Writing in the new year

Happy 2009!

I hope you spent a wonderful end to your 2008 and that 2009 is looking bright and sparkly.

And what have I been doing in the super fresh 6 days since the beginning of the year?…

hmmm… ok…

(deep breath)

I’m writing a book - BOOM! 

There, I’ve said it. I was wondering how I would come back to my blog in 2009 with only this on my mind. It’s a book for adults and there are no illustrations! Crazy! I know! I am 20,000 words (well, 21,984 to be exact) into my first draft and I love writing it. Perhaps I should be saving it for November but I couldn’t wait. It’s like being able to spend time with my favourite TV show every evening and never having to be sad that the season is going it end. And watch out what you say around me because if you’re even remotely funny or quirky or devilishly handsome, I am going to steal your soul and turn you into some kind of character in my book.

So I feel a little bit like the kind of person who flip-flops from one interest to another with lightening speed - as soon as I say “etsy shop” I’m moving on to “solo exhibition” and as quick as anything I am back to “full time mum, all that other stuff can wait.” and now here I am flirting with “novelist”. I can see how it looks. 

But I think the very interesting thing about all this is that when I took away all the pressure, all the expectations I had of what I should be doing, and said - back in October - “The rest of 2008 is a blank page” I was suddenly left with a big gaping void of empty time with no real object in mind except getting better, nuturing my family and stopping the struggle.  But all along, even right from the start, I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before exactly the right thing came along and filled the gap. I kept saying to Phil “I am interested to see what it is I do now I don’t have to do anything in particular.” And sure enough, I spent some time making some dolls for the girls and I pottered around and got better and read lots of books. Lots of books. Good books, trashy books, old books, new releases, books about vampires, books about strippers, books about books. It was the reading of lots of books that lead me to feeling a little like I wanted to be a part of that action. It was reading my teenage diaries and Rachel’s book which reminded me that I had always wanted to be a part of that action. 

Who knows what will happen. Who knows if it’s any good. Will girls in frocks ever read my book? Will I even finish it? Who cares! I am having so much fun. 

So here’s to NOT setting any goals for 2009, and to letting the goals come to you.

Spring enthusiasm

There is dappled sunshine in the garden and on my keyboard this morning. The first day of Spring feels very nice indeed. I will continue to ignore the weeds for the time being.

We had a busy weekend full of friends and relations, croissants, swimming lessons, fish n chips, movies (date night = Tropic Thunder - brilliant!) birthday parties and even some of my parents’ friends giving us a spontaneous singing rendition over lunch on Saturday. When I looked at my calendar on Friday I wasn’t sure how we were going to manage it, but it was actually an incredibly refreshing weekend.

You will notice (if you visit this site, and not just read the feed) that I have updated my right hand side bar links today for September. There are plenty of lovely blogs this month. I got a bit carried away.

So, here are some more Spring thoughts;

1. Angus Stone has a very nice voice. I have Paper Aeroplane on repeat.

2. I have almost finished my enormous pile of rabbits and they will be on sale early next week. Stay tuned for details.

3. Rachel Power’s book combined with my teenage journals have been an incredibly potent combination of “get your ass in to gear” type of inspiration for me lately. Reading back over those years of 15-17 where everything was exciting because everything was a possibility made me feel a bit sad that I have seemed to have lost that sense of wonder. Every play I saw had a little tingle of excitement because somewhere in the back of my mind there was a “I am going to do something like that one day”. Every good book I read continued to convince me that one day I would have a bash at something like that. I have found that as I have got a bit (lot) older a good play or a fabulous book can leave me with a little tinge of sadness, a little sense of regret.

And then suddenly I realised (thanks Rachel, thanks teenage self) that there is absolutely no reason at all, just because I’m a “grown up” and primarily a mother that I can’t start dreaming like that again. And the exciting bit is that as a “grown up” I actually have the capacity to let some of those dreams become more of a reality. All that’s required is a little hard work (and a little less worry about how clean the house is).

So there you have it… I am doing some writing. Lots of crazed, first draft writing. It’s fun.