work – of words & books

In June, I quit my job. It wasn’t to write full time. If the last month is anything to go by, that would be a truly terrible idea.

(It appears that I can write best by having something called ‘a structure’. Ew. Take it back.)

I did take some time to complete the publishing of A Most Irregular Prophecy which was useful. Immediately afterwards, I was bitten by a writing bug – the symptoms of which were: has ideas, cannot write. Entirely useless. Utterly vile.

And this month, I’ve been caught in the midst of a job hunt. I’m weighing up my options. Here are a few that are definitely on the table …

AN OFFSHORE OIL RIG

I have watched precisely (1) movie and read (1) romance book that is either set on an oil rig that explodes or has a main character who works on one. That being said, I really think I absorbed enough crucial information to know that I could most definitely be brilliant in this line of work.

Would I worry about its potential detrimental affect on the environment? Yes. Do I have the upper body strength of a limp noodle? Also – yes. Do you see these answers?! So positive. My future is bright.

SATURATION DIVING

I’ve watched a documentary about this (Last Breath on Netflix). Boom. Sorted. I’d be fine. One hundred percent. I’d be a thriving diplodocus.

(Would I be terrified? Yes. Would I get over this fear? Yes! Do I have any experience with diving? … No. Is the documentary about a close brush with death? Yes. Yes, it is.)

(Also – mild digression – it’s a very interesting documentary. I’d highly recommend it.)

ASTRONAUT

I was contemplating offering my services as an astronaut when I saw that the UK Government had this on their website regarding a potential career:

How appalling. Haven’t they learned to beam yet? One would expect to be able to beam home from space for the weekends. Disgusting. The state of the world.

I’m reconsidering. Seriously reconsidering. Yes, yes, I am. I will refuse to complete my (multiple) PhDs that I am most definitely doing. In astrophysics. And … astrology. No. Wait. Astronomy. That’s the one.

(I read a book about eclipses once and also enjoy staring at the night sky, valiantly discerning the difference between airplanes and stars. I feel as though this qualifies me for a great many fields.)

It is quite fortunate, I think, that I love to read books – through their pages, you can live a thousand lives and walk in many different shoes. In the meantime, the job hunt continues. Next up? A job on an Ocean Liner. Massive boats that have nice big names. Like The Ginormous. The Colossal. Or … the Titanic? Ah yes. That could work. Lovely ring to it.

ness writes about writing

unicorn poop, early mornings, and the grey wolf: a routine(ish)

June 8, 2019July 20, 2021 nesskingsley

I’m trying to establish a routine. This is the first week I have implemented Operation Get More Sleep and Write and Read as Much as Possible. (OGMSWRMP for short.)

(I pick the best Operation names)

Here’s the bare bones of it: Get up at 5:15-20ish, devotions, write for ten – twenty minutes, go to work. When I get home, do some exercise, practice my violin and do more writing. Read. Sleep. Wake up. Repeat.

(And have a semi-social life as well. But that’s not the focus of this post.)

Join me?

Monday

5:15 am: Rejoice with me! I actually got up and blearily read my Bible and wrote! True. The words were probably not worth much but I wrote!! This was good news indeed.

Also, I flossed. Am a total adult.

Afternoon: When I returned from work, Mum and I had a walk in the park. Picture two ladies from a Heyer or Austen novel ambling arm in arm across rolling green hills lined with trees with a river grandly running at the bottom.

That was us. In a way.

Evening: Practiced the violin. It didn’t totally suck. VICTORY IS MINE! Managed to write 1,000 words in Project If.

Retired to bed (isn’t that a grand sentence?!) with a pile of books.

Tuesday

“I don’t know how I’ve stood it. It’s been hard over the years. Believe me, I was sorry at first for you – crying in a ball and snivelling like a toddler, as you were when you first got here – but then you passed the Test and I was vomiting eleven times out of ten. It was a hard time for me. Very difficult.”
Project Unicorn poop

Rinse and repeat. No stroll though as the heavens had decided to weep all over us. Had a lengthy chat with an uncle and aunt about books and how the world needed more kindness, caring, graciousness, and compassion.

