Time Flies

Well, I've been back at work for two weeks and it's like I never left. And that isn't a good thing. Oh well.

At least I've started doing a bit more writing again now. Did heaps on holidays-- especially while I was at my parent's place-- but stopped once I got back. Flirted with a new novel for a few days. Even wrote the prologue and a housand or so words of the first chapter, but that romance lasted about a week. Then I bought Story by Robert McKee and am now flirting wit a movie script based on one of my early novel efforts. Don't know how long that'll last either :).

I'm just kinda wondering (that's spelt correctly) around at the moment, wishing I had a new job and generally feeling sorry for myself. Going to start getting up early to write again. No, really, I am. I can generally average a thousand words before breakfast and that makes work a whole heap more bearable. It's unfortunate that getting up early causes such a problem-- if God had wanted us to get up at 5am he would have made the sun come up sooner or made it so we can see in the dark.

I recieved Encounters in the mail the other day. I think my story The Final Battle is by far the best of the three I've had publised (which I suppose it should be seeing it's the most recent, but anyway). The thing I like about it, I think, is the way it kinda keeps folding back on itself with repetitions of phrases and whatever from earlier in the story. Or something like that. Sounds good anyway.

I'm Back

I've actually been back for a few days, but I may have mentioned somewhere that I'm lazy, right?

I did about 5800 km all up. Spent $380 on petrol. I like stats. I have more but you're bored enough with those two :)

I have a question though...

The speed limit it 100km an hour because that's what's safe, right...

But the metric system was invented in the 1700's, I think. And became official about the late 1800's (I did research). In those days nobody really thought about driving around at 100km/hr.

So what if the french guy who invented the meter had actually decided that it was a bit bigger than it now is. What if it was about a meter and a half long? Would our speed limit not be 75km/hr (I think that's right, but my maths is a little shakey...) or would it still be 100km/hr because 100 is a nice round number in the metric system...

I was just wondering.

Since my holiday finished (though I don't go back to work till next week) I Haven't done much at all. Bought a new stereo-- which is wonderful after using a stupid portable thing since forever. Did some reading, which I haven't done for ages. No writing-- damn it.

My synopsis and sample chapters have been out there for about a week now and I should be making sure the rest of the story is ready to go. If not that, then I should be working on the sequel. Or thinking about the next story, seeing I'm close. I still can't decide which one to do-- I've changed my mind about 2 dozen times recently. I have the "religious warrior joins the opposition" story. Or the "vet finds a saddled dragon in the bush story". The vet (as in someone who treats injured animals, not a vetran) one has only come about recently. But I really need to finish the sequel first...

And I should be doing that, not typing on here.

The Home Straight

From my cousin’s place in Melbourne, I headed across to the Great Ocean Road. It’s a really nice drive and some of the scenery is spectacular but in the end it’s a road and some scenery. I took lots of photos of rocks and cliffs. And cliffs with rocks. And rocky cliffs. There was the Cape Ottway (or is it Ottaway?) Lighthouse. There was Bells Beach. And there was… it was a nice drive and I’m glad I did it, but apparently there’s only so much scenery I can look at.

I don’t make much of a tourist. When I was in Melbourne, I only really did two days of touristy things. I went into the city one day and didn’t catch a single tram. I went to the art gallery and the museum. Another day I did the freezing cold Phillip Island and Sorento thing. I spent another day at the movies. I went to a market.

At the end of the Great Ocean Road I stayed at Warnumbool and left there at 7am to go to Bendigo. I didn’t get a whole heap more touristy there.

I went to the Bendigo art gallery-- and actually enjoyed it more than the Melbourne one. I saw the Bendigo Bombers get flogged by the Werribee Tigers. Thinking I should do something that can only be done at Bendigo, I went to go down the Deborah mine. But I missed the tour by about 2 minutes and decided that was a hint from God-- don’t climb down to the bottom of a 14-storey-deep hole just because it’s there. I didn’t go on the tram. I did see a movie though, you’ll be pleased to know. I‘m sure ‘I, Robot’ is only showing in Bendigo. (Great movie)

After 3 days there, I was off again.

I got caught in the traffic going to the V8 touring car races at Winton (at least I think that’s what it was). It wasn’t too bad, but I complained anyway-- what were they thinking, slowing my progress with sporting events that I wasn’t interested in seeing? I went to Glenrowan… and waved to the big Ned Kelly statue as I went past. I contemplated stopping in Albury and Wodonga, but bugger that. I saw the ‘Dog on the Tucker Box’ about 20 years ago, why would I want to see it again?

I stopped for the night in Cowra. They have some interesting stuff there. Japanese Gardens, a train museum and other stuff. I didn’t see any of them. I arrived about 5pm and left about 8 the next morning.

From there, I drove to my parent’s place in northern NSW. That’s where I remain to this day.

Okay, in all the stuff above I did forget to mention one thing—it was pissig down rain just about everywhere I went. If it wasn’t pissing down rain then it had just stopped or looked like it was just about to. Or both.

The Great Ocean Road day was cloudy but dry. All Day. There might have been one full day in Lakes Entrance when it didn’t rain, but I don’t think so. I definitely did see some blue sky there though. Maybe another day in Melbourne but… As far as I can tell, Bendigo is some Lovecraftian town that lives in a world of constant heavy grey cloud cover. Cowra… Don’t talk to me about Cowra, though for all I knew it cleared up in the afternoon there. It didn’t look like it was going to.

At most of those places I really didn’t feel like wondering around in the rain to do touristy things that probably wouldn’t interest me all that much any way. A train museum? I’ve seen trains before. Japanese gardens? I did do a quick drive by there and couldn’t see anything through the misty rainy stuff anyway.

So I came to my parent's place and brought the rain with me. It’s been grey and horrible here for about 50 percent of the time since I arrived. Lovely weather before that, apparently.

But I’ve spent most of my time inside anyway, working on my novel. It’s going very well, thank you. I sent an email to the editor at HarperCollins on Friday night, asking if I could send a synopsis and sample chapters to her. And yes, I can. So this morning I’ve been busy printing and reading and what-not.

Of course, all that means it that I have to go out side to go to the post office. Oh, the cruelties of life.

With all the rain and the boring touristy stuff-- I’ve had a great holiday. The part I enjoyed most? The driving. I’ve done about 4500km, I think, and it’s been fun. Maybe I like scenery more at 100km/hr, I don’t know. I’ve also done lots of writing and taken about 10 rolls of photos (though not many of tourist attractions).

I will be staying at my parents place until Monday. It’s my sister’s birthday on Friday (Thursday, actually, but the party/dinner/get together thing is on Friday) so I’ll be hanging around for that. And then I might as well stay for the weekend when none of my family is working.

Then it’s home again to do more writing. I need to go over my novel a couple of more times for when the editor says she wants to see the rest of it. She definitely will. How could she not? And seeing I’ve also said that the second book is close to being completed…

Lots of work to do before I go back to work on the 16th. And Oh boy, I can’t wait for that.