Hello! Look at us! We’re already on Week 4 of the 8 week course. We’re getting there. You know, in novel-writing terms, this just-before-the-50% mark is often the hardest bit – you’ve not quite crested the hill but you’ve produced enough to feel a bit exhausted, and you’ve still got more than half the book to write. It can feel tempting to give up and save yourself the bother and humiliation of ploughing onwards. But once you push past it, suddenly you find yourself powering towards the finish line, towards the bits you’ve been waiting to write, and you have the satisfaction of knowing you stuck with something that wasn’t easy, which is an achievement in itself.

I suppose what I’m saying is: hold fast, friends! Setbacks are part of the process. If life gets in the way and you have to pause doing these exercises for a few days or a week, don’t worry. Get back on the horse as soon as you can. It’s a great learning experience to prove to yourself that you can step back into your writing habit after distractions or mishaps, and every time you reaffirm your commitment to the process by doing even a 5 minute freewrite, you’re sending a powerful signal to yourself that you care about your writing, and you’re here for the long haul.

And if you haven’t started the course yet, join us! You can download episodes or stream them online. You can start whenever you like and work through the episodes at the rate of one a day. Each one contains a little 10 minute writing exercise to get your brain sparking. It’s perfect for busy people who really want to write but struggle to find the time and energy.