Take a deep breath, hold it, and then smile like an idiot

After a couple of weeks of crumbled resolve, I’ve reached the other side. The last two weeks have been a low of sorts (if you can really call it a low – I mean compared to family tragedies, world poverty, car bombings… I guess calling it a low is pretty damned selfish, so why not call it a “blip”?). I suppose I’m learning all the time, not just about writing but talking about writing, and the last month has taught me that sometimes when you talk to others about your writing too much, their problems sometimes rub off on you, and like a cold you can start to feel it too…

But not now.

After several stalled attempts while writing The Burning Sands of Time, I’ve gone back to chapter 5 and looked at the story from that point on. And I can see where the problems are. They are so obvious it’s like looking for a pen that’s right under your nose, or behind your ear. Yep, there were problems, a cluster of small problems, aspects that would turn a great book into a mediocre one. And there’s nothing like discovering this to give your writing ego a boost because now you can remedy them and carry on with the most important task: writing the damned thing!

Add to that everyone who is reading the penultimate draft of The Secret War are captivated by it. I’ve got people who don’t “do” historical, or horror/fantasy books, but who are devouring every chapter and enjoying the ride. Again, it boosts the writing-ego and if I had any flickers of “self-doubt” before, I don’t now.

And so to the writing… I’ve started writing in the evenings to catch up. Tonight I’ll do some writing, probably before the kick-off between England vs Trinidad and Tobago. Depending on the result you will probably then find me slumped over the laptop with a cheerful grin as I re-write chapter 5 (which should be a knock-out compared to the original chapter which gave away too much for just a song). Or I’ll be fuming at England’s poor performance and find me slumped over a few empty beer bottles - still composing revised chapter plans for the rest of the book.
On top of that I’m having a splendid e-mail conversation with Michael Stephen Fuchs (author of The Manuscript – see link left) who is giving me a great insight into what to expect when January 2007 comes along and The Secret War is in print. (I’ll be keeping the details of the conversation to myself before anyone asks – as the whole experience is pretty personal from one writer to the next).

And also to the reading… Everything creative is rubbing off on me, including the books I’m reading. Apart from research books (and I must say, I lurve DK’s Eyewitness Travel Guide to Egypt – so handy and insightful!), I’m finishing reading Conor Corderoy’s Dark Rain and it is pretty special. If you like your sci-fi gritty and satisfying, this is the one to read. After that it’s either Michael’s Manuscript, or something chunky in the form of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time (no I can’t believe I’ve never read these either, before you ask).

Anyway. I’ve broken the silence, and though I can’t promise to write another blog entry soon, I can promise it won’t be as long 'til I breathe out again.

Hope you are all well

Matt

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