Monday 28 November 2011

Gastroscopy

Recently I had a gastroscopy (a camera down into your stomach) to investigate the source of some persistent digestive problems. It's easily the most unpleasant of all the procedures I've had under local anaesthetic. You go into a little operating theatre, they spray the back of your throat and thread down a thick black tube with a bright light at the end. You can feel it rumbling around your gullet and into your guts, then they pull the tube backwards and forwards through your mouth, twisting the little camera around the folds of your stomach. You're gagging and belching, as they're also pushing in air to inflate your stomach whilst they're taking the pictures. This continues for a very long half an hour. You wouldn't want to have it twice.

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Saturday 19 November 2011

30,000 words

I'm celebrating the milestone of 30,000 words today. At least halfway to the first draft of the novel. I've written and published plenty of poems before. But this is my first novel. I began seven weeks ago and have just kept going. I started with a page of notes about the story. I didnt really know what I should do next. I jumped into the deep end and started writing. I've since been told that this is the best way. And you try to keep going as best you can until you've written your first draft. Then the hard work of making it into something worthwhile begins. Well at least I'm halfway there.

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Sunday 13 November 2011

Getting a start

In the midst of writing a novel I embark on a blog called writer's block. Oh distraction. Had I better stop now? I wonder. Indeed, wouldn't you? Better stop now. Or go on? Oh dear. A bit Beckettian. I ought to stop myself. Before I go any further. Yes. Mightn't that be best for all concerned? Well we'll see.

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