Strange Thoughts of a Strange Man

I started on chapter five and realised that the story I had originally intended wasn't the one I was writing and that one was about to run out of steam. So I needed to replot the remainder of the book. That was a depressing few days. I lost a bit of confidence in needing to do that even though it was completely necessary.

I have a better plot now, I think, although it's not finished. I'm roughly plotting chapter 19. The villain has killed the heroine (although she will be back) and someone else has to save the day. I have some ideas how that will happen but none of them are set in concrete yet. Exciting!

People are still giving me funny looks on the train as I am writing in my notebook. When I am writing, I often pause and sort of stare in a random direction as I think about what I am going to write. Sometimes that random direction is towards another passenger. Couple that with suddenly scribbling something down immediately afterwards does make it look like I am keeping a secret diary on the people on the train.

I got to bed late last night and woke early. A bad combination that could have been improved if I were able to sleep on the train. Hopefully the tiredness will pass as the day moves on.

Mary Poppins wasn't as good as it was the first time. The seats were a lot further back despite being the same cost and there was a problem with the background in the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious scene that was distracting. That said, I still loved the show and felt weepy in the same parts. My favourite song is Anything Can Happen If You Let It. Rather catchy tune and full of hope.

I had a haircut last night on the way home. So I thought I would trim my beard when I got home. Let's just say that I will not be using setting no.1 in future. I have gone from a fairly decent trimmed beard to an invisible goatee. I am bloody annoyed with myself for cocking that up.

I love the new Mary Poppins show. I am going to see it again on Thursday and I listen to the cast recording endlessly.

For some unknown reason I get weepy at the end. Actually, I think part of the reason is something to do with my parents. The whole show is about re-integrating the children with their father and mother. My Mum and Dad are dead and have been for years. I loved them a great deal and I realise now that there are many things I would have liked to have said or done differently. Anything like Mary Poppins, makes me think of what could have been and I feel sad.

There is probably a bit more to it than that. The first time I saw the show, I got more and more emotional. I think it was only partly because of my feelings about my parents. The rest of it was me just getting caught up in the magic of it. I am a 40 year old man and yet, when she flew off the stage at the end, I remember thinking, "Oh no, she's going!" and nearly bursting into tears.

See it if you can. It is darker than the film but it's not "Nightmare on Elm Street".

At the last count I was up to 9,000 words. I'm probably a lot further than that but I am a couple of weeks behind with the typing. At a rough guess I've probably done another five or six thousand handwritten words on top of that but unfortunately neither my notebook or my pen come equipped with a word counter.

I've also started on a full chapter by chapter map of the book and some notes on each of the characters. I will need to write something for me to keep track of the plot threads that spring up. It's odd how characters and situations just seem to spawn new scenes and the need for other characters.

I had to spend the weekend doing other people's things. My lodger (also my oldest friend) moved out and I was helping him for most of Saturday. I was ill on Sunday and David had visitors so I didn't have much chance to do any typing then either. We are visiting some of his friends in Birmingham this weekend so I won't have much of a chance to write then either. I might take a day off to catch up.

My house also seems large and empty now that I have it to myself again. I need to do something with the spare room. I will not be getting another lodger for the time being. I might get a tumble dryer instead.