Balloons

It's been a strange few weeks. Winter is the time of year when there are a lot of opportunities for happiness: Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and the New Year but also the darkness can take its toll on people who suffer from SAD, like my sister. It's hard watching someone try desperately to be happy but then still be suffering. I find the main way to help is to just plan exciting things, keep them busy and make them realise that there is happiness out there just waiting to be discovered.

I took part in Nanowrimo this year. It's my second year and I finished my novel in just over 15 days. Quite an accomplishment, although I'm confident in saying that probably the majority of my just over 50000 words are absolute drivel. I do what I call 'mental splurging' which is when I just let my ideas erupt into my netbook and then I sort them out when I rewrite the whole thing actually knowing the plot. My new novel currently has two titles: Damaged Smile or One Of Those Ghosts - I'm not sure what to go with. It's a novel about mental illness and coping with someone who has a mental illness. It's such a hard topic but because I've been through it personally I hope I can do it justice.

With 2011 drawing to a close I'm looking back and thinking that although it's been a pretty dramatic year it's also probably been one of my best. After nine years of feeling like every day was getting more and more difficult my new beginnings have started in 2011 and I'm feeling positive. Some of my friends have got publishing deals, signed with agents, I've written a manuscript I'm proud of and so roll on 2012 and a publishing deal of my own (fingers crossed)!