I’ve started! Actually, I started some time ago, but progress is slow. It’s not that I’m lacking inspiration; it’s more a matter of time. I’d like nothing more than to be able to sit down and write for hours on end – I’ve got the motivation and I’m positively bursting with ideas – but just at the moment, I’m struggling to find the time to write. Other things keep getting in the way, and there’s always something else that needs to be done first.
I’ve been a bit cagey about it up until now, but I’m going to come clean and admit that I don’t make a living from my writing (not yet, at least; though I think it’s early days). I have a job. So writing must, for now, be a spare-time activity. And unfortunately there’s rather more going on in my life at the moment than I’ve got time to deal with, so I’m not finding much time for my writing. The blog isn’t exactly blameless. Setting it up, getting to grips with software, terminology, etiquette, and trying to develop social media skills (it would have helped if I had any social skills to start with) have proved quite time-consuming. And of course it’s a two-way process. It’s not uncommon for me to fire up the laptop with a view to making a quick post, only to find that an hour later all I’ve done is read other people’s blogs! I’m enjoying writing posts – I enjoy almost any kind of writing – but I am anxious to get on with the new book.
I suppose this has been a theme of my life; that there’s never enough time to do all the things I need and want to do. I’m sure it’s a common problem. There’s no point in me writing in isolation – the work needs to be shared in order for it to have purpose – so the blog is a necessity. I’ll just have to hope I can find more time for the novel from now on.
At least I’ve made a start. I’ll talk about what I’ve done so far and the writing process next time…