Monday 1st November 2021
Woke up at half six. More mad accusation dreams of criminal activity. Obviously feeling guilty for my cushy life. I did some pages then commented on Mark Connor’s NaNoWriMo post. I started my so-called novel attempt this morning. Keyed it straight in without notes. I have five characters. And it’s definitely fiction. Don’t know if I can make it go the full fifty thousand words though. Saw the dentist today. Only the chipped front tooth to fix. Sixty-five quid. There is no way I’d go ahead if charged the £280 that I thought it might cost. Dentist said it’s quite common to break a tooth on a pizza crust. A woman in Consett bus station called a driver a fat cunt coz he didn’t get up to lower the ramp for her pushchair. Tonight, me and Jenni went to see Tim Minchin at Newcastle City Hall. The covid pass thing went okay. Jen showed them her letter and I just used a photocopy of mine which was accepted no fuss. Jen liked the tour merch. She bought herself a Rock and Roll Nerd baseball shirt. I got her a hoodie for Christmas. The show was great. He did a few oldies. Mitsubishi Colt, F-sharp, Thank You God… and stuff from his recent album. He started out solo at the piano and interspersed the songs with spoken word pieces/extended intros. During one song, the curtain dropped behind him to reveal a full six-piece backing band. Ace stuff. During the interval he came back out, sat on top of his piano and chatted to people at the front, posed for photos with the house lights up. The interval then blended into the second half. He did his Cheese song. The encore was Carry You from the TV series Upright. Really great. My first time in the City Hall for over eleven years. 11.24pm.Tuesday 2nd November 2021
Spent ages prepping for the session but only did readthroughs of the Waddy anthology. Still some amendments to make. Trying to get forty pieces exactly. Going to have to reshuffle slightly over the next couple of days. I stayed back to get a re-sequence but was too tired. I’m trying to do NaNoWriMo but it’s a pile of shit. I just keep boxing characters into a corner. It’s hard to put some action in when you’re not a very physically active person whilst writing. I’m shit at plot. I got 1677 words down. I keyed in morning pages, listened to the Storm the Gates album by Venom and read a few of Julia Darling’s short stories. 11.00pm.
Wednesday 3rd November 2021
Once you allow yourself to just jump around the manuscript and add a hundred words here and there, the 1677 words per day isn’t so daunting. I haven’t moved the first scene on much, but I have plenty of bits and pieces about supporting characters. I will try to get a bit of a plan drawn up so I can map out where I need to go, but I’m not in the slightest concerned about continuity in a first draft. Just random flashes of action, situation, interior monologue, or tell-not-show info dumping will do for now. I got some recent additions for the Waddy anthology. Just one more connecting piece to find and we should be good to go. The cover has been mocked-up in Word, but I’ll do it again in Publisher. I managed some abdominal exercises. Pleased to stay off social media. Read a couple more Julia Darling stories. Not sure I’ll be outside much before Saturday. 10.22pm.
Thursday 4th November 2021
Good to get out on the Sonder Frontier today. Didn’t think that would be happening in November but the gravel run from Moorside down to Allensford Woods was okay and I even did the woodland climb near the pump house without getting muddy. I did a bit of the trail near the Gill Bridge and played on a few slopes nearby then rode along the cycle path to Castleside. I got a good 1700 words of fiction down as well. A scene with a hitman and his boss came out okay. The best way for me to write fiction is to just blast white heat straight into the computer without paragraph breaks or speech marks. Got a lot of dialogue down. Received approval for anthology cover from Waddy. I keyed in the pages as well. The only thing I failed on was to write up my day. This entry is late. I woke up and realised that I’d forgotten to log my movements. I listened to the latest Satyricon album and quite a bit of Tim Minchin. Carry You is a brilliant song. I got a bit of a sore throat. Good pie and mash tea, cucumber and salmon paste sandwich for supper. And that’s my day. Written up late. Shoot me. 5.42am.
