"Because red's just camp."

Ah, lazy day. I went to Liverpool in the morning, wandered around the shops, noticed everything was on sale and realised abruptly that I haven't bought a single item of clothing for about four months. For me, this is a long time. I like buying clothes. It's probably completely out of keeping with the rest of my confirmed geek personality, but there you are. There were two things I nearly bought - a red Snoopy hoodie, which I rejected on the grounds I probably have three very similar, and a pretty green halterneck dress which I may go back and buy - but in the end the net result of my morning was a sandwich. It was a nice sandwich. And, of course, while I was there I couldn't resist more Target novelisations. Three more - Invasion of Time, The Invisible Enemy and The Sunmakers.

On first skim, they are all just as much fun as the original batch. Which is good, but they're having an unexpected side-effect. I am, you see, attempting to write fic that is not short and/or plotless. Which is not to say the fic in question actually has a plot; it's like Lovers, 'Tis Almost... and has a continuing thread to it, though nothing much happens. So far, it features Rose taking her A-levels, the Doctor quoting Othello*, Jack chewing on wires, The Time Machine, the oxidising properties of potassium manganate(VII), another psychotic wheelie bin, disused Underground stations, Jack visiting Algy, postmen falling off bicycles and an extended cameo from Five and Tegan. And if this were not bad enough, the side-effect I mentioned is that the fic is slowly but surely beginning to be written in the style of a Target novelisation, complete with excessive exclamation marks, people shouting ALL IN CAPS and a cliffhanger every five or six pages.

I despair. Thankfully I will soon be safely in Australia and away from an urge to post, or indeed finish, this fic.

Speaking of fic, I give you something else:

Mauve And Dangerous - the Doctor Who Fiction Awards 2005.** Run by yours truly, hathy_col and amchau and hosted and designed by taraljc, this is our way of keeping ourselves amused over the summer. I do hope people will take part and nominate and vote and suchlike, because it does have the potential to be a lot of fun.

And that's it from me for the moment. I'm going to London tomorrow morning, I'll be back on Wednesday night, at which point I'll be panicking about my theory test. It's on Thursday afternoon and if I fail it will be embarrassing.

Yes, bedtime now.

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*It would seem that I am now incapable of writing a non-litgeek!Doctor. It's just embedded itself in my brain.

**In case you hadn't guessed, this is the Sooper Seekrit Fandom Project O'Doom.

I blame gamesiplay for this. I never used to put footnotes in my entries.