So there I was - this Saturday, at the start of my big weekend. Time to smash heroically through the writers block.

I had reached a critical point, you see. For - I dunno - 6 weeks - a month maybe - I had been hardly writing anything because I couldn't find space for it in my routine. Regular space, that is. I tried to do it after work, but family stuff takes over. Not all the time - but enough of the time. And that lack of routine is fatal to me - maybe that means I am not committed enough I dunno - let's hope not.

Anyway - during Sunday planning (geek!) I found a solution. I get up early, exercise (without which spending all day in the house is fken hellish) and sit here until 8:15 when the kids need a lift to school. Giving me 30-45 minutes of regular time. The family are still there at this point, but too half-asleep to make too many demands. Now I read this over I realise I need to add to this even to get to my miserable commuting writing time, but hey - it's a move in the right direction.

And it worked - for a bit. Week 1 I got stuck into my second short story - developed a couple of characters, began actually writing. Since then though…not so good. A lot of the time I seem to peter out after about 200 words. Saturday being a case in point.

I was writing a scene in which Richard, my main man, is talking to Rachel, his wife, who is wheelchair-bound. It's set in the near future. And at some point it seems apposite that she might stop talking, and, I dunno - pick up a cup of coffee. But then I get stuck. Why? Because I haven't really worked out how bad her condition is, what her wheelchair is like, what her house is like. How will she move? Can she even drink the coffee properly? What height is the table? So it's simple right? I have gone too far toward the write side of the 'prepare' vs 'just fken write' spectrum, and I need to work out how the MND patient of the future lives.

So why have I spent the rest of weekend moping, rather than coming to this basic conclusion, Hm? Should come to you first, right? I just hope it's just that simple. I plan a bit more, unblock, and hit a gusher. Lord knows I'm due one…