As we come to the end of one year and look forward to the next, many of us will be making new resolutions and formulating exciting plans. Some of us will include writing that long-dreamt of novel on their lists. That was once on my new year list of things to do. It’s now – finish the 8th novel, come up with another idea, and think about writing different genres
So, how did I get from there to here?
Well….I was clearing out my garage a couple of months ago and found a painting. It was done my friend, the artist, Judith Dawson, and was of four women sitting in a cafe in a square in Cascais in Portugal. I was one of the women, as was Judith, and two of our friends. We all lived there when our children were young, and used to meet in a cafe in Largo Luis de Camoes for coffee, to talk about books, practice our Portuguese, and make the most of our time in that magical place.
For me, moving to Portugal allowed me to start writing. And I wrote – inspired by my fresh, vibrant, colourful surroundings – I wrote and I wrote and I wrote and it was all very bad to be honest with you, but I so loved just writing, the words spilling out onto the page instead of just sitting in my head, wasted and directionless. And looking back, at least I was writing. For Judith that time marked the discovery of a love of painting and art that took her on a new journey that included getting a degree, starting a business, and now painting from her home in Lagos in the Algarve.
We both found a dormant piece of ourselves when we lived in Cascais – the creative side that had been waiting to find its way out and become, for me anyway, a huge part of who I am and how I function
Many years later, now back in the UK after a few of life’s ups and downs, I began to write what was become my first published novel, The House That Alice Built, which was set in Cascais, and had many scenes in that square where we had all spent so much time and was so important to me. I then went on to write three more Portugal-based books – one more located in Cascais and two in Lagos in the Algarve, which has also become very special to me – and two stand alones set in the UK.
What I’m trying to say is, although my first traditionally published novel was released in 2019, the triggers that set that in motion had begun, unbeknown to me, over 20 years before. And so, if you are struggling to put pen to paper, the idea for your first novel may already have taken root – you just don’t know it yet.
Good luck!