I decided last year to spend time away from creating fiction. Why? Like all human faculties, although the creative function benefits from use, it also sometimes needs rest to be refreshed.
So, what did I do? I wrote a few posts for a platform called Medium. You can find those here, if you’re curious. I also spent time re-arranging my many word and picture files, ditching old stuff and putting some order into more recent output. Apart from that, now in my 70s, I felt my loyal and long-suffering wife, Valerie, was owed some quality time.

But, as any writer knows, the creative urge will not suffer restriction for long. Toward the end of last year, I found a new idea slowly rumbling around in my grey matter. The story was initially sparked, in part, by reading Yann Martel’s fascinating if slightly weird ‘Self’. My new story is nothing like his, but his was definitely a spur to the creation of the new WIP (Work In Progress, for those unaware).

Yesterday morning I rose at what used to be my accustomed 07:00 and began to write. The first chapter, standing at 1725 words, is now complete as a first draft. I’m a pantster, so it’s bound to suffer collateral damage when I begin editing at the conclusion of the first draft of the novel. Characters will inevitably take over from intended small parts to starring roles along the journey, much of the language will demand attention, I may have to re-order some chapters, do away with others completely, or even consign one or more characters to the bin.

I have, of course, created and grown to know my list of players, befriending them, understanding their quirks, and empathising with them, even the villains. One can hardly write fiction without wearing the skins of the people you create, after all.

When I’ve posted this piece, I’ll begin chapter 2. But I’ll tell no one any details of the story, not even my publisher, until the tale has been told in full. Once I’m in editing mode, I’ll be open to some light questions and may even reveal the title and a few details. Until then, all visitors here will find, regarding the new novel, will be random reports on the progress of the writing. I hope you’ll be willing to accept that, because no one will persuade me to break the creative habits of a lifetime.

I will, of course, continue my series of posts on the beauty of nature (#ScenicSaturday), and there’ll inevitably be other bits and pieces I feel the need to post. But most of my time, energy, and attention will be consumed by the WIP.