Friday 5th November 2021
More stuff for the Waddy anthology. And another 1700 words. Not continuous and out of sync with much of what I’ve written before, but we’ll see how things look in a couple of weeks. Tonight, I watched footage of Ali Clarkson taking part in a trials competition using a standard full suspension mountain bike. He came second in intermediate class. The wet conditions were pretty awful. I had time off to go into town for some food. Ravioli on toast for tea. Warm afternoon but cold tonight. Early bed for me. 10.30pm.
Saturday 6th November 2021
Up quite early. Out on the bike for an hour. Nice to ride over the blanket of rusty brown leaves through the woods. I’m surprised it’s not gloopy. Rode a few mini sections of singletrack down by the Derwent at Allensford this afternoon. I keyed in morning pages and did 1700 words of fiction. Mainly just character sketches. Tonight, I waited forty minutes for the bus to Gateshead. I’m on a 47 running twenty minutes late. Will be after ten before I get to Jen’s place. I don’t think she’ll be at work tonight. 9.25pm.
Sunday 7th November 2021
Long lie in. Morning pages. Ratatouille on toast for dinner. Me and Jenni listened to lots of Tim Minchin stuff today. Quite a few songs I’d not heard before. Jenni had to work this evening, so I walked into town with her. Then a ninety-minute wait for a bus. Did another 1700 words when I got home. Checked the news online. Nothing for me. Bit tired. Cheese on toast for supper. Bed soon. 11.17pm.
Monday 8th November 2021
Pretty long hassle-filled shift. Still a fair way to go with the Waddy anthology but hopefully okay to print by Wednesday. I’m still waiting on corrections from some writers. I did 1700 words for NaNoWriMo. I didn’t get out on the bike. I looked at some of the previous Waddy anthologies and solo collections. It’s a shame some of the authors are no longer with us or no longer able to write. Newsnight is on. It amazes me the country hasn’t got rid of the current PM by now. 10.45pm.
Tuesday 9th November 2021
Doing a Waddy Writers booklet via email is a challenge. I wanted to use green endpapers in the booklet, but I don’t have enough paper. Would like to lighten the shade of green lettering on the cover but it keeps printing dark. Maybe we could go for some sort of kraft endpaper instead. I stayed back a couple of hours to get poems from previous anthologies reformatted and printed for a wall display. Will finish them tomorrow. I got food supplies on the way home. Another 1700 words down but all a bit rushed and not great. Ate two sweet mince pies. Totally ready for bed. 11.20pm.
Wednesday 10th November 2021
Super mild weather again for the time of year. Out without a hat for most of my pursuits. At Waddy early to get the new anthology printed. Would have liked to stay to assemble copies in the Centre – but if I didn’t finish, I’d need to carry the remainder with me to Newcastle tonight. I just brought everything home after working on the display prints this afternoon. Half my NaNoWriMo was done on the bus today. This evening I finally got to give Olya Bowers her copy of Anomalies that was made over eighteen months ago. It was good to see her perform at Born Lippy. Particularly enjoyed her poem about staying in a U.S. County jail. The mini slam was good. Enjoyable mix of poetry and comedy. Lauren Stone’s comedy set was ace. Really dry, with some great mundane elements, well delivered. Reminded me of James Wilkinson crossed with Robert Smith of The Cure. Don Jenkins did a good licence to kill with a quill rap over bass beats. Good to see a full set from Ralph Dartford. Loved his poor middle class and Joni Mitchell poems. I watched the rap musicians for about twenty minutes but had to get away for the bus. You never know if one will turn up these days. I have a headache. Been up too long. Hope there is decent sunlight tomorrow for bookmaking. 10.49pm.
Thursday 11th November 2021
Morning Pages. Folded, stapled and trimmed the Waddy anthology. Keyed in pages and did about 2000 words for NaNoWriMo. Some good, some bad. Enjoyed my stewed steak and vegetables and listening to TV Smith. 10.41pm.
Friday 12th November 2021
Morning pages. Breakfast. Bag packed. Shaved, changed and out for the bus to Consett. Paid a cheque into the bank, got cash out. Bus to Durham. Put the books on display and went for a lunch bag. Talked to the poets. Watched the music group. Enjoyed it. Particularly covers of All Apologies and Just Can’t Get Enough. Waddy Writers did about three quarters of an hour. We read most of the booklet. Then staff read their group acrostic and introduced an open mic section, featuring poems from previous Waddy anthologies. Took part in a bit of relaxation and wellbeing. Missed my bus stop in Moorside. Had pasta and chips for tea. Did 1700 words of fiction. Got the nine o’clock bus to Consett then over to Gateshead. Tesco. Chicken and mushroom slice. Then Jen’s place. Old Corrie. Fig rolls. OK. 11.30pm.
