i have found out that a piece of short fiction will be appearing in the next sleepers almanac, due out feb 07, something i'm pretty chuffed about. i haven't done any proper writing in a week or two and it's beginning to get me down - but free time isn't happening. work demands have seen my usual fifteen-hour week slowly ooze into a thirty-five hour one, which leaves me a little braindead. i really should stop complaining and get back into it, i know. i will. i will. but it's not as if i haven't been thinking about it...
i've been thinking about the story i'm writing, and the characters i'm writing, a fair bit lately. i had started out writing them as extensions of other characters i'd created for another piece of short fiction i wrote a year ago, but something felt a little NQR - so i went back and read the original story they starred in. it was then that realised that i had the personalities of my to lead characters mixed up. so i had to go through what was already there and swap them around. then i had to change some secondary character names because subconciously, my brain had defaulted to ones i'd used before. how weird is that? i hope i'm not out of practice or anything...
i've been invited to do a reading and talk at mannix college, the place i lived in my first year at monash way back in 1994. i was sent an email from the secretary there asking me if i would like to be a guest at a formal dinner - held (back when i was there, and to this day) every wednesday night. we used to have to wear smart clothes and graduation gowns, and sometimes we'd be invited up to the senior common room to mingle with the guests and staff. one of the formal dinners i remember going to had members of the philosophy fac as guests - and i got busted by my tutor, because i'd been skipping lectures since week 3. it feels weird that this time, when i go back, that i will be one of the guests, instead of one of the students trying to plan a swift exit so i can get back to melrose place or the simpsons. the year i spent at mannix was the most challenging and rewarding one of my life so far - it will be good to be able to go back and talk about that. anyway, i'll save the rest for the speech.
Monday, July 31, 2006
brain-drain
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2 comments:
Hi Shalini, just wanted to say hi and let u know that i would be most interested in reading 'the bollywood beauty', any chance for a Canadian launch? It must be so incredibly rewarding to see your book published! While I may sound like a absolute nut job on my blog, I am sincerely trying to bring a Indo-Fijian voice to North American literary scene. I applaud you for already doing so :)
hey diasporic girl - thanks for your message. at this stage my book is only available in aus, nz and fiji - but if you know any canadian publishers... who knows, one of these days. fingers crossed! it is very rewarding to see it out there - today is actually its first birthday. and for the record, i don't think you sound like a nut job! keep writing. you'll get there!
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