going to be easy. I want to get better at it, I want to be a success, and I want to be recognised for it if I’m good enough. Right now, though, I’m happy in the steps I’m taking to improve and be where I want to be, and I have a hunger in me like nothing else.

Jealous of my wife? Only in that she’s married to someone as gorgeous as me.

*Ahem*

Did some more work on the Lennox novel today. I find if I get my work done first thing before touching anything else I feel better about the day and don’t struggle with it. If I leave it, I have to fight to find the time amongst everything else. Early morning equals successful output and higher creativity – I really should swap my nights into days.

I also got some nice poetry work done. As well as the book I’m reading just now, I’m also reading a lot of poetry – some of it my own – to try and get myself back into the swing and kick start that part of my brain. Writing poems is so much different than prose, but when it works it can be so rewarding, even if what comes out is garbage.

I’m hopeful of producing a new chapbook this year. It’s on my GDR but the one poem per week target will go a long way to helping that as well as, hopefully, improving the poetry I write.

I’ve got a 4am start for the day job tomorrow, so it’s off to bed early tonight. Should get a lot of work in pre-7am because of it.