Slight change of Direction



I’ve decide that this blog will be devoted to the process of writing a novel with a focus on the emotional impact of doing so. It will still contain the short “episodes” of the novel as I write it, but I will also include behind the scenes detail – what I’ve achieved this week, my short-falls, how I’ve felt throughout, and how I’ve overcome (or not!) the problems I’ve encountered.

My aim is to provide an honest account of my experience of the creative process in the hope that others may benefit from it. There are many blogs out there with articles on the trials and tribulations of novel writing (this one from YA highway is particularly good) but for me, the emotional side of writing is my biggest hurdle and most enduring problem.

Why? I believe this is because of my health problems; I have depression and ME/CFS, and both like to put their respect spanners in my way on a regular basis. A lot of what I read on the internet about “Writers Block” follow the Pull-Yourself-Together school of thought – keep going, plod on, work through it, chin up. It’s great advice that I know through experience that my brain doesn’t respond well to. Hammering away at a problem (in any avenue of my life) can lead to me being overwhelmed with self-doubt and can trigger depressive episodes. Stopping, walking away, resting and re-evaluating are always better strategies for me but that greatly effects my productivity.

So how do I overcome these hurdles? That’s what this blog will be devoted to: support and advice for getting a brain that lacks motivation into gear, that lacks concentration to focus, that gives way to irritability and anger to chill the hell out! Can I silence my self-doubt enough to achieve my dream? I suppose only time can tell…