GETTING THINGS DONE

Current Work: Fiction, Queries and Website building
Listening to: Pattering of dogs feet above my office
Reading: Goodbye to Berlin (Christopher Isherwood)

First Thought for the Day:
I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father's child has. -Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the U.S. (1809-1865)

Friday Mop Up
Well, it’s been one of those weeks. Three dogs, two humans and a collection of community cats do not mix! Well the two temporary canines return to their owners on Sunday and I have nominated Monday as a formal lie in. This morning they were spooked by something at 2am and I do not feel particularly forgiving at the moment. On top of that, they (I’m still on the dogs at this point) have chewed several kitchen sponges, a spectacle case, sticks for the fire and must have shed a ton of dust. Hey Ho!

To Do and Done
In spite of this, I seem to be fairly on target, must be the New Year or something, the jury is out on whether I can keep this up! I have submitted a short story to The Peoples Friend today, finally got it in the post although it was on my to-do-list for Wednesday.
I have submitted three queries, all quite different. I enjoy writing query letters, they are short, to the point and at the time of writing them that is all they are. I talk about what I will write about but haven’t done it yet. I know some writers produce the article first, but I like to think about the audience, so if (and it’s a big if) the query is accepted, then work begins.
I’ve finished Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin. It was a good read, easy to follow and I like the characters he develops and also the ‘sense of place’. I’ve never been to Scotland, but I can picture some of the streets which Rebus frequents. Rankin is a favourite author of my Man Friday.

Plans for the Weekend
Sleep! Watch the Mama Mia! DVD– a pressie from my kind father and hopefully publishing my new website.

And Finally, the Last Word of the Day:
syncretic

PRONUNCIATION:
(sin-KREH-tik)

MEANING:
adjective: Combining different forms of belief or practice.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin syncretismus, Greek synkretismos (union), from synkretizein (to unite in the manner of the Cretan cities), from syn (together) + Kret-, Kres (Cretan).

USAGE:
"Traditionally, Indonesians practiced a tolerant, almost syncretic brand of faith, infused with the Buddhist, Hindu, and animist traditions of earlier periods."
Barack Obama; The Audacity of Hope; Crown Publishers; 2006.