Turning Points.

November is only a few weeks away, and following that comes December. Then, as fast as that, 2018. We’re not even past Halloween (a grossly overlooked calendar event over here in the UK) and already the push is on for Christmas.
Time is cruel and never ever slows, much like the corporate agenda. (I mean, four months of promotion for Christmas? Are you serial?)

Temporary has been a part of my life in some form or another for a while now. Years, no less. I knew that the querying process would be slow – glacial even, though…global warming is a thing…so I don’t know how much that comparison really hits now – but I never expected to be sitting here years later, still processing rejections.
I had hoped that, given the months of graft and effort to finesse, submit, and query (you know, the hard work and emotional commitment of it all), it would have connected with somebody, anybody, by now. A connection that would lead to, at the very least, a request for a full manuscript that could then be rejected. As far as hurdles go, I’m still stumbling out the gate. Still, at least I’m OUT the gate. A story unwritten won’t get you very far, after all.

Here we see a visual representation of Temporary, stumbling hopelessly, but charmingly, out the gate.

But as the days get shorter and the weather turns colder, I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me…that I wasn’t ready to exorcise this story and move on, clear, to the next thing.

When It Rains, It Pours

It’s the final day of my detox and, as usual, it featured a number of highs and lows. The lows consisting of a non stop pounding headache, and hiding under the duvets for a half hour in the vain hope that it would subside; the highs being how much lighter I feel (and weigh – which is 10 pounds lighter, incidentally) and that I finally, FINALLY, feel cleared of all the excess I was carrying around from the Christmas period.

Seven days is the shortest cleanse I’ve ever committed to, with my usual countdown consisting of ten. The longest I have ever attempted, and will never attempt again incidentally, is fourteen.

The fourteen was way too long, and I have fond memories of counting down the seconds of the last day, much in the way that I am now. I can’t lie, for all the good the cleanse does for me (coupled with my BJJ) I can’t wait for that first meal tomorrow. Time today seems to be slowing down purposefully in order to stretch the goal posts that bit further away, but it’s only a matter of time, and I’m dedicated to the cause. Plus I’m one stubborn S.O.B.

I’ve used the time during my juicing cleanse to look into what steps I can now take with my finished manuscript, Temporary. How, pray tell, can you take it from a shit load of words on a screen, to being pound, published, and available in all good book stores near you? The ‘what next’ of the situation has always been one that has confounded me. From my short film, First Date, to my first feature length script, Gamers, it’s always the next step. What next?

Well, I’m determined to make something happen with Temporary. I believe in Temporary, and I believe that there is a message within it that will resonate with an audience once it has the ability to do so. So…what next?