Life takes a tumble

Over the last few weeks, I've been doing quite a fair bit of soul searching based on the factors in my last post. With so many disciplines working overtime in my head, it's hard to figure out just what to tackle next. Then four days ago, I found my calling. Yes, writing is still a main passion of mine but I also found myself steering towards my second passion, sound design.

Now, if you are following my on Instagram, you'll know that my family have a beautiful brindle staffy-sharpei cross who goes by the name of Mavis. She's a three-year old rescue from the Animal Welfare League and we've had her for just over a year now. She's a little ball of high energy and, when she's worn out, she'll sleep exactly where she wants to - even if it's by the doorway of the bedroom. 

Because there are just three adults in the house, we have curtains for bedroom doors (plus it's easier for Mavis to come in and out of). Three nights ago, I was coming back from the toilet and, being half asleep, didn't see her in the doorway. Needless to say, I tripped over her and landed heavily on my left shoulder, my head bouncing on the carpet as I did so. I lay there for about a minute in agony, trying to work out if I could move (I'd also twisted my back in the process). Meanwhile, Mavis had buggered off to the other bedroom to get Annette to take her outside while Paul slept through the entire incident.

When I eventually gained the strength to get up using the bed as support, I realised I had a splitting headache and probably suffered some form of concussion. I came to the quick conclusion that I hadn't broken any bones and climbed back into bed. Now, I must point out that, despite my headache, I didn't take any painkillers so it took me a while to fall back to sleep. I knew from my previous career as a nurse that painkillers always mask any symptoms of a head injury in case anything goes wrong.

I'm now recovering quite nicely albeit a bit slow. It's taken me some time to get back into my writing and sound design but the desire is still there. I'm just still in a fair bit of pain to cope with creating for too long.

I've learnt a valuable lesson from all of this however. Life can be very unpredictable. Don't take anything for granted!   

Too Many Mind

There's a scene in the movie where The Last Samurai where one of the characters mentions to another that he has "too many mind". In other words. the person he is talking to has too many things on his mind instead of focusing on a singular task. This is something I can completely relate to but unfortunately can't control.

I have often been praised for being talented because of the number of disciplines I engage myself in. Sadly, however, that is only half the story. What people don't realise is that when you do as many crafts as I do,  it becomes very difficult to concentrate on just one task.

Let me explain. I'm a writer, composer, sound designer, 3D animator and poet. I also enjoy knitting, drawing, painting and cross-stitch. When I have my writer's hat on, I write novels, stage plays, screenplays and audio plays. While most people have one passion (like my husband Paul who is a musician), I have enough to give myself a headache just thinking about them.

My problem is that I have so many ideas running though my head at any given time that I get very easily distracted. I might be in the middle of something and an idea will pop into my head, demanding immediate attention. I find that if I decide to wait until I finish my current task, the idea that shouted out for attention fades away and I end up completely forgetting what is was to begin with.

For years, I've struggled with this issue. My last novel took nearly 7 years to complete - not because I was lazy but because I was tackling several other tasks in the meantime.

So, there you have it. I don't know if there's a name for what I struggle with and I'm the only person I know who does. I have so many unfinished projects begging for attention but I'll keep plodding along until I complete them - one day.