I’ve joined Peter M. Ball’s Sunday Circle to help keep my writing on track. Follow along here or join in the fun over at Peter’s blog, Man Versus Bear.

What am I working on this week?

All the hard work I put into my young adult manuscript rewrite in June seems to have paid off, with my beta readers finding only minor things for me to change in the story. (Unless they’re being too nice to me – I hope not!). I’ve been over key scenes several times, and also pruned out a heap of filter words, thanks to a timely blog post by Simon Dewar. All that’s left to do now is a final read-out-loud proof read and it’s off to the Ampersand Prize.

So that means I’m onto my next project, which is another major rewrite of a young adult manuscript. This time, I’m biting the bullet and changing multiple 3rd person POV into a single 1st person POV. I’m hoping to complete it in around 3 months. Wish me luck!

What’s inspiring me this week?

The Handmaid’s Tale! Yes everyone is talking about it, which is usually a reason for me not to watch something, but I adore Margaret Atwood and love Elizabeth Moss’s work so I was always going to inhale this series as quickly as possible. It’s fascinating and frightening. Although I hold no fears anything like Gilead could take hold in Australia, set in a USA context it is almost too real. Reminds me of that poster on display at the women’s marches held when Trump was elected: Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again.

Indeed.

What part of my project am I avoiding this week?

Not avoiding anything but I do need to make sure I take my time with the rewrite I’ve embarked upon this week. I tend to want to rush things but I’ve already invested years in this manuscript (it’s the one I wrote for my PhD) so another year isn’t going to hurt. The main thing is to face its failings head on, and fix them.