All Fired Up! #AmWriting

03 Apr 2018 49 Comments

by Ritu in Fiction, My Writing, RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Life Of A Writer, RiNoWRiMo, Wedded Stress

Hey! I hope my Peeps are all well out there, not shaped too much like the chocolate eggs you may, or may not, have consumed over the Easter weekend!

I am officially at the start of the Easter break, Hubby Dearest is at work, and the kids are occupying themselves with TV, computers and more TV!

We are off on an impromptu London break again this weekend, so I thought, “why not be a little productive these next few days, before going?”

I loaded up my infamous WIP.

I say infamous as I appear to have guest posted a few times about it… here, at Shaun’s Clockwork Clouds, and here, over at Blonde Write More… and even here at Sue’s Daily Echo!

My plan was to re-read what I had written over the month of August last year. If you remember, I decided to have my own writing month, #RiNoWriMo, and I did a grand job, if I do say so myself, finishing at just over 69,000 words!

But I still hadn’t finished that age-old WIP. It’s so old, it’ll be able to drive soon enough, and drink too!

So, the idea was to read, and refresh my memory, and maybe, just maybe, start thinking about how I could finally finish it.

Well.

I read it. And ended up smiling.

I don’t know how right it is to smile at your own writing. But that’s what I did. I enjoyed reading what I had managed to create in the summer. And that was it, the fever pitch had been reached.

I needed to type!

And now!

So, I made sure the kids and pets were all fed and watered, then hunkered down for some serious writing.

Two hours and 2100 words later, I surfaced!

I read the scene I had written to Lil Princess. My kids have both been really interested in my writing, and though I have had to censor some scenes, they have heard a lot of it.

She sighed at the end. (A good sigh, I mean!) “Mummy, even though I have kinda read it all already, I think I’d really like a copy of this book.”

I know she’s only ten years old, but my first beta reader is happy… and even though there is still a while to go to tie up the ends, and truly finish it, her comments have given me the will to carry on! I guess I have another couple of writing days to use now before going away!

I really #AmWriting!!!!!

#AmWriting

That Smug Feeling…

21 Oct 2017 56 Comments

by Ritu in My Writing, RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, First Draft, RiNoWRiMo

I’m finally on holiday.

And ended up with the typical teacher response to a week off.

I promptly fell ill. Woke up this morning with a streaming nose, earache and a difficulty swallowing – and that is AFTER having the flu jab the other week!

Still, things need doing and I grocery shopped and started a big clean of the house – need it to be spick and span before my bestie comes to stay with her little baby in the week!

And it has been hinted at that I need to knuckle down and finish my teenage WIP too! (you know who you are… Sacha, His Geoffleship, Lucy, Gary...)

Since the end of August, which was my #RiNoWriMo, self-imposed writing challenge to get my WIP back off the ground, I haven’t had the time or energy to look at it.

I have a week off, but there are not many days where I am totally free and able to lose myself in my words again, but still, if I can draw the story closer to the end, it would be a bonus.

I sat here and thought… and couldn’t remember what I had ended on. Honestly, after a month of writing, and over 50,000 words written, my brain was near mush!

So today I read the last couple of chapters and, (can I say so myself?) I was pretty pleased with what I read back! I really want to finish this first draft. I want to be able to post

IT’S DONE!

here there and everywhere, but for that, I need time again! So I shall try to carve out a few hours again to craft some more words, and hopefully, I will be closer to that announcement post!

I’m off again to bury myself under my duvet… catch you all soon Peeps!

A Lovely Weekend! #Birthday

03 Sep 2017 80 Comments

by Ritu in Poetic RITUals, RiNoWRiMo, Sonu Singh, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Birthday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Cheesecake, London, London Eye, Pandora, Park Plaza, Poetic RITUals, Wong Kei's

Hey Peeps!

I’m sat here at the tail end of my birthday weekend, tired, happy, full, and ready for bed!

But I wanted to let you know what my weekend was like.

Hubby Dearest arranged for us to go to London, the four of us, for a night away, for my birthday!

We arrived at the Park Plaza Waterloo, the children and I poked our noses around the reception, whilst Hubby Dearest worked his magic, getting us upgraded and breakfast in the Executive lounge!

We saw some fantastic figurines and got a free cookie too!

The room was lovely, with a view of the Shard and other wonderful buildings.

Everything was electronic, lights, curtains, locks and all!

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They even gave the kids complimentary back packs!

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The children wanted to go swimming, but I was not in the mood to exercise! They went with Daddy, whilst I chilled out. The Pool and Gym area also had a Spa.

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Once they were sated, we got ready and went for a walk to the London Eye, and across the bridge towards the Houses of Parliament, complete with the silent for now, Big Ben!