Played the violin. It partially sucked. Wrote 1,000 words – took me a long time and a ramble through youtube to get to it so I wish I had written a bit more.

Retreated to bed with books. Perhaps I should write Project If instead of Project Unicorn Poop in the morning?

Wednesday

i finished reading this book and kept it propped up next to my screen. it was very encouraging. and apt.

Rinse and repeat – except for the fact that I had a crazy dream where every element from my life was jumbled together in the most bizarre brain trip ever.

We should have done the Grey Wolf said a co-worker and in my dream I thought: my gosh. this makes SENSE!

Woke up. Wrote 450 words. A paragraph was just awful. I’m not sure how I did it but it was the worst.

No stroll this afternoon, but I was forced to sit still for a little while, so watched a movie to pass the time. Pillow Talk has SO MUCH INNUENDO HONEST TO GOODNESS. Doris Day! I thought you were in innocent movies!!

Edited Project If and snatched some Out of Character behaviour from someone and plopped it into the lap of someone else.

Also, poor Marius is just having the worst day. Week. Month. Year. Poor soul.

Thursday

I think I’m writing too much about unicorn poop <- my crisis from this morning. But there’s so much to talk about! Who knew?!

Home. And writing – had to write a really big chapter in Project If. I’m not certain that I did it correctly but … it’s Draft One. All things can be forgiven in Draft One.

INCLUDING RUINING THE WHOLE DANG PROJECT. GOOD ONE, NESS!

It was the stooped man who held his fist as if it hurt, eyeing him as a butcher does a carcass – wondering where to cut first.
PROJECT IF

I’m reading ‘stooped’ as ‘stoopid’ as in ‘stupid’. SO THAT MAKES THAT LINE REALLY GREAT, DOESN’T IT NOW????!

Friday

Wrote in Project Unicorn Poop. It’s either utter rubbish or probably the best thing ever. I’m not sure which one … but I’ll take it.

I’m pretty sure I had something incredibly insightful to say here but … nope. It’s gone. OH WAIT! I remember. I played my violin. Someone else played their guitar downstairs. I realised that while the guitar was hitting actual-in-tune-notes … I was not. My violin was quietly put away.

(I knew it was insightful!)

(And has nothing to do with this post.)

Also, Project If is proving to be moving faster than the chapter plans for it. I’ll be lucky if I can reach 60,000 words for it. And all because I forgot to add a really important element of the story … oh well, Draft Two’s going to have so much work to do. If Draft One is a shrimp, Draft Two’s going to be a blue whale.

Conclusion

Books Finished: Two. (They were small – Steal Like an Artist and Keep Going by Austin Kleon)

Project If: 4332 words written and a chapter lightly dusted with editing.

Project Unicorn Poop: 2048 words written. Still bewildered, bemused, and amused that I’m writing it.

Amount of Sleep: Between six to seven hours each night. Wayyy up from last week which averaged at five or less.

I wish I’d written more but …I’ve written more in this one week than I’ve written for a while. I’ll count this as a success!

Have a great weekend!

ness talks about life

an interview with me, myself, and i

September 5, 2018 nesskingsley

Just under five years ago, I started this blog – moving over from good old blogger. And in all this time, I don’t think I’ve ever done a ‘who on earth is this other random-stranger-with-a-blog?’ blog post. So. Here it is. Five years too late and answering all the burning questions I’m sure ~~no one~~ everyone has been dying to ask.

– WHO ARE YOU? –

I’m English. I like to write (but by gosh, in these last two years there’s barely been a single bleep on the ‘YAY I COMPLETED A NOVEL’ radar. Life is rough.) I am a bookworm – you may have noticed.

Puns are my favourite form of joke. I enjoy finding humour in the ridiculous. I am beyond awful at escape rooms.

I’m in my twenties. Once upon a time I thought fifteen was olllldddd. Haha. (It’s not.)

I dyed my hair red, but am growing it out back to my usual brunette locks. Man, it’s going to look weird for the next couple of months.

