PHEW!!!!

 So, since writing the two big projects while my wife was away travelling in March/April, I haven't really been needing to write. Went to Amsterdam for my Birthday and to see the once-in-a-lifetime Vermeer exhibition - which was crazy wonderful; and did some work in the garden and just kicked back. Didn't even do any reading for the third project I have set myself to complete by the end of the year. Then...

Back from Amsterdam and I woke up in the middle of the night - as men of my age often do - and there was an idea in my head which sounded truly brilliant (all ideas sound brilliant at that time of the night!!!) and so I made a mental note to myself to write up the idea in the morning. But then I thought how ideas sometimes get lost in sleep and never can be found again, so I put the bedside light on, grabbbed for my notebook and pen and set to writing it up there and then.

Turned the light off and 'she' wouldn't leave me alone but kept talking to me, adding more and more to the idea. Had to put the light on again and again and again till 12 notebook pages had been written. I didn't knowher name then; that came later, but now I know and her name is Lieke.

Did some research reading after that - light research which is the only kind of research I really like... I am always too impatient to be writing.

Then my wife takes a trip with our daughter to Dusseldorf for a long weekend's getaway and I have four days to myself. Well, what else am I going to do? I started writing this new thing. Wrote 10,000 good words on the first day!!!! Then finished it on the second at around 20,000 in total. A wee novella. Two days to write a wee novella!!!!! That's bloody crazy. 

Took the third day off and then on the fourth I 'polished up' the project. Sent it off (toot sweet) to a publisher and now have my fingers crossed.

And is the way of these things, I woke up this morning and she is not in my head anymore and I miss Lieke now.