Life

Yesterday was a write-off. Bags of tiredness (literally under my eyes) and large Nero's lattes do not mix; the net result is a cramping stomach and jaw ache from excess yawning. I blame the stress of having my beloved streetka under investigation at the garage for draining what little reserves of energy I had left. £209 for repairs to the thermostat and water tank thingy. Instead of thinking of all the cool shoes I could buy with that, I'm trying to comfort myself with the knowledge that the ka-keys are back in my possession and I can drive her whenever I want rather than some anonymous hire car, that's a stranger to me.

Writing

Skipped the gym for a few hours to write my debut novel. I have a chapter plan drawn out for the entire novel (I think!), but I also sometimes love indulging in a little edge-of-your-pants writing, to see where things go. Last night was definitely one of those nights where I needed to be wreckless and write whatever the hell I felt like. We met the main characters mum and we learnt a lot more about her background and why she behaves the way she does. My chapter plan is mainly events. Character richness and background seems to flow more naturally when I'm typing away, with the chapter plan flung out of the window and my other half bringing me endless cups of tea between Sky Sports News breaks.

In sum, I was able to bash out ten pages and I got to know my main character a little better - success!

Reading

I completed last weeks read: Who's that Girl, By Alexandra Potter. My other half bought me this as a birthday pressie and I have been impressed with his choice of novel from the best sellers display. The catchy premise is: - Charlotte meets a 10 year younger version of herself, she relishes the opportunity to try and correct some of the mistakes she made when she was younger, but since she's now become a highly strung out 32 year old stresshead, things aren't that simple...

The book got me thinking that if I could visit my 18 year old self, I'd firmly tell her: - 

• It's ok not to have a boyfriend! Really, it's not that essential and being young and single is a laugh. 
• Hold onto good friends - situations change, but keep in touch, that's not a rejection
• Sun-in is a huge mistake, unless you want tarnished ginger hair
• Wonderbras look terrible under t-shirts. Squeezing into a smaller size in order to create a better cleavage doesn't work either. It just looks as though you have four boobs.