Freedom From The Mundane

Image: Macbitz

After much tinkering with the email client on my PC I can formally announce I am now 100% back in action. But I’m still not happy; not happy with the fact I have to go through this every time I have to reinstall the O/S, which quite frankly shouldn’t need done at all in [...]

March 8th, 2010 | Tags: Apple, Baccara Burning, Books, desktop, Fiction, Indian curry, Mac Mini, PC, PC World, Poetry, Silly Poems for Wee People Vol.2, software, Submissions, Writing | Category: Books, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, I.T., Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (5)

Fiction
* Write 20K words on BACCARA BURNING – part-done; 5k
* Write one new short/flash story per month – done
* Re-submit any rejected/recalled short stories – done
* Submit more fiction/poetry competitions – done
Poetry
* Write at least one poem per week – done (plus lots more)
* Complete MS for SILLY POEMS FOR WEE PEOPLE VOL.2 – done
* [...]

February 28th, 2010 | Tags: Books, Dreams and Resolutions, Editing, Fiction, Freelance, GDR's, Goals, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing | Category: Books, Fiction, Freelance, Poetry, Reading, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: AHI

Suddenly, I am back up to full speed without even noticing. After my recent lay off I decided to concentrate on one project at a time and to clearing my outstanding GDRs from last year. Now, I find I have several projects all running at once—they kind of crept up on me—all these plates [...]

February 11th, 2010 | Tags: chapbooks, Day Job, Editing, Eternal Press, Fiction, GDR's, poems, Poetry, projects, Publishing and Marketing, royalties, sitcom, stageplay, Stella, Writing, writing competitions | Category: Books, Day Job, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (3)

Image: onthesnow.com

A most satisfying weekend. I worked on several projects over the course of Saturday and Sunday, with BACCARA BURNING and SILLY POEMS FOR WEE PEOPLE VOL.2 bearing the brunt of my manic pencil. Things are moving nicely now; productivity and creativity are running side by side like two Cheetahs tied at the waist.
I never [...]

February 8th, 2010 | Tags: France, rugby, Scotland, Six Nations | Category: Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Film & TV, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Freelance, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Sport, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: thescruffydogreview.com

I missed Groundhog Day on Tuesday. I only know about it because of the Bill Murray film of the same title. I love that film—think I’ll have to get a copy and watch it soon. As it turns out in real life, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. I could have seen [...]

February 4th, 2010 | Tags: article, chapbook, Day Job, e-zine, Freelance, Groundhog Day, I.T., lit-zine, Luke Wright, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, re-writes, Reading, Scruffy Dog Review | Category: Books, Day Job, Freelance, I.T., Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: Brandi Sims

The further I got into yesterday the worse my headache got. The obvious reason would be sudden decompression from the stress of the week prior, which is fair enough but it hampered me in getting to do the things I wanted.
There’s not much really to talk about today. I did more reading than [...]

January 24th, 2010 | Tags: Books, Headache, Kenneth Williams, Luke Wright, Reading, Stephen King, water, Writing | Category: Books, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Poetry, Reading, Writing | Leave a comment

Image: How Stuff Works.com

The writing and posting of this blog entry will be my only foray to my PC today. I need to get away from the screen for a few hours after a week doing nothing else but watching cursors and thinking technology. One needs to step away.
I forwent my usual Saturday morning gander [...]

January 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Blogging, computers, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, getting old, gig, Music, PC, review, sleeping, technology | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, I.T., Writing | Comments (1)

Image: MIT

I noticed out of my office window yesterday that I’d still to pick up the bird table that got blown over on Friday night. It’s still to attract the attention of any little feathered friends, so I repositioned it nearer the garage where I can see it and restocked it with seed and bread. [...]

January 18th, 2010 | Tags: Amsterdam, bird table, birds, Bluegate Poets, chapbooks, creative energy, Day Job, European tour, Facebook, Fiction, Fringe Fantastic, live gigs, Madness, Music, nature, novella, paranormal, Paris, Poetry, Poolside Poetry, Stella, Writing | Category: Animals, Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, I.T., Music, Poetry, Reading, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: Linis Bohman

It was a productive weekend. I swapped my Saturday and Sunday routines around so I could have a lie on Saturday morning. I needed it—really needed it—and it paid off. When I arose the infernal tiredness had gone and I was feeling great about life. Lots of things to do and I had [...]

January 11th, 2010 | Tags: albums, articles, creative, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Freelance, gigs, Indian meal, Music, pet food, productive, Reading, Reviews, Writing | Category: Animals, Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Freelance, Music, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: Kassy Miller

Very slow day at work yesterday. Being so tired after such a relaxing time was always going to be tough to pick myself up from, but it was much harder than I envisaged. I struggled to remember things from before Christmas, forgot where keys on my keyboard were, and generally found it a [...]

January 5th, 2010 | Tags: Books, CDs, Christmas presents, cold, Day Job, GDR's, ice, Music, Reading, routine, snow, Weather, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Fiction, Music, Scotland, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (3)

Image: Patrick Easter

We have here a brief interlude in my Christmas/New Year holidays. Freshly passed is the Christmas holidays, packed with fun, food and frolics, and beyond today we have a real break away from home to let our hair down with friends, family, food and frolics. Lots of frolics—I like frolics.
Christmas was packed with [...]

December 29th, 2009 | Tags: and Bevvy, Bevvy, Books, CDs, Christmas, drink, DVDs, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, friends and family, Hogmanay, Holiday, Neay Year, Nintendo DS Lite, Only Fools and Horses, poor weather, presents, sales, scrabble, Shopping, snow, Trossachs, White Christmas | Category: Books, Family, Film & TV, Food, Drink, and Bevvy | Comments (1)

Image: Heavenawaits

Busy; that about sums it up. Work, work, work but it’s been at a good pace this week so I’ve not been burning myself out as I have felt I have been doing recently. And I’m lapping up literature, which can’t be bad either.
I’ve not been sleeping too great this week. I’ve found myself [...]

November 27th, 2009 | Tags: articles, Day Job, insomnia, Reviews, royalties, Scruffy Dog Review, Sleep, Stella, Thanksgiving, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Fiction, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing | Comments (2)

Image: Capture Queen

The couple of whiskies I had while watching a God awful film called Slither on Saturday night, fairly knocked me out. At least I think it was a combination of the whisky and tiredness—could easily have been the film alone it was such utter trash. I didn’t oversleep or anything, merely slept like [...]

November 18th, 2009 | Category: Animals, Books, Day Job, Reading, Writing | Comments (1)