Under the Weather?

It is pouring with rain at the moment. Manchester, in the rain. There is a severe weather warning for he North West. Apparently the torrential rain has not yet arrived. That comes later. I feel that I need sunshine, but I won’t get it here. Even on a warm day, the sky is not always that blue on this island.

And yet. There’s something incredibly cosy about being indoors at times like this, tapping away on my computer keyboard, engrossed in another world.

The book I’m writing at the moment is set in a partly shadowy world, which is from time to time infused with light, and partly in our normal world. There is music in that world. And romance, plus a little humour, but also poignant sadness and dread.

The great thing about writing is you can actually visit any world you wish with your imagination. You are totally in that world as you write.

I do have to admit that the sun inspires me. It was a holiday in the south of Spain one incredibly hot summer that got me writing in the first place. Then, this year, on Tenerife, I seemed to get all of this energy and almost completed a novel. I think it’s partly helped by the healthy life style there. You get away from the phone. You eat well, You swim and walk a lot. I do imagine myself living that life permanently. Writing in the mornings. Swimming, walking, reading or sleeping in the afternoons, depending on the time of year, and being sociable, doing talks, or having quiet evenings at home after the sun goes down. Hmm. Ah, well, I’ll just have to make the most of my research day each week.