Tiny salmon chasing that impossible dream.
Tom Green, Road Trip.
I’d like to make an announcement.
I’ve decided that, after today, I’m never playing the lottery again. I have tonight’s Euromillions ticket nestled in my purse. It’ll be the last chance I ever get to win the lottery.
How many hours have you spent wondering what you’d do if you’d won? I’ve spent hundreds, possibly thousands of hours in enjoyable contemplation.
I’d wake up early, have a detox tea on the balcony of my mansion as I watch the sun rise. I’d start the day off with a massage and facial, whilst I mull over which gorgeous outfit to wear, or which recipe I want to try out in my massive, country-style kitchen (complete with island and dual cooker… sigh) for that evening’s dinner (if we’re not dining out, that is).
As I feast on breakfast, I’d go about my business, dealing with practical matters and philanthropic duties. I reckon that would take me up to around 8 or 9am…
Then I’d close the door of my writing room and get to work. Aside from a brief lunch, I’ll continue to write until it’s time to get the dinner on. Then I’ll spend the rest of the day with my loved ones.
I’m not a particularly extravagant person. I’m one of those geeks who enjoy frugality and planning ahead. Yes, it’s out of necessity, but I’m glad for it. It’s become apparent that I don’t need the lottery to obtain my highest level of happiness.
I need to write books to obtain my highest level of happiness. The country-style kitchen and mansion will just have to wait until the publishing industry have decided to pay me my billions. *sigh*
In the meantime, I’ll just have to settle for sipping on my detox tea and watching the sun rise from my office window. I’ll continue to shop in Primark for £2 dresses and categorise my recipe searches to “budget-friendly”. Most importantly, I just need to get my head down and write.
If I were to buy two Euromillions and two lottery tickets a week, I’d be spending £312 a year to enter a contest in which I’d have a 1 in 14 million chance of winning. How can I even entertain those odds when I refuse to believe I’ll fall into the category of the 1 in 8 women who get breast cancer in their lifetime?
A lottery win could enable me to give up the day job and write for a living. But so could persistence with my writing. Call me naive for thinking it a possibility, but why the hell not? There’s plenty of full-time writers out there (of who I am sickeningly jealous), there’s no reason I can’t be that too one day.
The money dress will have to wait for now…
In other news…
Although I vowed never to be a slave to word count again, I’m still eager to get this second draft moving along. I have some time off work at the end of June, and would like to have Draft 2 done by then.
I have 29 days from now to redraft 36 chapters (I know it sounds excessive, but murdering my darlings will happen in Draft 3). I’ll update you on my quest next Friday. Things might be looking frantic by then!
Have a lovely weekend, everyone. x
Ohh, you just depressed me with that lottery winning statistic! :p
Good luck with your second draft!
I don't do the lottery thinggie… so my chances are non-existent.
I think that ultimate bliss can be discovered in pursuing the things that really make you feel alive – so write on!
I know a win is pie in the sky but someone has to win it. I don't do the lottery every week just now and again,I even di a blogpost about planning what I'd do. Great minds and all that. You never know what might happen with your writing you could still be a millionaire.
…I still play, couple of dollars a week for a chance at changing the game…yeah, count me in.
Good luck on your second draft!
El
I've never bought a lottery ticket– so I guess I have no chances of winning 😀
I guess you must have won, as you have gone right off the radar? Or you have locked yourself away to continue draft 2 of the novel.
I am still wading through treacle with mine!
Whatever you are up to – hope you are well and happy. 😉
@Kyra Lennon: It is depressing, eh? The cancer statistic wasn't too jolly either haha : thank you!
@michelle: I'm in the same boat as you now 🙂 it was, astonishingly, a bit of a transition period, having to stop myself mid lottery fantasy! You're absolutely right about your ultimate bliss theory!
@Cassam: Thank you for your vote of confidence, Anne, I'll remember it when my books make me a millionaire… sigh, I'm still an outrageous fantasist with or without the lottery!
@Elliot Grace: Good luck, hope you win! 🙂 Thank you, the second draft is coming along splendid!
@Damyanti: I don't think I've known anyone over the age of 16 to have not bought a lottery ticket. Kudos to you for your restraint 🙂
@Maria: Aww thank you so much for thinking of me 🙂 I had a bit of a blog hiatus (ranted about in my next post). I wish I could lock myself away to finish draft 2 – I'm always having to tear myself away from it to do other things. How I ache for a day of peace to write! Best of luck with yours, Maria!
I so can identify with how you are feeling…off to look at your next blog post.