A Good Bad Day

Only ten days till Christmas - are you prepared?  I'm quite clearly not, having bought about two gifts so far (argh!).  This has been playing on my mind all day today and putting me off writing, I've felt that I should be using the time to sort out Christmas shopping.  "Here we go," I hear you say, "another excuse"- but no!  Even with that distraction, I still managed to get 1581 words done towards Project NaNo.  This is far better than I ever managed on a 'bad day' before NaNoWriMo, so it would seem that the experience has done me good. I'm better at getting into the 'NaNo Frame of Mind' and just typing whatever words come without editing every single sentence five times before moving on.  That said, I did have to resort to bridging a couple of tricky gaps with AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS WHICH LEADS US TO...  I'll go back and fix those at a later date.  ;o)

This made me think about the whole concept of working from/at home.  I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how many articles, books, blog posts and such must have been written about this topic - about how important it is to stay focused, avoid the TV/housework/bookshelf and to make sure family and friends know you are Working and not Available To Run Errands, Babysit etc.  I know all that, yet it is still incredibly difficult to put it into practice!  I'm lucky that I don't have children or pets to take up my time, I'm good at leaving the TV off and ignoring housework is practically written into my DNA, but my gosh the internet is my downfall.  I think the only solution would be to work somewhere with no wi-fi, but then I wouldn't have my special mug, cosy fireplace or slippers...it is a dilemma indeed. 

A quick side note in relation to technology - I've tweaked the blog a bit, adding 'About me' and 'Contact me' links at the top and amending the widgets down the side.  I just wanted to say that if you have any comments or feedback, or ideas for things you'd like to see or questions to ask me - please just let me know! 

Finally then, to wrap up, I watched the Galaxy Book Awards last night.  It's such a rare treat for there to be a programme on about books!  There were two reasons why I especially enjoyed it - firstly, one of my heroes, Terry Pratchett, received an Outstanding Achievement award.  I've always admired Terry's amazing imagination since I first read his 'Nome' trilogy as a child, he is such an inspiration and it's so sad that he is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.  If you have the means available, I would urge you to donate to the Alzheimer's Society (UK) or Association (US) to aid their fight against this terrible condition. 

The second reason I enjoyed the show was a little more self-absorbed.  There's an award for 'New Writer of the Year' and I couldn't help but lean towards hubby and whisper that could be me.  Self-indulgent, yes, overly-optimistic, almost certainly, but I allowed myself a little moment to imagine how I'd feel if it was me and my goodness - did it feel wonderful.  I know that money, awards and fame are not the keys to happiness, but if that warm glowing feeling of appreciation isn't pure motivation then I don't know what is...

Every artist was first an amateur ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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