What next?

I have a enjoyed a blissful two months of working part time on a temporary basis, getting home early and writing nearly every night. As a result of this I have finished all the projects that I had been working on for some time.

I enjoy switching from one thing to another, it's refreshing in a way as it keeps my mind active and hopefully more creative as I think we use different parts of our brain depending on what we are thinking and writing about so it's a great mental exercise.

Since working part time I have completed and submitted a non-fiction children's book, submitted a young readers story book and re-worked my novel which has now gone to an agent and another publisher. Although I may be sending all of these out again in the future if they get rejected, I may only need to tweak them and so now I can move onto something new.

It's fantastic to think I have a blank canvass to start thinking about ideas, some of which have just been scribbled down in a tatty notebook and put on hold for months.

I am back to my normal full time hours next week but am determined to keep up with some sort of routine with my writing habbits, even though I may not have as much time in the week , I can shift my writing time to the weekends again. I have so many new ideas that I want to try out and start working on.

All I have to decide is what next?

Murder she wrote!

I have just reached a massive turning point in my novel 'Red Kite' where I have no option but to murder one of the main characters. I have been thinking about it for a while and feel it's the only way forward.

I have re-written it so many times and never seen this until now. I suppose it is easier if you have a murder already planned into a plot but in my case it wasn't until now. I didn't see it coming but have to do it in order for the final chapter to make sense and to have the depth of feeling that I want to show.

I feel guilty in an odd way as my character has lived in my head for more than ten years but his departure means so much to this story.

That is the most amazing and magical thing about novel writing as it can feel like real life where you never know what may happen from one day to the next.

Here goes - time to be brutal!

Imbolc

The 1/2 of February is a wonderful turning point in many ways and for many different religions. The madness of Christmas has gone and most people feel relieved to get through what seems like an endless January too.

Imbolc is an ancient Celtic festival which celebrates the first new signs of life. It roughly translates as ewe's milk, when the lactating sheep start to feed their new born lambs. This time is not far off. I was talking to a local farmer the other day and he could almost set the date of around 14th February for his ewes to start giving birth.

Although the winter is not yet over, new life starts to appear. Tiny snowdrops push through the hard ground despite living through the harsh weather of the last few months, just like these sheep feeding in the snow during last December.

It also celebrates the feast for St Brigit or Bride, the goddess who signified new life, birth, creativity and who also inspired poetry.

Just seeing a tiny snowdrop appear in my garden this afternoon inspired me to get creative and do some writing.

Happy Imbolc everyone! Get creating!