I live in a loud house. Most of us do, I’m sure. When I’m not able to be at home, I’m out in public where it’s loud as well.
That’s why the topic of my first Prepping for NaNoWriMo post is about choosing ways to keep you from being distracted.
I’ve started a Spotify playlist for my current work in progress. As I’m typing this blog post, my husband has a podcast playing, he’s cooking dinner (bless him), the television is on, and the cat’s scratching at the door in attempts to get my attention.
I can only imagine how houses with kids will be on the distraction/noise front.
Anyway, so back to the playlist. I’ve done this before, and it seemed to help me a lot. I choice books that suit the mood of the novel, and books that remind me of the characters. The movie that’s in your head needs a soundtrack, right?
Generally I like a like of silence when I’m trying to write, but the only time that’s possible is if I wrote in the middle of the night. (Pesky day job.) So instead I have to write on the fly, and at home whenever I can. The walls are far from soundproof, and headphones keep me in my own little world when I’m out on my commute, so finding music that puts me in the mind set of the book is really helpful.
Well, we’re back from our holiday in Florida. We spent two weeks of soaking up the sun, swimming, going to Hollywood Studios, dressing up for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and feasting at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival.
My favorite part of the trip always is lingering at the pool and playing on the beach. I never was a big beach person until I moved away and realized how much I miss the sunshine.
After our visit with my parents, and the plethora of supplies we can get from Wal-Mart and Target, we pretty much decided that we’ll have to move back to the U.S.A. soon.
HOORAY!
It’s not that I don’t love out little home, and the fact that I’ve been able to get things done over here, writing-wise. I just think we’ll have way more opportunities now than we will here.
But until then, I’m back to working on my stories. Since I’ve been working at the library non-stop (and trust me, I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow at all) I’ve not had a lot of time to be creative. That is a number one bummer for me, and I’m sure most people can empathize with my plight. So, I’ve spent some of the holiday and most of this weekend getting writing ducks back in a row.
I started working on the stories that I have kept in the back of my head, but haven’t done much with them. I’ve made a handy books page on the author site (which I’m cross-posting to from here) to give me a good boost of motivation.
If you can see it, you can believe it.
Also, I was just looking at my NaNoWriMo account, and it suggested that those with book covers get finished. So, I’ve made myself some covers to guide me.
I’m also going to start updating my stories on Wattpad more. I think that’s going to be a good homework assignment/deadline/goal to reach for, especially if there’s a potential audience out there.
It’s contemporary, it’s fun, it’s YA, and it’s everything I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. With that in mind, I’ll be sure to keep the story up-to-date, as well as the blog.
There’s nothing like a nice vacation to clear your head and make you more determined than ever to work your butt off!
Just a quick update to mention that I probably won't be able to update any time soon. I'm completely overwhelmed with work and I can only write a little at a time. I am totally stressed and having the worst time trying to time manage everything. I'm overworked and underappreciated, as most people are, so the blog, social media, anything that's secondary has to be put completely on the back burner.
Sad, but that's just how it has to be for a while.
I have about five minutes to type until I have to leave for a doctor’s appointment. I have the sneaking suspicion that I have a bone spur in my left foot, so I’m going to have to get that sorted before the usual Florida/Disney holiday in Autumn.
I’m still working at the same branch at the library, and we’ve just been asked to apply for permanent posts within the council for said assistant jobs. I applied for a three month Info Manager (“librarian”) job, but since I’m going to be on holiday, and I wouldn’t be able to go back to my branch for sure, I decided to withdraw my application. My manager said I was mad not to take the opportunity, but I didn’t get the idea that I would be hired for it anyway. Oh well.
Everyone gets changed around frequently, so no one stays at a branch for long, so the possibility of my being moved is there anyway, but if I were to take a 3 month job in a manager role, it’s guaranteed that I won’t be able to go back there.
For writing, I’ve lately figured out that I can get 500 words done in the morning if I go to work early, sit at my desk, and churn something out for fifteen minutes or so. This isn’t ideal when I’m on a role, but it will have to do for now. This is the kind of job when you’re needed constantly, so sitting down to collect your thoughts isn’t really possible.
And here they thought people in libraries just read books all day. I wish!
Steve may be going on to another job nearby soon as well – right now we’re not sure how that will pan out. So, by and large, we’re getting on with it and keeping our heads afloat as usual.
I applied for an IT Manager job, separate from the library before they told me I could be permanent, but I didn’t get it. Not enough experience with the server they were using. Still, that was my first manager interview. Pretty cool, huh?
It’s been hot lately, aside from the awesome thunderstorms and rain we’ve had a few days here and there. English weather is weird – it will change every five minutes. At least in Florida, it rained for a few minutes, then went back to humidity and heat. Here, it’s cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon. You always need an umbrella, and it’s nice to keep a jacket just in case.
We went to York again last month and saw some more sights. Since the weather was better, my photos were better – even the ones of the prison as pictures above. I was also able to call my my parents in Florida with FaceTime and show them York in real time. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? I know it’s funny for most people in Europe to not imagine nativity when it comes to public transportation, but just a video call from the train is a revelation to most of us from Florida. We simply just don’t do all that. The Metro is something discussed in French language lessons and the train is a novelty item, as in, “How cute. They’re taking the train to Boston.”
Aside from that, the library has been busy-ish. I’ve had lots of class visits to get a push for Summer Reading Challenge. Having never worked at the library here over the summer, let alone this branch, I have no idea what to expect as far as event numbers. But I’ve made an effort, which is something a lot of people have told me not to bother with.
I plan on writing a whole post about the realities of working in the public libraries, but since it’s my Saturday off and I rarely get these anymore (another topic of mention for said future post) I’m going to enjoy it with Steve.
The weather is lovely and there are groceries to be bought. There’s a park to walk through, and a lunchtime excursion to be had. It is true – you take for granted all the things you miss when you’re not working. Having a day off is one of them. We appreciate these things so much more when we rarely have them.
So without further adieu, I plan on working on my current book project which is slowly but surely taking some form. I’d love to sit in an empty office for a week and just bang out half of this novel, at least, but that’s another thing I miss and took for granted when I had the time to do it.
Having said that, I did get some first drafts done when I was off work, so I can’t be too hard on myself. As always, I’m trying to have everything and it’s really difficult. I’ve at least started reading more, which helps my mental well being. After much book hopping, I finally got back to the Life As We Knew It series, which I adore.
We’ve also started watching True Detective which is as great as they say. I never thought I was big into mysteries and crime drama, but lately I’ve been into this, Sherlock, Elementary, Breaking Bad and Gone Girl, so maybe my tastes are changing.
With that said, I’ll get back to the wonders of the real world and some writing about the fictitious world for good measure.
But before I go, just to mark the occasion. Today has been an extraordinary day because of this right here.:
