Writing Blog

20220311 Two lots of writing

March 11, 2022, 10:30am

Now, most people see me as a writer of fiction, with the occasional poems and lists of music out there. And that's fair - that covers 90% of what I write in a non-professional, non-studying mode. But I have also written a few non-fiction essays, of which I've had some published. Non-fiction is not my bag, but creative non-fiction seems to suit me when I have something to say.

The reason I bring this up is that I have two long-term projects on the go. One may never end - a dictionary of monsters from legend and cryptids, but excluding those from literature or made up for Internet creepy-pasta. It's sitting at 220k words and grows every couple of months as I discover a new, obscure creature, and was started back in 2012. I bought it to bed in 2018, thinking I'd found everything... and it was 196k words. Oh, silly writer person!

But the other was started in 2017. If not for COVID it would have been finished long before now, because it involves me going to places to look at them and comparing them to my memories if the place. If I can get it to 37.5k words, then a local publisher has already expressed interest. Well, yesterday I drove for a total of 410 km and knocked 3 places off my list for an additional 8k words, bringing the work up to 25k. This is the first draft; once I go back and add some more descriptors and clarify the memories, this could easily result in 10k words added. So now I know I can do this without COVID stopping me, finishing it will be a matter of affording petrol ($2.21 a litre!) and being motivated to drive. I reckon I'll have this book's first draft done by mid-year, then edit and beta-read-find it, and then submit!

Now... part 2.

I went to a play last night. Yes, after driving all over the Fleurieu Peninsula and writing heaps of notes, I went to see a play.

Ever see something that makes you think you;re wasting your time as a writer? Well, I felt that way last night.

Aaaand... here's my review:
https://www.weekendnotes.com/an-unseasonable-fall-of-snow-adelaide-fringe/

If you get a chance to see this play performed anywhere, take it up! You will not be disappointed.