Wednesday 5 May 2010

TYSIC: Two Month Review

It's that time again, where virtuoso question-poser Michael Owen makes sure I'm not bailing on my Ten-Year-Self-Improvement Challenges. It was harder than usual to organise a time for the interview.
Michael has a busy life -- he is (predictably) the leader of the Michael Owen Party, but he only found out last week there's some sort of election on. It's all hands (he doesn't employ the handless) on deck.
And I have a pretty busy life too, at the moment, but for less interesting reasons. We managed to catch a quick ten minutes in a hotel room, in which to either ask or answer questions, depending on who was who. Michael said the hotel was on the Campaign Trail. The actual address was on the A47.

MO: Right then, the book. Still planning that shiznatch?

Planning, Michael? Oh dear me no. Oh deary deary me, no. Although, actually, yes. In a way.
I had five days off in a row before today, and on each day I wrote from dawn (8.30) until dusk (sleep time) without a break (with lots of breaks.) The point is, I wrote hard, and I wrote a lot. It was amazing, and I wish my life was like that all the time.
I've got a bunch of things to add, change and re-do with it, but I'm on my way to having a complete first draft. I will rewrite it this summer, I hope.

MO: So you're a lot closer to getting published?

Hey, hey, not so fast. I didn't say it was any good. There's a lot of rewrites to go before I'm happy with it, and even then it will be nothing like publishable. Dream on, Michael.
However, I did bump into my friend Michael (not you. Different Michael) at work a few days ago, and he is a published author, who actually does writing for his actual job (yes, I'm jealous.) And he offered to talk over my book with me, and possibly even have a chat about who would be the right people to show it to.

MO: That sounds great. So how about the book blog? How's that going?

Oh, Michael, there is so much to tell you! There's the Blog Hop, which has really opened my eyes to the book-blogging community. And there is Blog Friday, my own regular feature to coincide with that. There is Sales Assistant B, the new member of the team, who is raring to get on and post more. There is a Photo Month in progress now, and a couple of possible future one-off projects in the works/in my head.
Oh, and I have a huge pile of books to read. I got leant three tonight (a blog on that coming soon) and bought two at work today, and got some book vouchers for my birthday this morning.

MO: As if it's your birthday!

No, honestly, it is. So there's a lot going on blog-wise. Add that to the Best Summer Ever that I have planned for myself, and the second draft of Polaroid that I am itching to do, and I'm busy, busy, busy. As Kurt Vonnegut once said.

MO: And on top of all this, you've found an awesome flatmate, and a little apartment right in the city centre for £5 a week?

Okay, not all the challenges are going so well. Moving out is still nowhere to be seen. The next breakthrough for this will likely be in over a year, when I find out if I have got the place I'm going for on a certain course. If not, moving out becomes the priority. If I do get the place... who knows.

MO: I better go. There's some televised debate they want me for.

But Michael, you don't believe in television...!

I called that out as he left the hotel room, but he didn't hear. He left me to answer the door to a waitress with four roast chickens he'd asked for from room service. I felt it my duty to eat them, and idly throw the bones off the balcony, until I could eat and idly throw no more.

3 comments:

  1. Busy man our Michael. Hope he does well in the debate. The last one was a disaster for all involved if I remember rightly. Blood and custard EVERYWHERE!

    So jealous of the proper writing concentration you have there. It's like actual determination and an awareness of what you want to write and stuff. As some vacuous Radio One DJ probably has said.

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  2. I'll vote for Michael. It'll count just as much as my vote for the Tory party. Which is not at all, since I'm foreign and didn't even vote in the last election my country held. However, I'd gladly become a British citizen if it meant I could have Boris as my Prime Minister. I loves him.

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