Writer in Residence

I meant to write much earlier than this (ack!)

I have been talking once more with my publisher upon the dread topic of editing and have maintained my enthusiasm about the possible (and necessary) improvements and cuts – all the massaging, the re-writing required to make worth the read. In the editing of Book 1 I was astounded how much the removal of a sentence (or paragraph or page), the addition of a word or a line of dialogue, the revisiting of an idea that occurred at the front of the story again at the end – all this – could make for such a better story, tighter, more compelling. People who have read the un-edited 1^st draft and the actual finished book will tell you that it is the same story just “smoother”, “better”. That is what a good editor can do for a text – point you in the right direction and leave it up to you to make the new ideas work (or not…)

So after all the angst of earlier posts, here I am on the flip side, all excitement and eagerness. It that old creative rollercoaster. Still the actual labours of rewriting Book 2 have yet to begin – tears shall flow again, perchance. I’ll keep you posted…

In the meantime I have begun the illustrations for another Fantastica series for Omnibus & Scholastic, where I get to do 4 full-colour covers and about 50-odd b&w drawings, and it has actually felt like a holiday. It has been a goodly while since I have just illustrated without it being attached to my writing and, as much as I like writing, the hiatus is very welcome. A chance to “recharge” perhaps. Along with this I have completed a painting – a long overdue wedding gift for my cousins up in Brisvegas (read: Brisbane). It has been a delight (!) to get back into painting after such a lengthy break – nice to know I have not forgotten how to push a brush about a canvas..

I am sometimes torn as to whether I am more a painter or writer. Once I would have said the former without hesitation, but now I am not so sure: drawing certainly comes a little easier than writing, though I look forward to what I hope will be an increasing facility with words. Writing is new and exciting, hard and stretching, drawing is familiar and relaxing, still hard but comfortable too. I just might be both at once. *shrug*

On a genuinely personal note: my father’s birthday has just been and gone, a birthday (with party included) of particular numerical significance; though in respect I shall not declare his newly achieved age. I might, however, just say that if I look as good as he at his age I’ll be a happy chappy. Happy N^th Birthday, Dad! (I am glad to have inherited his genes…)

Thank you to Master Lethcoe for continuing support, look forward to a continuing correspondence beyond Inside A Dog (please refer comments to prev. post). Once again, thanks to you Laura for encouragements.

Finally … a down side of the weekend has been that I have not done so well in the listen first/speak second department: more like lots of mouth flapping and little ear usage. Ah well, there is always tomorrow and another chance to get it right – working new and better habits is not always as straightforward as I would like. ‘They’ say it takes 6 weeks to form a habit – I think the idea of breaking an old habit is not so much to resist it but to form a better one in its place. Hmm, more pithiness … how did I get on to this anyway..?