Still not quite according to plan...

...But slightly better.

I'm trying to work on a short story, as a challenge from a friend. It originally came from a friend of hers, and has since spread to others. The brief was to "write a ghost story" and, in a fairly short space of time, I went from no ideas (it is an incredibly broad, yet restrictive canvas) to two ideas (neither of which are ideal as they feature characters I'm aiming to use for other things), and yet I'm still unable to do much more than jot down an outline.

This is partly my intermittent apathy, and partly the result of coming down from the high of having read and been inspired by a couple of books on writing. I felt like I was on the right track... but now my thoughts won't become coherent enough to write down in the form of a story.

Of the two ideas, I prefer the one for two of my 'critical characters' - those I actually want to do something with - because, who knows, it might well become a chapter in a novel. On the other hand, the idea involving two of my 'non-critical characters - players from a story within a story, and so ideal for such exercises as this - has no less merit, and is liable to be quite entertaining. Chances are, it'll be one of very few chances to explore these two.

In other news, I've spent a good chunk of the weekend watching Let's Plays on YouTube - specifically Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (having got to the end, I have to say the title is a bit of a clue as to what's going on, but its true meaning does not become apparent until the very final act... at which point, it slaps you in the face, and makes you re-examine many of the earlier events from this new perspective), Bayonetta (OK, I confess, I started watching it because the main character is a sexy, sassy, gun-toting witch... so the game is, in some ways, what I'd hoped Bullet Witch would have been, though I do have to wonder why they named a gun-fancying witch after a knife), Resident Evil Remake (a beefed-up retelling of the original, with more dangerous zombies), Batman: Arkham Asylum (seems a bit linear but, let's face it, I'm watching a walkthrough), and Wet (ultraviolence featuring the voice of Eliza Dushku).

I'd also intended to watch one of the three movies from my recently-purchased Coen Brothers collection... but couldn't quite fit it in between my many idle moments.

I did manage to pop out to restock my fridge and get some cash out... and, wouldn't you know, that was the time my mortgage advisor chose to call to discuss things. He said sometime between 12 and 4pm today. Who knew it'd be almost bang on 12pm?

And here I am, up late again, just as another week at work is about to begin. The second week of February, and I still haven't fixed up my CV and started looking for another job.