Writing a book part 32

Being as I decided last month that I needed to rewrite 90% of what I've done so far, I should probably have been working twice as hard on my novel over the last few months - but the reverse has been true. While workload has accounted for part of that slackness, the real reason is a decided lapse in motivation.

My original intention to finish the book by my 40th birthday in late July is now entirely unrealistic, and that lack of a deadline (albeit an arbitrary one) means there's nothing to aim at. The re-write that I'm about to embark on could take months or years, even, judging by my average rate of progress so far.

However, the revised synopsis which I have been tinkering with will make a much stronger book - and I'm determined not to give up. Next week, I plan to force myself to start writing again, even though the revised synopsis is still a little rough around the edges. Once I've got back into the swing of things, I should be able to estimate how much longer this project will drag on for.

With only 30-40 minutes available to work on the book each weekday morning, progress is necessarily slow. So I may well try and devote some full days to writing the book across the summer, in order to blitz the work and get a final draft finished and ready for the autumn.

So, tune in next month to hear exactly how much that plan has changed!