I’ve been hard at work tonight publishing a calendar through Lulu.com. The calendar features photographs I’ve taken of Benjie, my adorable Cairn Terrier. You can take a look or buy it here: http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/benjie-the-cairn-calendar-2011/12468657
Aug 312010
There’s always an immense sense of satisfaction that comes with the completion of a first draft of anything. Today, I finished the first draft of Schizoaffective Disorder Demystified, and although it’s been a long slog to get to this point, I’m really pleased with what I’ve got. I’ve written it all by hand, so the typing up process is going to be an editing and revising process as well, killing two birds with one stone so to speak.
I’ve spent the last week hard at work on the book, and I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to concentrate enough to do it. Maybe this is a sign that the depression is lifting a little - and even if it isn’t, a respite from doom and gloom has been nice!!!
Aug 292010
I’ve just published, finally, my 46th article on Suite101. It’s an article that I wrote for my support worker, and she suggested that I publish it with Suite101, so I have done. You can read it here: Living With Depression .
Aug 262010
I feel inexplicably pleased with myself this week – just for being able to write a few pages of my book on schizoaffective disorder (the non-fiction book that I shelved a while back thinking I couldn’t possibly finish it). It’s all about taking baby steps, as frustrating as that seems right now. Any little bit of progress seems like a huge great big deal. But I suppose I should be pleased that I am making progress at last. For so long I’ve been stuck barely making no progress at all. Okay, so I’ve been doing little bits of writing, but actually this week, I’ve been able to concentrate long enough to write something more than a five hundred word article.
I’m hoping to include personal stories from people with schizoaffective disorder in the book. If anyone reading this would like to contribute, please email me at satnin1981@hotmail.co.uk .
Aug 182010
It’s now over a month since I posted an article to Suite101. My revenue is still trickling in, but I feel annoyed with myself for not being able to concentrate enough to write articles. I can manage bits of fiction, now and then, and I’ve got a grand total of 14000 words of Edge of Reality written, but it feels as though I’m wading through super-glue most of the time – and even though I’m writing, I’m not entirely happy with what I’m writing. I was putting new photographs on my main website (http://www.martinedaniel.co.uk) this afternoon and I ended up reading through the extracts of The Fire in Your Eyes, Legacy of Lies and Wading the Waters of my Mind, and it just seems as though my writing now is lacking something, probably due to the depression that I’m still stuck in. I keep telling myself that I will be able to write through this, that I have to get better at some point, but apart from the odd respite, I’ve been struggling with depression of some kind for over a year now, and it’s wearing me down.
The UK Kindle store has now launched, meaning you can now purchase all three of my novels as Kindle Editions at UK Sterling prices!! (£6.78 each – grab yourself a bargain for instant download!!)
Follow this link to find out more: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Martine+Daniel&x=0&y=0
Aug 092010
At last, I seem to be making progress with Edge of Reality. I’m over the 10,000 word mark with draft 5, and the characters are starting to take hold in my head, which is always a good sign that the story is going well. I’m not writing a lot each day, but I’m trying to get some writing done every day, and that’s made easier with using my iPad to write the draft. I love being able to switch the iPad on and be ready to type in seconds, and I’m getting to grips with the onscreen keyboard pretty quickly, I think. Writing is still an effort, and a challenge, but it’s getting easier, which I’m taking as a positive sign that things are finally on the up – and not before time!
Whilst I’ve been concentrating on Edge of Reality, I haven’t been writing much for Suite101, but I keep promising myself that I will get back to it. I’ve got an article that’s been waiting to be typed up for a couple of weeks – but I will get round to it. I’m just caught up in the whole emotion of Edge of Reality at the moment that taking a step back is rather difficult at the moment. Compared to fiction, non-fiction just doesn’t have the same kind of appeal.
I’m beginning to think that I’ll never get to the end of Edge of Reality, even though I’ve got the whole story plotted out to the end. The reason I don’t think I’ll reach the end is because I can’t seem to get past the beginning. Several times – I’m on draft 5 now – I’ve got to 10000 words and decided that the narration or the style isn’t working, or the characters aren’t developed enough. Today, I started on draft 5, and I’m already having doubts about whether to switch to a more personal first person narration.
It’s not the first time I’ve had this kind of difficulty with the beginnings of novels, but it is intensely frustrating. I feel as though I’m constantly taking one step forward and two steps back with the story. I want to get my teeth into the main part of the story, not keep going over and over the beginning until I get it right, but I’m a perfectionist, and if the story isn’t working as it is, I can’t bring myself to write past the problem. I have to go back and put right what’s wrong. Which means I may well be starting draft 6 within the next few days.
On a more positive note, I seem to have worked my way through my bad case of writer’s block, but it’s not much of an improvement when I can’t get past 10000 words!
Jul 232010
I’m writing this post using my brand new iPad. Yes, folks, I took the plunge and treated myself, and I’m finding using my new toy a very enjoyable experience. I love the spellchecker that automatically corrects my typos. I love being able to update my blog in the garden without having to hulk my laptop out with me. I’m even managing a decent touch-typing speed right now, which I didn’t expect! Of course, I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I don’t think I’m doing too bad for a beginner!
Jul 202010
I’m actually trying to do a bit of writing – and I’ve decided that I need to revise the beginning of my new novel, Edge of Reality. I hate writing the beginnings of novels, probably because of my perfectionist side. I like to get it right – even if that means writing the opening over and over again. Which is precisely what I’m doing. Writing and rewriting and rewriting again. It’s driving me insane, to be honest.
The beginning is the most important part of any novel. The beginning is what grips the reader and draws them in, and at the moment, that isn’t happening with the beginnings that I’ve got so far. Trying to get the balance right is nigh on impossible, and it’s doing my head in. I just want to get into the story – so much so that I’m thinking about forgetting about the beginning for now and moving straight on to the main part of the story.
It feels great being able to write again – even if I’m only writing 200-300 words a day at the moment. It’s better than writing nothing at all. 10% of my productivity is pretty measly, but it’s progress!
Jul 172010
I’ve posted a new article on Suite101, on Bipolar Depression – please check it out! It’s my 45th article for Suite101 – I’m still lagging behind in getting to 50 articles, but I know that I will get there, even if it takes me a while!
Jul 152010
I’ve had to create a new website for my jewellery business, thanks to my uniquejewellerycreations website being hacked by some malware code that, try as I might, I can’t seem to remove! This is a headache I really could have done without at the moment – it’s taken me most of the afternoon to build a new website using webs.com – free at the moment until I decide whether to pay for a domain name and hosting.
I’ve got some ready-made bracelets up on the website for £9.99 each – really beautiful Austrian crystal. The website address is http://larissajewellery.weebly.com . Please take a look and let me know what you think!
P.S. If anyone knows how I can get the malware off uniquejewellerycreations, I’d love to know!
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