Saturday 13th November 2021
Up quite early to do pages and NaNoWriMo. Watched TV with Jenni. One Foot in the Grave and Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Jenni got us mega pizza and chips for tea and supper. Watched gameshows and Johnathan Ross. 10.29pm.
Sunday 14th November 2021
Watched two episodes of Columbo this afternoon. Walked into Gateshead with Jenni for supplies. Ravioli on toast for tea. Watched some YouTube music clips. Then went to see Dear Evan Hanson at Vue Cinema in Gateshead. Good story. Nice balance of songs and acting. Enjoyed it. Now on a 47 bus to Consett. Someone has spilt popcorn on the back seats, I have more words to write for NaNoWriMo before tomorrow. 10.24pm.
Monday 15th November 2021
Morning Pages and NaNoWriMo quota. Good of Helen Steadman to send me the link to a New Yorker article about the life and journals of Bennington Classics Professor, Claude Fredericks. It was good to hear some music by Utopian Front and Teeth of the Sea. Their atmospheric instrumentals would be good to play whilst writing fiction. Got an email saying the adaptor plate for my chain ring bash guard has been despatched, so it could be fitted by the weekend. 11.14pm.
Tuesday 16th November 2021
The adapter for my bike’s bash guard arrived this morning so I can now get it fitted to the Sonder Frontier. Been waiting for this little piece of metal for about six weeks. Fingers crossed Sean from Bits 4 Bikes can do it tomorrow or Thursday. I would like to get a ride in before the weekend if possible. I’ve totally slipped off the fitness wagon due to working on stuff for Waddy and NaNoWriMo and being away from home quite a bit of the time. Today’s session went well. One of the writers wrote an amazing piece of fiction prompted by the first page of Hubert Selby Junior’s LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN. I listened to Emilie Autumn’s new cover version of Iggy Pop’s The Passenger tonight. Also, some tracks by musical project Witch of the Vale who are supporting The Birthday Massacre at Newcastle Cluny next year. Only three more Waddy sessions this year. More work elsewhere in the pipeline. 11.26pm.
Wednesday 17th November 2021
Read the opening chapters of Summerwater by Sarah Moss. I’ve had a stotting headache this evening. I’ll be glad when NaNoWriMo is over. I really want a couple of days off. Hope I sleep better tonight. Need more reading time and less at the computer. 11.25pm.
Thursday 18th November 2021
Picked up my bike from the shop. Bash guard hardly visible behind the chainring. Hopefully I won’t have to use it much. Tonight, I watched some Toyah stuff and chatted online with Jenni. My wrists are cramping up from too much typing. I want to read Bukowski and eat cakes. 11.19pm.
Friday 19th November 2021
Enjoyed my bike ride this afternoon, despite falling off twice. Lodged my front wheel in a rut obscured by leaves and went over the bars. Then did similar over a log. But otherwise, a good ride. Got onto some ledges. Having the bash guard gave me confidence and I did three obstacle clearances in a row without the guard clipping the rock. I’m a bit achy from the falls but feel okay. Just went a bit too gung ho. Talked to brother Mark on the phone. He’s bought another trials bike for spares. Got my 1700 words down. I’m not expecting a coherent narrative out of the scrawl. Don’t care. Watched more trials videos tonight, including a repeat viewing of Ali Clarkson entering a natural outdoor trials competition on his full suspension mountain bike. Listened to Witch of the Vale and watched a bit of Behemoth. Think I need an early night. 10.20pm.
Saturday 20th November 2021
Got my pages and journals typed up. Watched a Lachman interview about Colin Wilson, ordered one of Lachman’s books from the library. Also, a novel The Treatment by Mo Hayder. Wrote 1700 words. Watched some biketrial technique videos online. Ate lots of chocolate. Almost got through a full loaf of multi-seed in two days. Read bits and pieces of books online. Struggled to read Summerwater. Not keen on the interior monologue displaced to third person. Similar to my recent attempts, so that’s me screwed. 11.36pm.
