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i mentioned a while ago that i was going to try calling the Difficult Second Novel the Piece of Cake to see if it made it any easier to write, and well, it hasn't, but it does make other people giggle. on friday i finally knocked out the "third" draft (the count, as any writer will tell you, is pretty arbitrary) to make room for some more freelance work before i go to tasmania to work on the "fourth". that list to your left is from the last couple of chapters. a friend suggested i put it up here as a teaser trailer, since they appear to be all the rage these days. i hope it gives nothing away (except my level of schizophrenia).

it is nowhere near the strangest list i have produced in the last six months. all these little bits of paper on my desk/wall/shoved in a folder are like external thoughts. i think they put down little retractable centipede legs and crawl around while i'm not watching. that usually means it's time for a break. waking up every morning thinking about your novel is also a sign of imminent burnout. it is a funny little push-pull relationship i am in.

maybe i'll become a more diligent blogger during the novel free month of august. writing in this space always feels like my reward for doing my homework (oh dear, what a nerd i am).