I, Luddite

One entry in and I'm already having trouble! When I tried to log in to make a second I was roughly manhandled from the premises by the google bouncer. Having finally taken a tortuous route through the labyrinth of passord changing menus here I am.

Anyway...

Having had a few days to get over several months of hard work I find that I am a much happier and more relaxed bunny. Actually, writing has to be one of the two best jobs out there. Sure, there's a lot of time spent in front of books and the computer monitor, but I'm always dealing with stuff I am fanatically interested in. The pay is nice and once in a while I get to meet some very interesting people. I also get to see places I would never have had the chance to in my previous existence, and best of all I get to give people pleasure - and what could be nicer than that? So, yes, I'm chilled out now and eagerly looking forward to tucking into series 2 of Battlestar Galactica on DVD. Actually, that will have to wait until after I've finished series one of the original Outer Limits. One or two poor efforts there, but some stories are fantastic. Do check out The Architects of Fear if you can.

The other best job is teaching. I mean it. I had over a dozen years of great times in one school and two colleges. The students were fun to be with, and when they felt intellectually ambitious I was astonished and humbled by their achievements. I really mean humbled. One of my first ever students, David, turned out to be one of the finest teachers I've met (and far, far better than me) and others have gone on to become TV news presenters, radio jocks, journalists, barristers, and so on. But better still, all of those I have stayed in touch with have continued to be good people with good hearts and it's always a pleasure to hear from them. Then there were my teaching colleagues. Again, a fine bunch of people with diverse interests and thoroughly professional, even when they were often treated as menials by our political masters. To anyone thinking of becoming a teacher, I would just say DO IT! It will change your life and make a difference to other people's. As soon as I can afford the time, I am determined to get back into the classroom.

Here we go...

Number one entry.
Let's skip the usual faux mumblings and cut to the chase.
Just finished the first draft of The Generals, book 2 of the Revolution series featuring Napoleon and Wellington. It's taken over six months of writing, after several months of research, while writing another book in the Eagle series.
How do I feel?
Shattered and more determined than ever that I will NOT write another difficult book.
How long will I feel this way?
Just until the publisher sends me a sample copy of the final output in May. Then I will look on the whole thing as a wonderful creative experience that was fully worth all the months I poured into it. The book will be cherished like a newborn child. Mind you, I will never read the book in its finished form. I never do, partly because there is other work to do, but mostly because having shared my head with the characters for so long I want them out, removed, evicted. It's like having house guests for rather longer than one would like, even though they might be your best pals. I want my real family back. I want to play computer games with my boys, go out for dinner with my wife. Damn it, I even want to do some more flat-pack assembly work, just so I can use my hands instead of my head for a change.
What now?
Sigh... I still have to do the author's note for The Generals, then I have three months or so to get the next Eagle book written. So, it's off to the bookshelves to do the next wodge of research and time to put the screwdriver and woodeglue away for another day.