Sunday 21st November 2021
Wanted to bike but too much to do at home. Got all my work log and gratitude journal copied up from back end of last month. Washed some clothes in the sink. Got some prompts that might go in the next writing half marathon. Did approximately another 1700 words towards NaNoWriMo using prompts. I watched An Audience with Adele on my computer but didn’t get through a single song without buffering. Stupid broadband. Might read a bit of Summerwater in bed. It’s getting rather cold now. Hope the week ahead isn’t stressful. 10.20pm.
Monday 22nd November 2021
Canny day. Pleased to get sorted by the dentist. Had porridge, mushroom soup, chicken mayonnaise sandwich and clear sparkling lemon and lime water so as not to stain the new tooth before it’s properly set. 1700 words of fiction. All the prompts done for Waddy writing half marathon. And some booklet covers. Spoke to Mam and Ernie and on the phone. Listened to Depeche Mode, The Cure and Juliana Hatfield. Shook my head at chief bumbler on Newsnight. It’s freezing cold and my feet are numb. No physical exercise at home but a lot of walking today. 11.17pm.
Tuesday 23rd November 2021
Out to Waddy quite early. Enough time to get the writing marathon books made up and some pamphlet covers printed for Ivy Hudson. I got out to Ryman’s for more stock. Spotted some ace bargain books in The Works: paperback copies of Resistance by Tori Amos published last year, now only two quid; an Alan Davies memoir for three quid. Half marathon session went well this afternoon. Got through nine or ten prompts. Some pieces will go in NaNoWriMo. Another 1700 words tonight. I’ll be really pleased when the next week is over. There is absolutely no way I would call the results of my daily efforts anything remotely like a novel. I’ve had curry and potatoes; I’ve had cucumber and salmon paste sandwiches, some bananas and carrot cake. Watched a Jeff Lenosky bike training video. Wish I went to bed early. Last night was freezing. More layers needed.11.35pm.
Wednesday 23rd November 2021
Woke about six but didn’t do my scribbles till half seven. Read the second half of Summerwater by Sarah Moss, but it didn’t do much for me. It was basically a short story about a fire at a party on a campsite, preceded by a bunch of mostly unconnected family portraits on the same campsite but no real plot. I thought it was just me being a bit slow but after reading some reviews online I found that others were a bit disappointed and felt cheated by the blurbs for the novel as well. I took it back to the library then bought some sweet mince pies and a bottle of apple and blackcurrant squash. Back home, I made up some more Waddy booklets and keyed in the next load of words. By next week I will have my fifty thousand but it’s all very disjointed. I will return to prose poems and journals soon after. I am going to bed early so I can be out the house at half past six tomorrow to get more Ivy Hudson pamphlets printed. I also have an interview in Chester le Street. Then I might go to Newcastle. 9.40pm.
Thursday 25th November 2021
Awake at half four. Morning pages at five. Up at half past. Breakfast, washed, dressed and out by half six. Colder in Consett bus station than outside. A woman on the X15 talked incessantly and projected down the whole bus. She said she could earn a lot of money doing shifts on wards in Shotley Bridge. She got off at the University Hospital and didn’t wear a mask. I got the booklet pages done for Ivy then prepped up on my notes for this afternoon’s meeting. It went well. I answered questions and did a ten-minute gig set. I bought a new woolly hat and some microwave steam bags in Boyes then got the bus to Gateshead. Good to sit with Jenni and have some soup. Stayed till just after half seven then three buses back to base. Approximately 1700 words of fiction. Really tired now and the temperature is down to four degrees. My feet are cold. I’m looking forward to being in bed for a big sleep. Lots to type tomorrow. 11.17pm.
