ROW80 Round 5 - 8th Update

Since my last update I've got a few more pages culled from my thesis. I think my literature review section is more or less okay as it is (have cut it down from 16 pages to about 5), so next I'll be trying to cut down the methodology, prototype description and results sections (which will involve a lot of fart-arsing around to redo all the screenshots and diagrams). The last week or so has been a bit of a washout as far as productivity goes; between the constant interruptions, stressing about the dog and lack of sleep (yes, those last two are probably related), I've had difficulty focusing on my thesis to really get anything done. Needless to say I haven't made my deadline, which makes me feel bad. I feel like I should have started it earlier - and I probably should, after uni I had a month of not really doing anything since I was burned out from study - but it annoys me a bit that, as soon as I decided to start on it, life kept getting in my way (lesson to self; don't take time off, it will only end badly). I really wanted to have it emailed to my supervisor, but all I can really do is finish it as soon as possible and send it to her when it's done.

Now that I can stress less about the dog (will get to this soon), I should be able to concentrate a bit more, so I'm going to set a new deadline for Monday February 6th. I'm working nearly every day until then, but mostly only short shifts in the evening, so I should still have enough time during the day to make some good progress. I want to get it out of the way so I can get back into writing my novel. And I've applied for more tutoring work this year, so if I do end up getting some, I don't want to have to still be worrying about getting my thesis revised and published.

Anyway, to end the update on a good note: We took Rex to the vet last night, fearing that his limp was caused by a displaced hip and knowing that, if this was the case, we'd probably be forced to put him down (a $2000 operation on top of the $2000 we're already paying for his medication for his other disease would have been beyond us, especially since he's so old and ill that the operation could well kill him). Basically for the last several days, we'd all been mentally preparing ourselves to say goodbye to our faithful old dog. However, XRays showed no structural problems in either his hips or his paws (well, his hips have always been a bit dodgy, but they're no worse now than when he was young).

Instead, on examining his paw, the vet concluded that it's simply an infection in his paw (albeit a fairly serious one), possibly caused by a grass seed or something picked up while he was walking. He has to have some fairly hardcore antibiotics for the next two weeks, and he may need some minor surgery to clean it out if it doesn't come good by itself, but considering how worried we were, it's a pretty good outcome. Dad's been washing his paw with an antiseptic lotion, and already the dog is able to walk almost normally (still with a visible limp, but at least he can put weight on his leg now). We also managed to get him to eat a whole bowl of food (we had to pour chicken gravy all over it, but it's a start), so hopefully his appetite will start to return.

Judgemental Dog is just never satisfied.

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ROW80 Round 5 - 7th Update

Not much of a writing update today, because I'm not in much of a mood. Over the last few days I've done some more revision of my thesis, though not as much as I would have liked (every time I set aside time to work on it, my family decided to pester me). I'm hoping I'll actually get some time to myself; I find it difficult to get into 'work' mode when other people are home since I pretty much know I'll either be constantly interrupted or have to put up with blaring TVs or radios. I'm not sure if I'll get my thesis done by the end of January like I hoped, but I'm still going to try, though it means I'll have to spend the next two days solid doing nothing but revising. *sigh* If there's a god of chocolate and energy drinks, pray to them on my behalf O_o

I still haven't touched my novel, but I did write another random scene for the fantasy/steampunk/Feudal Japan/western mashup my brain came up with a few weeks ago, and even came up with a name for the lead female character. One thing that's odd though is that the story seems to be developing a romance thread, which is not normally my thing; I love explosions and battles and fantastic quests as much as the next girl, but generally all the touchy-feely stuff alternatately bores and nauseates me. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the story turns out when I eventually start working on it seriously.

