Since finishing PLPP I've been expecting to suddenly find myself awash with enthusiasm about writing a new story. Alas, alack, this does not appear to be the case. I've written so many different starts to His Saving Grace I've turned myself back round in a circle and I'm not sure which one I want to go with. Plus, I've been writing beginnings all over the place as different ideas suddenly pop into my head. I was trying to force myself to be disciplined, but I've given that up as a stupid idea as it clearly wasn't working. Basically what I'm saying, in an incredibly convoluted way, is that the start of His Saving Grace might be a little while in coming as I sort my head out and decide which way it's going to go.

In other news, I was trying to buy peas in the supermarket on the weekend and I’ve come to the conclusion that peas are the prime example of all that is bad about consumerism in this modern world we live in. I just wanted to buy frozen peas. Simple, just peas, frozen peas. Do you think I could find them though? No! There were peas with mint flavour, peas with corn, peas with carrot, peas with corn AND carrot, peas with butter added, peas in a pod, baby peas… I JUST WANT NORMAL FROZEN PEAS!!! Obviously I went with baby peas as they are just normal peas, but they didn’t need to add baby, that makes it creepy in my opinion. The whole thing made me very cross and exasperated as I’m sure you can tell.

Now then, peas rant aside, I thought I'd post one of the random story starts as a sort of example of how all over the place my writing thoughts have been lately. It has some very mild swearing, so just be warned. It's down below and I'd love to know what you think.

As an aside, if anyone has a moment and would like to randomly throw some ideas at me and see if I can turn it into a short story I'd love that. I want to write another one shot, but I can't decide which idea to follow so something coming from someone else could be just the ticket. It's my birthday month, humour me!

Hope you're all having a brilliant week.

Cheers, Jess

Verve, The - Bittersweet Symphony
Paul McDermott - Throw Your Arms Around Me
Blur - Song 2
Living End, The - Prisoner Of Society
George Harrison - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Boca 45 - Down To Mexico (feat. Stepchild)
Hilltop Hoods - Nosebleed Section
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
Paul Simons - Graceland

Nickname?

Jess. Oh yes, wildly imaginative.

What is the most recent movie you've seen in the theatre? 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas…and I’m still working through the emotional trauma.

Eye Colour?

Blue. I’d say grey but a friend of mine who is doing medicine at uni has reliably informed me that there is no such eye colour so we’ll have to go with blue I’m afraid.

Place of birth?
Mighty South Australia.

Favourite foods?

Italian, Mexican, Indian and dessert. Okay, so there’s quite a range there.

Love someone so much it made you cry? 

Well of course.

Been in a car accident?

Little ones, thankfully no massive one and not one while I’ve been driving.

Favourite day of the week?

Friday. I love it so.

Favourite Flower?

Tulips.

Favourite sport to watch?
Aussie Rules and football (soccer). If, through some bizarre twist of fate, I could only ever watch one again though, it’d be Aussie Rules.

Favourite drink?

Waterford’s Lemon, Lime and Bitters. It’s pink and totally addictive.

What colour is your bedroom carpet? 

I don’t have carpet, I have brown floorboards and a couple of white fluffy wool rugs.

How many times did you fail your driver's test? 
Once. I have no excuse, I was honestly rubbish when I first went for it! It’s okay though, I went for it again a month later and blitzed it.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  

A cheap mega store place like K-mart or Big W, imagine how much, and the breadth of, stuff you could get! I’m definitely more of the cheap and cheerful person when it comes to possessions.

What do you do most often when you are bored?

Ring someone.

What time do you go to bed?  

Around 11 mostly.

Favourite TV shows?

Gilmore Girls, Spaced, Firefly, Coupling, and Spicks and Specks.

Last person you went to dinner with?  

My parents last night to say hi after returning from the UK. Excellent, that reminds me I have left over Kashmiri naan in the fridge!

What are you listening to right now?   

Thunder by The Prodigy.

How many tattoos do you have?

None, but I find Miami Ink and it’s spin offs ridiculously enjoyable.

If money were not an object, what would you do with your life?

Ooh, tough one. Funnily enough it probably wouldn’t be that different to what I do at the moment. I suppose I’d be able to spend more time doing the things I love like writing, hanging out with mates, reading and flying over to the UK to spend time with my nephew (if money is no object I’ll be travelling first class thanks very much!). As cheesy as it sounds I’d probably spend quite a bit of time working for a charity as well.

What song best describes you when you first wake up in the morning?

You know that ‘The ants went marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah’ song? Yeah, that’d be me. I have to out myself as a pretty perky person in the morning and the way that tune is upbeat, but other people can find it annoying is so me!