Friday 26th November 2021
I rattled through my typing today so I could leave tonight for a weekend with Jenni but news reports started coming in about a red weather warning meaning a threat to life and a possibility of 90mph winds from Scotland down to the North East and police strongly advising people not to go out unless absolutely necessary. Jen said, feck it, not worth the risk, so I’m still at home. I watched an Ali Clarkson Q&A about biketrial and a recovery update from Katie Kookaburra after her recent road crash. Then a Colin Wilson interview followed by a talk by Gary Lachman about Wilson. My feet are numb and my ears raging with tinnitus. I think by ten o’clock I should have been in bed. Maybe I can sleep through the worst weather in a long while and wake to something better. Or I could watch a Gary Lachman interview about his journey from playing bass for Blondie to writing about Carl Jung, Wilson, Crowley, etc. 10.21pm.
Saturday 27th November 2021
Slept quite well. Didn’t hear much of the commotion from the weather and no damage to my place but unfortunately lots of wreckage elsewhere. I did some words for NaNoWriMo then got ready to go to Newcastle. Checked out a load of good horror stories and music biographies in Waterstones then over to Jen’s with a few food supplies. Three Queen programmes on BBC2 tonight including a new documentary about Freddie’s final act. Very moving stuff. The 1975 Hammersmith gig is a classic. 10.40pm.
Sunday 28th November 2021
Up around nine. Did some decent morning pages then chatted with Jenni. We watched a band called The Dead South, who are a bluegrass outfit from Saskatchewan, then a bunch of brilliant covers by Hayseed Dixie with ridiculous videos. Also enjoyed their more serious approach to We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister. Then we watched Tick, Tick, Boom. Jenni got a bit emotional afterwards. We watched an ace Victoria Wood documentary as well. Obnoxious idiots on the bus didn’t get off until Chopwell. Back home, I’m all wrapped up for bed. 11.13pm.
Monday 29th November 2021
Got a lesson plan sorted and a lot of NaNoWriMo typed up. I have produced my fifty thousand words of nonsense but still have two thousand to key into the computer. Really fucking cold today. Mainly typing and eating. Some doctor on Newsnight says mask-wearing is ‘covid theatre’. I wear one for hours and hours on Tuesdays and by Wednesday I think I’ve got covid. By Thursday I’m usually fine again. My feet are numb. I’m going to reheat my hot water bottle and find some supper. Jenni has been in touch with good vibes about musicals and writing. Pleased she is feeling better. 11.35pm.
Tuesday 30th November 2021
Much warmer in bed last night. Pleased to get a good flow in the morning pages. I like a coherent essay. I’ll do a book of those pieces sometime. Had to rush a bit to get out for the bus to Waddy. The college paid me, so I was able to top up funds for the electricity bill and TV licence fee. I got a couple of paperbacks at The Works and some food at Tesco. Enjoyed the Dilation of a Moment in Time pieces from the Waddy Writers today. Only a week of this term left. I keyed in the final words for NaNoWriMo. It’s not a novel by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn’t even have a proper plot yet. And it’s definitely not literary fiction. Just a lot of nasty people doing despicable things to satisfy their own greed and bloodlust. Fucking awful really. Will probably be easier to rewrite the whole thing from scratch than trying to shuffle and shape the current pieces. I picked up The Treatment by Mo Hayder from Consett library today. Want to read that next. But tomorrow I will mainly be doing the blog post and bits of admin. Hope I can go the distance again. 11.36pm.
Super mild weather again for the time of year. Out without a hat for most of my pursuits. At Waddy early to get the new anthology printed. Would have liked to stay to assemble copies in the Centre – but if I didn’t finish, I’d need to carry the remainder with me to Newcastle tonight. I just brought everything home after working on the display prints this afternoon. Half my NaNoWriMo was done on the bus today. This evening I finally got to give Olya Bowers her copy of Anomalies that was made over eighteen months ago. It was good to see her perform at Born Lippy. Particularly enjoyed her poem about staying in a U.S. County jail. The mini slam was good. Enjoyable mix of poetry and comedy. Lauren Stone’s comedy set was ace. Really dry, with some great mundane elements, well delivered. Reminded me of James Wilkinson crossed with Robert Smith of The Cure. Don Jenkins did a good licence to kill with a quill rap over bass beats. Good to see a full set from Ralph Dartford. Loved his poor middle class and Joni Mitchell poems. I watched the rap musicians for about twenty minutes but had to get away for the bus. You never know if one will turn up these days. I have a headache. Been up too long. Hope there is decent sunlight tomorrow for bookmaking. 10.49pm.
