Christopher Vogler

All I can say is read what this guy has written in The Writers' Journey - Third Edition. Suddenly the whole process and point character and storytelling makes sense, and I'm not even half way through it. It's inciteful to the nth degree. I'm only sorry I didn't find it sooner.

Roll of Wallpaper

Yesterday I laid out a long length of wallpaper on the floor (I don’t have a table big enough) and stuck the corners down with masking tape. Then I scattered cushions around it, opened a new pack of pens and started the detailed plan of my next novel. The research has been ongoing for sometime, but taking that step was a weird, scary, and exciting feeling.

One, two, three

If you have a post-it facility on your computer – use it. The business community have long known that if you prioritise your tasks for the day you get things done. The trick is to list your top three jobs, in order, on the post-it, and start with number one. When it is finished, start number two. Reassess if you have to, but you should be working on the most important. I have spent the morning completing the tax return I’ve been putting off and guess what number two was…?

Reality check

When you are lying in your sick bed or pest house, as I have been, it’s a good time to assess what you are doing and where you are going. My problem has been the pressure I felt others were putting me under. It was like having a shadow the size of a grizzly bear’s. It was only when I was forced to stop did I see it. I’ve given myself permission to do things at my own pace and my own shadow is back.