La Dolce Disaster

(NB: this post was meant to be posted last Friday).
Today has not been a good day.

I’m supposed to be writing 1,000-2,000 words a day on Book 2. Yesterday I managed about 1,800 which was vg as Bridget Jones would say. But it's getting harder, not easier. I just don't know the characters well enough, and every time I think of an interesting thing for them to do, I realise with a sinking heart that it's too similar to the experience of someone I know.

So as distraction, I spent this morning thinking of a title for Book 1. We do not have a title for it yet and I am a bit stressed out about it. For a description of this one, see right. Yesterday I spoke to my editor who was saying that it would be good to get a title that referenced classic films. So this morning, I came up with the following:

Breakfast in Sicily
From Hammersmith to Eternity
La Dolce Disaster
Sicily When it Sizzles

Not bad, eh? What’s that you say? Terrible? Oh dear. I really like La Dolce Disaster and I hope that that will go down well with everyone else but as the lovely Julie Cohen has written recently, it’s tortuous process. Having mailed off my title ideas, I spent some time looking at the internet. Then I realised I’d run out of coffee and needed to post a letter. So out I went to do that.

Then I did the following things:

1) Realised I’d come out without my wallet and only £6 in cash.
2) Decided to buy a treat – a pasteis de nata or custard tart, thinking I would have it as a reward for doing my 1,000 words
3) Bought a takeaway coffee
4) Put said coffee in my bike basket while unlocking my bike (why? Why?) and spilled it, splashing it all over my NEW OFF-WHITE SHOES WHICH I WAS WEARING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME TODAY.
5) Came home. Tried to write. TOTALLY UNABLE to think of, or write, anything. Gave up after 30 words.
6) Decided to write this post. Blogger was not working so had to save it.
7) Tried to return to book; couldn't face it.
8) Ate my treat nonetheless.

*Sigh*.