There was even ‘Mr Bean’ entertaining folks!

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We decided to wander over to the West End, rather than catch a train. We stopped at Trafalgar Square, and saw some wonderful street art.

Lil Princess is not a walker so we had to stop several times for her to complain… and she got a piggy back from her Dad for a while too!

En route to drinks and dinner, we stopped at the Leicester Square Lego store, and I met Shakespeare!

A cheeky cocktail at TGI Fridays, then we went to Wong Kei’s, our favourite Chinese restaurant!

If you’ve not heard of Wong Kei’s before, I have to tell you; Their food is WONDERFUL. Seriously! But they are as famous for their customer service, as their food. They don’t smile, you get sat with other people, they can be down right rude, to be honest, but because we know that is what they are about, it is so funny! And because, for some of them it is an act, you do get the smiles from them, sneakily!

The food, as I mentioned, was yum! And the portions are large, so we ended up with a lot left. Instead of letting it go to waste, the children decided they wanted to give it to some one who was in need. We got two take away boxes and made up two complete meals, with chopsticks too, and got ready to find someone who needed food.

London streets are full of homeless folk, and you don’t always know what is the best to do. But the kids did me proud. We found a lady, with dog, who was so grateful for a warm meal.

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The second meal given, we walked home again. London by night is so beautiful!

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And here’s something I hadn’t seen before… the portaloo type urinals that have been put up in places, to stop drunk blokes relieving themselves in the doorways at night…

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My little family made me very proud. ❤

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This morning, I was woken by a phone call from my Finndian family, and my brother and nephew serenading me from a Helsinki tram!

And then presents appeared, complete with a poem from Lil Princess, and a Power Point presentation about why I’m a great mum, from Lil Man!

My very own Pandora Bracelet! Bless them!

We ate a hearty three-course breakfast (Gonna have to get back on the healthy eating wagon after this last few weeks!) and literally rolled out of the Executive Lounge!

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After checking out, we made our way home where I was spoiled again by my in-laws!

This was topped off by a takeaway pizza, and then a birthday cheesecake at home!

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But it wasn’t just this that made my weekend good. Seeing that nearly a hundred of you took me up on my birthday gift to you was so pleasing, and the fact that I hit #1 in the Poetry download chart on UK Kindle was the icing on the cake! I can say I am a ‘Bestseller’ now I guess!!!!

I am now sat on my bed, getting ready for my first day back to school.

Tired, but happy.

Thank you for putting up with my constant badgering over the last month, first the #RiNoWriMo challenge, I set myself, then the free book promos… You are all angels, and I feel blessed that I have such a supportive blogily behind me!

I must go now, and get ready for the next chapter in my life as a teacher… More on that in another post!

#RiNoWriMo – The Finale! #canidothis ? #ididit !

01 Sep 2017 84 Comments

by Ritu in RiNoWRiMo, Sonu Singh, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #ididit, Author, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, First Draft Problems, Furry Muse, Life Of A Writer, RiNoWRiMo, Sonu Singh, tired, Traci York

Can you believe it? I completed a whole month of writing my WIP? (Along with blogging, and being wife and mother!)

It’s Bank Holiday on Monday… I appear to have promised to take the kids swimming one one day… and those damn uniforms refuse to label themselves… Can I get this WIP nearer the finished end??

Day 28

I am seriously exhausted. I am not sure if I can write any more for a while… My brain feels like it’s turned to mush. And I need to get rested for back to school… will I be able to get myself to the computer?

Hell Yes!

An hour and did a few more words. Then took the army swimming!

Word Count: 1139

Day 29

I’m definitely in a writers funk. I finished a section that I absolutely loved writing last week. The words just flew! Now I know what I want to happen, but I can’t find that smooth path to sail across, to get the story finished. It was hard, but, despite still feeling tired, I managed another few words. I’m not pushing myself… I want this to flow…

Word Count: 1007

Day 30

Thought I wouldn’t be able to do this today. I had to get up early and drop the kids off to my in laws as I needed a blood test done first thing. Feeling tired after having to wake earlier than my body was used to, was a trying time.

But once I got home, and full of a renewed energy. I managed to write, and then looked at a weekly tarot post by my friend Traci York. The cards I am drawn to are surprisingly accurate for my situations at the time, and today was no different!

Knight of Pentacles

Keep your focus. You were so excited and full of energy when you took the first step on your new journey. Now you feel like you’ve lost your steam, and all you’re doing is trudging along, without getting any closer to your goal. Don’t give up hope! Stick to your plan, stay focused on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and remember what Amelia Earhart said – “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”

Thanks, Traci! I am staying focused! But taking it a little slower!!!!