Thursday 11th November 2021
Morning Pages. Folded, stapled and trimmed the Waddy anthology. Keyed in pages and did about 2000 words for NaNoWriMo. Some good, some bad. Enjoyed my stewed steak and vegetables and listening to TV Smith. 10.41pm.
Friday 12th November 2021
Morning pages. Breakfast. Bag packed. Shaved, changed and out for the bus to Consett. Paid a cheque into the bank, got cash out. Bus to Durham. Put the books on display and went for a lunch bag. Talked to the poets. Watched the music group. Enjoyed it. Particularly covers of All Apologies and Just Can’t Get Enough. Waddy Writers did about three quarters of an hour. We read most of the booklet. Then staff read their group acrostic and introduced an open mic section, featuring poems from previous Waddy anthologies. Took part in a bit of relaxation and wellbeing. Missed my bus stop in Moorside. Had pasta and chips for tea. Did 1700 words of fiction. Got the nine o’clock bus to Consett then over to Gateshead. Tesco. Chicken and mushroom slice. Then Jen’s place. Old Corrie. Fig rolls. OK. 11.30pm.
Saturday 13th November 2021
Up quite early to do pages and NaNoWriMo. Watched TV with Jenni. One Foot in the Grave and Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Jenni got us mega pizza and chips for tea and supper. Watched gameshows and Johnathan Ross. 10.29pm.
Sunday 14th November 2021
Watched two episodes of Columbo this afternoon. Walked into Gateshead with Jenni for supplies. Ravioli on toast for tea. Watched some YouTube music clips. Then went to see Dear Evan Hanson at Vue Cinema in Gateshead. Good story. Nice balance of songs and acting. Enjoyed it. Now on a 47 bus to Consett. Someone has spilt popcorn on the back seats, I have more words to write for NaNoWriMo before tomorrow. 10.24pm.
Monday 15th November 2021
Morning Pages and NaNoWriMo quota. Good of Helen Steadman to send me the link to a New Yorker article about the life and journals of Bennington Classics Professor, Claude Fredericks. It was good to hear some music by Utopian Front and Teeth of the Sea. Their atmospheric instrumentals would be good to play whilst writing fiction. Got an email saying the adaptor plate for my chain ring bash guard has been despatched, so it could be fitted by the weekend. 11.14pm.
Tuesday 16th November 2021
The adapter for my bike’s bash guard arrived this morning so I can now get it fitted to the Sonder Frontier. Been waiting for this little piece of metal for about six weeks. Fingers crossed Sean from Bits 4 Bikes can do it tomorrow or Thursday. I would like to get a ride in before the weekend if possible. I’ve totally slipped off the fitness wagon due to working on stuff for Waddy and NaNoWriMo and being away from home quite a bit of the time. Today’s session went well. One of the writers wrote an amazing piece of fiction prompted by the first page of Hubert Selby Junior’s LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN. I listened to Emilie Autumn’s new cover version of Iggy Pop’s The Passenger tonight. Also, some tracks by musical project Witch of the Vale who are supporting The Birthday Massacre at Newcastle Cluny next year. Only three more Waddy sessions this year. More work elsewhere in the pipeline. 11.26pm.
Wednesday 17th November 2021
Read the opening chapters of Summerwater by Sarah Moss. I’ve had a stotting headache this evening. I’ll be glad when NaNoWriMo is over. I really want a couple of days off. Hope I sleep better tonight. Need more reading time and less at the computer. 11.25pm.
Thursday 18th November 2021
Picked up my bike from the shop. Bash guard hardly visible behind the chainring. Hopefully I won’t have to use it much. Tonight, I watched some Toyah stuff and chatted online with Jenni. My wrists are cramping up from too much typing. I want to read Bukowski and eat cakes. 11.19pm.
