To procrastinate no more!

The original purpose behind this blog was to hold myself to account. I declared publicly that I was going to write a novel, with the intent that having done so, I'd shame myself into having to fulfil that declaration and defeat my procrastination.

Whether the public (that's you, the fabulous folk who take time out of your busy lives to read this) cared or not didn't ultimately matter, because the plan worked, and Clara Bow and the Seal of Solomon was born.

Years later, and I feel that I need that accountability once more. I need to step upon the plinth of the internet, raise my digital loudspeaker, and shout my intentions into the webisphere.

It's not because I've stopped progressing, it just feels as if I haven't progressed enough, that my pace is faltering, and my aims and goals always tantalisingly out of reach. I'm well aware that, cliché alert; it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, but my journey has too many unnecessary stops in dusty backwater towns. The scenery in such places is not inspiring, and only threatens to dampen my enthusiasm.

I must use my mind smarter, more efficiently. There have been numerous occasions when inspirational blog content has come to mind, but I haven't quickly noted it in a pad, or on my phone, and when the time emerges where I could sit and type, the idea has dissipated like smoke.

Like most procrastinators, I am a grand planner. I can spend hours plotting out what I will do and when, with the sole flaw that the plans start the next day, or next weekend. It's a common malaise I'm sure, in this day and age of easily accessible entertainment on which to binge, "just one more" can be a deadly concept which leads to the loss of an entire day to someone else's creative achievements.

I constantly remind myself I would much rather be a creator than a consumer.

This year has seen a faltering start to any creative endeavours, because of an extended family visit during December, and a holiday to Dubai in January. Adorable wife and I are not ones to rest on our laurels when on vacation, we will zip from place to place, taking in as much of the local area as possible. Fun as that is, it doesn't really leave room for sitting at the keyboard.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi

Is that just an excuse? Perhaps! Maybe if my passion to write was truly great enough it would override any other desires. Perhaps my mind doesn't truly focus on one sole passion strongly enough to commit with a sufficiently obsessive way.

It's certainly true that I have many non-work hobbies that act as a continual distraction to each other; writing, photography, film making, and web design.

Wait, wait, wait! Looking at that list, what am I worried about? They are all easily interconnected. I just need to bring a smarter structure to what I do. Thus we arrive back to my original point, I need to be accountable. I need to keep publicly stating what I'm trying to do, what I have done so far, and where I am still failing to deliver.

If you're still with me, then I thank and salute you, for you are the inspirers, the ones who push, cheer, and bring out the best on me and undoubtedly to many others around you, what a selfless and admirable life you lead!

I hereby declare that this year I will do the following:

• Achieve significant progression of Clara Bow and the Ark of the Covenant - it took me three years to write and release The Staff of Aaron, and at my current pace The Ark is proving to be a disturbing non-starter. Although work began a while ago, it faltered and then died completely, lingering in stasis. That is until very recently, when a surge of creative evenings found my mind ablaze with new plot twists and I found I was itching to reunite with my lovely Clara Bow for one last adventure. Confession time... (deep breath), I am only on page twelve... I know, shameful, considering how long ago The Staff of Aaron was published. But here we are, accountability begins with honesty, and I want this to work. I will use this blog to post progress reports as and when progress occurs.
• Write to agents/publishers/writing magazines - I have self-published two novels that have been well received by the public at large. I have a small but loyal band of followers whenever I publish my writing online. Yet I have not sought out representation for a long time, nor have I tried to get my work into magazines or public websites. I haven't tried getting reviews for my novels. If I don't do these things, I don't get noticed, I don't progress. I need to suck it up, get on with it, and persist. This blog will be the ideal forum to explain who I've made contact with, what I'm trying next, what the outcome was, and basically prove I am actually trying to get noticed, rather than sitting and waiting for someone to magically stumble across me.
• Blog more frequently - I feel no need to commit to a specific amount, but as of this moment I have a great deal of potential content. Firstly the accountability principle; how am I doing? Successes and failures, etc. Secondly the aforementioned holiday, which was eventful and thought provoking, both in what was seen, and ideas for our lives in the near future. Then there is my second blog Banbury Pulse, which also faltered, and was briefly reinstated, and which now needs to be reasonably regular. On this one I will aim for one a month, rather than once a week, as I originally imagined. To do this I need to move on to my next intention...
• Be braver - to actually make Banbury Pulse work I need to approach businesses and explain who I am and what I do. I cannot rely on my own network of business owners to continually supply my content, and indeed, to remain seen as independent and impartial it is essential I seek out as many businesses outside my inner circle as I can. This will also build my confidence and build up a big network which will help me grow as a brand in my own right.
• Build up a photography portfolio - I love photography but I do it mainly as a side hobby. However in the past couple of years I have worked with Sindy Matthews, taking all the photographs for her website www.sindymatthews.co.uk, which led directly to work doing the same for I Value Me. I also furnished my own www.clarabow.co.uk site with new photos after I updated the site with a more modern look. What I want to do is invest in an entry-level DSLR so I can enhance my results and improve my chances of finding more paying customers. First plan is to take new shots of the SMart studio and take portrait shots of Sindy and her clients post-workout to better promote the truth of what she does and how hard everyone works. I can use this blog to share the plans and progress of this project. That neatly leads me on to another aim....
• Do some filming - I love films. They have been my overriding passion since I was a teenager, undoubtedly to a detrimental level sometimes, with countless days eaten up by the silver screen. I meet up most weeks with a friend to try and produce a short film. We always talk and write a lot, but we never seem to get past that stage. I have also done short promo videos for Sindy Matthews, who frankly is one of my greatest supporters, and as with the photos above, I intend to produce a brand new promotional video based at her SMart studio. Therefore I will use this blog to keep you updated on the photography and filming progress, or lack thereof, considering my track record of late.
• Read more - Good grief I should NOT have to write those words publicly! Before film and TV took over my heart as the main source of fictional entertainment, I soaked up books on a daily basis. I loved tales of excitement and adventure and first found my passion for storytelling in the words of Roald Dahl, H Rider Haggard, and many others. But now I say I don't have time, or it's easier just to bung the TV on. Frankly, as an author I am ashamed, and I shall use this blog to say what I'm reading, and get myself back into the printed word once and for all!
• Build a personal website - Last but not least! I feel I ought to amalgamate what I am doing above into one personal site. Just as I said above, the creative elements I enjoy doing can neatly be interconnected if I bother to do so. Rather than be spread thinly, I can unite my passions in one place, whilst still working on individual projects. This blog will undoubtedly wind its way onto this website, either directly exported, or simply as a link. I have already made two websites for Sindy Matthews, and my own Clara Bow site, so I know I can do this easily. But I have decided I will not over-extend and offer to do this for anyone else, because should I take a while over my own, no harm is done, if work and the other commitments I have made above slow me down doing work for others, that simply isn't fair.

There you have it, six projects for which this blog is to hold me to account. At the very least the third of my plans above should be self-fulfilling because if I do any of the other ones, I will have something to write about, and if I don't I shall have to confess my sin, and any writing is better than no writing at all!

Again, if you are still with me, then a thousand gratitudes. Until we meet again very soon, be good to yourself, and if you need any inspiration to come back your way just mention so in the comments below and I'll see what I can do!