To be honest, I don't think I'll get much writing done over the next week anyway. Rex is not well. We still don't have his blood test results yet, so we don't know if the medication for his bowel disease is working, but I had to stay up with him for half of Thursday night because he was being sick, and he still isn't eating. When I woke up on Friday morning, he was limping badly, and by Friday afternoon he was no longer able to put any weight on his hind left leg. He can't jump up on Mum and Dad's bed, and he won't run to the front window to bark when the postman comes past; two of his favourite hobbies. He has an appointment with the vet on Tuesday to get his blood test results and to have some XRays. He seems to have pain in both his hip and in his paw, so we're not sure if the two are related or completely separate problems. Either way, it'd be nice if the poor old fella could catch a break.

Judgemental Dog was not amused by the photo Dad took of him and set as their computer desktop background...

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ROW80 Round 5 - 6th Update

Progress on Dark and Silent Waters this week has been fairly minimal. I had my outline and my novel document open, and I intended to work on them, I really did... And then I had yet another Shiny New Idea. Knowing it wouldn't leave me alone until I did something with it, I spent an hour or so typing some random crap about it into a Word document, just so I'd have something to look at later. Earlier in the week I'd somehow conceived of a whole new set of magical rules and structures (no reason, it just happened), and though at the time I didn't have a story for it, I think the Shiny New Idea could probably use it (but I'm not going to do anything with it until my current work in progress is out of the way).

(I could also say I've been distracted by playing Words with Friends, but I choose to believe that it is simply a 'language research exercise')

Also, this morning I woke up and found I'd written myself another random note while half asleep; "make the paint magic" (sure, subconscious, whatever you say...), so even though the story is half-baked at most, it's still doing its best to distract me from my main novel and my thesis and basically all the things I should be doing.

Still, I did manage to open my thesis and cut another few pages, even though it took quite a while because I then had to rewrite bits of it to make sure it still flowed properly. In my original goals post, I stated that I wanted to finish my thesis during this round, but didn't really set a deadline, and I think this may be why it's taking me so long to pull my thumb out and do it; there's no sense of urgency, so most of the time I'm just like, "I'll do it tomorrow... Eh, can't be bothered, I'll do it another day..." and so on. In light of this, I've decided to set a deadline: February 1st. By this date I want to have a complete draft of my revised/reduced thesis in journal article format, ready to submit to my Honours supervisor for feedback. I even made myself a motivational poster:

(Pan's Labyrinth is one of my favourite movies, but that Pale Man thing STILL freaks me the hell out)

I'm working all day tomorrow, which is awesome; since it's a public holiday I'll get paid a metric crapload of money, meaning that next week I won't have to live on canned soup and noodles :D After that I have all Friday and Saturday off so I should be able to get stuck into my thesis properly then.

Judgemental Dog shares my (misplaced) enthusiasm for new story ideas:

~Rex update: He had his blood test on Tuesday night, but we have to wait until late this week or possibly early next week to get the results. Depending on the outcome, he'll either keep getting the same dosage of medication, or we might be told to increase/decrease it. Since last weekend he hasn't had any really 'down' days, so I'm hoping that's a good sign (he spent most of this afternoon repeatedly throwing his squeaky toy at my foot, so at least he's playful). He's still not eating as much food as I'd like him to, but since this medication tends to make him feel off most of the time, I don't think there's much that can be done about it; either way, his lowered appetite doesn't seem to be affecting his mood or energy levels.

He was funny at the vet, though... As soon as she turned around and started pulling her rubber glove on, Rex's eyes widened, his ears went back and he backed himself butt-first into a corner and refused to move. Who says dogs don't have a good memory? :D~

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ROW80 Round 5 - 5th Update

Family dramas have meant I haven't got as much done as I would have liked since Wednesday, but I've started to make up for it today, writing just over 800 words for my novel and cutting another 8 pages or so out of my thesis. I think one of my later chapters is almost complete, but I still haven't done enough work on the first part of my novel, which is what I really wanted to make progress on.

I also went to a writing workshop meeting yesterday - the first I've been able to attend in months - and it was good to catch up with some of my writerly friends again (and there were biscuits and cake :D). I didn't workshop anything myself, but hopefully I'll have something to submit next month (I've written plenty, just not in any logical/discernable order lol).