Friday 19th November 2021
Enjoyed my bike ride this afternoon, despite falling off twice. Lodged my front wheel in a rut obscured by leaves and went over the bars. Then did similar over a log. But otherwise, a good ride. Got onto some ledges. Having the bash guard gave me confidence and I did three obstacle clearances in a row without the guard clipping the rock. I’m a bit achy from the falls but feel okay. Just went a bit too gung ho. Talked to brother Mark on the phone. He’s bought another trials bike for spares. Got my 1700 words down. I’m not expecting a coherent narrative out of the scrawl. Don’t care. Watched more trials videos tonight, including a repeat viewing of Ali Clarkson entering a natural outdoor trials competition on his full suspension mountain bike. Listened to Witch of the Vale and watched a bit of Behemoth. Think I need an early night. 10.20pm.
Saturday 20th November 2021
Got my pages and journals typed up. Watched a Lachman interview about Colin Wilson, ordered one of Lachman’s books from the library. Also, a novel The Treatment by Mo Hayder. Wrote 1700 words. Watched some biketrial technique videos online. Ate lots of chocolate. Almost got through a full loaf of multi-seed in two days. Read bits and pieces of books online. Struggled to read Summerwater. Not keen on the interior monologue displaced to third person. Similar to my recent attempts, so that’s me screwed. 11.36pm.
Sunday 21st November 2021
Wanted to bike but too much to do at home. Got all my work log and gratitude journal copied up from back end of last month. Washed some clothes in the sink. Got some prompts that might go in the next writing half marathon. Did approximately another 1700 words towards NaNoWriMo using prompts. I watched An Audience with Adele on my computer but didn’t get through a single song without buffering. Stupid broadband. Might read a bit of Summerwater in bed. It’s getting rather cold now. Hope the week ahead isn’t stressful. 10.20pm.
Monday 22nd November 2021
Canny day. Pleased to get sorted by the dentist. Had porridge, mushroom soup, chicken mayonnaise sandwich and clear sparkling lemon and lime water so as not to stain the new tooth before it’s properly set. 1700 words of fiction. All the prompts done for Waddy writing half marathon. And some booklet covers. Spoke to Mam and Ernie and on the phone. Listened to Depeche Mode, The Cure and Juliana Hatfield. Shook my head at chief bumbler on Newsnight. It’s freezing cold and my feet are numb. No physical exercise at home but a lot of walking today. 11.17pm.
Tuesday 23rd November 2021
Out to Waddy quite early. Enough time to get the writing marathon books made up and some pamphlet covers printed for Ivy Hudson. I got out to Ryman’s for more stock. Spotted some ace bargain books in The Works: paperback copies of Resistance by Tori Amos published last year, now only two quid; an Alan Davies memoir for three quid. Half marathon session went well this afternoon. Got through nine or ten prompts. Some pieces will go in NaNoWriMo. Another 1700 words tonight. I’ll be really pleased when the next week is over. There is absolutely no way I would call the results of my daily efforts anything remotely like a novel. I’ve had curry and potatoes; I’ve had cucumber and salmon paste sandwiches, some bananas and carrot cake. Watched a Jeff Lenosky bike training video. Wish I went to bed early. Last night was freezing. More layers needed.11.35pm.
Wednesday 23rd November 2021
Woke about six but didn’t do my scribbles till half seven. Read the second half of Summerwater by Sarah Moss, but it didn’t do much for me. It was basically a short story about a fire at a party on a campsite, preceded by a bunch of mostly unconnected family portraits on the same campsite but no real plot. I thought it was just me being a bit slow but after reading some reviews online I found that others were a bit disappointed and felt cheated by the blurbs for the novel as well. I took it back to the library then bought some sweet mince pies and a bottle of apple and blackcurrant squash. Back home, I made up some more Waddy booklets and keyed in the next load of words. By next week I will have my fifty thousand but it’s all very disjointed. I will return to prose poems and journals soon after. I am going to bed early so I can be out the house at half past six tomorrow to get more Ivy Hudson pamphlets printed. I also have an interview in Chester le Street. Then I might go to Newcastle. 9.40pm.
