Reading:

Slowly getting there with my reading. I have started forming my review to post tomorrow and I have until then to finish reading Voices on the waves. I also pulled out Glory in Death [?] by J.D.Robb to get stuck into again. I am hoping it might get me out of this slump I am in to read something a little more intense, and I am avoiding reading the Van Allen Legacy at current because it is so slow to read with my current mood.

However I did get excited and get a little kick out of choosing some books I plan on reading soon, or in the future anyways. I also decided to film a book topic and what I want to read video for my youtube channel, which I hope to have up tomorrow.

Writing:

Let me tell you when I get an idea in my head I usually cannot sleep until I follow through with it, but this idea to rewrite my first novel ‘The Apparition Man’ has been going around in my head going on three years now. I have tried countless attempts and It suddenly occurred to me, with the help of my partner and my writing group that I have to take the skeleton of what I do know about the story and keep it in the background to completely rewrite my story from scratch.

This realisation is a revelation and something so freeing that when I pulled out the old brown paper and colour markers I knew once I had finished laying everything out and putting the past to the side [or hopefully in a cardboard box for the garage] I could look at my baby with new eyes when I was ready and begin something fresh with the characters I loved so very much.

I did this by mind mapping. I put the title in the middle, then the characters names on either side. Also in the middle I put the links between the two. Such as, the car accident, the jetty scene and the rehabilitation clinic that they both go too. For a novel this complex, that deals with parallel universes and sci-fi & paranormal themes it is important for me to get the basics down so I know where to go with it.

The outcome of 20 minutes was an achievement I have been striving for and failing to do for three years. Here is my mind map, where events over the four parts of the book I have written so far for the novel are dot pointed. It surprised me that there was so little when it came to actual plot points, but I know I will fill them in and continue the journey of writing once I begin.

For now it is enough to know I have made progress.

Home Made Cooking:

Tonight I decided to make good old Potato Bake. I used a sachet of potatoes bake sauce [Any brand will do] and then I followed the basic recipe for potato bake. Only I used onion and diced bacon as well in the middle of the potatoes and the sauce to give it some extra flavour. I topped it with tasty cheese and yum yum Iooks tasty doesn’t it.

You could alternatively use this recipe: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Easy-Potato-Bake-L160.html

Crafting:

I have been taking a somewhat break from actual crafting itself and have spent most of today waiting on my favorite youtube channels to submit more videos [thus procrastinating] however early morning [like 3 am] I finished a layout with a photo I took at random and I am pretty happy with it. I think I ruined it with the arrow stamps, but it was an experimentation layout with masking tape and some form of crackle pain oh and the messy freaking embossing powder. [NEVER AGAIN]