Thursday 10 October 2013

Word splurge

After my many posts of a couple of weeks ago, I've just realised that I haven't blogged for a week.

So, here's a post. 

hahahahaha

Hello, how are you? I'm apparently in a strange mood. Several people have noticed this recently, but it's working for me, because I finally decided which of my three projects I was going to work on next, and actually made a start on it. Although I've already come up against a small problem of not quite knowing what the story is... oops!

I also got very stuck on the first sentence, so moved straight to Part 3. I'm writing it in past tense, but might change it to present. Ideally I'd like to write every paragraph in a different tense, because that's how they're coming into my head... But don't worry, I'm not going to do that - I will figure this out!

I'm slightly annoyed with Createspace and Royal Mail at the moment, because I've been waiting in every day for a delivery of 20 copies of Sadie, and she's currently no where to be seen. I've been trying to track her down, and even had to put in a second order without receiving the first. Today, she is 13 days overdue!

I've been told Createspace can work to their own calendar, so dates don't really mean much to them, but surely it's no way to run a business?

Today, however, I'm going out for lunch and Hubby will be in the attic, so what's the betting they will arrive today? No, I don't put Hubby in the attic when I'm not home, don't worry - he wants to be there. And I'll probably explain why, when there's something to explain...

And finally, it's getting colder in the UK which means my woolly tights, jumpers, skirts and boots will make an appearance!

And finally, finally... thanks to everyone who visited my guests last week, and for all the great comments and support.

How was your week?
Do you ever get confused about which tense to write in?
Have you had any bad experiences with Createspace?
What's your favourite thing about autumn/winter?




44 comments:

  1. I've heard alot of negative things about CreateSpace. I haven't used them myself but lack of delivery or heavily delayed delivery is something I hear quite a lot about them! I hope you receive 'Sadie' soon!

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    1. Yay, going out to lunch made them arrive, though luckily I was back home!

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  2. Hopefully they show up and leave them on the doorstep.
    I like the colder weather. I don't enjoy the humidity we get during the summer.

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    1. Yes, they arrived, and I was at home. I did glare at the poor postman though because he took a parcel to a different house before coming to mine, and then I jumped at him when I opened the door... :-D

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  3. Maybe Sadie decided she wanted to take her time, travel a bit more? :)

    Good luck with your new project! I'm getting closer to pinning down my NaNo idea...I think....

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    1. Sadie apparently decided to travel via Germany, which seems a little out of her way and explains the delay... especially if she got caught up in Oktoberfest and needed a couple of days to recover from her excessive beer consumption!

      Good news on your NaNo idea. And still 20 days to make sure you're happy with it before you start :-)

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  4. Hi Annalisa - postal times can be a pain - I must say thankfully I'm usually pretty lucky. Hope Sadie turns up soon though ... as you say perhaps when hubby is up in the attic .. singing form the rooftops perhaps ... or preparing for Santa??!!

    Yes - cold here too .. but I can't wear wool and really 'suffer' .. it's been bliss recently! Cheers to you in the westerly regions - Hilary

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    1. She arrived, safe and sound, thank you. Hubby was singing. Santa, of course, doesn't need our help ;-)

      It wasn't as cold as I was expecting. A cold breeze, but we ate lunch outside and it was very warm. Summer won't give up without a fight!

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  5. Good to see a post (literally) from you lol. My favorite thing about autumn is the cooler temps. I love 60 degree weather!!

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    1. I thought it was a pretty fine post myself :-) Just had to Google what 60 degrees is - I only understand Celsius! (It's 15, by the way.)

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  6. I ordered my last book from Createspace and my niece ordered a copy from Amazon. My niece got to hold my baby in her hands before I did....how wrong is that?!

    The best part of winter is the bundling up. Layers are a chubby girl's best bud!

    (oh, and stoved must be an American thing...it would be a little worse than a stubbed toe, a jamming of the joint that causes swelling and bruising. Isn't it cool how much the same and unlike our languages are?)

