Relief, thrill and a great sense of achievement. This was just what I needed today after the torrent of messages that I have been getting because of my post on the selection of Adil Rashid. I expected a degree of controversy to come my way but definitely not to the extent I received. I stand by what I have said and I do not retreat it one bit. Well, possibly one bit. I should have got the spelling of Michael Vaughan right. I do not mind the controversy or the people that criticised me. The only thing that I felt bad about is someone accused me of advertising my blog on Being Outside Cricket as if I was some kind of parasite or leech. I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. If I am to become an author then the criticism that I have gone through is nothing to what I will face. The attitude of Arundhati Roy gives me strength. In an article in The Guardian, she says “The point of a writer is to be unpopular.” As an investment analyst, I was paid to be opinionated. Most of the calls I made were right. I was not afraid to tell my boss that he was wrong about certain investments. My attitude has not changed in my new avatar.

I have written just over 15,000 words in about eight chapters. This was just the setting and introducing the characters of my novel. I think I will have to get another 85k word in. I am going to take about a week off writing on my novel. I will be using that time to recharge, concentrate a bit more on my blog and get up to date with my cricket index. The test match between England and India is starting in a few days. That should be interesting.

I am also working on a historical fiction idea. I think the idea I have is good. The main thing is how do I write it in a way that will do it justice. I have held off on drinking during writing but I think it is time to dig into one of my more special bottles of whisky to celebrate it. Do keep an eye out for a few more posts on my Camp NaNoWriMo experience. Truly this task would not have been made a reality without the community at Writers Block, my fellow cabin mates, the people who read my blog especially Ray. I strongly encourage you to visit her blog. Until next time.