Thursday 25th November 2021
Awake at half four. Morning pages at five. Up at half past. Breakfast, washed, dressed and out by half six. Colder in Consett bus station than outside. A woman on the X15 talked incessantly and projected down the whole bus. She said she could earn a lot of money doing shifts on wards in Shotley Bridge. She got off at the University Hospital and didn’t wear a mask. I got the booklet pages done for Ivy then prepped up on my notes for this afternoon’s meeting. It went well. I answered questions and did a ten-minute gig set. I bought a new woolly hat and some microwave steam bags in Boyes then got the bus to Gateshead. Good to sit with Jenni and have some soup. Stayed till just after half seven then three buses back to base. Approximately 1700 words of fiction. Really tired now and the temperature is down to four degrees. My feet are cold. I’m looking forward to being in bed for a big sleep. Lots to type tomorrow. 11.17pm.
Friday 26th November 2021
I rattled through my typing today so I could leave tonight for a weekend with Jenni but news reports started coming in about a red weather warning meaning a threat to life and a possibility of 90mph winds from Scotland down to the North East and police strongly advising people not to go out unless absolutely necessary. Jen said, feck it, not worth the risk, so I’m still at home. I watched an Ali Clarkson Q&A about biketrial and a recovery update from Katie Kookaburra after her recent road crash. Then a Colin Wilson interview followed by a talk by Gary Lachman about Wilson. My feet are numb and my ears raging with tinnitus. I think by ten o’clock I should have been in bed. Maybe I can sleep through the worst weather in a long while and wake to something better. Or I could watch a Gary Lachman interview about his journey from playing bass for Blondie to writing about Carl Jung, Wilson, Crowley, etc. 10.21pm.
Saturday 27th November 2021
Slept quite well. Didn’t hear much of the commotion from the weather and no damage to my place but unfortunately lots of wreckage elsewhere. I did some words for NaNoWriMo then got ready to go to Newcastle. Checked out a load of good horror stories and music biographies in Waterstones then over to Jen’s with a few food supplies. Three Queen programmes on BBC2 tonight including a new documentary about Freddie’s final act. Very moving stuff. The 1975 Hammersmith gig is a classic. 10.40pm.
Sunday 28th November 2021
Up around nine. Did some decent morning pages then chatted with Jenni. We watched a band called The Dead South, who are a bluegrass outfit from Saskatchewan, then a bunch of brilliant covers by Hayseed Dixie with ridiculous videos. Also enjoyed their more serious approach to We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister. Then we watched Tick, Tick, Boom. Jenni got a bit emotional afterwards. We watched an ace Victoria Wood documentary as well. Obnoxious idiots on the bus didn’t get off until Chopwell. Back home, I’m all wrapped up for bed. 11.13pm.
Monday 29th November 2021
Got a lesson plan sorted and a lot of NaNoWriMo typed up. I have produced my fifty thousand words of nonsense but still have two thousand to key into the computer. Really fucking cold today. Mainly typing and eating. Some doctor on Newsnight says mask-wearing is ‘covid theatre’. I wear one for hours and hours on Tuesdays and by Wednesday I think I’ve got covid. By Thursday I’m usually fine again. My feet are numb. I’m going to reheat my hot water bottle and find some supper. Jenni has been in touch with good vibes about musicals and writing. Pleased she is feeling better. 11.35pm.
Tuesday 30th November 2021
Much warmer in bed last night. Pleased to get a good flow in the morning pages. I like a coherent essay. I’ll do a book of those pieces sometime. Had to rush a bit to get out for the bus to Waddy. The college paid me, so I was able to top up funds for the electricity bill and TV licence fee. I got a couple of paperbacks at The Works and some food at Tesco. Enjoyed the Dilation of a Moment in Time pieces from the Waddy Writers today. Only a week of this term left. I keyed in the final words for NaNoWriMo. It’s not a novel by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn’t even have a proper plot yet. And it’s definitely not literary fiction. Just a lot of nasty people doing despicable things to satisfy their own greed and bloodlust. Fucking awful really. Will probably be easier to rewrite the whole thing from scratch than trying to shuffle and shape the current pieces. I picked up The Treatment by Mo Hayder from Consett library today. Want to read that next. But tomorrow I will mainly be doing the blog post and bits of admin. Hope I can go the distance again. 11.36pm.
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