Distractions and productivity are not mutually exclusive

I'd like to say 'Another day, Another Dollar' but since I'm on sick pay the days don't mean much either way. I would go stark raving mad at my current lack of activity if it weren't for the fact that my anti-epileptic drugs make me too lethargic to actually give a rat's arse. I meant to get more writing done today, and perhaps even work some more on my CV for when I find a job for occupational therapy.  Then the distractions hit...

Today's distraction...

- Decided to vacuum room. Eventually I actually got to this but only after I finished vacuuming the lounge out.
- Thought meh, may as well vacuum the lounge and realised no one had done the couches and cushions for awhile; two breaks, a washing pile and lunch later this finally got done
- Needed to hang out washing, having remember to actually put it in in the first place.
- Oh, right. Need to take down dry stuff first; but I want to work on this piece I'm writing
- Eh, no milk for me. :( :( Walkies!!!! :)
- Still not wrote anything but sudden epiphany made me put off making bed
- Working through notes on project, hit me that it may actually be easier to time up the 12 pages of outline I have to make the changes.
- Finally manage to write a writing challenge (Called kick her to the Curb), still not started typing up current project

Conveniently I 'forgot' about CV.  But since all I need to refine now is the references and format I think I'm good.  I'm kinda restricted in what I do at the moment anyway and have to consider any job as part of a learning curve. I'm expecting workplace stress factors to affect my triggers.

Actually, dispite the distraction level I was quite productive  ^_^

A poem and a short fic in one day?

OMG I've actually been productive. Don't die on me now. ;) I kicked the day off to a start with The lion and the wolf; a bittersweet poem about mis-matched couples. I took that momentum and carried through with The Blackout; a short piece of rom-com fic in 100 words that was written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge. And I'm still considered writing another scene for my current project, a romance with both supernatural and crime-related action elements.

In other news I have given Crazy Thoughts a complete over haul.  How is the new look?

National Blog Posting Month

Yesterday I discussed NaNoWriMo.  Today I bring you NaBloPoMo A.K.A. National Blog Posting Month which, as chance would have it, starts the same day as Nanowrimo.  The challenge is too produce one blog post a day meaning it is only as difficult as I choose to make it.  I would go so far to suspect its a blatant rip-off of the former as well, but I need to start posting to both this blog and my creative writing blog on a daily basis again.  I also find that, providing I don't feel drained, that writing a blog post is a good way around writer's block.  However, I highly suspect I am going to be very glad of my anti-convulsants by the end of the day.

Now that the explanation is out of the way I can get on with the task at hand - an introduction.  This is my rambling blog: Crazy Thoughts.   The aim of this blog has always diffuse.  I have used it for different purposes over time.  I have posted allergen friendly recipes; creative writing; crafted soap.  Really its main purpose has always been to be an outlet for whatever random idea pops into my head.  In this respect it has been satisfactory.

Current NaNoWriMo word count: 620

It that time again

Nanowrimo, national novel writing month for those of you who have never come across the acronym, starts again tomorrow morning. The charity event lasts for the duration of November and is an excellent opportunity for writers to practice their skills in a slightly competitive fashion.  The aim is to write a novella of at least 50,000 words in 30days.  This can be quite challenging for some but I've seen plenty of participants fly past that goal. Personally, I will be pleased if I make it too 30,000.  Last years effort hit 21,000; a word count that far outstripped my previous attempts.

It is boggling to think that that is all I managed while unemployed.  Okay, so I was focused on job hunting and other crafts at that point in time. Even so, the sheer insanity of the concept of attempting to produce an article of work longer than last years is quite daunting.  At the beginning of the month I under went a craniotomy to remove a tumour from the left hemisphere of my brain. If the frequent dizzy spells and stumbling wasn't enough to worry about; there only so much work I can do before I feel a seizure coming on.  Talk about biting off more the you can chew.  Still, I'm supposed to be engaging in activities I normally would to recuperate and this is definitely something I would normally do.

I hope you join nanowrimo and good luck!

Think of of the fiction!!

It has been a productive week for my muse.  I have given him so much exercise he must have collapsed from exhaustion by this point.  But I have several great projects to show for it and my writing is steadily improving.


The Crown and the cavern started life as 'Picture it and Write' challenge.  It is flash fiction that is a cautionary tale about reading the instructions.
Country Guy and City Girl  are two separate pieces of flash fiction that happen to be the same story from different points of view.  Nice real romance.  I may do a continuation.
A parody  of 'Singing in the rain' that is deliberately of key about the joys of job hunting.  You will be able to tell i have been job hunting for too long that day.  I clearly needed a break.
A walk in the rain  A nice short poem :)

Musing on a challenge

I have completed yet another short story: Shouting Fire. This was another random word challenge. Like all the others, it made me think. But today, it made me really pay attention to the creative process for some reason.

The word was theatre. Nothing special. But it struck as I write just how important the first impression is to the creative flow. For example, my first though with theatre was the phrase 'never shout fire in a crowded theatre' to which my brain automatically responded 'oh I so want to do that now.' As can been seen from Shouting Fire, this had a direct impact on the plot itself. Similiarly, when I wrote Pepper last week my first thought was on the burning aspect rather then the versatility in food and this again carried through to the plot.

It is because of this that we actually need to be careful to be aware of these impressions because other wise it is easy to plagiarise without the intention. A good example of this is the fragments of 'The man from Ironbark' which I have included into the plot. I made a deliberate choice to work more of these in on the basis of a second impression I had from 'theatre'. It brought to mind my yr6 play in school – which is a similar production to what the character John is watching. I could have easily let this influence in without acknowledging it (although with what little I deliberately added it would be hard to accuse me of plagiarism).

This said, in such a short piece would the similarity to 'The man from Ironbark' have even been noticed if I had not gone out of my way to be obvious? This is a very good question.  

Insomnia, you creative genius, you.

I'm up way pat midnight AGAIN.  What is there to do this late, you ask? Nothing ^_^  Not a damn thing.  And so I'm writing.

Writing yay!!  Of course I'm writing.  It's all I ever do at the moment.  Well today's progress?  The start of parodically bad teen romance story and (and this is the good one) a new picture it and write challenge.

This weeks photo is:

Greet the Evil Mop.  He is the future lord and sovereign of the universe. This challenge was not a difficult one for one reason - I could not get the idea of walking into a cleaning closet to find this creepy bastard out of my head.  Therefore I have written Time to quit the day job as a result.  This a short piece of flash fiction inspired by my own life and a supernatural mop.  It amused me.  I hope it amuses you too.

More short fiction

I undertook a new picture it and write challenge this week.  The picture to the left is this weeks feature.  Actually have to say it was rather nice to work with because there's so much info in the picture that coming up with a potential plot was instantaneous.  It actually inspired me to write an excerpt for a short sci-fi/action story I'm writing entitled freedom.   Have a look below. :)

Excerpt from 'Freedom'

Salvation - new short story

Latest free-writing antics brings you salvation!  A short story About a dying solider and the Valkyrie who fetches him.

Nothing cures boredom like

Alcohol!!!!

Unfortunately, I have not been drinking.  I wish, it's rather late in the night and I am still very alert.  I was bored but the I came across this Picture it and Write creative writing challenge.  What does this have to do with alcohol you ask??

Everything.  The photographic subject of this challenge was a purple martini.  The aim - to write what ever came to mind.  Then 1 1/2 hours later I ended up with Ambrosia - a short fic about a young woman who has just had a nasty break up who is being consoled by a mysterious stranger and a drink.  It has 'happy' ending though, so don't worry - it's just a little off-beat. :)