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Tomorrow it will be 3 years since I turned 50 and decided to take my writing seriously.

Since then I have self-published 3 short works, but I’ve still not completed my first novel. I’m not going to beat myself up too much, as I can see now that I spent too much time doubting myself and jumping from one course to the next to try and find a way of writing that worked for me. After just completing Plotstormers with @Writer’sHQ, I feel as though I have written more quality work in the last month, than I have in the last year.

I’m understanding now what my novel is about and I’m feeling confident that I will get my book finished this year. I’m under no illusions that there’s still a lot of hard work ahead, but I do think that I’ve finally found a method that works for me.

Onward and upward…

To plot, definitely, always, without a doubt. I know this is a subject of some debate, should you plot or just let the story take you where it will, but I can honestly say, for me, I cannot write a book without a plot.

I’m just coming to the end of the plotting course with Writer’s HQ, and it has made me see where the holes and weak spots are in my book (I’ve already written 60k words), and given me the confidence to now go on and actually get the book finished. Which is what I hoped I would get from the course.

Plots, themes, inciting incidents, conflict, resolution, story arcs, all the things you hear people saying when talking about writing a book have suddenly come into focus and all has become clear! I have re-read a couple of first chapters of my favourite books and I can now see that I was not just reading a good story, I am getting a masterclass in storytelling. And that is why they are so successful.

If you’re a pantser, I take my hat off to you, because your brain at some level must be able to contain all the info needed to write a book, without having to type it out, plot it out and have it laid before you like a roadmap.

But for me roadmap it is, and now I’m ready to start the journey.

Duma Key by Stephen King, read. Not like me to take so long to read an SK book, but I lost my way with it a little bit 3/4 way through. I’ve done the same with The Institute, and I still have that to finish. But both Duma and Institute have picked up towards the end and pulled me in again.

Note to self: keep the interest coming when you’re writing a book…

Matt Haig The Midnight Library – read. Yeah, go me!

Did I enjoy it, yes. Did I need to re-read a couple of bits to get a full understanding of what he was trying to convey, yes. But that might just be me. I read like I write, very fast, and I consequently sometimes miss bits out.

Would I recommend the book, yes. But would it pass my very strict acid test of, ‘would I re-read it?’ No. The only book that has past that test in recent years is Pet Semetary. Of course, it was a King book.

Speaking of which, where’s Duma Key. I did say I was going to finish that, didn’t I…

It is a commonly know fact that writers need to read. It is also quite common, certainly in my house, that my life consists of work, family, writing, and reading, but unfortunately due to inconvenient things like needing to sleep my reading often gets pushed to one side. This however doesn’t mean that I buy fewer books, only that the ‘to read’ pile gets bigger. However I now have a few days to prioritise reading again, hooray! So the reading list is as follows, Duma Key Stephen King – finish. The Institute Stephen King – finish (I know but bear with me). Then I have some new books, and for the first time in a long time I am about to read an author new to me, Matt Haig with The Midnight Library. ‘Between life and death there is a library.’ Well that little sentence certainly drew me in, I’ll let you know what I think. Then I have JK Rowling’s or should I say Robert Gilbraith’s latest Comoran Strike offering. Now that is a big book, but hopefully I’ll get through most of it before the weirdest Christmas and New Year ever is over.