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    1. I just ordered a couple of Amazon books a couple of days ago, because they were prizes and I was beginning to lose hope of having them. They arrived yesterday, and I only ordered them on Friday!! I'll know better for next time :-)

      Thanks for explaining 'stoved'.

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  7. I love getting my boots and coloured scarves back out (although I have been known to wear boots with shorts in the summer if we're expecting rain)! Glad Sadie made her way to you in the end!

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    1. Boots and shorts is a cool look Linda, festival chic!

      Hmm, Sadie, yes, the little scamp :-)

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  8. That was a fun post - were you a bit rusty when you took the picture?

    Good luck with the delivery, and of course it will arrive when you're both unavailable... I am convinced the mailmen and postal ladies have a special button that goes off in their van when the adults in the house are more than 100 feet from the front door :)

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    1. I was going through a rough patch!

      I think your theory is correct. So many times I've come home to a little card telling me to go and pick up a parcel that was within feet of my front door only an hour ago :-(

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  9. Why, what a unique post you have there!

    Personally, I think it would be cool to read a book that switches tenses, kinda Slaughterhouse Five style, though that was more timeline jumping that tense jumping. But hey, I like playing with things like that (once wrote a 1st POV story without the use of the word 'I') and there are times you just have to get it out.

    Week was good, busy planning for a training this weekend. I also seemed to have be voluntold to make a hat for my landlady using mismatched yarn. We'll see how that goes.

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    1. That first person POV sounds interesting. Enjoy the hat-making.

      By the way, I've just sent you email about your blog.

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  10. I've been working on the opening of my novel for a competition. The first few hundred words use three tenses, some of them more than once. I can confirm that's not a good idea! (Can't decide which tense to use though)

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    1. Good luck with your entry. Some stories seem to come with their tense already figured out, other's take time and a lot of rewriting.

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  11. Great post!! Love your sense of humour today. It is definitely getting colder, time to dig out those boots. Hope you had a delicious lunch and that your hubby has now returned from the attic!

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    1. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and I'm in a bouncy mood! It was actually a lot warmer today than the forecast said, so we ate lunch outside and I even took my jacket off! Hubby safely back down from the attic too... until next time mwhahaha!

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  12. A missed deadline can definitely be frustrating, especially when the deadline has been missed by nearly two weeks! When stuff like that happened to me, I always contacted the vendor to find out what happened. I've never used Createspace before. My favorite thing about autumn are the leaves changing; I looked up at the trees the other day and realized they were a different color. I'd been so wrapped up in my dailies that I hadn't even noticed.

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    1. I ended up with several email - it apparently wasn't anyone's fault at all and no one could tell me anything! Crunchy leaves are fun - I love jumping in them :-)

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  13. Hello Annalisa
    Thanks for accepting me on your site. When I found your site earlier today I was thrilled to find a blog that made me laugh, as I love humour. I, too, have problems with the Royal Mail, and since I'm considering Createspace I'm dreading the trip to the depot. I'm very new to blogging and haven't yet got the hang of it. I find I'm always making mistakes. I've had to edit today's post because I realised I'd given my grandmother's birthdate as 1805 instead of 1895. I've been stressed out with central heating engineers all week, can't finish my editing and more-or-less just having "blonde" days.
    I love to see the leaves on the passion flower in my garden turning red in the autumn.
    You have a great blog and I'm pleased that you're publishing.

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    1. Thanks for the follow, Fanny. Mistakes are fine, as long as you realise before you post/publish :-)

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  14. I tend to write in past tense, out of habit, but have been told by many people "in the know" that I need to write in present. I find it awkward and hard and unnatural and I do not like it Sam I Am! BUT, my novel takes place in two different time periods, so during my first re-write, I've got to go in and write the present in present and past in past...sigh. Not looking forward to that.
    Oh, and I keep my husband in the cellar ;-) Well, that's where his latest invention is taking shape so it's not a lot of work to get him down there...LOL.
    Tina @ Life is Good

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    1. I don't think present tense is always right, it depends on the story you're telling. If you write in past tense, embrace it! At least I'm not the only woman who keeps their husband in a strange place :-)

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  15. Too bad to have to wait so long for your books. I have to say, I've had great experience with CS thus far, but I did get a wrong order once, along with my correct order, and had to return it to them. So maybe they'd sent it to the wrong place like that wrong order I'd received...?

