gaelikaa's diary

The topic for this post us "nothing", and of course it is impossible to do a post on nothing.  So I've switched it to 'nothing in particular'. Today I finished the first draft of my first novel.  The story that's been going around in my head for months finally grinded to a halt at 82,000 words.  I started writing my novel as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge in November and completed 57,000 words (the target was 50,000 words).  In the following months, I added another four thousand words or so, bringing my total up to 61,000.  This month I joined in the April Word Count Challenge set up by the Minxes of Romance blog, of which some blogging friends of mine, Lacey and Suzanne are members.  This is how I was able to give myself the push to get the novel finished.  So thanks to the Minxes for that. I got bitten by a dog again this week.  Thank God I had rabies shots recently.  I was walking down the road, minding my own business (very definitely - I was in a wo

I've been participating in April Word Count Challenge set up by the Minxes of Romance blog.  My goal was to write the final 19,000 words or so of and 80,000 word novel which was started as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge last November.  I'm so nearly there.  Only the last 1,500 words to go. The ending of my novel is clearly in my head.  My characters are talking to me again.  I can see the story unfolding.  I'd plotted the novel, yet it took a few directions I hadn't envisaged.  Some of the things that happened even surprised me. Having said that, it's probably not a literary masterpiece.  It's probably a piece of self-indulgent drivel.  But, you know, it's my self-indulgent drivel and I love it.  Once I'm finished I shall proof read it, at like, two chapters a day.  Then I'll get on with my life.  When I'm ready I'll decide what to do next.  But the main thing is, I'll have done it. I owe a lot to NaNoWriMo and the Minxes (esp

Many years ago when I lived in Dublin and Yash lived in India, we used to correspond.  One naturally befriends people in the same boat in which one is travelling and I got to know a young woman from the west of Ireland named Cliona, who had married a man from an Arab country.  After they married he went home to inform his family and persuade them to welcome his wife.  Cliona, living alone in Dublin, was jobless and time hung heavy on her hands.  She used to come to me a lot to talk about her worries, figuring that as I was having a relationship with an absent Indian, I would understand her situation. Eventually she flew out to join her Arab prince in the Emirates.  Six months later I was shocked to learn that she was back in Dublin.  Soon after joining her man, she had become pregnant.  Then she became seriously ill.  She had apparently been suffering from a hideous form of depression, usually kept under control with medicines which could not be taken owing to her pregnancy.  Her hus

I am managing to get somewhere with this challenge started by the Minxes of Romance blog, but the fact that I've had to go out on a lot of errands in the growing heat (going to the schools to pay fees, banks, post office, etc.) has made it difficult to maintain a writing routine plus the fact that I have kids under my feet for the Easter holidays.  Time to write is time when I can grab it and when one of the pesky kids is not hijacking my computer (little darlings all, but, well, you know how it is!). For anyone reading this who is not aware of my progress, I came into this challenge with a 62,000 word novel to finish at 80,000 words.  I'm approaching the 72,000 word barrier.  Just over 8,000 words to go.  I have content and can clearly envisage the zenith of my story and the conclusion.  I can do it, but I just need the time.  Then I can put this draft away for a while. I'm going to press on!  It's only a question of nine more days! If you would like to leave a co

I'm glad that 'The Secret of Helena's Bay' by Sally Quilford is a novella rather than a novel which can, technically,  be read at one sitting.  The reason being that you won't want to put it (or your Kindle!) down until you've read the last, satisfying word! It's got the tenderness of a love story and the taut tension of a thriller.  It's quite an achievement for the writer to have written that into just one story.  There's also the very human journey of a young women fighting to regain her self confidence and trust her instincts again after she's been taken to the cleaners by the man she thought was the love of her life.  A very difficult task indeed.  You find yourself cheering for her from the sidelines. If an absorbing read is what you're looking for, go ahead and get this book.  But while you're reading, for heaven's sake don't forget to feed the cats or put the rubbish out.  And don't say I didn't warn you!