Back in harness!

Well, hello there....it's been a while.

Real life has a habit of getting in the way of other, equally important things like fulfilling our dreams and ambitions, but time and tide wait for no woman, and I'm now in my 58th year. I know, hard to believe, isn't it...

 If I'm going to achieve my lifelong aim of becoming a 'proper' writer - which for me is defined as a published writer of full-length fiction - I need to get my backside in gear. So, while I tend to avoid the harsh discipline of goals and resolutions (New Year or otherwise), I want to note down some of the key things I want to get done over the next few months, and use this blog to update my progress. To relieve the tedium of this self-obsession for the rest of you, I'll try and include some ideas, techniques, book recommendations, websites, and other sources of inspiration which have helped me along the way.

Let's start with an obvious resource - the excellent Writing Magazine which I've been reading and learning from for almost as long as it's been published. One of my intentions (note careful avoidance of the word Goal) is to participate more regularly in the competitions which are run on a monthly basis, both in Writing Magazine and in the inserted subscribers-only addition, Writers' News. Somehow I've managed to win both of the competitions I entered in 2014 for the latter, which has given my confidence a tremendous boost. Now I need to apply that confidence (and a large dollop of discipline) to completing the draft of my 'cosy crime' novel, to revising and submitting at least one of the other novels I've already completed, and to building up my portfolio (posh word for rather tatty A4 file) of short stories. Keep the faith!