Well, as per tradition, it’s time to plan my New Year’s Resolutions 2017.
I’m a great believer in self-development, which is why I like to take this opportunity to look back on what I tried to achieve in the last year – and to see how far I got! I think that setting clear, quantifiable targets and letting others know you’ve done so is a fantastic motivator for actually doing them. But it’s by seeing how (or if…) I’ve achieved them that helps me see where I’d like to push myself next. Read More
It’s been a while since my last blog post, and I’m sorry. But I’m sure you’ll like what I’ve been up to: finishing a novel.
Back in March I talked about Writing a Novel: The Midway Point. Midway wasn’t a bad estimate; I started After Life (yes, we have a title now) last November, and I finished the first draft on the last day of July. Of course, writing a novel isn’t like competing in a race – it’s like a triathlon, and there a few finish lines to make it through. But first thing’s first: let me tell you all about finishing a novel.
Oh, it got hard towards the end. Nine months is a long time to stick at anything, let alone writing one story. My routine really helped here – the more I wrote, the more I came to know what my five thousand words a week translated to in terms of narrative. I knew the end couldn’t be far away and I stuck with it, matching the increasing pace of the story with more and more writing. By the end I was fitting in writing where I could; mornings, lunchtimes, evenings. I was desperate to have it done.
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