Saturday, November 06, 2004
Brownie Points But Not Much Writing
Up early and away to take Laura to her new season at the dance school. There was much confusion since the timetable had altered and at one point we thought we had missed Junior Tap. I grabbed hold of a teacher and got it all sorted. It's a funny place to be on a Saturday - millions of girls running about with mostly their mothers sorting them out. There is one boy - a kind of Billy Elliott figure - and I always wonder how much guts it takes to do it, or if he is aware what he is doing. I hope he is not being forced into all this dancing, as I think he does ballet as well as disco and tap.
The mothers all congregate in the canteen, some of them for hours, while their children dance in the halls. It is very cliquey when you walk in, but perhaps that is because I am a bloke. I prefer to drop Laura off and leave it at that - she prefers that setup up herself anyway - less embarrassment for her when I kiss her in front of everyone.
I still had a tenner book token from my Mum so I went up to Waterstones at the east end of Princes Street. Even at quarter past ten in the morning it is mobbed. I was going for one book in particular and I got it: Frightener - The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars by Douglas Skelton and Lisa Brownlie. Part of Jackie's future is determined by something that happened back in the 1980's during the Ice Cream Wars, and so I need to read up on some particular detail. I already habe shed loads about it, but there is an aspect that I only found in this book that I now need.
Gail was out last night with her work (I think I mentioned that yesterday), so got in late. She was still in bed when I got back at half past eleven. That's fine - it's her lying-in day anyway. I made her some tea and she went to get Laura to take her to see her Gran (Laura's Great-Gran). I wasn't invited (seriously!) so I spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up the house and cleaning the rooms. It meant I got no writing done until the evening, but there are mega-brownie points to be gained from having your wife return home to a spotless and gleaming home.
With everyone fed and Laura off to bed, Gail went on another night out. Cleopatra thought she had it good - she should spend five minuted with my wife.
This gave me time to polish off the outstanding HJ issues sitting on my PC. NaNoWriMo has fallen flat for me but I am not giving up.
I checked my email and my editor had written to say three from five of my subscribers have renewd their orders for HJ taking them up to issues 18 and 19. This is why I have to make sure to keep on track, and tomorrow I will move on with it. I am worried I might lose momentum with HJ though as it is by far the most important (and enjoyable) piece I am working on and so NoNoWriMo may just have to wait.
The mothers all congregate in the canteen, some of them for hours, while their children dance in the halls. It is very cliquey when you walk in, but perhaps that is because I am a bloke. I prefer to drop Laura off and leave it at that - she prefers that setup up herself anyway - less embarrassment for her when I kiss her in front of everyone.
I still had a tenner book token from my Mum so I went up to Waterstones at the east end of Princes Street. Even at quarter past ten in the morning it is mobbed. I was going for one book in particular and I got it: Frightener - The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars by Douglas Skelton and Lisa Brownlie. Part of Jackie's future is determined by something that happened back in the 1980's during the Ice Cream Wars, and so I need to read up on some particular detail. I already habe shed loads about it, but there is an aspect that I only found in this book that I now need.
Gail was out last night with her work (I think I mentioned that yesterday), so got in late. She was still in bed when I got back at half past eleven. That's fine - it's her lying-in day anyway. I made her some tea and she went to get Laura to take her to see her Gran (Laura's Great-Gran). I wasn't invited (seriously!) so I spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up the house and cleaning the rooms. It meant I got no writing done until the evening, but there are mega-brownie points to be gained from having your wife return home to a spotless and gleaming home.
With everyone fed and Laura off to bed, Gail went on another night out. Cleopatra thought she had it good - she should spend five minuted with my wife.
This gave me time to polish off the outstanding HJ issues sitting on my PC. NaNoWriMo has fallen flat for me but I am not giving up.
I checked my email and my editor had written to say three from five of my subscribers have renewd their orders for HJ taking them up to issues 18 and 19. This is why I have to make sure to keep on track, and tomorrow I will move on with it. I am worried I might lose momentum with HJ though as it is by far the most important (and enjoyable) piece I am working on and so NoNoWriMo may just have to wait.
Colin 2:33 pm