Popping my cherry

My first meme - please be gentle *blushes*

Five Gentlemen I'd Like To Have Round for Tea:
1. Robbie Williams - he's my one true love
2. Josh Hartnett - ultimate eye candy
3. The hot presenter from Something for the Weekend - I SO would
4. Graham Norton - to take the p*ss out of anyone who was misbehaving
5. Geoge Clooney - just because

Five Ladies I'd Like to Lunch With:
1. Cheryl Cole - she looks like wicked fun
2. Fern Britton - blatantly such a laugh and would put everyone at their ease
3. My mum - would put everyone in their place
4. The Queen - would have far more interesting stories than anyone else
5. Marilyn Monroe - ultimate sex kitten

Four People I'd Like To Meet in Heaven(excluding family and friends):
1. Vladimir Nabokov - my ultimate literary icon - would just adore to devour a few bottles of wine with him talking bot the english language
2. Elizabeth I - how did she hold it together and be so strong? Also would like to check the historical accuracy of a few Philippa Gregorys with her...!
3. Roald Dahl - such a genius - and a genius I could never have appreciated when was alive (I was about 8 when he died). Would adore to have a grown-uppy-drinky-pubby-gossip with him.
4. Enid Blyton - I would like to understand the age of childhood innocence, then.

Four Material Things I Couldn't Live Without:
1. My mobile...
2. Broadband
3. My annotated Lolita
4. My Maestro card

Four Things I COULD Live Without:
1. The London Underground during rush hour
2. My debt
3. Self important Londoners
4. Hangovers

Three Books I Would Save From a Burning Building:
1. Annotated Lolita
2. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
3. Hamlet - Shakespeare
...feel these could cure any 16 year old of teen angst...

Three Books I Would Throw Into a Burning Building:
1. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (couldn't get in to it)
2. Kerry Katona's novel (no i haven't read it; I just KNOW)
3. Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Primer. Trust me on this one

Five Songs That Make Me Happy:
1. There She Goes - The La's
2. I Need You - Wireless
3. She Loves You - The Beatles
4. You're So Great - Blur
5. Valerie - Amy Winehouse

Two Things I Wish I'd Invented:
1. The printing press (God damn you William Caxton!)
2. Fermentation. Goodness, if only I had the patent...

A x

The new thrill: knitted products

I know I have been v. bad. I have been mostly v. committed to The Day Job in order to prep them for a promotion in the new year. Fingers crossed.

In other news... I'm having real issues with my story. I thought I had a fabulous spark for my beautiful novel. Turns out, all I have is a spark that fizzled whenever I try to have my spark ignite into the flame of a narrative... I think I need to go back to mind maps. BORE

In secondary news... I was SO excited when I last visited Sainbury's! Now let me tell you, there isn't usually excitement linked with that particular voyage. Yet - when I stumbled into the neon lighted void of la 'Bury this week... ALL THE SMOOTHIES HAD HATS ON!!! Yes, yes, apparently it's an annual thing. But I was utterly delighted to be able to choose a beautiful hand knittted beanie for my lunch time smoothie this week. AND it means I have given 50p to charity. FABULOUS.

On even more other news... I still remain Take That ticketless. I cannot convey my rage at this situation.

A xx

Social networking

It's been a month now and I still haven't put pen to paper in terms of my own writing. I have done loads of writing for The Day Job (natch - it's hard to escape!), but though all sorts of intricacies of plot have been fizzing round my head I have failed to write anything. Nada. I hang my head in shame. I have been doing some good Facebooking though...

Therefore... I resolve to take a leaf out of the many school schildren who are heading back to school this week with bright, fresh young minds, and will commit to doing my homework! Oh, if only I could dispose with The Day Job. Good job I'm winning the lottery tomorrow.

A x

The ten commandments of diary of a secret writer (part two)*

6. Thou shalt not be afraid to put pen to paper... thou cannot edit a blank page...
7. Thou shalt be encouraged by other blogging writers and link to their fabulous knowledgable blogs
8. Thou shalt draw up a decent plot outline that is actually compelling (okay, so this should only be applicable initially, but I need it!)
9. Thou shalt not be discouraged by how long it shalt take to write the first three chapters
10. Thou shalt believe that thou can do it – thou canst actually write a whole novel


A x


*DSW still reserves the right to change any element of these commandments...!

The ten commandments of diary of a secret writer (part one)*

1. Thou shalt preserve the secrecy of thine identity to protect thineself’s self-doubting nature
2. Thou shalt blog charmingly when in an amusingly light stage of inebriation
3. Thou shalt not blog when thou hast imbibed a little much of the vino... thou shalt not look big, funny or clever
4. Thou shall blog frequently – even if thou has writer’s block
5. Thou shalt read anything and everything that does not move away fast enough
   
   *DSW reserves the right to change any element of these commandments on the slightest whim (perhaps I will look VERY big and clever when I blog when drunk...I think it’s unlikely)

A x

Mr Manchester

Just wanted to register how sad I am that Tony Wilson died this evening. Despite his eccentricity and passion for grey nail varnish (!), he was truly one of the best things that ever happened to Manchester and today is a sad day now he is gone. RIP Mr Manchester... you will be sorely missed.

A x

Prologue

After several false starts, I’m finally here. This time, I’m blogging with a purpose. I have made a promise to myself to start writing. Writing properly, that is. Funnily enough, writing Post-It notes to my colleagues and rambling emails to my friends isn’t fulfiling for a girl who has wanted to write stories ever since she can remember. So – here I am in my mid twenties, deciding at last it’s time to give it a go. Only thing is –though I’ve realised I need to at least try to write my stories, I am much, much too shy to tell anyone I know in real life that I’m trying to do it. So it will have to be our little secret for now. Okay?

A x