How on earth do I keep the writing momentum up when I have to stop all the time, often for days at a time, sometimes for over a week? I thought I had this whole thing figured out but life keeps getting in the way.
Family life, though there are now only three of us here, seems to be getting more complex as the days go by. We are all so busy! The man's business is in it's pre-spring-busy-period, looking after Jay is becoming more and more time-consuming as he gets older, yeah - it should be the other way around but tell that to an 11 year old with autism and see how far it gets you!
Now I know why I was in two minds about this job. Oh (hell yes) I love it, but the time I'm off work goes so damn quickly and then it's time to go to work again. I know I'm just being a big sook, and that many ppl work full-time, have families and still manage to write novels...just wish one of them would tell me where I'm going wrong...
Someone? Anyone?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Ghostly Poetry at Old Melbourne Gaol
I was pleased to be one of the many at Nathan Curnow's "Ghost Poetry Project" launch last night. Growing up in country Victoria, a good 2 hr bustrip from the big smoke, I'd never had the pleasure (unsure the word truly fits the context but it will do) of visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol. Needless to say my first visit, at night, was indeed memorable.
After Kevin Brophy officially launched the book, Nathan asked for the lights to be turned off. I took my partner's hand at this point and moved closer to him. Happily, not all the lights were dimmed, but hearing Nathan's voice moving in the dark above us as he performed some of the poetry from his book, was slightly unsettling, as was the cold of murderer's row.
The Ghost Poetry Project is the culmination of a year spent travelling to some of the most haunted locations in Australia (& off our coast). Nathan spent sleepless nights at the Old Adelaide Gaol, Junee's Monte Christo, and Port Arthur to name but three of the ten haunted sites represented, in poetry, in this volume, published by Puncher & Wattman Poetry.
"Take Heart & Courage", and buy yourself a copy today.
After Kevin Brophy officially launched the book, Nathan asked for the lights to be turned off. I took my partner's hand at this point and moved closer to him. Happily, not all the lights were dimmed, but hearing Nathan's voice moving in the dark above us as he performed some of the poetry from his book, was slightly unsettling, as was the cold of murderer's row.
The Ghost Poetry Project is the culmination of a year spent travelling to some of the most haunted locations in Australia (& off our coast). Nathan spent sleepless nights at the Old Adelaide Gaol, Junee's Monte Christo, and Port Arthur to name but three of the ten haunted sites represented, in poetry, in this volume, published by Puncher & Wattman Poetry.
"Take Heart & Courage", and buy yourself a copy today.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Library Sales & Space Restrictions
Today I went to my local library book sale...you know, just to look...
I spent over an hour in a room filled with books and people, funnily enough one of the only circumstances under which I can cope with a crowd. I switch off you see. Concentrate only on the hunt, for the perfect find, the bargain, the book I've always wanted to read but haven't. Some people might find this amusing, given I work in that very same library, but borrowing isn't the same as owning is it?
With my own books, I can decide on the perfect time to read any one of them. There they are lined up on my shelves at home (in a rough genre/type order), biding their time, patiently waiting for me to pick them up, open their covers and start reading.
When I announced my morning plans, my partner gave his usual response... "More books! Where on earth will we put them?" We have three 3' by 5'8" bookshelves in the downstairs office/study and I have a smaller shelf upstairs for my writing reference books. Jayden has his own 3' by 4' shelf in his room... They are all full, but as any lover of books will attest, there is always room for more.
My partner was out when I arrived home with two green shopping bags full of treasures. Jayden and I have hidden them away (in plain sight), reorganising & rearranging shelves to fit them in as inconspicuously as possible.
I think we did a good job... I guess we'll find out...
I can't help it! I LOVE books!!
I spent over an hour in a room filled with books and people, funnily enough one of the only circumstances under which I can cope with a crowd. I switch off you see. Concentrate only on the hunt, for the perfect find, the bargain, the book I've always wanted to read but haven't. Some people might find this amusing, given I work in that very same library, but borrowing isn't the same as owning is it?
With my own books, I can decide on the perfect time to read any one of them. There they are lined up on my shelves at home (in a rough genre/type order), biding their time, patiently waiting for me to pick them up, open their covers and start reading.
When I announced my morning plans, my partner gave his usual response... "More books! Where on earth will we put them?" We have three 3' by 5'8" bookshelves in the downstairs office/study and I have a smaller shelf upstairs for my writing reference books. Jayden has his own 3' by 4' shelf in his room... They are all full, but as any lover of books will attest, there is always room for more.
My partner was out when I arrived home with two green shopping bags full of treasures. Jayden and I have hidden them away (in plain sight), reorganising & rearranging shelves to fit them in as inconspicuously as possible.
I think we did a good job... I guess we'll find out...
I can't help it! I LOVE books!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Heros and Fizzers
Our last family holiday was in 2007. We spent two weeks on Bribie Island, soaking up the sun and getting to know the grandkids. Jayden enjoyed battling the waves - the heroes that built up as they rolled in, and the fizzers - those that "fizzled out" by the time they reached us. Spending so much time in the ocean cleared up his eczema within days and the three of us felt so relaxed, so happy and healthy...
That holiday seems so long ago now, but the memories are still fresh. I've struggled through this winter. It's never been a good time of year for me (suffering from seasonal affect disorder), and as I sit here writing this I long for a break away from the routine of my life, a different environment, a warmer climate, a change of pace...
We've begun planning. It's something to look forward to.
...but what do we do with the cat!?
That holiday seems so long ago now, but the memories are still fresh. I've struggled through this winter. It's never been a good time of year for me (suffering from seasonal affect disorder), and as I sit here writing this I long for a break away from the routine of my life, a different environment, a warmer climate, a change of pace...
We've begun planning. It's something to look forward to.
...but what do we do with the cat!?
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