Invisible Plot-Mending

This week, I’ve spent most of my writing time sewing a new plot strand into an existing novel manuscript. It’s something I find tricky to do – I suspect eveyone does – because to me, the joins between old and new are painfully obvious. It’s probably not that obvious to someone who hasn’t read the story about 30 times, but most of my effort is certainly spent on the blending in process. It’s going pretty well , I think, but I’m not going to say what it is, or even in which book, in the hope that no one will ever notice…

I’ve also been doing some preparatory work on an exciting new project that I hope to be involved in, but if I say any more at the moment it’s bound to jinx it, so I’ll shut up.

I actually got time to do some reading on my recent holiday. My ‘something old’ wasThe Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope, but I found myself getting too irritated with its ‘bewitching heroine’ who I thought, reading it this time round, behaves like a complete nitwit, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Poor Johnny Eames… Much more satisfying was Fatal Remedies by the wonderful Donna Leon. Just as good as ever, and with a splendid idea for livening up boring staff meetings… Lastly, having been addicted to The Killing (original version) on TV, I thought I’d try a bit of Nordic crime as my ‘something new’, in the shape of The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. Hmmmn… not for me.