This year is getting away from me! Or maybe it’s more like that feeling when you’re running on a hall rug and the rug flies out behind you, piling up, but you’re not going anywhere? Because I’m doing things, I’m getting things done (AMAZING NEWS below!), but I feel so swamped that I just assume I’m not.
Who knows.
What I do know is that I’ve checked some great boxes in the last couple of months.
I attended the inaugural ‘Voices From The Intersection’ Publisher Pitch Day, which was held in Melbourne at the State Library. It’s essentially speed dating with publishers and it was the first time I’d genuinely needed to pitch my writing in person. I’m not sure I was prepared enough, despite my swagger, and kind of botched the first one. It was a fabulous learning experience, if nothing else. But I shouldn’t be so flippant, I came away with 4 publishers and an agent willing to read my novel. Which is a win, in anyone’s book!
So, I just needed to finish writing the basted thing!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very passionate about writing, it’s just I’ve been working on this novel for nearly six years now (currently working on draft 9) and I’m starting to wonder if it will ever be done. But, there’s nothing like a deadline to get you motivated. So I took a week of work, and spent at least 8 hours a day for 8 days straight just writing, writing, writing! I didn’t get it done by my personally set deadline, I was about 5000 words short (I managed almost 50,000 words in a week). But, I finished them off over the following week and got to the end. I sent it to a friend who is the best at feedback from copy-editing to general structural feedback. So, once I hear back from her and polish, polish, polish, I’ll send it out into the world for good or ill.
In other exciting news, I’ve had a short story accepted for publication by Aurealis! (My heart is still going *Squeeeeeeee* endlessly.) So I’ll be in the April edition (not long now!) and I’m sure I’ll writing another blog post all about that!
#LoveOzYA business has been busy too. Getting things done! But I’m working with a great committee and it’s all a big dream! A busy dream, perhaps, but wonderful nonetheless. If you haven’t subscribed to the monthly newsletter, then you should. It’s a great resource of new releases.
Actual work, has been busy too. I love my job at The Younger Sun. If you’re in Melbourne and want to visit an awesome Children’s bookshop with awesome staff in an awesome village, stop by Yarraville.
Anyway, I’m ending there, because I want to go and read… that sweet, sweet activity that is equal parts necessity and pleasure, which all too often gets overlooked with everything else that’s going on in my life.
Sandy Fussell
Life sounds wonderful and full. And if you start losing track of it all, get a Trello board.Keep going.
Michael Earp
Thanks, Sandy! I used to use any.do but I have found that nothing works so well for me, as pen and paper (as far as my to do lists.) But I might investigate Trello. And I will never stop… just not in my nature!