Writing ... and not writing

 I have neglected my blog, but I have been writing. My pile of notes, sketches of scenes and first chapters of my novel are underway, although there's still a very long way to go. It occurred to me that writing a novel is rather like mudlarking, the practise of scouring river banks for washed-up treasures. In her recent book 'Mudlarking', Lara Maiklem describes her fascination with the Thames, and items from Roman coins to Victorian bottles and Boris bikes which the river leaves behind. A writer must piece together the flotsam and jetsam of ideas that pass through her brain and decide if they have any worth. Sometimes the value of an idea isn't immediately apparent, but you stash it away, just in case. Perhaps it can be polished into something meaningful. News clippings, photos, and beguiling inanimate objects - they're all potential treasures