I keep saying every year how I want to write more: I could find posts saying this for 2017, 2016, 20152012, & 2011. This year I have actually started as I mean to go on and have been writing, a little bit every day, as I can. Sometime last year I joined the 10 minute novelists Facebook group, and they are such a friendly, helpful, encouraging group of people. Through that I have signed up for their 365 Challenge – to write every day for the whole of 2017. Just signing up for it inspired me to start writing, and I have continued that into the New Year. And I have won the badges for January, as I have written at least 100 words every day (and logged them in the communal spreadsheet). In fact I have written a total of 8955 words in the month.

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I signed up for a target of 125 words a day, as this is roughly what I can write on one page of my A5 notebook that fits nicely in my handbag and I can take with me. Writing by hand I find much easier to do in the short bits of time I have between the children, and is much less daunting to pick up than having to boot the laptop and get everything set up as generally by the time I’ve done that the moment of calm has passed and I’m in demand again. I do try not to write too much round the children, as they do need my attention too. But I am also trying to take advantage of the few moments they have where they’re happily engaged in something else by themselves. As well as being able to do more in the evenings.

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I am really enjoying testing myself writing what I think will turn out to be a novel. I have a number of ideas for novels, some of which I’ve written outlines and ideas for characters etc. The one I’ve started is the one I had done least prep work for, as I know that whatever I write first will be rubbish as I have so much to learn about the mechanics of writing a novel. And I didn’t want to have to end up with an idea that I was so keen on, and had already put some work into, ending up being so badly written as I knew a first attempt will be. I know this sounds a bit backwards, but it was really putting me off starting as I didn’t want to do anything less than my best for all of them. In the end I just picked one and am sticking to it. Though I really just had a vision of the opening scene when I started, and even now I’ve no idea of where we’re going with it. I think we might end up taking over the world!

So, as I’ve said, my first attempt will be rubbish, and at 125 words a day it will take a while. I plan to keep going though, and see where I end up. Maybe the fourth one I’ll end up publishing. I certainly don’t intend to do so for anything before that as I think it will take me that long to have somewhat of a clue about how to do it! So this is very definitely the start of an adventure, which I am very excited to be finally actually starting on.

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