Blogs, books and busyness

I know I have neglected this blog a bit recently but also know that it happens and hey the world hasn't ended!  And if you're reading this dear reader, you are still with me and I thank you for that!

I've been cracking on with my book on Machu Picchu - now getting to the exciting stage where I can talk about it and show people and ask for feedback (while only slightly feeling panicked/ hiding under blanket/ screaming eeeek). More about that in good time...

I have also been busy setting up something I have been thinking about for a while - a blog focused on being mostly vegan. I decided to try being vegan last year and have stuck to it although not always 100%!
I've been wanting to write about it more and was spurred on by taking part in a recipe swap in March thanks to Twitter (see I don't waste my time on there - it is valuable research and contact building!) I'll be trying out recipes, reviewing restaurants and other things, charting the ups and downs and musings on being, wel,l as the name suggests, virtually vegan!

Like most other people who write, I don't just write. I have a full time job, which is temporary so I need to try to keep my hand in with freelance work too as that's what I'll be likely returning to doing when the contract ends.  I have my little family of teenage son, cat and dog to look after, sort out and have fun with. Oh and the fish - I can't forget the fish. I am single so solely responsible for things like doing the hoovering, shopping, putting the bins out and, this weekend's surprise task, sorting out a workman to fix the garage roof. I have friends I would like to see more of and do more with. I haven't seen my brother since Christmas and he only lives in Yorkshire. Then there's social media...

I have never had and always thought I should have a routine, a definite time, schedule or window in the diary for writing. I still think I should have. But do I need to? I'm not sure.
Does it help to have a fixed routine or is it just more stressful if you can't stick to it or find you don't always feel at your writing best in your scheduled time slot?
I am still working out what's best for me.  I know I am a night own and could happily start about 8pm and write all through the night. But realistically I can't do this and carry on with the rest of my life. I thought I should try getting up an hour earlier to at least write something - but I also find that about 30-45 minutes into writing I am flowing and don't want to stop. Plus it means setting the alarm for 5am...

Have you found anything that works well for you?

A never ending story

So - here we are then April already - doesn't time fly! I knew I had neglected my blogging a bit but was shocked when I logged on to see the whole month of March didn't exist in my blogging universe! Thought I was going mad as I distinctly recall logging on at least 2 or 3 times and writing posts - but I have just found them saved as drafts - so only going slightly mad, having written but not actually published them.

I have had a busy month, head down, getting on with my e-book on my trip to Machu Picchu (still playing about with possible titles). I decided my first draft needed a lot of work so I just started again pretty much from scratch!  This is now turning into a readable draft (I think) so I'm sending it off to a couple of other people to look at. This is scary because 1) I haven't yet shared it with anyone else and 2) having read it again I can still see a lot that I want to change.

I'm not sure if/ when I will ever be able to take off my editing goggles. It is the bit I enjoy more than the first part of just getting some words out and down on paper - I find that that's hard because I still can't stop myself editing as I go along, so it all becomes quite time consuming!

I am looking forward to getting other people's feedback on it - and I know the people I am sending it to are both honest and constructive. It is like seeing your baby suddenly being judged by others though and I have had to do some stern talking to myself to even get it sent off in the first place!

So - even while the others are looking at it I know I won't be able to resist working on it again - but hopefully when I get their feedback it will give me some direction, focus and reassurance that no, I really don't need to start all over again...!