Inspiration, Emotion and Editing

It was my mum's birthday this week and every time there is a birthday in the family I am tempted to go back through old photos. Memories are so powerful and pictures, like smells and sounds, evoke very emotional responses in me. Every time I see the photo above of my son aged 24 hours old, I remember the joy of his arrival and the pain of knowing he faced surgery just 10 days later for his cleft repair. Now aged seven, every time I look at this photo and then look at him now, I have a catalogue of emotional responses ranging from pain, fear and worry to pride, joy and hope. I have tried to harness them in my writing as I believe every experience we have has purpose and can be used positively in a number of ways.

I went back over my chapters on Wednesday and I have to own up to editing them all slightly, though I was not too ruthless. I just felt I could not go on writing the story till I had modified the dialogue in chapter two, it was like a barrier I had hit and had to hurdle before I could go on. I have made a solemn promise to myself now that I will not edit anything else in this book until I have finished it. This will keep me motivated and stop me languishing in chapter three!!!

Speaking of photos, I was trawling through my Cornwall shots and came across this clearing, taken at Lanhydrock (NT place near Bodmin). It has provided me with a very visual setting for next chapter of my book and so I am planning to get going with this over the weekend. I do not want to stall again but I have a busy November ahead so the words are discipline and organisation (Boy, am I in trouble).

Tagged by Tam

Tam has tagged me for a different MeMe, so here it goes:

What were you doing ten years ago?

I was working for a carers charity in Surrey, enjoying my first year of marriage and having lie ins on a Saturday morning beyond 7am!

Five things on my to do list for today

1. Put my ironing away(only fair as hubby did it all last night)
2. Collect the eggs from the chickens
3. Make a quiche (ate the one in the fridge from the previous Meme)
4. Hoover my car (floor looks like a woodland forest)
5. Google for directions to a conference tomorrow

What are three of your bad habits?

1. Putting myself down
2. Not being able to say No
3. Not getting enough sleep

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

I would buy a small holding with chcikens, ducks, horses and sheep. It would need a big barn that could be converted to a bookshop/rural cafe for budding writers to come and be inspired and to write with lattes. It would have extensive country views and be near the sea....oh and I would also get a cleaner!

What are some snacks you enjoy?

1. Crackers and mature cheese with red onion chutney
2. Galaxy chocolate
3. Almonds
4. Cherries
5. Raspberries
6. Scones with jam and clotted cream (well I do live in Cornwall!!!)

What were the last five books you read?

1. Stardust Neil Gaiman
2. Wolf Brother Michelle Paver
3. Spirit Walker Michelle Paver
4. Soul Eater Michelle Paver
5. Outcast Michelle Paver

I guess you can see I have got a little hooked on this series!!! Planning to re read the Chronicles of Narnia now.

What five jobs have you had?

1. Shop assistant at Chessington World of Adventures (really not as exciting as it sounds)
2. Teacher/Instructor at Day Centre for adults with learning Disabilities (Great fun - loved it)
3. Carers Support Worker (Humbling experience)
4. Customer Service Assistant at huge branch of M & S in Kingston (got to serve my then headmistress who was returning unwanted Christmas pressies)
5. Support aid to Michael Aspel's disabled son (then 13 years old). Nice man, Mr Aspel, bump started my knackered metro over speed humps when the battery died after I left my lights on.

Name five places I have lived

1. Chessington (Surrey)
2. Reading (at Uni)
3. Polperro (rented for 1 year)
4. Lanivet (near Bodmin)

Have not lived anywhere else but spent 1 month in the Falkland Islands when I was three visiting my dad's relatives with my parents, where I had the dubious pleasure of falling down a penguin burrow!!!

So that is a bit more about me, hope the piccy gets some of you salivating suitably!

Inspiration and a promise to myself

Our local weekly paper had a supplement in it this week which was about 25 full page pictures of the Cornish coastline from the air. There were some truly stunning photos of what is, I have to say it, an inspirational coastline. I have a few favourites, the pictures of Tintagel, Bedruthan Steps, Crown Mines at Botallack and Kyance are awesome. They got me thinking as I have had an emotional and frustrating couple of days around my writing. I have decided to use these pictures and some of my own and set myself a 30 minute writing challenge every day based on one of these pictures. I will aim to write for thirty minutes using one image a day. The aim is to get me back into writing and believing that that I can write something meaningful each day. thirty minutes is achievable, and the rare days when I have more time I will dedicate to my book. The picture above is one I took last year at Perranporth beach and I think I will start with this one tomorrow and then begin with the supplement pictures on Monday. Decided to log each day's progress here to help me post regularly too.

Had a big inside day today, Hollie is unwell and it has rained and rained and rained. Our four chickens were more liked drowned muddy rats than beautiful soft feathered birds when I went down to see them this evening. All four looked singularly unimpressed with the weather but perked up when I brought gifts of sweetcorn and bread and milk mash. Chickens may not be the brightest birds but they are very attentive if your hands contain something edible!!