I spent the first two weeks of 2019 lost in the intricacies of re-editing the first novel I wrote. Using the Word Search function to track down multiple uses of ‘this’, ‘thought’ and ‘realised’ feels less like writing and more like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I’ve edited The Perfect Murderer countless times before and it’s all been at this nit-picking level. It’s hard to appreciate how I’ve improved the manuscript, but I know this tedious work needs to be done. I went to bed most nights feeling disenchanted. I relaxed by reading before turning the light out. With three novels on the go, I gave up on one where the author repeatedly used the same verbs, adjectives and adverbs. I groaned when I saw he’d written the word ‘little’ four times in two pages. Did anyone at his publisher edit this?

I contemplated returning to editing my manuscript, confident that my book will be a damned sight better prepared than a well-reviewed published novel!

It’s easy to become disheartened as a writer, and I’ve previously posted about the doubt that afflicts us and the resilience we need to get through.

After I completed editing, I returned to the querying and self-promotion trail, which I’m not really enjoying…but, there’s no choice.

I’ve decided to adopt a fresh attitude to my endeavours, inspired by the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of an old Don McLean song, which was the earworm I woke up with this morning. Instead of nervously seeking validation for my writing and trying to be an interesting chap through blogging and social media posting, I’ll be viewing myself as totally irresistible!

I don’t know if this will work, but why worry, when I can be happy?

What do you think?