The Blog that Never was

Inspired, or perhaps goaded, by a quote that appeared in my Twitter feed the other day, I sat down, there and then, and wrote a blog that I thought I’d post today.

I read it again, just now, to tidy it up, ready for publication, and then I stopped.

I am the luckiest person in the World. I live the life of Reilly. The husband is a very well-respected writer, and that affords me the time and space that I need to follow his very good example, and do a bit of writing myself. 

I entered my second novel, "Naming Names", for the inaugural Mslexia Novel Writing competition, and it was chosen as a runner-up to the eventual winner, Rosie Garland, for her novel “The Beast in all Her Loveliness”. Rosie went on to secure a very nice deal, thank you very much, with Harper Collins. There is nothing to suggest, with my agent now on board, that I won’t be in a position to announce a deal myself in due course.

What could I possibly have to get snarky about then? You might well ask.

The answer is: nothing. I have no right or reason to get snarky, except that I am of the human persuasion, and so, I’m as prone to getting snarky as anyone.

I used to get snarky about other people’s unruly children, but my brood has grown up, and I don’t have a whole lot to do with random kids any more. Once in a while, I might get snarky about someone criticising the husband or his work, but that doesn’t happen often enough for me to get exercised about it on a regular basis.

About eleven weeks ago, I began this blog, so writing is at the forefront of my mind an awful lot of the time. That happens when you throw yourself wholesale into a new and exciting phase of your life. For the first time in a long time, I’m working pretty much full-time, and only about half of that time is spent on commissioned things and peripheral activities. Mostly, I am now a writer.

I knew this would happen. It has happened to my husband, after all. I knew that people would be interested in all things writing-related, because we all seem to believe that we might one day be writers too. I was one of those believers. 

So today, I’m going to try to be gracious. Today, I’m going to wish all you writers well. I’m going to wish you the strength and determination you will need to plough this particular furrow. I’m going to wish you the drive and energy, and the skills you will need to fulfill your dream

I’m the lucky one, and I know it, and I wish you all the luck in the World, too, because, believe me, you’re going to need it... 

... Or are you?