Word Count: 1241

Day 31

The last official day of #RiMoWriMo.

I never thought I would make it to the end! I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet, you know!

When I say the end, I don’t mean of my first draft. No, The end of the month! The story is a little while away from finishing, but it is so close, I can smell it!

I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, those name tapes aren’t going to fix themselves, and then I have to get the boy to cricket training, and a well-deserved meal out with my ladies tonight meant I wanted to give my last writing day a good go before starting everything else.

So I wrote…

Word Count: 1156

PHEW!!!!! I’m done!!!!!!!!!

Taking everything into account this means I wrote 4,543 words this week, and the #RiNoWriMo word count stands at

55922 words in a month!

What have I learned in this last month?

If you have determination and time, you can do what you set your mind to.
Writing can be really, really, really, REALLY exhausting!
Sometimes time away from a story helps you put a totally different spin on it.
Support from some special writing friends, a furry writing muse and family makes a HUGE difference.
You need lots and lots of sticky notes and pens and notebooks… (great excuse to go stationery shopping!)
You can write anywhere if you want to.
NEVER GIVE UP!

My work in progress now stands at a few words shy of 70,000. When did I ever think I could write so much????? This has taken me a step closer to my dream of having a novel out there.

I will let you know when the #firstdraftwoes end and I have a complete manuscript in my hands. No doubt then I will flood you with questions and worries about editing, and proofreading, and editing, and rereading, and covers, publishing and promotion… but that is still a while away.

Now I am off to dream about the day I can conclude my story… whilst ironing labels on uniforms!

Thank you for staying with me on my #RiNoWriMo journey Peeps! Your support has been invaluable. Seriously. Mwah!

#RiNoWriMo – Week 4 #canidothis? #MondayBlogs

28 Aug 2017 42 Comments

by Ritu in RiNoWRiMo, Sonu Singh, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Author, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, First Draft Problems, Furry Muse, Life Of A Writer, RiNoWRiMo, Sonu Singh

Instead of boring you each day, and I really have had to stop myself, I thought I would do a weekly post to let you know whether I have managed to accomplish what I wanted during this creative month of August that I have named, #RiNoWriMo! (Ritu’s Novel Writing Month).

What barriers do I have to overcome this week? Tiredness. Sleep overs. Playdates. Hmm… this’ll be fun! Oh, and I need to label uniform!

Day 21

I was seriously shattered this morning. Didn’t think I would be able to get up, let alone do any writing. I was so tired I couldn’t even remember what I had written last. But I tried. I figured even a few hundred words would be something.

Then something came over me, possibly inspiration, and I was so excited that I forgot to eat breakfast!

My fingers worked their magic, despite my furry muse wanting to give me a morning massage, whilst I was trying to type!

Right in front of my keyboard!

We also had the first of several playdates in the afternoon!

Word Count: 2523

Day 22

A little more awake today, and words got written! Though as I write, I wonder how much will actually stay in the end result… after final edits etc. Actually, why am I thinking about that? I need to finish the first draft yet!!!

Writing in bed!

Word Count: 2718

Day 23

It was a manic kinda day today. I had words to write, a house to clean, words to write, five kids to occupy with the sleepover, words to write… you get my drift?

I’m not actually sure what I wrote today, whether it made any sense at all, and I was a little annoyed with myself that I didn’t it 2,500, but I was close, and having over achieved on previous days, theoretically, I was still on target!

Word Count: 2430

Day 24

Typical kids! You’d think that after being up so late, they would sleep in? That was the hope. That Hubby Dearest would go to work, and I’d get, maybe an undisturbed hour, two if I was lucky, to write something at least.

But no. They were all up by 8.30am!

So, fed and watered, I left them to it and camped on the dining room table to try and write a bit more., with my furry muse to keep me company.

I got this!

They departed after lunch, then we had another little friend coming to visit, and I had to be sociable with her mum for a couple of hours, so writing time cut short… again! but still…

Word Count: 2549

Day 25

There’s a chance we’ll be busy this weekend, bank holiday and all, so I decided to really focus. After writing a bit, I cleaned the house. I wrote more, then fed the kids lunch. Then I showered and wrote even more!

Sonu Singh tried hard to distract me…

How can you ignore that face?

Then he decided to commandeer an old laptop – If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!

As I looked at my word count, it dawned on me that I had, in less than the 30 days that NaNoWriMo allows, written over 50,000 new words! OMG!

How did that happen?!

Word Count: 3171

Day 26

I contemplated a day of no writing today… I was shattered. A late night, followed by an early wake-up call from my Finnish family meant I was running on empty. Yet I had to get this section complete. I still didn’t end it where I wanted yet, but managed a few words at least!