Is your calendar always on the correct month (or day, if it is a day calendar)?

Oh yes, I’m the kind of person who finds things like calendars on the wrong month, or power switches on when there’s nothing plugged in really irritating.

Desk: messy or organised?

Organised, definitely.

Pet ownership – which is better?  Dog or Cat?

I’m more of a cat person as I respect the measure of independence cats have and find them easier to cuddle in front of the TV. I love dogs too though.

Are you always early or terminally late?

Always early. Dear me, I’m not coming across as much fun here am I? What with my perkiness in the morning, anal attitude towards calendars, organised desk and eternal earliness! I really do prefer to be early though, I hate the feeling of rushing in late to something.

What is on the walls of the room you are in?

A poster of a beach during a storm, a calendar of naked AFL footballers (not fully naked, and for charity of course!), a corkboard covered in photos, and a world map.

What is your favourite book you read as a child?

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. I love that book so much, it’s still one of my favourites.

What is your all time favourite (clean) joke?

Q: Why was everyone jumping for joy?

A: Because Joy was stuck to the ceiling.

If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?

Some deserted tropical island which somehow also managed to be very close to the mainland and all conveniences.

Your favourite article of clothing?

My big, warm jumper that is several sizes too big and makes winter bearable.

What are you wearing?

My pjs.

Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex?

Hands. I have such a thing for guys’ hands!

What’s the last CD that you bought?

A Girls Aloud CD for my pop obsessed friend. The last CD I bought for myself was Mark Ronson’s Version.

What was the last movie you watched?

The History Boys

Where are your favourite places to be?

Home, on an aeroplane right at the moment it gets airborne and the beach.

Where’s your least favourite place to be?

Aeroplanes after the 20^th hour of travelling, a party when you realise you’ve made a serious error and are suddenly surrounded by a bunch of people you can’t stand, and anywhere the most recent Kings of Leon album is playing.

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

The heater (yes, I put it on before my moisturiser today!).

What’s your favourite place to be massaged?

On my shoulders, I love it. Unless you mean where geographically in which case the comfort of my own home is best (I have a mate who gives the best massages).

What’s more important, strong in mind or strong body?

Strong in mind, obviously. That being said, I like being the person in my house who is the go-to girl when there’s a tough lid on a jar.

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, what can you touch?

Luke Hodge without his shirt on (AKA my nakie AFL calendar).

What time do you wake in the morning?

Between 6.30 and quarter to 7.

What is your favourite kitchen appliance?

The toaster. I could live on toast (and have days where I pretty much do!).

What makes you really angry?

Prejudice and, it’s partner-in-crime, ignorance (racism, homophobia, bigotry, snobbery, etc), the private schooling industry and (stepping down off my soap box slightly) turning on the radio just to hear the last strains of a favourite song that I haven’t heard in ages.

If you could play an instrument, what would it be?

Drums. I would love to be able to play the drum roll in The Bravery’s Honest Mistake.

Do you believe in an afterlife?

Nope.

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 100, and find the best bit.

‘You seem very charming, Mr X. But if we were to have a relationship, how long would it be before you started treating me like a piece of poo on a shoe?’

‘Well, usually about a month.’

‘Thanks. Next!’

The taxi driver gave her an odd look. ‘You all right, love?’
An Offer You Can't Refuse - Jill Mansell

What’s your least favourite household chore?

Vacuuming. I should have included that in the ‘what makes you really angry’ list!

If you could have one super power, what would it be?

Invisibility. Imagine the places you could go and the things you could overhear! 

Can you juggle?

No, but I have pretty good hand-eye coordination so maybe I should give it a go.

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

About half an hour ago. I was putting the cat out and saying good morning to the dog. Oh, and trying not to be seen by the neighbours because, as you might remember from above, I’m in my pjs.

What’s in the trunk (boot for me) of your car?
Must resist the temptation to say a body... okay, temptation resisted. There's a bottle of water, a towel, some tools, a book and a torch. All the essentials basically!

So there you have it. I hope that worked better than some dull sentences about liking to read, write and hang out with mates which, though undoubtedly true, shouldn't really come as any great surprise to anyone.

Huh, I just realised something kind of interesting about my writing pattern. The last time I went to the UK I estimated I had two chapters and an epilogue of So Much to Learn left to write and the most recent time I went to the UK I estimated I had two chapters and an epilgoue of Private Lives, Public Property left to write. My travelling and writing habits obviously coincide!

Right, so, this is me off to write some more of this mind-messing Chapter 19. Wish me luck!

Cheers, Jess