6 pm pyjamas

It's the month of Midsummer and the poet within is yearning to use the voice again. Okay, it isn't quite that philosophical or romantic - I and Maria at mgoodson.blogspot.co.uk have challenged each other with a list of words to use as inspiration for ... something in a written form. My first word is spine.  I think I'm going to use each word as the title and see where that goes.  The poems will be short initially as I also have (don't we all) other work related and uni related matters to focus on but hopefully, after a week or so I will begin to explore some more formal and lengthy ways of writing. Spine Bone road beneath her fingertips She maps it carefully Following each bump, each turn Asking questions of the earth Which has released this prize  Each dip and break a clue To what has come before And where we may be travelling

For this month my challenge, along with Maria (check out mgoodson.blogspot.co.uk ) has been to write a short (and boy, do I mean short) story each day.  Each story is 50 words long and we split it between us; so 25 words each, winging in a transatlantic sense to and fro each day.  It has been such fun and very illuminating when you give your words to somebody else and see the 'meaning' you had evoked completely turned inside out!  A few of these characters and situations may be revisited and expanded up on in the future but for now they are being 'put to bed' and left to gestate (if I can mix my metaphors) so that next month, we can return to a poetry challenge.   When there is not much time to write, it is good to focus on a form that demands accurate and descriptive language to capture moments and engage the reader. The liquid dripped down her face.   Staring straight ahead, she willed herself not to flinch as it curdled her ...

So I am having a tough old time trying to write and carve out space to think right now.  I have two deadlines for university work and have an editing and proof reading job to do before June.  When I offered, it seemed a good plan; get some experience under my belt, do someone a favour and have a good reference for when the next person wants some work done and I can charge them for it.  However, now, it seems that there is no time at all.  I'm either at work or having fun with the children or asleep.  I have no time to read or write and am behind my schedule for my assignments.  This would have once worried me - I am very good at keeping to deadlines and getting things done way ahead of time.  This approach has worked for me my entire academic life but now it is deserting me.  I am unsure why but think being in a negative working environment is probably to blame.  After all, I don't expect my 7 year old, who has maths and English computer prog...