Although how much longer it will remain the UK is anyone’s guess.
THE DAY
Nice time in Britain. Got some writing done on the plane over and a touch more while there, but we were busy traveling out of London most days (saw Windsor, Winchester, Salisbury, Chartwell, and St. Albans). We only spent two days in London proper; that first day, we stumbled around like zombies (though we did see a fantastic exhibit at the British Museum on two Egyptian cities discovered submerged in the Mediterranean and another glorious exhibit on Scottish painters at the Queen’s Gallery). The other day was a Tuesday where we went to the new Tate (one word: rubbish) and then wandered back across the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul’s. Can you believe that I’ve been to London four or five times and STILL haven’t seen the inside of this cathedral? Well, I didn’t get a chance this time either because the husband had a meeting with the folks of Genome England. So it was off to the Museum of London (nice exhibit on artifacts from Shakespeare’s time) and tea while he did his thing. Then we all met up again, went out for a beer and then dinner where we talked all sorts of things, including Brexit which hadn’t happened yet. The two guys I met thought Brexit didn’t have a prayer; the young woman thought it did–and she turned out to be right. Actually, we left the day of the vote. The cynical part of me thinks, Drat, if I’d stayed a little longer, think of how much more bang I’d have gotten for my buck. But I really think this is a mistake on so very many levels, and if the average Briton thinks he’ll be better off–well, he’s got another thing coming. An economist-friend of mine thinks social programs are going to be hammered.
Coming back wasn’t awful in the time-difference sense, though it was soul-crushing: the heat, the place, the whole package. Setting the house to rights took a day and a half; Sunday, I frittered. Monday, I’d planned to start up on the book again only to be sidetracked by a medical thing. (It’s since turned out to be nothing, but my whole day did get blasted to hell.) So, started in today; had to overcome some major insecurity and a nasty little voice in my head telling me that I’m really no good at writing at all.
WRITING OUT LOUD
Stay Dead (started 5/05; Days 1-4, false start)
Day 1: 1000 Day 23-26: 9450
Day 2: 1200 Day 27: (novella) 2000
Day 3: 1800 Day 28: 2500
Day 4: 1350 Day 29-32: 8850
Day 5: 1000 Day 33: 3400
Day 6: 2000 LONDON HIATUS (13 days)
Day 7-10: ~4500 Day 34: 3000
Day 11-12: ~5000
Day 13: 1600
Day 14: 2300
Day 15-17: 4450
Day 18-19: 4500
Day 20-22: 5220
Blog Post: 800
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What I’m Watching:
Here, I’d gone to all this trouble and downloaded a bunch of WHO only to end up watching in-flight movies. Saw 10 Cloverfield Lane which was FABULOUS on the way out (the rest of the time I wrote and read.
On the flight back, saw 13 Hours, which was surprisingly effective despite the jingoism. Also watched The 33 which was also pretty good.
Now that I’m back, I’ve finished Humans (excellent) and watched the pilot for The Last Tycoon. Of all the Amazon pilots, it was the only one that grabbed me; it’s a Fitzgerald book I’ve not read and pretty interesting. Let’s hope they make a series out of it.
Also catching up on Motive. I think there’s one more episode to go for this season.
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What I’m Reading:
Got about two-thirds of the way through End of Watch, and I’m sorry, but I’m so flipping bored I can’t continue. I thought Finders Keepers was only so-so and frankly, the Bill Hodges character didn’t need to be in the mix at all; he was an afterthought. EoW is just flat-out boring, predictable, and repetitive, and I’m like…King, I KNOW you can do better than this. So I put the book aside and picked up another few books in London.
Finished Peter James’s The House on Cold Hill which was . . . fitfully entertaining. I thought the book was mostly filler (honestly, did it matter what the guy listened to on the radio or had for lunch–over and over again?), with the only page-turning parts coming at the very end (which I also saw coming a mile away). Still, not horrible and I didn’t chuck the book.
Also started The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. It’s . . . okay. Not horrible, not great. It’s interesting enough that I’ll stick with it awhile and see. Also started it on audio to speed things up a bit.
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What I’m Listening to:
As above, The Shining Girls but also Extreme Prey, though I put it aside to dive into SGs (though not because it’s bad; it’s just that the subject matter isn’t close enough to what I’m writing that I want to risk messing up my head).
Quote:
“a nasty little voice in my head telling me that I’m really no good at writing at all”.
I’m sure you don’t mean it :). Well, I’m sure it’s “simply” one of those moments that everyone has to go through sometimes, whatever their trade. But just in case you mean it…always remember how high you were able to set the bar with the DP duology. How complex that world was, and how masterfully you weaved all those stories together, and how the whole thing was not a mere exercise in style, but a breathing, living thing. You are not the one who should lack confidence in her writing ;).