Making sense

Right now, I'm trying to make sense of things. I have several writing projects I seem to be juggling. So many ideas, but can I follow through on them?

For uni I have at least 3 things I need to work on.

In Travel Landscape & Place, I wanted to begin with a piece on China. I've tried numerous times to make sense of my time in China. I wrote 7 or more drafts for a piece on working there - drawing some inspiration from Paul Theroux's "Riding the Iron Rooster" - brandished by a colleague when we first arrived there; especially since most of my travel was by train: local trains: across Qiqihar prefecture, subway-trains in Beijing & Shanghai, and intercity trains - most notably my trip from Shanghai to Harbin without a seat at Chinese New Year (not recommended). I began like a school teacher, trying to sound knowledgeable about all the things I learned after leaving China, rather than what I pieced together while I was there, the confusion & chaos that I faced daily. Being immensely frustrated by my work, being unable to let up at times, since I had to cover others; classes. The fact that I was sick for most of my time there.

I desperately need a second piece for the subject, we've been advised against further memoir-type pieces, with which I agree for the most part. A bit annoying though, I whipped up a piece for workshopping about the property which I grew up on.

I also have Writing for Screen, which has found me struggling to find a theme. I began with an idea initially based around Kim Jong-Il, with elements of Prince Harry and Blackadder creeping in. I've scrapped it for now, since I couldn't seem to wrap a plot around the bloke.

Other things are nagging at me. I joined Suite 101, but am lacking inspiration for non-fiction articles to place on there. Typically, I have a couple of ideas floating about up there, but lose focus once I fire up the word processor.

The other is a story I'm meant to be writing for a writers' group I'm involved in. It's based around the word "feather," as yet my story has practically nothing to do with the theme word, a feather makes a cameo, and seems only to function as a Tropfest item. I may post what I've done so far.