Wednesday 5 March 2008

World’s worst blogger

This blog is becoming rather like the Christmas diary I feared and predicted it would be. Those who praised it in its early days for the many gems of wisdom didn’t realise that those were gems which had been accumulating over some time, mostly during periods when I wasn’t writing a book and so had time and brain cells to kill. Since then, the decline of this blog has been pitiful to chart, petering out to the occasional posting when I have some self-promotion to do.

However, one can take the lamentable inactivity of this blog as a good sign. If I’m not writing here, it means I’m writing elsewhere. Which I am (although not at this precise moment, I admit). Yes, there is a new book in the pipeline, and the first draft is well under way. I am up to chapter 5, which experience tells me means that I have broken the back of this particular task, and it’s a live idea that I can see through to the end.

It’s not a Cat Kin book (thank heaven) but an entirely new idea, and in many ways it feels like I’m writing my first novel again, with everything or nothing to play for. What I am enjoying is the fact that it is the book itself demanding to be written. The characters want to run on to the next page. I’m writing not because I have a contract or a deadline or hope of money at the end of it. I’m writing because, frankly, I have to. And that’s a good thing.

The blog will just have to go hungry occasionally.

7 comments:

Bruce Black said...

Nick
I'm sure your many fans are willing to go hungry here knowing that a hearty meal awaits us in the near future.
Lovely to hear that you're writing again!

Lee said...

Keep at it, and don't worry too much about the blog. An occasional sign of life is fine. In fact, that's what I've basically decided to do at the moment too.

Kelly said...

Go, Nick! I can't wait to read it. (BTW: I finally got your second book back from my daughter TODAY so I could read it. She shared it with 3 of her friends first, darn her.)

Nick Green said...

Hurrah! Comments mean people still checking the blog! Thank you all for the supportive messages.

Three others, Kelly?! Sounds like a good test of Lulu's binding quality. You'll end up with a dog-eared Cat's Paw.

bookwitch said...

Of course we check the blog! Don't think you can shirk responsibility now. Though I suppose if you're writing a nice new book I could consider letting you get on with it.

Anonymous said...

you've cracked it in just FIVE chapters? genius! met you last week at that lunch with various authors. i was the one who ordered the risotto and wanted the linguine

many good wishes,
Candy

The Ginger Darlings said...

So, sounds as if you have written enough of the new one to send out a little to publishers anyway. How about it?
Am working on pictures for a book here and paintings for dragons, but have a new picture book idea clawing away at the inside of my brain.
PS Stole the cat blog to send you this while the cats were attacking the mouse mat of the computer.
Jackie