Today is my birthday, and it seems as good a day as any to get this new blog started. I began blogging back in 2007 over on womagwriter but that blog has always stayed reasonably tightly focussed on writing fiction for women’s magazines. These days I write novels, so it’s time to start a new blog, about me, my life and my writing.

It was the first ever official Bournemouth marathon today, and they had glorious weather for it, although I suspect the participants found it a little too warm. We went to see the start, then I went to the cliff top and watched the faster runners go by, then I went down on the prom and sat on a bench, clapping for an hour or so as the whole field passed. The plan is (and if I put it in writing I’ll have to do it!) to enter the half-marathon next year.

The photo shows some of the front runners on the overcliff, passing the end of our road.

Writing a novel is a bit like running a marathon. At the beginning it all seems so daunting – all that distance to cover, all those words to get on a page. But all you have to do is start – put one foot in front of the other, one word after another and eventually you’ll reach the end. (A little training, or practice writing, helps, of course!) Every journey starts with a single step, and every writing project starts with a single word.

I’m now in training for next year’s half-marathon. And with this post, I’ve kicked off this new blog. Wish me luck for both!