AlphaBook Project - my first novel

My first novel (known here as the AlphaBook) has been percolating for over three years.  During 2009, I managed a concerted period of character work, plotting, developing themes, and generally building the fictional world.  Then I hit a wall, and never actually started writing the damn thing.

I have an abiding dread of rejection, which I am blaming for my author-flakiness.  My fear that I will turn out to be a rubbish writer makes procrastinating seem like the best way forward.  It is fantastically easy to put my notebooks to one side and bleat about how busy I am, so many interests, so little time, baa baa baa.

One thing I do know is this: that if I never get my story down on paper, it will always gnaw away at me.  When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a writer.  I entered competitions as a teenager (and even won a few), and wrote all the time.  In unashamed Sarah Ferguson self-help speak - I feel sorry for little AlphaChick and her unfulfilled dreams....

OK yes, that was cheesy.  Apologies.  Back to the project.

My pledges:

• Write a minimum of 5,000 words a week, starting 1st August 2010
• Do no re-working, editing, or general fannying-about during this time
• Work to a first draft AlphaBook deadline of 30th November 2010 - 4 months of full-tilt writing
• Record my progress here - word counts and thoughts on the process, interspersed with other blog stuff

My start date gives me just over a month to have my summer holiday, get my blog how I want it, and get my head back into the AlphaBook background work I've done.

I'll be frank - this is going to be really tough for me.  These are ambitious pledges, particularly for a born procrastinator.  I have a job, a commute, a relationship, and all manner of fun interests that could help me say 'Shame, can't manage 5,000 words this week...'

Hence this post.  I am exposing my audacious goals - I invite the worldwide webloggers to keep tabs on me. 

Off to dig out my writing pens...