As I write this blog post, I am sitting on the balcony of our apartment in 
Tenerife.

The only sound I hear in this tranquil place is the movement of the Atlantic Ocean. Waves crash against the rocks below, sending thuds that reverberate through the apartment. The roar is so loud, any other sounds are inaudible. 

The sun is casting glistening diamonds as far as the eye can see, with small areas of foaming waters bobbing over rocks.

Every morning a beautiful turtle swims above the breaking waves, momentarily coming up for air, before swimming below again. The shell shines as the sunlight catches it. She comes every day and in the 36 years of having this apartment, we have never seen a turtle!

There have been pods of dolphins observed occasionally, plenty of fish, and huge crabs basking upon the rocks — easily noticeable when the tide has receded.

There used to be a fish farm in view, too, though that disappeared a few years ago.

Tenerife is my yearly escape to write in peace, without the daily distractions of life. I cherish my time here and from the view of our balcony, all I see is nature and the occasional boat, diver or locals fishing from the rocks.

It is hard to drag myself away from this stunning view, which changes throughout the day and night. From watching the sunset in the distance, to Jupiter illuminating the sky, and then a crescent moon. I never tire of this view and could just stare into the distance all day, but I have writing to do!

It is NaNoWriMo time — National Novel Writing Month for those who are unfamiliar. Every year from 1st to 30th November, writers face the challenge of writing 50,000 words. That equates to 1666 words per day!

This challenge became the push for me to write Bitter Pill ten years ago. I have mentioned this in former blog posts https://ajlinney.co.uk/blog/1/ 
and referred to other novels I wrote during the NaNoWriMo months.

This year, I decided not to write an additional novel (despite many people asking me for a sequel to Bitter Pill). Instead, I am editing a second novel, Bucket Man (working title). I am hoping to make some progress in the redrafting stage. In my mind, this draft only requires editing. However, as I work on it, fresh ideas spring into my creative brain, and these new ideas equate to a detailed rewrite. Not good, especially when working to a deadline!

For now, I will only revel in the writing process. That’s if I can divert my eyes away from this!

Until next time!

Bitter Pill is available from my website here

Former blog posts are available to read here: