Lovely Leitrim.........

Here I am in the wilds of Leitrim with my laptop, my bum glue and the second series of ‘House’ plus the dvd ‘Life is Beautiful’. These things and the radio will be my only companions for the next week. So I’ll only be blogging, facebooking, emailing and net-surfing for ONE HOUR every evening. Apart from that I’m hiding the broadband modem stick or whatever it’s called, staying in my pyjamas and forcing myself to write at least forty thousand words of novel#2 this week.

The whole bloody novel is plotted, I have family trees for all my characters, I know what’s in their handbags/pockets for God's sake and I still procrastinate. The ironing must be done. I better weed that flower bed. The weigelia needs pruning or I’ll just go for a walk or maybe I’ll just finish this chapter and I really must watch the omnibus edition of whatever soap I happen to come across or I suppose I better feed my family etcetera etcetera. It is endless. Is it fear? Laziness? A combination maybe?

Because every time I open up a notebook or a blank screen sits looking at me - cursor winking in the left-hand corner I am seized with the most awful, wonderful feeling. This could be shite or this could be really, really good. It could sing. It could embrace the reader. It could turn the reader off books for life. The power! The power! Gobshite…me, not you!

I’m involved in the local panto this year with Magic Caarpet Theatre Company and the script by the talented Mr Alan Cash is brilliant. It zips along, busy, busy, busy. Extremely funny and snappy. We sat chatting after rehearsals last week and all agreed how important that first show a child sees is. If that show is good, production values high and it is as professional as limited means allow then you have that kid hooked on theatre for life. Even if they only go once a year, it’s different, it’s live, it’s not X Factor or Big Brother.

I think the same applies to books, give a child stories by the likes of Martin Waddell when they are toddling and you will hook them in to the joys of quality reading. That never ever goes away, they may drift away from it at some stage but they’ll always come back. Reading is such a solitary occupation. Just you and your book. Special time.

That’s why I have to make my book the best I can make it. No pressure then. Me free hour is up . Goodbye!