I've solved the problem of lack of exercise. Yesterday, and the day before, I went for 45 minutes' jog along (and back, and along again) the sea wall at Ventnor, which had pros (some of the only flat land in Ventnor, and it's nearby) and cons (it's a sea wall, in November...I got broadsided by a wave at one point when I was getting too out of breath to dodge any more) but mostly made me feel freakishly energetic for the last few days, which makes a change.
This morning I decided to leave running about until this evening, as I have stuff to do, and well, my legs feel as though they have their own attendant bruise-inflictors attached to either one. Regardless of whether this is still the case this evening, I'm a goin' out...
Writing Stuff - Sorry
I've started a couple of other projects, writing-wise, dropping the over-ambitious radio production idea for the moment, and now it would appear that I am writing against the clock.
I don't know how long I will have this much freedom to write, in terms of impending employment, impending buggering-off-somewhere-else -ness, so generally I am writing for a few hours on one project, making a cup of tea, and then, for a startlingly refreshing change, I sit down and do a few hours on a different project. It's mullering my brain as the day progresses, but by about 6 o'clock in the evening, I have loads of energy and feel fantastic about the fact that I've made headway and generally start dancing madly to whatever happens to be on the stereo.
As you do.
So, coming the raw prawn, these are the projects 'in hand' as it were:
Project One: The big one as it stands at the moment. Nuzzling gently against the 50,000 word barrier, jumping up and down with additions and rather ruthless pruning of sections. Purely an exercise, still, but doing wonders for general writing discipline, lucidity and my own opinion of what I can do, it's a building-it-up-from-the-roots travel thingy, based on my journal from my gap year and my double Inter-rail ticket jaunt around Europe and Morocco. No intent to do anything other than work on it.
Project Two: Erm, hee. Something I suddenly thought that I could do quite quickly and easily (oh, the shame of over-confidence) yesterday. I have a lot of material written throughout university on students, student life and the mixture of hedonism, work and stereotypical student-ness that goes along with those three/four/five/eighty-three (delete as appropriate) years. It ain't a remeniscing trip, but a 'What You Wanted To Know But Thought No-One Would Tell You' thing. Originally titled 'University' at the moment, but hey, it's only 24 hours old. About 8000 words done, incorporating unedited material already written and a few introductory bits written yesterday - a particular favourite bit is 'Choosing Your University With a Ouijja Board And A Hamster In A Ball' and a brief bit of advice on what to do when you end up at Skndjaplpol, Sweden.
Project Three : Trying to get a fecking short story published in any magazine that'll have me. Currently have five stories in various places all over the country. Getting a bit soul-destroying now, as each application and eventual result takes about two months, but every rejection takes me a bit closer to an acceptance. I currently have three...not sure how many is good.
Raaaaaa!
Gonna stop now.
Looking forward to drinks with Davey-boy on Friday and seeing Alice at the weekend.
Boi boi fer now.
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