– WHY ‘OF WORDS AND BOOKS’? –

Because I’ve tried everything – puns, seriousness. And then I thought … this blog is about books, and words. Because words cover everything else; thoughts? Words. Life things? Words. Rambling about tea? Words. Bookworm things? MOAR WORDS! Podcasts? SPOKEN WORDS!!

With a blog title like that, I’ve got all my bases covered.

– WHERE DO YOU WORK? –

I wanted to work in a morgue, but my mother thought it would be too morbid (say WHHAAAAATTT?!) Right now, I’ve got a temp job in an office. I’m enjoying it.

Unfortunately, I have not been hired to be a dragon-slayer, a super spy, or a MAGNIFICENT peacock trainer. This is a tragedy.

– ARE YOU SINGLE? –

I’ve yet to meet a Radcliffe Emerson, Batman, Robin Hood, Tarzan, or an ex-SAS officer with a kind heart, a limp, and an eyepatch. It’s very sad. (Apparently, fictional men shouldn’t be your standards for life partners but … pfft.)

Though it would be nice to have someone of my very own, I’m quite happy just being me.

– WHAT ARE YOU PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? –

Lord willing, later this month I shall be leaving the country for three months to teach English in Moldova.

Writing wise … I’ve come to terms with the fact that while I may never be a full-time-professional-and-churning-out-books writer, I will always be a writer. And so, through the years, I’ll be writing here, there, and everywhere. A little right now, a lot soon, nothing after that, and then quite a bit just beyond that.

I have a lot of projects on the go, and I hope to finish them all. But perhaps not all at once.

– WHY DON’T YOU POST ON SERIOUS SUBJECTS? –

Um, are you saying books and Heyer aren’t SERIOUS?!

Ah-hem.

It’s not that I don’t care (I do), it’s just that this isn’t always the place for it. And sure, one day I may ramble about how bloodletting was an ignorant, illogical, and awful practice and ugh! just WHY?!!!! (I get why they thought it was THE THING but at the same time … logic. why. wuyyy.)

(I have a medical book I’m reading through.)

(You’re probably going to hear about it one day. In, like, forty-seven years!)

And- actually. Come to think of it, that isn’t quite the ‘serious subject’ I had in mind. The depressing ones, the dark ones, the ones that make me look about the world and wonder at the state of society and of mankind and just – those ones. Those I feel ill-equipped to write about. But maybe one day. But not yet, and not here.

And besides, sometimes – just sometimes – it’s nice to have a little corner of the web that isn’t doom and gloom and the darker side of reality.

– PLEASE, DO SUM UP –

I’m a bookworm. I love stories and adventures and long romantic walks on the beach. I am a Christian. I believe that love conquers all. I am not cheesy in the least.

Thank you for reading my blog

books

how to bookworm when you’re busy

August 25, 2017 nesskingsley

Recently, it’s been taking me much longer to finish a book. I’m claiming ‘Being Busy’ as my reason. However, I am still reading. And here’s how.

OLD FAVOURITES

I may not be finishing new books, but I am reading scenes and passages and chapters from some old favourites. And yes, this isn’t adding any extra stats to my goodreads account, but I don’t mind. I find it comforting, and enjoy revisiting past adventures.

Image result for reading gif tumblr

DON’T BE NEKKED

Out to the dentist? Take a book. Working? You have a lunch break. Take a book. Traveling? Take a book. Take THREE books! (No. FOUR!)

Quite frankly, without access to a book, I feel rather naked. I don’t like feeling naked in public. So I take a book. Logic.

(This advice is followed by: and then read the book you brought with you.)

Image result for reading gif tumblr

PFFT. WHO NEEDS SLEEP?

Sleep is important. Very important. Don’t skimp on it. Or read. That’s good too. In my experience, the two don’t go together very well.

It’s like an equation:

Read a lot = sleep little.

Sleep a lot = read little.

As a bookworm, I’ve read into the wee hours countless times. I’m not too proud of it – I wouldn’t have to wear so much concealer if I got a proper eight-hour hibernation session in. But, what can you do? Sacrifices have to be made.

