On not managing Lent

I am going to confess before I am rumbled that I have not managed more that half Lent this year. That is I guess three weeks. There is no real excuse, I do admit. But to be honest abstinence did not fit in any way with the end of the book.

I am now on Chapter 10 and so really am on the home straight. But Chapter 9 was one hell of a struggle. It covers the death of Caesar to the death of Augustus, on which I have a lot of ideas. But it is amazing how easy it is to become boring about Augustus. I found myself writing a few pages one day, then looking at them in the evening or the next day and facing the awful truth that they were just boring.

Now I dont for one minute imagine that every page of a history of Rome should be a sparky, witty, up front read. Far from it. There is some tough stuff which it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise was tough. But that isn't quite the same as being boring. I mean the army reforms of Augustus are crucial and revolutionary. They nationalise the Roman army for the first time ever... but they do need to "sing" as well as giving the facts. Why is this so revolutionary etc? Why should you bothered to be interested?

Anyway, to be honest the absence of alcohol did get to be counterproductive. If I had a good day, I tended to go on working till 2.00 in the morning, getter tireder but not sleepy, and generally less productive in any way. If I had a bad day, I got crosser and crosser, still stayed up all night and then went to bed (I am told) muttering about the chapter all night, in the the wee small hours 

Eventually the husband pointed out that, much as he shared our desire to abstain for 6 weeks for all the obvious reasons, it may be counter productive when finishing a book. Or, frankly, if he had to live with me during this struggle, and not a drop to be consumed, it might .. well ... be difficult.

So after three weeks of not a dropI bought myself off, and will take a couple of weeks off the demon when the book is finished.