A Date by Myself

I am once again far from home. Home being my Laptop. I have been dragged to Glasgow and abandoned to wander alone. Sibling is on a date and I’m drinking two Costa drinks; sitting alone in the YA section of Waterstones. So of course, I am perfectly happy.

I haven’t properly worked on my creative writing this week. Nor have I been reading. Or editing. Nothing as usual. I think my biggest problem right now is that I know how terrible my writing is. It is frustrating to have to send terrible writing for feedback knowing what’s already wrong with it. In theory I should be able to write a brilliant story, knowing what makes one, but nothing pours out my fingers when I go to write.

I have tons of ideas. I’ve been having complete story dreams again. I just can’t get those ideas out of my head. Frankly, I am terrible. Writers’ Block might not be a thing but not producing anything of value is a serious problem.

Of course, maybe I am just being too critical of myself (and possibly everyone else). I haven’t read a really good book in a while. I find fault in all. I’ve always been a critical little shit and now that applies to my own writing. I don’t feel I’ve improved in years. My best work is four years old and I’m starting to see the issues with that.

 I would just like a story to come out formed instead of stilted and unworkable. I got a low B for Creative Writing and I think that I was lucky to get that. I will probably post those stories here, as there are too bad to do anything else with.

I bet you think I should just shut up and write. That maybe my problem is that I am expecting to find gold in a dried up river instead digging it out of the mountain. Cursing every black rock and throwing them away rather than polishing them to gleam gold. Well, I feel like I am polishing them to nothing.

I have no solution for this issue but to try and write out of it. It doesn’t seem to be working. Like I said I think everyone is terrible; at least I’m still grouping myself with published, best selling, acclaimed and award winner writers. I’m pretty sure the issue is with me.

On brighter news, my car has been fixed. Turns out I’ve been driving a death trap for over a month. The coil spring had broke in front right wheel and it had gotten into the steering and scraped a bolt as well. I went on the motorway several times with it like that. Probably happen in a pothole, which is not surprising as someone has dug up giant holes on the road I drive to get home. Also speed bumps are the devil. Don’t even work. Some mental risked death this week by spending hours going up and down a walking path on a scooter or something. Many threaten death. I just cursed him with fake magic.

I have finished both my drinks. This is a good moment to end this post of self wore. I am now going to find a book to read on the train home.

Update: I accidentally posted this twice due to bad internet. To match my two drinks I suppose.

Book Review: The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan

Those ten minutes must be really disruptive for Bristol.

Two generations of women, and one house that holds the terrible secrets of their pasts 1922. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own. Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?

This book begins with a strong start, but the plot is a bit of a mess and full coincidences. It's oddly reliant on Glimmers (seeing images of the "future"and just straight up lies. Who builds a plan for a grandchild on a image they had in their head before their actual child was born?

The characters are a bit meh. They are actually decent by themselves, but their relationships really take away from them as characters. I liked Harriet, but as grandmother she is terrible and it is a shame she lives in a age before there were decent therapists.

There is a plot point at the end of the book, that I just don't get. I think it was a weird addition to the story. Where other things are set up and we never get anything from it. 

I did like the switch between the present and the past, switching between the POV of Grace and Harriet. Also that we start and end in the middle of those times. Riodan has done a good job of making both narrators compelling and I remained keen to know both of their stories. 

Overall, I give this 3/5 stars for incest hints. There are lot of elements in this books that just don't merge right for me, mainly the glimmers. The rest of the novel is done well and captures the time period realistically.

I got this book for review off NetGalley and it was published by Penguin on 25 February 2016.  

(My review of this review I shouldn't use the word "bit" as much). 

Trapped by Books

Life has been calmly ciatic. I have a large list of things I have to do and as the others have a definite deadline. Of course, I often find myself doing nothing and just laying in the briss of stress building. I feel like I don't have a day off any more. I have to read stuff and write things for class while moving.

Put the reviewing stuff on top of that. I have no time to read the stuff I want to read. While I want to read the books I request for review, they feel like a tour and stress me out to get it done. This doesn't need put me in the best mood when reading them and I don't think they get a fair review. Basically, weekly book reviews have to stop for now. I have idea of how to replace them that would take less time while inflecting my opinions on to the world but I don't want to make promises.

Reviews are something I like doing. However, there have been a struggle to write recently. There also not a priority. I want to create my own stuff even if contains some of the issues I would criticise in a review. Though, first drafts are for mistakes and to be criticise by everyone.

To summarise the reviews will come when I have time and when they ready instead of wrote in a rush the night before or lied about when I posted them. There could be big gaps during this month as I am moving and therefore have no weekends.

I spent today moving stuff into the house and will spend tomorrow doing the same thing. I want to make the most of my education and do other career stuff. The weekly random posts still stand and I will continue to work on the novel. I am still working on it but there's not enough to make a chapter and I will at least post complete chapter even not having a full idea how our story will get to its last point.

I will write to next week with something. I might do writing prompts that can be completed in a hour if I'm working on the novel but it's not happy to show itself off.