Countdown

The countdown has begun for Nanowrimo. About 10 hours to go before it's November, which means those 30 days and nights of literary abandon loom close.

The idea for this novel is leaning on me and waiting for the fun to start. I'm taking it as a good sign, although a part of me is having 11th hour nerves thinking that cleaning the kitchen floor might be a good idea instead. The only way to get rid of such ideas is to get busy with what's really important.

So, I'm going to try for a more planned approach this year. Me, Annie Inkhaven, a plotter? Well, you might be surprised!! It's a perfect place to try out new ways of working.

Here's the link to my info page where you can track how the word count is coming on as of midnight and read a bit of blurb about the novel itself. I'll be posting little extracts here at Inkhaven throughout the month, so do let me know what you think. 

Anyone else taking part this year?

Wish me luck. Rock 'n roll.

Half-way station

Sometimes, you only get halfway somewhere. And then there's a problem with going forwards or back. Half-way station is now closed for the Winter and it looks like the next train might arrive in about 6 months time. 

Sorry that so many of you are having trouble leaving comments. Fingers crossed it gets fixed soon and that you might come back and try again. Try making sure you're logged in before leaving a comment and wait for the word verification tab to trundle up.

Here's a beach find from yesterday that seems to express the right kind of grimace about the proceedings. 

New look

Couldn't resist applying the new dynamic views to Inkhaven after seeing it in action on other blogs.

What do you think?

Truth is, it didn't take me long to decide to go for it. I'd say it was about 20 seconds! I'd been wondering about a new vibe for a while, but couldn't face html when the beach beckoned.

Anyway, I'm hoping this new look will encourage more browsing, both from me at other blogs and all the readers that visit mine. I'm sick of falling into that one-click one-glance in-a-rush have-no-time behaviour.

Click on the black tab at the top left side of this page where it says Magazine and you'll get a drop down menu. And if you click on Flipcard or Mosaic.......SEE!! Bring on the fun!!

Shirtsleeves

Shirtsleeves in October. Short days of low sun. Had to find my sunglasses again. And sandals. Have had a few writing sessions out on the beach this week, barefoot, almost touching the surf.

A red roof stands out like a warning sign on brushed brown fields. Young calves with square faces stare out of the flowering broom. Good place to scratch your back. Black-faced sheep, most of them pregnant. Rooks falling through the breeze. Tumble out to land, wings askew.

But the hills have taken on their Autumn colours. And you know from the way the cool air cuts you in the early morning or coming home late at night, that another season is waiting to push in from white lands.

One old hawthorn shows which way that chill will push you, even though it's not the way home. But not yet. Still, there's another blue evening warm enough to sit and gaze at a surging tide that rinses every chalk fist on the shore.

Star struck

She took it as a sign when that starfish landed on her head. Young seagulls mobbed in, stalling their flight, falling to ground, unsteered. But the day continued grey, uneventful, just a lingering tang of fish, a sense of sand crystals between her teeth, that calling behind her ear.

Play - National poetry day 2011

PLAY

Peeping through the bushes,

PLAY

shouts out

in big blue letters........

***

It's National poetry day today and this year's theme is games. There might be an event near you. Check out the link to see.

And if not, then why not just enjoy a poem or two - or even let rip and read them out loud?

Sorry to have removed this poem. I have other plans for it now. But thanks for reading and for interesting and useful comments. Ax

Wandering and wondering

Over at the Altered Page today, Seth has a series of links to bloggers who talk about the techniques or tools that they use in their work and just couldn't live without.

There's a link to one of my previous posts there. It's great to find out which post Seth chose. I had no idea what he'd go for. So if you fancy a stroll through one of my mornings, head over there to see.

Thanks to Seth for posting a link.