Happy Christmas!!

Just enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in front of the 'puter before we open our presents (during which we'll be sipping a few glasses of chilled Eiswein which has been on ice since last week), and I thought I'd take the opportunity to say "Happy Christmas" to everyone. The "Now Xmas" album is playing as I type (and we'll be putting it on via the XBox when we transplant ourselves downstairs shortly) so the Christmas spirit is alive and well here.

Despite the Spice Girls Christmas Wrapping in the background I still feel a bit philosophical. This is our second Christmas in this house and a lot has happened this year. Two major projects completed on the house, great upheavals at work, but when I look back at how much I've achieved artistically I have to pause. It's a full two years since Annie and I put our first album together, and although we didn't set ourselves a deadline for the second one, progress this year has been dismal. Almost non-existent (we finished the eighth song in April). And on the second major project of mine (which chronologically and from a longevity perspective, should really be called the first project) - my novel - passed the first anniversary of the completion of its first draft back in August without any substantial progress on the editing.

By contrast a friend of mine had his first novel published this year - ironically on my birthday. Naturally I wish him all the luck in the world with that (good luck Chris!), but his success certainly did focus my mind. I've been enjoying writing for TV Scoop and it's true the profile of that site is on the increase (they're now achieving 8,000 unique visitors per day) so there's a lot of people reading my TV reviews, rants and suggestions for future viewing. But on a personal level, that is secondary to where I really want to go with my writing, and I know I'm going to have to give that more focus next year if I'm to get anywhere with it. I have a dozen ideas for other novels and none of them can really start until the first is properly finished.

I don't make New Year's resolutions or set goals, but if I did that would be #1.

I don't usually plan things either, but I know there'll continue to be a lot of work to do on the house this coming year too, with plans to do the kitchen and at least one of our bedroom or the dining room. If that's not to encroach on my writing time I'm going to have to be very disciplined and make sure I do protect that daily space - and it has to be daily - to write write write. I don't want to be looking back again this time next year on another 12 months of excuses and no progress.