So this week, specifically last night, I got the second chapter of my new book finished! I’m up to 7300 words now, which I’m really happy with. Progress for this story is coming a lot quicker and a lot easier than for the first one I started last year. But this time, it’s got a bit of a catch...
It all started last Tuesday. I was having a normal day at home, finishing up my workout and starting to put dinner on. (It was broccoli stir fry!)
All of a sudden, I heard banging. It was so loud that I thought someone was knocking on my own door. I rushed through from the kitchen, but found something else entirely. A man in a balaclava was demanding entrance to somebody’s house across the road. He screamed to be let in, then immediately ran away. I had no idea what was going on, so I shut the blinds and tried to stay quiet.
Hours passed and I was still scared. The middle of the night came, and although I try to go to bed fairly early, around 11pm, that night I was too anxious to sleep. Out of nowhere I heard enraged shouting, but this time, the police arrived soon after. I was glad they were dealing with whatever was going on, and I thought things would go back to normal the next day.
That turned out not to be the case. The next night, just as I was about to go to bed, a shockingly loud crack rang through the silent street. I tried to keep out of sight but I had to know what was going on, and if we were going to be safe. There was a flash of feet running past and though it was over so quickly, I saw one of the men swing a baseball bat, aiming for another man but hitting a car instead.
Terrified to get involved, but more terrified of letting this go on, I called the police immediately. I was exhausted, stressed and desperate to go to bed, but now that I’d phoned, I had to stay up in case they wanted to talk to us. The wait for them to arrive and investigate felt endless, so as a way to distract myself, I tried to work on my book. I didn’t expect to be able to focus, but I actually managed to take my mind off the worrying until the police were finished.
There haven’t been any more incidents like that yet, which I am very thankful for, and the police officers confirmed to us that we weren’t in danger of being targeted, but I still don’t really know what went on, which means I don’t know if it’ll happen again.
As a side effect of this, I’ve been staying up later than usual, feeling like I need to be awake till the times of the other incidents to see if something is happening or not. Each night as I waited anxiously, I worked more on my book. I was pleased with getting some progress done, but it’s now formed into a bit of a routine, and all of my writing inspiration seems to kick in around the middle of the night!
I can’t blame this all on the recent crime issue though. As usual, mindset is a big part of the problem. For some reason, every day, though I go to sleep feeling positive about my ideas, something goes wrong overnight, and when I wake up in the morning I think I’m completely terrible.
I don’t really have a good explanation for this, but it’s severe. I don’t even reread my work in the mornings because every line of it just seems so cringeworthy and painful to look at, and it makes me feel awful about continuing. Sometimes even just looking at a book that my husband is reading in the morning time is enough to make me think ‘Oh, I suck. Why am I even trying?’
Because of this, I stay away from writing until much later in the day. It’s not worth it to ruin one of my ideas just because of my morning moods. Thankfully as time moves into afternoon and beyond, this self loathing melts away, and I go back to feeling good about my ideas again.
Another part of it is probably how tired I am. I tend to be exhausted in the mornings, medium energy levels in the afternoon, but then get a sudden explosive boost in the evening. It’s a rather odd time, and not very convenient, but I guess I have to be happy with what I can get!
Though it might be a bit unusual, certainly at the moment, I can only write at night. Despite that, I feel like I’m actually making more progress than I used to, as I’ve been getting between 500-1000 words every day and have finished 2 chapters in only 2 weeks, which I’m really pleased with! So in the end, if it works, then it works!
Do you have a particular time that you feel comfortable writing at? Or can you get in the zone any time? Either way, as long as it’s working out for you!
Photo Prompt!
So for today’s photo prompt I’ve got a few pictures of a very friendly cat who returned to the garden. He’s adorable, but terrible at climbing, though I always see him teetering around high places. I’m not sure how he gets up there, but he certainly doesn’t like coming back down to ground level. He looked at me for a while and made a face that said ‘Get me down from here!’, so with a bit of a helping hand, we got him down and back into his own garden.
Poem!
Normally everything is quiet here.
I never expected to witness a crime.
Gifting me feelings of terror while
Hiding behind the curtains
Trying to stay out of sight.
The waiting time had to be spent
In between police visits.
My writing provided a welcome distraction.
Ever grateful for creative escapes.
Thanks for reading!
The Worlds Worst Writer (Maybe) 
I always love reading daily life blogs. Surely will try to do same 🥂
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Thank you! : )
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I can’t write until after 4 pm, and like you I swing from cockiness to total despair in the course of each day. But onward we go!
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It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, but at least we get *some* time to feel confident lol! : )
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That sounds like a pretty scary experience. I’m glad you were safe. And what an adorable cat. 💕
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Thank you! Yes it was a bit of a shock because the area is usually a really quiet place. That cat often visits our garden, he’s lovely. : )
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The cat is a cute visitor. I’d be terrified if that happened in my street. I’m glad you’re okay. Sounds so scary. I think you should write when you can and maybe in time you’ll gain more confidence.
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