The Wheel is Spinning

I've posted a lot of letters

I've set something in motion

The world is spinning and I'm spinning with it

I'm about to embark on a creative non-fiction project

(There's now a wheel on Brighton seafront. I'm not desperate to go on it, but it seems to fit with the changes I'm making. The wheel also steals the attention from the pier.)

Ginger hair and toilet chairs - the joys of re-drafting a novel

I'm so excited! So excited I almost don't want to blog about it or talk about it. I'm afraid the excitement will disappear if I share it with too many people. Besides it's only my personal excitement. There's nothing like a breakthrough in writing, when it happens it feels like your whole world is falling into place ...

Between the 16th of August and the 2nd of October I hardly wrote at all. Apart from a bit of journal and letter writing and some other random bits and bobs. A break for a month and a half was just what I needed to find the motivation to start the 4th draft of Replacing Angel (my English novel in progress). Thanks to wonderful constructive feedback from writer/editor Kay Sexton I felt I finally had something to work on.

For example one of my characters who's supposed to be very sexy and attractive has ginger hair. Even if ginger might be sexy in my eyes, it's not considered sexy in general so I have to find a better way to describe this person's hair. Fiery. Shimmering. Like a sunset. Suggestions much appreciated!

I also realised that because I tried to make the novel shorter I left out events that are crucial to the story and I had to go back to the first draft and add a couple of scenes ...

There are a few language mistakes as well. In Sweden we say "toilet chair" when referring to the actual piece of furniture you sit on when you're having a piss or a shit ... I didn't know that in English toilet is both the room and the chair if you know what I mean. Oh dear, I didn't realise that I'm still writing that much about toilets ...

For the past four days I've been totally engrossed in my writing, feeling tense and stressed every time I'm away from it ... If I'm meeting someone for a drink I can't wait to get back to the sound of my fingers tapping the keys. If I'm at work I put down my thoughts on pieces of paper when nobody's looking ...

I'm bursting! I'm bubbling! I'm alive!

p.s. If you're wondering about the picture ... I couldn't get the right feeling sitting at my desk, so I had to work on the floor to feel more grounded :).

Identity as a writer

Today I went for a job interview. I've already got a job. I'm a writer. But unfortunately I'm not making enough money out of it. Yet. In the meantime I have to do something else to be able to pay my rent. On and off since 2001 I've been doing casual library work. The interview I went for today was for a permanent post as library officer, 3 days (21 hours) a week. It's a job that I really want, because it would give me 3 full days to work on my writing + 1 day to rest.

However I left the interview almost in tears. I think I did OK, but something made me feel incredible sad for no reason. It could just be that my period is due ... (My brother just made a comment that I'm not being very personal in my blogs, so there you go!) Anyway, another reason might be that it doesn't matter if I got a job as Axl Rose's personal assistant; I'd still mainly be a writer and therefore I'm not able to show enough enthusiasm when interviewed for other jobs.

When I came home I got a nice confirmation of my true identity. A letter had arrived from Australia! A few weeks back I wrote to one of my favourite authors Belinda Burns, who's the brain behind "The Dark Part of Me". This novel has inspired me a lot both when it comes to both writing and living. It's a coming of age story set in Brisbane and is loaded with sex, drugs and rock n' roll, but is also very funny and offers deeper insight into human nature. The end is especially good and twisted. Read it now!

I was delighted that Belinda took her time to write back! She was also happy to receive my letter as writing can be such a lonely pursuit ... Whatever I do to make my money I know that my writing always comes first. Sometimes you just need to connect with other writers to remember who you really are.