I'm Making Up For It By Baking

Half term is proving not to be very productive on the writing front.  Boys are home, and although they've been playing rather well, of course they still need entertaining.

Yesterday we were out with Grandad Ron for the afternoon.  I thought we'd go to the Helicopter Museum and I'd be able to use it as my last piece towards my 7th assignment - it could be classed as an exhibition!  However that was closed (so I am still stuck on my bloomin' assignment), so we walked the seafront instead, and went to the new play area.  It got some fresh air into the boys lungs! 

Today, around the housework that needed to be done, I made some cakes with the boys that they decorated, and then a Victoria sponge.

I've been reading a lot in the evenings, (as you may tell by my Twitter and Facebook updates) but last night I did manage to finish a ghost story, which I'll consider entering into Writing Magazine's short story competition.  Though I'm not confident about it, not sure if it's spooky or original enough. 

My RSI seems to still be niggling, (hence a lot of reading) and I've found that Windows has speech recognition software - thanks to a friend!  I plugged in the headset I got from some software I bought years ago, (which is not likely to work with Vista) and was off.  However, it needs training more to my voice, because it's not understanding me, and is taking longer than if I typed.  But it's a start!

I'm really struggling at the moment, one thing or the other, I'm not putting enough into writing.  I'm failing with the magazine reading - the ones I need to research for my assignments - I'd much rather be reading a good book.  I've just got mixed feeling about it all - what should I be doing to improve my chances of publishing and all that.  Born worrier that I am, I suppose I'm anxious that I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to get there. 

Fearing that non-fiction isn't really my niche I have bought some magazines (that I need to research) for the short story market.  But I keep thinking, get these four assignments out of the way, and I'll be on my way to study fiction - so I've not made time yet to even look at these.

Stephen King (On Writing) says it shouldn't be for the money.  I'll never give up writing.  I love it, and have enough stories I can fall back to in my fan fic realm.  However, I do want to become a writer as a job - I've realised now what I want to do in life!  So yes, I want the money.  I don't expect to be the next J K Rowling, or even Stephen King, but a small income doing something I enjoy would be a dream come true.