The only problem with a long holiday is getting back to work afterwards. After almost a month touring South America my brain is imbued with the Inca empire, the plants and animals of the Amazon Rainforest, the thunder of the Iguazu Falls, and so much more. But what was Sir Anthony Standen doing? I have spent an hour trawling through my manuscript in Scrivener, rereading the last chapter, checking my timeline, and the plot outlines of the next few chapters.
There is still so much history to cover. The point of view is about to switch back from Maria to Anthony, who is working undercover with the Prince de Conde. Cardinal Richelieu is not yet a cardinal, but is about to enter the fray as Queen Marie’s secretary. I think I’m ready to start writing again. My only concern is how to maintain the thread of my main theme with the historical events and point of view. The principle characters are about to be scattered all over France.
Well the only way to get back in the saddle is to put a foot in the stirrup and pull myself up. It won’t be today, because Claire wants to go out. But perhaps I’ll start writing again tomorrow after golf. We’re only playing nine holes due to maintenance of the greens, so I should have some energy left in the tank. I’m so glad I managed to draft all the chapter outlines before our holiday. It provides the skeleton to drape my writing on. I think I’ll start writing again slowly, focussing on every word and phrase, making them the best they can be. If I find myself going down some plot dead-ends, so be it! I’ll retrace my steps, and start again. It wont be long before we head down to our boat again, so there’s really no rush. I want The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, to be the best yet. It certainly seems set to be the longest.
I resorted to AI to generate an image of a man mounting a horse. He only bears a passing resemblance to me, and he’s not actually in the process of climbing into the saddle.