Kate O'Brien

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Summer Holidays v Writing Time?

We are officially on our summer holidays. The boys are loving being at home and are playing with all their toys (Dr.Who today) and dressing up clothes as I'm attempting to keep house and home together. My husband tootles off to work each morning ('Bye Darling!') and I get on with the near impossible tasks I have to do as mother, wife, daughter, friend, cook, cleaner, doctor, vet, entertainer, artist, Sarah Jane Smith (for my boys, not my husband - don't give him any ideas), recycler, gardener . . . .

There is one job missing. Writer. When do I get the time to write now?????!!!!!

My boys are my life. All three of them. But I'm struggling to fit it all in! Today I've managed about five tasks and then a knight in shining armour appeared. Okay, it was actually my Dad - Grandpa - in his silver VW Golf arriving to take the boys to Sherwood Forest for the day. Hoorah!

So after coffee and catch up with Dad, loading the washer, waving off Grandpa and two exciting, noisy, adorable boys, a quick tidy-up then making another coffee, I'm up in my teeny tiny study where I belong. Hoorah!

Jobs done so far:
  • entered Writers Bureau competition
  • read necessary emails (I'm getting much more ruthless)
  • checked chapter 5 of Driftwood & Amethyst copyedit
Jobs to do before 4pm:

  • check chapters 6-10 of Driftwood & Amethyst copyedit

  • prepare 500 word article on Discipline


  • That'll give me an hour to prep tea before the boys get home!
    I'm aiming to write for an hour or two each evening this summer, when the boys have gone to bed, to keep on top of my writing and press on with my secret life as a writer.
    Unless Grandpa kindly offers again!!

    Monday, July 18, 2011

    New meds - new ideas!

    Well, as you know I'm always looking for that silver lining, the good in every person and situation. My rose coloured glasses are currently being used to full effect. But I must tell you how I'm managing to find new inspiration. . . . .
    After my Friday appointment at the pain clinic, I'm now trialling a new drug to help with my pelvic/lower back pain. As I already have a daily dose of 62.5mcg of morphine patch to deal with, on top of anti-inflammatory medication, my pelvic pain had really been reduced since my pelvic reallignment back in November. Since then, I've spent twelve weeks weaning myself off Tramadol (addicts - I know what you're going through!) then another sixteen weeks purging the stuff completely out of my system. This has left me with permanent double vision - only mild but wearing contact lenses is now out of the question, as I need glasses with the addition of a prism in my left lens and mild balance issues.
    The lower back pain was still present though and the doctor wanted to see how we can irradicate it after big ops and many different medication trials.
    So on Friday, while examining my recent xrays, my doctor was able to surmise why I was still suffering. In fact, it went something like this:
    Dr: The question we have to ask our selves is, 'Why are you still having back pain after an op to cure it?'
    (opens xray on computer)
    Dr: There's your reason why - those two bloody great screws holding your sacre iliac joints together!

    Apparently, my pain is nerve damage. So now I'm trialling nerve drugs that stop nerve pain.

    Although my reaction has been similar to tramadol in that I'm very spaced out and lost hours at a time this weekend while I became accustomed to them, I'm having a myriad of ideas and am desperately trying to write everything down that comes to me.
    I've been up through the night writing down extremely descriptive passages for my new novel and am dreaming amazing ideas for short stories - obviously, when I come down off these fab new pills I may realise what I've written is nothing more than a collection of wild ramblings but we'll see.

    Saturday, July 09, 2011

    'Driftwood' coming along very nicely!

    I've been a little knocked out this week - I think my busy days are always followed by a fuzzy day for me, but being busy writing has made me push myself a little more than I usually do - made the mistake of taking codeine and sleeping all day Wednesday which was not good!!! Walking with sticks now though, not very far, but using my muscles more and feeling much more positive as a result. I'm learning my limits - a little walk each day, writing, housework, coffee and chat most days (to keep us all sane) and family life - very full days in every way imaginable - I couldn't imagine living my old life now. Although I loved it back then, I love my life now - it's very different but I'm happy. Poor but happy!

    Driftwood & Amethyst is now in the copyediting stage - I won't hear anything back for a few weeks and then the time will come for re-edits (perhaps) Nerve-wracking!

    Creating the copy for my blurb (there must be a better word) on the back of my book, author notes and dedications has been tricky but a light relief from the usual - think I've got the image for my front cover, but we're yet to discuss this and I will love that part of the process!

    Seem to be writing a lot of poetry at the moment - although it isn't instant, I'm loving writing about the boys and the crazy little situations that keep happening every day - small children are a constant inspiration :)

    Back on Facebook - realised I was missing my girls around the world and quickly got back on there - I'm sure it's a terrible waste of my life but I'm only on it once a day and have self-imposed a 30 minute limit, no games and no strange quizzes - obviously I have very little willpower (as demonstrated by my Facebook boycott) but I'm a tryer!

    Researching my second children's novel at present and working on a short story which is growing - I wonder if there's a market for serial shorts or novelettes? Must look in to this.

    Andy's website has been revamped
    http://www.redmonkeyfilms.co.uk/
    - it features updated materials and is worth checking out if anyone needs corporate or creative campaigns/documentaries etc.

    Mine is still in the very early stages
    http://www.kateswords.com/
    and I'm in the process of uploading information on there so it is just a shell at present - it would be interesting to know wheat people think!

    Tuesday, July 05, 2011

    Driftwood & Amethyst to be published!

    After an exhausting trawl of publishers and agents, many of whom wrote positively about the manuscript yet were unwilling to take on a new author - a measly 3% of new authors earn publication this way - I am working with Xlibris who will be publishing my children's novel, 'Driftwood & Amethyst',  over the next 3-4 months.
    I cannot believe the wheels are finally in motion - it's taken three long years alongside chronic illness, hospital visits and operations not to mention raising a young family with a self-employed husband (need I say more?!) and the first steps are finally under way.

    Quite a few pieces to work on over the next couple of weeks:
    • Biography
    • Brief synopsis
    • Front cover
    and in the mean time, my manuscript is going through the copyediting process (this process is harrowing - much worse than sending a child to school for the first time) and I'm wrestling with the 'Shall I Shan't I' of returning to Facebook. Maybe I'm addicted. I'll give it a few more days. Rather than being fascinated by what the rest of the world is doing, I miss writing my little status updates and hearing from my friends across the various waters.

    I entered Writers Bureau Short story Competition with 'Conflict' a semi-autobiographical piece earlier this week and feel that life as a writer is certainly becoming more real now. Although it can be a lonely business, the blogs and forums I'm connecting with are introducing me to writers who are experiencing similar difficulties and excitements!

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