World cup fever has seriously hit New Zealand with the massively impressive launch of it on Friday night in Auckland. I must say, they put on a hell of a show, and entertained us all. It was a bit like the telling of a story, of NZ legends and how they associate with our every day lives.

Those stories and legends teach us of lessons learnt in the past, and often show some insight of how to overcome the issues we are faced with.I think that this is something that all writers need to be aware of. The legends and beliefs influence us as writers, and in turn, we hope that they will also have an impact on our audience. If we weave some of these lessons into our own work, then just imagine what could happen from our writerly influences.

So what’s on my mind this week?

1. Still dreaming of a holiday somewhere. I’m quite partial to the idea of booking out a villa on the Spanish coast for three months and writing. I know. Quite the change from Bora Bora last week, but I just can’t help myself. Spending time in Spain writing has been a dream of mine for years and years. The villa doesn’t even have to be luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. Give me a rustic little villa on the coast, with a great view and some privacy. One day I’ll get there.
2. Editing. I am just about half way through editing and revising this novel. I would be a lot further along if I could actually rope my attention in during the weekend. But no. Other things impact my life in the weekend, like the husband, or family, or friends. Even the cat can have an impact on my writing time and focus. So…. my mission is to keep plodding away at this novel. There are parts that need to be rewritten… parts that have been deleted. And you know what? It feels great, because it’s almost as if I am giving this manuscript the biggest spring clean it will ever get. Throwing out the junk, bringing in the meaningful, keeping the gold.
3. I am trying to catch up on some reading. There are books that I have been meaning to read for a long time, but due to life’s circumstances, I haven’t managed. Then just maybe, I’ll be able to write up a few reviews this month. Yes, I have been lacking in the reviewing department as well lately! C’est la vie.
4. Short story anyone? Yes. I am actually attempting to write a short story again. Rough. Seriously. I haven’t written a short for such a long time, and I’m just so out of practice in that department! But with a little encouragement from others, I’m slowly getting there. I have approximately 500 words down so far. No idea what I’m aiming for… but about 3k would be good. I’m trying to write in the genre of dark/noir/horror. I’ve always wanted to try to write horror… so I guess now is my chance to give it a try.
5. The Evil Day Job is feeling rather busy at the moment. A bit too much for my liking, if I’m being honest. I would much rather just potter around nicely, and do a few things during the day. But no such luck at this time. If I’m not in the middle of analysing financial statements, I’m writing up contracts, or liaison with people to make sure our clients are happy. Pfft, but seriously… who wants to know about my evil day job. So not interesting.

And I think that’s about it from me at the moment. It’s Monday, and I really shouldn’t feel as positive as I do, since I can’t stand Mondays. But the harder I work, the faster I will get to the weekend… and then I can have a little time to breathe again without responding to everyone all the time.

Ciao for now! Keep dreaming, keep writing, keep living.