8th October, 2015

Another week but not a routine one! I am writing from another hemisphere in England, which is strange, not to mention the time difference!

It has been an interesting week, mostly of travelling but we’re settled this week in a quaint country cottage in the South East of England, the garden county, Kent.

The view from our cottage is serene, perfect for a writer to gaze upon. Unfortunately I am not able to sit and enjoy the view and write, too busy catching up with family and old friends, however, I am hoping to squeeze in a couple of days of writing and research.

We flew to London via Singapore where we spent 17 hours. We walked around the major sights of Singapore finishing up at Raffles, sipping a very expensive Singapore Sling. I imagined seeing Hemingway and Rudyard Kipling seated at the end of the Long Bar (not together), drinks in hand as they scratched away on notepads.

My focus for this trip, apart from enjoying a holiday with Peter, was to do some research but also to collect some images as inspiration for writing ideas. Sitting at the bar in Raffles, after a Singapore Sling, it was easy to see how inspirational it was, watching people coming and going, observing the routine that was maintained by staff. The buildings themselves told innumerable stories, one of which was that it had survived the invasion of the Japanese and how the guests were reported to have danced the last waltz while they waited for the Japanese to seize the building.

So many ideas so much to write about, but as I thought of these inspirations, the question of what story to write about, what story does everyone want to hear?

How do you know what will pique readers interest so they will want to read your book? Is it about the zeitgeist of the moment? If so considering a book takes from three months onward to write, you may well miss that zeitgeist.

Ahh, I am over thinking! Ultimately writing is the solution, at least you have something to work with.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

raffles