Count down

Every day it is the same. I wake, stretch, wash, amble around, make coffee and sit here. Around me is scattered physical evidence of this novel – pages of printed notes, family trees, books, empty glasses that once held water, lined mugs that once held coffee. My dictionary is within easy reach, a conker from autumn sits under the monitor. A free pen from Virgin Atlantic sits atop a much scribbled over chapter plan. Headache tablets, my glasses, Bach Flower remedies, chewing gum, hair band. Tired eyes, tired me, but I can’t sleep, I can’t focus on anything else apart from the story. I stay here until far too late at night, and get up far too early, hence the kick-start of coffee. But I’m on a mission now.

I woke up today with the ending sentence in my head. It is perfect. I lay there and saw it – my writing is very visual, in my head I see the images as a film. I watched the last scene play itself out and thought, yes, that is exactly how it ends. I always knew the ending, but never knew the order of words, but now all is clear.

And so up I get, and here again I sit, in the chair I left only 6 hours ago. Coffee to the side, the whole day ahead of me. Chapter 21 is the last one, and it is time to start the count down...