Enjoying the break

Although I have a couple of books to write, I'm enjoying the break. For once, I am not stressed out about Christmas and solstice preparations, I am ahead of my schedule. Presents bought (or made) and wrapped, cakes and mince pies made and wrapped or frozen, shopping ordered, trees up, the house is even tidy-ish. I'm on top of the laundry. We have spare teabags and toilet rolls in case of snow (we get completely cut off by our vertical drive). The log store is full. It's probably best that I am not writing at the moment, as my back is about as close as it can get to going 'crack!' as it can, and could do with the rest.

I'm stalled because I'm waiting for edits on book 1 - but as other writers have said, it's not a bad thing to leave books 2 and 3 to settle so I can come back to them fresh in January. My fingers are still itching to start another book, and as I'm contemplating starting a PhD, I'm looking at the application process and starting to solidify ideas for the synopsis as a guideline for this book. Each university has its own process and there are money implications as well, so I'm going slow and thinking carefully about it. I think I benefit from having to look at the way I write in order to write better. I find myself catching cliches and repetitions, thinking more about what effect I want to craft. It would be useful to carry on doing that. In know the most important factor in improving is writing, but learning helps me too.

To that end, I am reading Celia Brayfield's Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing to keep the process of improving going. I'm also trying to work out Scrivener,a s I would like to write this newer, slower book in Scrivener that in Word. The idea is that I actually plan. Plot, like a grown up writer. Who'd have thought? It remains to be seen if I actually can.