I'm hoping that this week I'll have more time to myself; for the last month there's almost always been someone else around annoying me about something or other, which makes it really hard to focus on anything. I still have a fair way to go on my thesis, and I want to make more progress on my novel, since my forward momentum has kind of faltered since the start of the year :(

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, I leave you with my latest work of art (some of you will have seen it when I posted it on my Facebook account). Entitled "Rainbow Dreams", it's hailed by art critics as a daring look into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. A journey through light that brings together heart, mind and soul in a harmonious crescendo of ecstasy.

It's also the results of me scraping off the acrylic skins that dried on my paint palette after I did my children's book illustration backgrounds last year. Hey, if Pollock can make millions from making a mess with paint, so can I, dammit!

Judgemental Dog seems impatient for me to get some writing done...

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Rex was feeling pretty poorly over most of the weekend, causing us all a bit of worry. He seems to be slightly happier now, though he still hasn't eaten much. He's due for another visit to the vet on Tuesday night.

P.S. If anyone else has Words with Friends and wants to challenge me, my user name is RebeccaJFleming. Look forward to playing :)

ROW80 Round 5 - 4th Update

I didn't write a lot on Monday or Tuesday (maybe 400-500 on each day), but today I've written just over 1,000 words. I did cut a few small bits from earlier chapters, though, as they weren't adding to the story and were dragging out over several paragraphs what could have been said in one. It feels good to have made some progress on my actual novel, even if it isn't much (I'm at around 34,000ish words. My friend who I'm unofficially racing with has more than 100,000 words of her manuscript :|). I'm still not really happy with my outline, but I've more or less accepted that I never will be :)

I've also abandoned the fairy painting for now (sorry, Nan) and started sketching a steampunk scene, which I will either colour with watercolour, acrylic (if/when I get some) or coloured pencils. The scene kept kind of appearing in my mind, so I had to start putting it down on paper. I also sent off a request form for some free acrylic paint samples; doubt I'll get them, but it can't hurt to try (I've been watching art tutorial videos on YouTube, which of course has made me want the paints even more). Free stuff = awesome. Art supplies = awesome. Free art supplies = EPIC WIN.

As for Rex (a.k.a. His Furry Judgemental Holiness), he seems to be a bit happier since starting his treatment, though that may also be due to his cortisone injection giving him some relief from his arthritis. He's still a bit off his food, but since he always loses his appetite in the hot weather (we're in the middle of summer here), we're not too concerned. However, I'm sure he appreciates all the hugs and cuddles :)

Judgemental Dog decides to get tough on slack writers:

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ROW80 Round 5 - 3rd Update

Another week with little writing done (until today, anyway), though I kind of have a valid reason. After going shopping (for art stuff. What a surprise) on Thursday afternoon, I got what turned out to be a dodgy meat pie for lunch and ended up with a bad case of food poisoning (it was like the Blitzkrieg on my digestive system, though thankfully the worst seems to have passed now), so for the last few days I've been too busy curled up around a bucket to be able to do any writing, and since yesterday have been bummed out because of some bad news (see end of post). However, this morning I've written almost another 1,000 words, and hope to get a bit more done before I go to work. The scene I wrote came out quite well, I think - very dark and a bit disturbing - so I'm hoping I won't need to change it too much or get rid of it once I've written more of the story (the scene doesn't appear til the last third of the book).

I did get a few notes jotted down for background info about the world politics and magic structure, so at least I was a bit productive, and it has prodded my brain towards writing a few actual scenes, which I've tentatively started to type up on my computer. My main sticking point is a royal character, who is important to the story, but I'm having trouble making her feel like she 'belongs' there, or at least that her actions/motivations are believable. I've also been sketching a fairy picture, which my nan requested to put on her fridge (she used to put my paintings on her fridge when I was five; twenty years on and not much has changed), but it's become one of those projects that just refuses to turn out right.