    It's kinda fun changing tenses in a storyline. I've done that with my flash fiction, and loved the outcome.

    And sometimes, we all need a little strangeness! Writer’s Mark

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    1. Mine arrived via Germany, so it might have been that simple. I'll definitely be more aware of timings next time! I sometimes go from present to future tense. Flash fiction is a great way to experiment.

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  16. I have not heard a lot of great things about Createspace, I'm afraid. But this time it sounds like it was a postal problem?

    I don't have a problem with tense. I only use past tense. I tried writing in present tense once and hated it. Yeah, I know it's in fashion right now, but I never did have any fashion sense.

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    1. I prefer present, but not because it's fashionable. When past becomes the in thing again, I'll still be writing in present.

      The Createspace experience seems different for people. I'll see how the next order and the one after that goes.

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  17. Annalisa,

    Okay...still laughing at the picture of the post. The funniest thing about it was it came out of nowhere and caught me absolutely off-guard!! You rock! I didn't know you had it in you. Still chuckling. :)

    This is the trouble I have concerning tenses: When I am in the present and refer to a thing of the past, talking about it in past tense, but then refer to a person who still lives. For example:

    "Grandpa always told me not to do that or my face would freeze that way. He was always coming up with sayings like that."

    This sounds like Gramps is no longer with us among the living. What if he still lives? Should it switch to present tense? Wait. I think I might have just figured it out. "He was, and continues today, always coming up with sayings like that."

    LOL. Nevermind.

    M.L. Swift, Writer

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    1. Lol, sometimes I think my sense of humour is hidden because I like to kill off all my characters!

      I have the same issue with past tense. Although when I read books written in past tense, I completely understand it.

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  18. the post picture reminds me of something i saw in a pizza place in Montana. on one of the posts that held up the building, there was a picture of a thumbs-up and it said, be the first to like this post.

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    1. I love that. Although it means my post pun is very unoriginal :-)

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  19. I like the post pic. I saw on FB that you did get your books - hoorah!. I've had no problem with Createspace. Just lucky I guess. I was born in Oct. so I am a "fall" person and that's tough in TX. Summer lasts too long. But I'm ready for my boots and fall colors. I'm thinking of doing NaNo which means I'll have tenses all over the place. I really want to get a basis for a novel that I can truly work on with characters I like. That's been my NaNo fail so far. oh well - happy weekend to you

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    1. Yes, they finally came - phew! Good luck for NaNo :-)

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  20. Have some sad news to share today on my blog. But other than that I'm ok. Hopefully Sadie shows up soon and best of luck with your project.

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    1. She arrived safe and sound, thank you Sheena-kay. I saw your post, and I have my fingers crossed that everything goes well for you. Take care :-)

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  21. HA! Loved your 'post.' Might have to steal that some time! Your chilly weather sounds lovely, actually. I'm in hot Florida, and it's just now down to the 70's, which is great, but I miss colder weather. As an AF wife, we traveled to Germany and Italy, but never made it to the UK, which was the one place I wanted to go. ;-)

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    1. It's just been wet here for a few days - wet and cloudy always means dark days, which isn't appealing. I hope you make it over one day - despite the 'interesting' weather, it's a brilliant, fascinating, historical place!

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  22. Love the post! Hilarious except for the frustrations you are having with createaspace.

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    1. Createspace are very slow, and seem to ship from the US via Germany, which seems a roundabout way to do it, but once I figured out I had to add another 8 days onto their estimated delivery things are much easier.

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