Simply study writing....

Some of you may remember I am writing a novel (see post here). It began as a fun way to get through February which was my least favourite month of the year. The first February (2011) with the aid of a book called No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty, I wrote about 25,000 words - half a novel. In February 2012 I wrote the second half, and the third year I began to edit. February 2014 I aim to have my final draft. (I've only worked on it in Februaries so far, but very intensively - see posts under Simply Write.)

I knew by now that I needed some help.

As a painter I am used to seeing all the elements of a piece of work at once - they are all there, visible on the canvas, and if I make a change I can immediately see what effect this has on the rest of the composition. With 50,000 words on I've forgotten how many pages, I find myself struggling to see the overall shape and structure.

I am now floundering in it so badly I enrolled in a course Writing Fiction: The Novel to help me along. The class is in the Open Course programme at Glasgow University - one night a week.

I have never been on a writing course before, but I think I have struck lucky....