Here we go again...

This week has been tough for all of us. And it’s only Wednesday, which really proves my point.

Even though my dad has been predicting a third lockdown for about the last month or so (I swear he’s always right about these things - is that just my dad or a general dad superpower?), I remained hopeful to the very last minute that somehow, we would get through this another way.

I was so psyched to go back to Exeter. If all things had gone to plan, this time tomorrow, I would have been there… so I’m more than a bit frustrated and disappointed.

As we all are.

I’m trying not to dwell. I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you keep looking for a light at the end of the tunnel, one will eventually materialise. And personally, I’m going to hang onto what I’m going to do once this is all over. That’s my light at the end of the tunnel, and no matter how long the tunnel should prove to be, I’m going to keep my eyes on that light.

So, how to pass the time before we get to the end of the tunnel? Well, isn’t that the divine question.

I’ve decided to focus on three things to keep me occupied over the lockdown, and I thought I might tell you about them in the hopes that it might inspire you to find something to focus on.

Keeping busy, my mum informs me regularly, is the best way to pass time. And for any of you struggling, I personally find that keeping busy is the best way to keep your mind occupied.

Those of you who know me personally may know that I hate deadlines. Well, I’m not sure anyone exactly likes them. I’ve never felt, particularly when it comes to creative exploits, that deadlines are conducive to producing your best work.

Case in point, the ending of “Never Fall For The Bad Boy” which I had to rush to meet the deadline I set myself – really got rewrite that at some point. When I feel in a rush, the words don’t come, and I can stare at a blank page for ages.

Nevertheless, if I hadn’t set that deadline for myself, I’m not sure I’d have ever finished that book. At the time, I had written two books, the second of which I had finished around two years beforehand. That may not seem like a long time, but to me, it felt like a lifetime, particularly given how much I had changed in that time.

I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to complete a novel that I had put off writing anything serious for about a year. With my first two books, I hadn’t followed any kind of format. I hadn’t plotted out my story, or designed my characters, or anything that ‘proper’ authors are supposed to do; I’d just let it happen naturally and somehow ended up with a book.

The fear of what might happen if I started to write something and then had no idea as to how to finish it was immense. For me, that kind of block would probably have meant I would never have written again – for those of you who don’t know me, I’m a professional perfectionist, which also makes me a serial quitter. If I’m defeated the first time, I’m not usually the person to get up and try again, which I’ll admit is one of my biggest faults.

That deadline helped me motivate and get started, which at the time I really needed. And so although it wasn’t easy, I’m glad I did it.

My point is that deadlines can be helpful, even if I don’t always personally agree with them. If we can find a positive in this third lockdown, it’s that it can give us all a deadline to work to with something we want to do, which I’m fairly certain is going to prove helpful, for me at least.

My first goal is to finish writing a new book that I started at the beginning of the first lockdown. Strictly speaking, it shouldn’t be too difficult (but now I’ve said that I’ve probably jinxed it) as I know where I want to take it. I’ve been doing a lot of short story work over the past few months, so I’m going to enjoy branching back into larger scale work.

I’ve talked about the plot of this book quite a few times on here, and I still can’t really give it an exact definition. It’s a romance, but it’s more than just that. I think the best way to categorise it is that the book is designed to help the reader escape; it’s really vivid, and my hopes with it are that when you do get to read it, you’ll be able to turn off everything else around you and feel fully engaged with the story.

That’s the aim, in any case.

Secondly, I have an idea for a new project which I’d like to allocate some time to work on. I had this idea about a year ago (can’t rush these things after all 😉)

Just in case I can actually get this project off the ground, I won’t reveal too many details about it now, but what I will say is that if I manage to get it up and running, I hope it will be a really good resource for anyone who’s interested in getting into writing/current writers.

I feel that if I actually make myself get started with this idea, I’ll find out whether it’s viable or not and will be able to move forward from there. So I’m setting myself the deadline of starting before the end of the month. Wish me luck :)

[Also, in order to help me with the set up of that, if you’re a writer or want to start writing, please like this post.]

And finally, for my third goal, or really not so much a goal, I’ve set myself the challenge of completing the below reading list. As I’m a slow reader, I think it’s highly unlikely that I’ll get these done before the end of lockdown, but at least if I have a list, I’ve got a good place to start:

1. Eclipse – yes I’m only just getting around to reading the Twilight series, don’t judge me. I love the movies (again, no judgment) and as I’ve just finished reading “New Moon”, I’m really excited to get started on “Eclipse” (I’ll be doing a post on the series once I’ve finished them)

2. Breaking Dawn

3. The Colour of Magic – Terry Pratchett books have long been on my TBR list and my dad, who is a huge fan of his work, tells me that “The Colour of Magic” is the best place to start. (If you guys would be interested in me doing a review-type post on that once I’m done, comment down below or DM me on Instagram @roxyelle01)

4. Angels and Demons – another series of movies that I love and haven’t gotten around to reading yet. For Christmas, I got the full series of books, and I’m so excited to start reading them!

5. The Da Vinci Code - if the movie is anything to go by, this book is going to be epic!

So, with a little under an hour to go before I post this, I’ll leave it there – I’m not usually this close to the deadline; quite thrilling in a strange way :)

If you have any lockdown goals, or thoughts that you’d like to share in the comments below, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to use that space to express yourselves.

This time is really tough for us all, but I think that that just means we have to stick together and be there for each other more than ever.

And it’s ok to be feeling whatever you’re feeling right now. Just in case you needed to hear that.

As always, my DMs are open to you all if you fancy a chat or need to vent a bit.

We will get through this :)

#roxyelle #lockdownthree #goals