We’re almost at the first quarter of this year (yes it’s still another month to go, but time flies and all that). I am gratified that, whilst not all complete, my intentions for this year are already in motion. Hence I thought it might be nice to do a small reflection on a few things so far.

The (new) Book

Firstly, writing goes steadily on my next novel. Whilst I’ve been thrilled to complete a full manuscript (in the form of Devanagari), I’ve placed that novel on hold, letting some distance form between me and those words that I toiled over for over two and a half years. Since July last year I’ve been plotting a new novel, a new series, in fact. The ideas excite me, and my learnings from the process on Devanagari are definitely paying off.

For this new draft, I’m writing entirely in longhand. I’ve bought some cheap A4-sized exercise books, which I’m diligently filling up daily with lines, paragraphs, entire chapters. Writing longhand, as I’ve waxed on before about, is a freeing experience. I’m not encumbered by word count and other digital distractions. It’s just me and the words. Using cheap exercise books is also intentional: I’m less precious about how neat I work; this is a first draft after all. The primary purpose is to get words onto paper, to transform the tendrils of thought into ink.

I’m aiming to get this draft done before July. This is an ambitious goal, but I’m adopting Mr. Gaiman’s approach of consistency: setting aside a fixed time, every day, at the same time. Sitting before my pages, and having only two options open to me: to either write, or do nothing. Eventually, writing becomes the more attractive alternative.

I’ve also recently got into mechanical keyboards (yes, I know, my writing tools just get more arcane by the month…). I got myself a Keychron K8 Pro, which feels great and looks nice, enticing me to write more. I’m now torn between using the Meisterstück and this new keyboard, having to remind myself that the first draft is meant to be messy and longhand, and distraction-free. So if anything, the new keyboard is motivating me to complete that first draft so I can type up the 2nd draft in Scrivener and really put this thing to use. I’m not deep into the mech. keyboard hobby (just yet…), but I think it might be fun to share a bit more about it in a future post, perhaps alongside the writerly tools I’ve curated over the years.

I look forward to telling you more about this new book, but until that first draft is done (at the very least), I’m keeping it to myself. Watch this space.

Reading

My reinvigoration of the reading habit continues. After starting the year off finishing The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith, I devoured Tom Hanks’ novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. That was a fun, if sometimes convoluted, read.

Since then, I’ve been reading a classic that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now: A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. It’s a riot: funny, emotional, frustrating at times and beautifully written. Given to me as a gift by my uncle a few years ago when I moved into my new place, this book holds a special place in my personal library. I’m almost done with it, and will have some reflection on it here in time.

Up next? A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah. It’s the second in the Mumbai author’s Temple Hill series. I discovered her by chance via the Kindle algorithm last year, and really enjoyed the first book. I love how she brings the city to life, as if it’s another character. The mystery itself is also fun, and I’m looking forward to devouring this next in the series.

I have a little list of books I want to get to this year, and really put my Kindle to good use. A few that I’m looking forward to?

• Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (the next in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series by one of my all-time favourite writers)
• The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan, an author from my hometown whose latest novel is making waves globally and which I’m dying to read
• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, a new series from an author I’ve grown to enjoy from his Thursday Murder Club series. Looking forward to being at the start of this new series!

The Year Ahead

It’s only going to get busier for me from here on out. The new book occupies a lot of my time, and I have some other personal things I’m working on, which I’ll hopefully share in due course. Reading has been (and indeed always was) a great respite for me, a retreat to other worlds that calms and centres me amidst then chaos of daily life. I hope to continue to use this blog to share some of the literary adventures I embark upon from time to time.

All for now.