Dear 2008....

Thanks for all the holidays, they were ace. The juxtaposition was genius, too - windswept, remote Cornwall followed by crazy, Rouge City-style den of iniquity Las Vegas? I likes your style.

Thanks also for all the kicks up the arse. You know, those little prods you gave me when I strayed off the path into the mire of inconsequential urgencies. They helped me focus. But again with the juxtaposition! This I didn't appreciate so much - what was the point of nudging me back towards what I should be doing if you were only going to throw more obstacles in my way?

Although I suppose I have learnt to spot a piece of misdirection at ten paces now.

Organising a funeral wasn't much fun. It seems to have left a little hollow place inside of me, and I'm not sure what I've got from the experience apart from practice. Maybe the benefits will reveals themselves in time.

November was fun! I mean I lost my mind and missed half of The Office, but I did write 52,000 words of fiction while doing most of the other things I'm supposed to do in life, and I loved it. It taught me that, whether what I write is great or rubbish, the actual writing of it is the closest I've ever come to loving life. And that's something we all should make room for. For some people it's crocheting, for others it's serial murder. For me, it's writing. So thank you for that.

So what for 2009? I don't do resolutions, but these are the things I'm taking from 2008:

• Writing = good
• Faking it gives no rewards
• Looking after yourself is not the same as being selfish
• There is such a thing as good chick-lit
• A slow, sliding motion (rather than a quick, pulling motion) with the hair straighteners yields much better results
• There is really no reason why I shouldn't have Cheerios for breakfast if that's all I can stomach at 7am
• Career, schmareer; rat race, schmat race
• No more butt-monkey

Lots of love,

Robyn

PS: Thanks for the guitar, I'm calling her Karen and I'm going to whittle down the bridge.

PPS: I didn't really want that grey hair, but thanks for thinking of me.

What's in the box?

Merry Christmas! I am cooking my first ever turkey and it is going surprisingly well, despite the port, wine and liqueur chocolates that have comprised my breakfast.

A little Christmas present for you, on Dollymix: my top 10 embarrassing childhood celebrity crushes. I have not held back at all.

Don't say I never give you anything.

Ho ho ho!

Rx

Festivus greetings....

I am so tired.

Working full-time, NaNoWriMoing, Dollymixing, freelancing and preparing for Christmas has taken its toll: I am writing to you from the sofa, in front of a Muppet Christmas movie, nursing a hangover.

Except that I didn't drink yesterday.

So please excuse the unintentional hiatus and come and join me over at Dollymix (and on Twitter) for the holiday. Here are some of the treats in store:

• Catfighting my way to feminism and female friendships
  
  
• NaNoWriMo 2008 or: how Robyn and Laura learned to stop procrastinating and love the word count
  
  
• Top 10 Christmas movie guilty pleasures

This Christmas I shall also be cooking my first turkey after 10 years of vegetarianism (but it's an organic, free-range turkey), first-footing, drinking Bailey's and Sambuca (I know it's a bad idea but, for god's sake, I have like three days off over Christmas, and I plan to spend them all legitimately hungover), watching Santa Claus the Movie without any qualms whatsoever, going to Nottingham and, er, going back to work.

Normal service will be resumed in the New Year. But for now, jingle jingle and Happy Festivus to you all!

And just in case that last post was unclear...

... I am blogging at Dollymix for the next little while. And here. But there they pay me.

Insult to injury

Um, hi.

You look, um, well. Have you been working out?

Oh. Not eating, you say. Pining. Right.

Sorry.

Look, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch - I know I said I'd write - but I've been really busy and time sort got away from me, and...

Someone else?

What do you mean, 'someone else'?

How could you say that, after all we've been through?

I mean, yes, there is someone else, but she's NOTHING TO DO WITH US! She's just someone I'm spending some time with over the next month or so. It's a freelance thing!

It's just business. I promise. Of course I love you best....

So... hi. This is the 4-11: I did NaNoWriMo. Or should I say, NaNoWriMo did me. I wrote 2,000 words every fucking day of November - all while working full-time, going to Edinburgh, freelancing, trying to have some semblance of a social life. I wrote fiction on the train, I wrote fiction on a plane, I wrote fiction and went insane, but - strangely - I will write fiction again.

Oh, and I won! Did I mention that? 52,000 words in 30 days. I cannot remember the last time I had a full night's sleep, paid a bill or exfoliated. I'm still slightly crazed and I might not have any clean pants. My hair is a nightmare.

So please excuse my silence over November (writing) and for a bit of December (still writing but also catching up on things like laundry and talking to people).

But it was amazing. I learnt loads. I'll tell you about it soon. But you know what? THE NOVEL'S NOT EVEN FUCKING FINISHED. I wrote 52,000 words and I'm about halfway through.

I've signed up for NaNoFiMo but to be honest, what with Christmas and Dollymix it might have to be JaNoFiMo. Either way, I plan to finish it. And to post here. And on Dollymix (Shiny Media's topical ladyblog which I will be guest-editing until mid-January).

So catch you later, but check back here for crap-hair-no-sleep fun!