2014

I’ve got a problem. You’re going to think I’m crazy but let me explain. My agent has read and loved my second novel manuscript. This is great, really good. I’m waiting for her editorial notes and I’ll do another revision and then she’ll send it to the publishers, the same ones who saw the first one in Feb last year. That’s all fine. It’s just that like last year (you might remember, it didn’t get a contract; you won’t remember it seemed to take ages and ages to get responses and there were all sorts of delays even beyond the usual long wait-time from publishers), like last year the pubs will be reading it during mercury retrograde.

For people who don’t know or believe about mercury and retrograde, well, whatever. But I’ve noticed over many years that if something goes wrong, or something takes longer than you expect; if there are delays and communication problems, and computer and phone issues, then often mercury is in retrograde. I first read about it a long time ago, and haven’t been focused on it all the time since BUT it was probably last year when I was planning a lot of travel, I looked up the retrograde periods and put them in my diary. At the time, I didn’t realise about the retrograde period coinciding with the publishers reading my thing. If I had known I doubt I would have done anything differently. But now it looks like it’s going to be the same deal. Can you blame me for being a little toey about it?

Anyway, it will be what it will be. I’m a bit stuck, waiting, and while I did a little bit on another project before Christmas, since Christmas I’ve just been hanging. Trying to read fiction and failing. I’ve started about a dozen books, nothing grabs me. I’ve stalled big time with The Luminaries and each time I go back to it, nothing’s changed and STILL I’m just reading words and nothing is pulling me in.

Been watching a lot of tv/movies. This time of year, when teaching has stopped until February or March is a great time for writing and for filling the creative coffers with other people’s work. I re-watched Chris Lilley’s We Can be Heroes, Summer Heights High, and Angry Boys. I accept people’s criticisms of his most recent – Ja’ime Private School Girl. It really was nothing new. But Angry Boys is brilliant and to fully ‘get it’ you have to watch the whole thing, and pay attention, because it’s only in the last couple of episodes that things become apparent. Before that it’s one long set-up for the finish. And the two earlier ones, just brilliant.

Have watched a string of movies, most ones I’d seen but showing my daughter. But Melancholia was good. And The History Boys, loved that one. We have a couple of Charlie Kaufmans to watch over the next few days including Adaptation, which is a great movie for writers I think.

So. Happy January to you.