I'm so delighted to be accepted to join the She Writes community. I decided that if accepted I would begin a blog. I have wondered what the benefits of blogging would be - surely it would be more constructive to focus on my novel in progress rather than type away on a blog without the result being read other than by myself?

But then I considered that writing about my writing could only be a positive and constructive thing. Maybe I'll use this time and space as a journal where I rant about my inability to put words on a page or rave about how my hands flew over the laptop and the words tumbled out in such a torrent it was joyously overwhelming.

What I have noticed about my writing is that I write, take notes, highlight, and bookmark when I actually come to write for myself I almost fall into a panic attack! One side of my brain says just write, get it all down on paper. You know your story to an extent. There's a beginning, a middle and an ending.

So what's the problem?

Fitting my writing into a box - what's the hook, the inciting incident. When does the first plot point come in? Where's the midpoint? 

I then end up trying to fit this part into this point and get so worked up and stressed I'm on the verge of throwing my MacBook across the room and opening the gin bottle!

Why can't I "just write"? 

And then it hit me, I had to give myself permission to write, to allow my fingers to rush over the keyboard and create the story that's in my head onto the screen. 

It sounds so simple and yet I find it incredibly hard to just write. 

So, from today, I'm giving myself permission to do just that. Instead of learning how to write my novel, which is important, I'm going to write it.