Back to the editing cave

I'm moving to Bilby Creek. Not literally, because I haven't been able to find it on the map, anywhere in the world, let alone in Australia. But my mind, heart and soul need to migrate to the town, to inhabit the place, to breathe the same air and drink from the same glasses and prop up the same bar as the Bilby Creek folk.

Party time in the real world is over. I have my mojo back after the Festival and a writing consultation last Thursday. I met with the head of a writer centre to discuss my writing, and he was impressed with my synopsis and sample pages, told me to edit it and send it off. So with that encouragement, I have to pack my laptop and pen and paper, and mosey on down to Bilby Creek to spend some time with Chloe and Luke.

If you see me hanging out at My Space or on Blog Explosion, tell me to git back to Bilby Creek. Hopefully there'll be cold drink waiting for me at the bar.

Tomorrow, I have to go back to the real world. Back to work, holiday is over. But I still want my head to be in Bilby Creek so during my teabreaks, at lunch, and after dinner, I can jump back in, and keep the editing momentum going. And yes, I haven't had a Coke now for 2 weeks. Yee, hah!

Fun items for writers

I've been spending a lot of time on cafepress.com - browsing the marketplace, window shopping so to speak. I've found some fabulous original designs for writers, so I shall be highlighting a few of these on Write on Track.

Write Side Out has combined the horror of the rejection slip with a stylistic B-grade movie poster: after all, it is every writer's nightmare.

For more original writers for items, check out the links in my sidebar, titled 'T-shirts for writers'. Whether you're churning out a bestseller, letting procrastination get the better of you, or your muse is out to lunch, you can find the merchandise to express your current writer state. Have fun browsing!

Byron Bay Writers Festival

I'm back from Byron Bay Writers Festival with writing mojo, and hopefully, editing mojo, ready to go!

The buzz is always fantastic, the writers are inspiring, and just the fact that I'm spending four days straight with my writing buddies is so stimulating.

The only thing I didn't enjoy this year was the weather. Friday was glorious but Saturday and Sunday, the wind roared and the rain poured. My Chickollage t-shirts were hidden under layers of clothing, desperately trying to stay warm, and not on display as planned. Oh well, spring and summer are still to come and I have some great new t-shirts to wear.

Each year, we share a cabin at the Byron Bay resort. In previous years, we've had eight gals in a two storey cabin with only one bathroom between us. With 9 gals going to the festival this year, we decided to have two cabins, which would've been fine, except it was completely open plan. One big room with beds, bunks, lounge and kitchen all in together and then a separate bathroom/closet with the toilet and shower in a tiny little alcove. So it was a good thing that we all like each other. But a bit harsh on the larks who wanted to sleep from 9pm while the owls were partying. Next year, if we have two cabins, we will separate the larks from the owls - it's just those pesky people in between who can't make up their mind whether they are larks or owls, will be the problem.

On Sunday afternoon, I captured this photo. I don't think I have ever seen the moon near a rainbow before. How cool!

Sunday afternoon, I spent in the bar with Roby, testing out the Vodka and Lime, while we wondered if there would be a party or not that evening. We then went to the last session, 10 years of the Byron Bay Writers Festival, where they honoured Jill Eddington for the amazing work she has done running the Festival. Then we saw them in the distance. At first we thought they were school kids in wild and zany feathered costumes with drums, jumping up and down, trying to keep warm. But the drums started beating, and the wobble boards wobbled, spinning their strange vibrations into the air, and they marched towards us, we realised it was a bunch of hyperactive adults, having a ball. And then the party really started...

Still coke free.

I am on Day 4 of being coke-free and surprisingly I haven't had a caffeine headache yet. Maybe it's because I'm not trying to do this while coping with customers, and team leaders and work. When I feel tired, I can just rest.

So I have tackled some of the 'to-do' list. The sample pages of my manuscript have been sent, I have printed off some gorgeous business cards, I have put together the main pages of the 2007 diary, and I have updated my blogs. I didn't win lotto - so, it looks like I will be back at work in two weeks time.

I have joined Quickflix. Living out in the country, I don't want to hire DVD's from the shops in town, and then have to drive for half an hour and back to return them if that's the sole reason I'm going to town for the day. So yesterday, I watched two episodes of Six Feet Under (season 4). Another one this morning, two more to go and I can post the discs back. I am amazed at the variety of DVD's Quickflix have - I have stuff in 'my queue' which I've been trying to get from local shops for years.

Only 2 days to Bryon Bay Writers Festival - how exciting! Looking forward to the great company, food and mental stimulation. How many new authors will I discover this year? Although my fundage is a bit tight this year, so much money has gone on medication - I could never have predicted this a year ago. Still, I keep telling my partner if he doesn't look after himself and eat properly while I'm away for four nights - I'll be shipping him home to his mum, and she can look after him.

Yesterday, I thought would be my first partner-free day of my holidays. Nope. Didn't happen. He didn't go to TAFE because he was feeling sick. I'm not sure he's ready for full-time study again at this point, although he doesn't want to admit it to himself. But he went today. It's so peaceful out here, lots of birds and the cat meowing, the occasional car. But that's it. Aah, feel the serenity!