I have to admit I did spend a fair bit of time this week looking at paint sets (I really want some acrylics, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting them for a while), which most likely distracted me from writing. Still, now that I can't buy art supplies anymore, I should be able to focus more on writing than on browsing online art supply shops.

I've also been trying to finish off the last of the workshopping feedback since I have a meeting with my writing group next Saturday, so even though I'm not doing much of my own writing, it is at least something writing-related. Haven't done much on my thesis, though, which is kind of bad; I really need to get that sorted over the next week or so in order to send it to my Honours supervisor for feedback, but finding the motivation to open that document is a real struggle :(

In not-so-good news this week; poor old Rex had been a bit down lately, so yesterday we took him to the vet, worrying that he'd relapsed into a serious condition he had three years ago (a genetic disease common to German Shepherds where ulcers/furrows form in the bowel/intestine, causing bleeding, lack of energy and loss of appetite, and eventually death if untreated or if treatment is unsuccessful). Our fears turned out to be correct. We've started him on the medication again, so all we can do is hope that it works this time as well. We caught it earlier this time, and he's desexed, which works in his favour, but since he's male, old and has had the condition before, his chances are lower. We're giving him lots of cuddles and he seems in good spirits, even if he's a bit more quiet than usual, but hopefully he'll return to his happy, bouncy, psychotic self once the medication kicks in. Since the treatment will cost around two and a half grand, I won't be splurging on new books or paints or coloured pencils any time soon (or even chocolate and energy drinks, most likely), but if it means I'll (hopefully) still have my doggy in a few months' time, it's a sacrifice I'm more than happy to make (of course it had to happen right when my hours at work have been reduced by more than half).

Give Judgemental Dog a cuddle for good luck.

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ROW80 Round 5 - 2nd Update

I've been a bit naughty. Not only did I miss the last check-in (I hadn't done anything worth checking in about anyway), I've barely done any writing on my actual novel over the last week (though I opened the Word document. That counts as work, right? Right??). In my defence, I've worked most days the last week, and the time I did have off was spent with my Nan (and she made me more chocolate fudge, SO THERE), but still, I would have liked to add a few words to the novel. Though I did get a bit more of my thesis edited, so there's that. I also managed to straighten out some bits of the dog's breakfast that is my outline in an attempt to iron out a few inconsistencies. I think the main things I have to work on are a) research for the medieval time period, particularly living conditions, government structure and weaponry/warfare, and b) the backstory/magical structure and rules for the Underworld and the immortal antagonist, since the more I dig through my plot, the more little things I discover that either could be done better, or that just don't make sense.

My Nan bought me a painting book on Monday, and it's given me a lot of ideas for illustrations for my novel characters. I've been doing a few sketches and I'm hoping to do a drawing/painting of one of them sometime this week. And I'm kind of looking forward to next week as well; I'll be starting my new roster with fewer hours now that the holiday rush is over, and though it will mean less money, it will mean more time for procrastinating - er... writing and painting. >.> As I mentioned in my goals post for the start of this round, I really want to get back into painting and drawing. I want to become a lot better at it than what I am, and the only way I can do that is with practice, but I also want to do it for the sake of the art itself, because I've always found drawing and painting to be relaxing (at least until things start going wrong, and then I turn into a homicidal maniac armed with sharpened pencils and paint-smeared brushes).

Also, for the love of whatever deity you believe in, will someone PLEASE drag me away from the online art supply stores before I spend any more money? (actually, wait til I order this really cool thing I just found... Okay, now drag me away) Yes, I have an art supply addiction. Don't judge me! I get enough of that from the mutt :|

Finally, I just had to share this awesome video, which I'm sure all readers and writers will love; What Happens in Bookstores at Night:


Judgemental Dog was a bit camera shy this week, so his deputies, Spot and Dash, have taken over cheer squad duties:

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