This Writing Thing

My blog has been silent for some time, in parallel with my struggle to start another novel while there are still no takers for the last two. The start of term has been unusually busy but that's an excuse not a reason. I wouldn't say I've had writer's block; I haven't been stuck at my computer chewing a pencil. It's been more like writer's 'ennui' or apathy, a 'what's the point' feeling. My usual self-deluding trick of 'give it up then' worked in the end but what was also helpful was a discussion at Leicester Writers' Club, on a poorly attended evening, about the writing process. The usual advice to write every day and get into a routine is sound but I was finding that my writing in the evening was of poor quality compared to my writing at weekends. I have also discovered that now I am serious about publication, organisation of work to send out, preparing entries for competitions and self-promotion at writer's events is almost another job.
So instead of thinking about what to write, I decided to solve how I write. Having a full-time job, I will always be short of time, so it's essential I make the best use of whatever time is available. I no longer write in the evenings when I'm tired but use that time for the business side and perhaps some editing or research. All my creative writing now happens at the weekends and so far I've managed four hours every weekend and have four chapters of the latest novel at first draft stage. It helps that I'm reworking parts of an early, unfinished first novel, so progress is faster than normal.
What's good is that I don't feel under pressure. My first complete novel, Twenty-One Days, was written as part of my M.A. in Novel Writing and I felt I had to finish it within the year. The duress was self-inflicted, partly because I was returning to my demanding job but also to justify the year out. The second novel, The Hunting Party, was written while I was still with literary agents Mulcahy and Viney. They didn't want Twenty-One Days but asked me to write another novel, historical fiction. It was a mistake, I should have spent time shaping up Twenty-One days and it was madness to try writing historical fiction when I don't read the genre. I was delighted and flattered to be asked but felt under time pressure to produce a novel within a year. Since then, I've spent another year editing both novels to send out to agents. This time, I'm writing for myself and the novel will take shape in its own time. It's a good feeling.
I'm also writing some new poetry and have rescued some short stories I wrote before I decided to be a novelist. I'm no poet but writing and thinking poetically helps everything else I do.
Cyril Connolly said that the enemy of good art was 'the pram in the hall'. Here are my personal enemies: the internet (especially Facebook), T.V., wine, friends, children and weekends away. Normal life really!