Well it has been nearly 2 months and this is only the second post to this blog. I was not going to bother writing one after I had mentally chastised myself for my slackness and then I thought 'No, this is what trying to write a first novel is all about ... how many excuses I can come up with for not writing my book and realising the life I ultimately want for myself!"

The thing is ... self-sabotage is probably the No.1 reason why people like me don't make writing a habit. For some reason, I think I am not good enough. Thoughts like, "What makes me so special that my book is going to sell millions of copies and I am going to live the life I've always dreamed of?" or "I think my writing is good and then I pick up a book written by a well known published author and suddenly mine looks like something a 10 year old wrote."

Then I spend all my energy coming up with reasons why I haven't written. Here are a few - see if any of these are on your list too.

• I spend all day on my computer at work, the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit in front of a computer.
  
• It's too HOT (anyone in NZ this summer will recognise that one).
• It's too COLD (that one is saved for winter). 
  
• House Rules is on (or How to Make a Murderer on Netflix).
•  I've got writer's block at the moment.
  
• It's too sunny, I need to be outside.
  
• It's raining, I need to curl up and sleep with the cats.
  
• I'm too tired.
  
• and the list goes on ...
  

But I think the most frustrating one, and the one that I am currently suffering from, is "I want to write, but I have no idea why I'm not doing it."

That one is difficult to understand. I just hope I figure out what is stopping me, so that I can continue to write this book which, by all accounts, I still really like (and that's odd for me).

The idea of writing a novel came about when I began a mentorship program with Andrew Jobling (The Accidental Author) in Australia. I had no idea what I wanted to write about, but thought I would give it a shot. It sounded like a good challenge and I liked the prospect of adding another string to my writing bow.

After much idea brain storming I came up with a draft outline for a story and began writing the chapters. My dad (unofficial Editor, Des Spicer), helps me by keeping a track of all my chapters and the characters within. He also reads each chapter, to check there are no clangers in my plot!

I am now in the 2nd day of 2016, and I am only at Chapter 13 (and they are very short chapters)! So ... I decided I would write a blog to keep myself accountable to (as Andrew puts it) make writing a habit! After all, 500 words a day could mean THREE books a year! Surely I can manage to write ONE!

If you are a first time novelist starting out on this writing path ... maybe we can help each other? Or, perhaps you can just give me the odd prod to keep me going! Here is my first challenge to myself ... stop writing this blog (as it is a subtle procrastination tool in itself) and write 500 words of my novel by the end of the day. There .. off I go.