How many things can I not do?

Well, it's my fourth day of unemployment and I had expected to be much more productive than I have been. I had a bunch of craft/sewing projects that I had intended on starting and finishing this week, but I haven't got round to any of them. By the way, I am not some domestic goddess, whipping up curtains and dresses every afternoon - these are easy-to-do, made-necessary-by-lack-of-job, time filling projects like making cushion covers (without zips, I hasten to add - way too labour-intensive and skill-requiring) and covering kitchen chairs.

Really, I should be redrafting my novel (for what feels like the 8,975,546th time but is only the 3rd). I do have a deadline of the end of August but, in reality, I would like to get this third draft done by the end of July so that I can redraft again if necessary (who am I kidding? It WILL be necessary) before submitting it to the RNA New Writers' Scheme before the very end of August.

Of course, this situation I find myself in was not what I had intended when I joined the NWS in January (although, honestly? Not entirely unexpected). Then, I had grand visions of getting it polished enough to submit by June, smug that I had one finished manuscript being critiqued and could get on with number two. Number two?!? Well, I have an idea for a second book, but I wonder if I should really be starting a second novel when I'm not even happy with the first.

I am hoping my volunteer, pretend potential agents/editors (big thanks to you all) will help me out with making it better, telling me what's good, what's dire, what makes absolutely no sense. It's a lot to ask of people really. Complete honesty but delivered kindly, in such a way so as not to completely devastate but to help, to encourage, to make it good. Good enough to get published - now there's a tall order.

Another tall order is trying to get a maternity bra that fits properly but isn't completely unattractive and ridiculously expensive - this is probably harder to achieve than getting published... but that's another blog entirely.