Tag: Writing

I got my tax return done this morning. I’d left it a bit close to the deadline to submit the actual return, but I’d done all the accounting legwork earlier in the month so it was fairly straightforward. Another January job off the list.

I spent the afternoon doing final edits to a novel I’ve been working on for nearly eight years now, which is the first of the ten projects I’m pitching to agents this year. I still feel the opening few chapters could be improved – they’ve remained fairly unchanged from the 2011 first draft, and I think I’ve become even more pernickety with my writing since then – but it really is one of those cases where I have to stop rereading and tweaking it and start getting it out there.

I then went to my ukulele class, which I’m still really enjoying. We learnt a few more chords and songs, so there’s lots to practise over the next week.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Wham! – Bad Boys
Pepsi & Shirlie – Heartache
Tears For Fears – Head Over Heels
Alison Moyet – Is This Love?
Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Erasure – Ship Of Fools
Heaven 17 – Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry
Chuck Berry – You Never Can Tell
Gene Kelly – Singin’ In The Rain
Dire Straits – Romeo And Juliet

Today was really productive. I got in a full day of writing and editing, which was great. I’m working on about five different writing projects at the moment, which is a lot to keep track of in my head, but it’s making things really interesting.

In the evening, I went to my first ukulele class at the Sage Gateshead. I’ve found over the last few years that going to classes and groups is the best way to keep myself focused on something, and I was pleased that there was a new ‘absolute beginners’ course starting so soon after I got my ukulele. Half the people in the class had also got ukuleles for Christmas – apparently that’s very common among people coming to the spring term courses! We’ve learnt two basic songs already, so it seems as though the course will zip along really quickly.

It’s my usual busy Thursday tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to a bit of breathing space in the afternoon.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Travis – The Last Laugh Of The Laughter
Jools Holland – Enjoy Yourself
Bros – When Will I Be Famous?
Spandau Ballet – True
Bros – I Owe You Nothing
Marshmello and Bastille – Happier
Wham! – Club Tropicana
Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are
Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf
Duran Duran – Winter Marches On

And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:

Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots (although it was the ‘black bin bags’ version from Phoenix Nights)