Wow. October’s been a little on the crazy side. In some ways, it feels as though it’s been a long month, but that’s mainly because I’ve been so busy in my day job and writing to take a minute and smell the leaves. I’ve got to the end of the month and wondered where it’s all going. Suddenly, we’re two months away from the end of the year and I’m panicking. I’m not the only one, right?
What have I been writing?
I’ve been working on the second draft I started last month – ‘Carys’. Halfway through, the draft took a turn and now the whole thing’s a bit disjointed, but that’s good. It means that I can develop the third draft properly and I’ve learned a lot about the characters during this draft. It’s currently sitting at 76,000 words and has a few more thousand to go before I move onto my next project and let this one rest.
What have I been reading?
Quite a productive month on the book front actually – I finished two and started a third! Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (James Runcie) was a really good read. Runcie’s style is a little clipped, but it’s fine once you get used to it. I’ve also read Kiki Archer’s But She Is My Student and I’m now on Still Life by L.T. Smith. More than one book in a month is a definite novelty at this point!
What have I been watching?
Holby City and The Bill again! However, had a film night with my nieces and got to relive my childhood in the form of The Little Mermaid. One thing I love about that film is how intimidating I still find Ursula. There’s just something about the sea witch that sets her apart from other Disney villains. Maybe it’s the flash of humanity (octopusality?) when her pets are killed that has me expressing a smidgen of sympathy whilst being utterly terrified.
What have I been listening to?
I’ve been concocting some Spotify playlists including cheesy hits for bad days. When I’ve really needed to concentrate in the office, I’ve fallen back on classical. I think I’ll need that a lot in the next month.
Have I done anything remotely interesting?
A few things! I’ve made But By Degrees available on Smashwords for those not comfortable buying from Amazon. I also ran an ad in Diva which looked rather nifty, if I do say so myself. Away from But By Degrees, I went to Bristol for the weekend and had a lovely time, and I spent a day in a beautiful Yorkshire village doing some research for another novel. All in all, it’s been a busy month and I’ve loved it really. Roll on, November!
