I need to get back into writing.

This was my first thought as I woke this morning.

I'm terrific at starting things, but absolute rubbish at finishing them. I think that's why I'm going back to uni to do Honours; it will force me to finish something, and then (hopefully) I'll be able to convince myself that I can continue to finish things.

A blog is a good (but roundabout) way to start. It's like I'm doing the right thing but procrastinating at the same time - perfect.

Of course, it's not helping me finish the novel or children's story that are half-written or awaiting editing. And neither is the pile of books sitting by my bed, begging to be read.

I was lucky enough to receive at Christmas time a box set of Jane Austen novels. I've re-read all of them but Pride and Prejudice, and really enjoyed titles that I'd previously been dismissive of - Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. Fanny is still the most boring of Austen's heroines, and Catherine still the most irritatingly naieve, but learning more about Austen's context of the time helped me to appreciate them more. Persuasion is still my favourite. It's not so much that I like Anne; it's more the world around her. It's insteresting to see within the novel the social changes happening in Austen's world - the rise of 'new money' with the navy, the blurring of social statuses and roles, the aristocracy becoming somewhat outdated and ridiculous.

I then read Jasper Fforde's new novel, The Last Dragonslayer. He's a writer that I always enjoy reading. His novels always make me laugh out loud, and like Neil Gaimon, he has the capacity to flawlessly merge his own fantasy worlds with reality, something that I really admire. I didn't like this latest novel as much as his "Thursday Next" books, or Shades of Grey - there was something in this one that felt a little hurried. Still worth reading, though, as Fforde always is.

http://http://www.jasperfforde.com/dragon/dragon.html

I've now started on The Jane Austen Pocket Bible, by Holly Ivins. It's great so far. I've learned things that I've always wondered - like how much land a gentleman had to own to deserve the title, and how much Austen actually earned off her writing during her life time (not a lot, as it turns out. Poor Jane.).

http://http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Austen-Pocket-Bible-Literary/dp/1907087095

When I finish, I'll get back into my reading for my thesis ... maybe.