Inflatable fun is for big kids too

This summer I’m simultaneously writing a new novel – currently up to 28k words – while finishing final edits on my latest novel MS, both of which inspired my latest video. The inflatable silliness of riding a rodeo bull, as well as partaking in an inflatable horse race, sums up the beginning and end of the writing journey quite well, I think.

How it feels to start a new novel

Starting a new novel is much like riding a rodeo bull. You take the bull by the horns, feeling confident to get stuck in with a chapter plan, only to get bucked off when the writer’s block hits.

How it feels to finish a novel

At the opposite end of the manuscript, you once more feel confident upon seeing the finishing line in sight: in my case, straight ahead in an inflatable horse race (um, lol), before spotting a consistency error to break your editing flow and maybe the odd typo here and there. Having an editor and proofreader is always a must for any serious writer.

Anyway, silly fun aside, I do have serious writing goals this summer, which I’m hoping to make progress with. I’ll no doubt be posting more on this soon. But for now, enjoy this tomfoolery:

Posted by on July 21, 2026 in Writing and tagged , , , .

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About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

2 responses »

  1. lyndhurstlaura's avatar lyndhurstlaura says:
    July 21, 2026 at 10:20 PM

    This all looks like great fun, with or without the novel! All the best with both. 🙂

    Reply

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