… and I’ve been making them since I was a wee teen and read G A Henty into the small hours. Followed by countless other books, including the Patty Series? (I can’t remember. It’s been awhile and there was a love triangle and she chose Bill. I approved. But then there was a paragraph where she regretted her choice. Bam! Such betrayal. Pfft, Bill. You could have done better. Me, for instance.)

It’s a habit. A bad one. But when you’re gripped by a book, what’s to be done? Go to sleep? No. Nope. You have to finish it. Or at least, you have to try.

Image result for determined gif

(There’s a balance somewhere; I’m attempting to find it.)

To read more, you have to make time for it. But I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how much reading you can fit in. Even when you’re busy. Take a book. Don’t be naked.

Happy reading!

ness rambles, ness talks about life

THINGS. ALL THE THINGS.

June 27, 2017June 27, 2017 nesskingsley

I haven’t posted for a while. BUT I HAVE MY REASONS. In the last few weeks of non-posting, I’ve:

worked
gone to London
seen Wonder Woman

DISCHUFFED WITH WORK

I’m using the word ‘dischuffed’ from now on. Recently at work, a darling Joanna Lumley lookalike used it, and I’m in love. That is all. (And I’m not dischuffed with work; I just wanted to fit the word in somewhere.)

As September looms and an uncertain certain future shines, not on the horizon, but straight into my eyes. (IT BURNS!) I’ve been taking as many shifts as work can throw at me. Consequently, it’s hard to find time to do things. When you get home from a long shift, you don’t think:

MY GOSH LET ME HAVE MOOOOORE THINGS TO DO RIGHT THIS MOMENT!

You want to wind down. You want to relax. You don’t want to plunge into other things. AND THAT’S MY EXCUSE. And I’m sticking to it.

onthetrain

I GO TO LONDON. BECOME METROPOLITAN. TRY TO BREAK INTO M&S.

I travelled down to London via train. I’ve learned a lot about trains since my first solo trip on one – apparently, it’s not enough to get the right platform, you also have to wait for the right train. All trains arriving at platform 6A, for example will not go to the same place. This was quite the surprise.

In London, I …

worked out how to navigate the Underground (occasionally by accident)
found Grosvenor Square (definitely by accident)
did not locate any Heyer heroes (a grave disappointment)
was mistaken as a businesswoman by a banker #dubiouslyproud

Also in London, I strode jauntily down Oxford St, a spring to my step. I was a queen in a beautiful flowy dress. I was in London. Red buses were going past. Life was good. I strode up to the steps to M&S (opposite Selfridges? Or was it …?!). I reached the doors. I attempted to open the doors. The doors did not open.

I forgot that there are such things as opening times and slunk off like a shamed hedgehog to the side doors which were suddenly open because I … had arrived at 8:59 and … and then it was 9:00am and … *heavy sigh*

But as a side note, the M&S staff are lovely and I wanted to hug them and squeeze their London out of their cheeks.

atthestation

THE WONDER OF THE WOMAN

One day, I was fed up with scrimping and saving. So, in rebellion against saving sprees, work, and denying myself books (FOUR WEEKS WITHOUT BUYING A BOOK. THIS CANNOT KEEP UP MUCH LONGER!!), I went to watch Wonder Woman. It’s got some epic moments. Some hilarious moments. Some touching moments. I enjoyed it.

BUT I HAVE AN OBJECTION.

The mustache.

It was terrible.

Honestly, I like facial hair. If I was a man, I’d have a glorious, glorious beard. However … the mustache? No. No. A thousand times, no.

Kill it with fire.

TO END

Today is my day off. This is a good thing, for sometimes a bone deep tiredness takes hold; the sort that almost makes you finish a tannoy at work with:

Goooood evening, ladies and gentlemen,

blah blah blah. blah blah blah, blah blah blah.

Thank you for shopping at such and such.

Amen.

Tag: work

what to do: life crisis edition

unicorn poop, early mornings, and the grey wolf: a routine(ish)

an interview with me, myself, and i

how to bookworm when you’re busy

THINGS. ALL THE THINGS.