Next step, I think, is a vague overall outline of my novel. I’ve decided I need some direction but with the freedom to let the characters wander a bit. Starting out with no plan will, I think, lead me nowhere.

I’ve made a list of possible scenes, without giving it yet an overall structure. I plan to use these scenes (and more) to create a plotline, and the next step is for me to work these into “suspense points” to give the novel pace. For ages I’ve been holding on to some great yellow-orange bits of paper, about a quarter of a page size, and I want to write scene ideas on these and then juggle them around until I find a structure I like. A beautiful writer’s office with an entire wall of pinup board would be perfect for this, but for now the kitchen table is a good substitute.

It’s getting much closer to the time when the only left is to sit down and write. Fortunately, I think my brain, fingers and life in general are also leading in this direction. And today, for example, I’ve got no internet connection, so I can’t research my week’s blogs for my paying jobs, I have to concentrate on other writing instead. The universe always finds a way to help me!

The idea of writing “the blurb” of my novel to help me get an overall vision of it appeals to me: especially as I’m not sure how the story will end, and a blurb shouldn’t give away the ending!

And so, in a quiet moment, I wrote a blurb for my novel. But it was terrible. It gave you some idea of the story but wouldn’t sell it: I wouldn’t pay for this novel if I’d picked it up in the bookshop. But I like the idea of the blurb still, so I’ll spend some time in my bookshelves soon and get some ideas to focus me. And what I really want to do soon is get back to Sol Stein’s How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them and use it as motivation to get words on paper.

My husband asked me the other day if I’d started writing my novel yet. I answered yes, and incidentally, this is true – I’ve taken a couple of opportunities lately in waiting rooms or on the bus to write. Of course, the next question was: “What’s it about?” And it’s a good question.

I knew the answer, but would I tell him? I’d already thought about this a bit, since posting the progress of my novel on this blog has made me think about whether I’d post any excerpts from the writing along the way: and I’d decided the answer to that was no. I’d rather people could read it fresh, without any expectations. And, I’m scared, too, of getting strange reactions along the way, of people knowing what’s going on in the deepest parts of my mind.

“No problem, I understand,” was my husband’s reaction. And he did. He’s an artist (when he’s not an engineer) – our walls are full of his magnificent oil paintings – and he understands that creativity sometimes needs to remain private. It’s nice to feel that support without feeling I have to show him any evidence of what I’m doing – until it’s in the bookshops, of course!