198. Enough, already.

I want to make a public apology to all those people who read this blog regularly. I don't know who you are, or even if you're really there at all, but if you're reading - I'm sorry.

Why?

Because all the endless plangent bleating about whether or not I'll make it as a writer is nauseating and must drive you crazy. It's been driving me crazy.

So, my beloved bleaders, we're moving on from doubt and deprecation. We're going to try hard work, and hope, and see how we go.

Writing a book isn't easy. But nobody's forcing me to do it. Only I can decide if I'm going to put in the effort to write a story compelling enough for somebody to want to publish it - so in that respect alone there is no lottery. It's down to hard work, talent and luck – like everything else.

There are legions of talented writers who don't get published and I may yet join their numbers. But all I can do is my best.

So I hope you'll come along for the ride. No more bleating. Hear me roar.