Boondoggling

Is it just me or has your spam disappeared too? Where has it all gone? If I didn't manage to log on until evening there would always be at least 150 - 200 spam. As the filter regularly sorts work emails into the bin they needed checking. It's time consuming senseless things like this I want to get rid of, though some were even unintentionally funny - pun laden and quite 'Carry On'. Others were more offensive 'Mummy ...' 'Yes sweetheart?' 'Why is there a willy on your computer?' Whoever is responsible for the mass mailing of photoshopped penises should have their modem confiscated. No I do not want herbal supplements so I can please my lady. So where has it all gone? Have all the computer geeks broken up for the summer?

The clearout is going well. I've managed to throw out and give away so much there is an extra foot of work space down in the basement. Getting rid of Spam has been a bonus - a clearing of mental space. Talking of which, I've decided how to make The Pram in the Hall useful. At the end of every post there will be a daily writer's prompt - either a quick exercise or parenting tip that actually helps. After a whole month of blogging (almost typed boondoggling - there's a Freudian slip!) this seems like the most useful way to do this - none of us have time to sit down and write for hours, but we can each steal five, ten minutes a day and my migrating spam has just given me that back.

TODAY'S PROMPT: Find a small notebook - does not have to be fancy (in fact I've found that smart is bad, tends to make you think everything you write in there has to matter and be good). Find something that feels comfortable or makes you feel good. No one is going to look at it, or read it - this is your private space. Carry this and a pen with you at all times. You are a writer - this is your writing book. It is not for shopping lists or to do lists. This is yours. (Of course this means it will be like catnip to your children - my old books are full of stickmen and sketches of Barney or Dorothy the Dinosaur). However just knowing you have this with you makes all the difference. Today's task is simple - ask yourself what it is you've been wanting to write about. If the answer isn't obvious, at some point today while you are walking the dog, folding the laundry or brushing your teeth it will come to you. Write it down. Spend five minutes just loosening up and breaking in your new notebook and pen. Catch that idea on paper - they have an uncanny way of flying off again if you don't. Make a start.