Motivation

However one can get it.

The novel takes place in Wales, and although I used to say I could never write while listening to music, I've found myself listening to Welsh tunes - from traditional to contemporary rock - and writing whatever scenes in the novel are inspired by them.

I've also been listening to quite a bit of spoken Welsh. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that listening to Welsh can't be all that enjoyable, even if you understand one word in ten, and even if it's not in the same room as an actual Welsh person (which would require a mask for protection against the spit produced when a native speaker says, "Machynlleth" for example).

But admitting that I've been listening to Welsh is like admitting I've been eating two pounds of chocolate at day. I'm owning up to the height of self-indulgence, here. If I'd realized that writing a novel was a good excuse to immerse myself again in Wales and all things Welsh, I would have done this years ago.

And no, I haven't been eating two pounds of chocolate a day. Because of course, writing a novel in a month does not produce enough stress in my life. So I'm also concurrently trying to lose weight before seeing relatives at Thanksgiving - watching the calories and exercising a bit more.


18,000+ words. 32,000 to go. Yikes!