Not a problem solving shedpost per se ... although this is a post about me solving one of my own problems.
I'm not someone given to writer's block - in fact, I'm quite the opposite. I'm a workaholic with more ideas than I can handle. The problem with that is that I keep starting new projects and dancing between the existing ones and things don't get finished. Just recently I've been hard at work on some content for Dr Sue Black's new book Saving Bletchley Park, but in my spare time I've been writing a comic novel and working on Why did the policeman cross the road? With Sue's book completed (and now going through typsetting and design) and my funding total rapidly approaching 50% it seemed to me to be time to focus my efforts on Why did the policeman? But oh, the distractions of the comic novel! I've been SO enjoying writing it that it's been hard to get into the right headspace to work on the more serious book.
How to solve it? Remove the distraction.
As it happened, I was long overdue paying a visit to my family in Cornwall and, with prices much cheaper at this time of year, a small holiday let was affordable. So, I loaded my laptop ONLY with Why did the policeman? and nothing else and set off for the tiny, remote village of Tregony to spend a week writing.
And things didn't go quite to plan.
The problem was ... the weather. It was brilliant! Considering it was the first week of November, the first five days of my week away were gloriously sunny and two days were warm enough to walk around in T shirts. Have you any idea how impossible it is to remain indoors typing when it's like this outside?
That was Mevagissey. This was St Mawes ...
And this was St Ives ...
And this was Godrevy ...
See what I mean? I had five whole days of this. I'm not complaining obviously but how can you resist going out for a walk when the scenery and weather look like that? To my surprise, however, I found that the long walks gave me time to marshall my thoughts and, returning home to the cottage each evening, I wrote really well for several hours and got lots done over the week.
I may not have written quite as much as I planned to write over the course of the week but I'm really pleased with what I did write. And being back in Cornwall has re-charged my batteries. As I said to my Mum after visiting her, 'I have to leave home on Saturday to go back to where I live'. Cornwall will always be home for me; it's the container of all of my childhood memories and it's where my family still lives. I'll go back and live there one day.
In the meantime, I'm much further on with writing this book and am re-energised to crack on and finish it. At a rough estimate, I'd say I'm about 75% through the first draft and I'm REALLY pleased with it. It's been eight years in the making and it's exciting to be approaching the end.
Keep pledging and keeping telling people to pledge!