Friday, April 20, 2012

I'm back baby!

I'm back!  And oh how I do apologize for leaving you without a post for so long, dear readers.  I was writing away, trying to get this #@$%%$ draft finished (as my aunt who also happens to be a writer, Carolyn Abraham, and I like to call our works in progress).  But my writing came to a complete stop when last Wednesday my sister-in-law and brother in-law came to visit.  They brought someone with them too.
That's my niece.  She's almost one!  And her name takes special precedence on this blog because it is, after all, Story.

The visit was too short and together we had great fun doing things like this:
After seeing the orangutans at the San Diego Zoo they are now my new favourite animal.  I got to get right down in front of one, like my darling Story here, and look into its eyes and I just felt so connected to it, to life, to the whole.  Now in my spare time I'm dreaming of going to Borneo...

Okay, okay now this is all off topic.  This is a writing blog, after all.  Isn't it?  And I am excited to tell you that I am only ten chapters away from finishing this draft, or #$#%$% draft, or !!!!! draft (the name must correspond with how I'm feeling you see).

My deadline was to be done before the end of April.  This of course means that the secret deadline I wouldn't mention before is not a deadline anymore and the bad news is I didn't reach it.  But I REFUSE to get down on myself for it.  I came pretty close to reaching this deadline.  I wrote/revised 18 chapters in two months and some people might think that's not too shabby.  I'm fairly confident I can still pull off what I said I would by the end of the year.

I would be finishing this draft at least by the beginning of May if it wasn't for the real world stepping in. (Yes folks, I do work occasionally ;)

I'm covering a travel show in Los Angeles for the magazine I worked for in Toronto, which I now work for on a freelance basis.  After that I'm covering another travel show for them but that one takes place here:
In case you don't recognize this picture, it's Queenstown, New Zealand.  I'll be discovering this destination for the first time from April 30th to May 11.  So this is also a warning that blogging may continue to be sporadic from about now until I return.

For now, I just want to say (as I always do...) how grateful I am for the way this year is shaping up.  I'm getting to travel, spend time with those I love, even when most of the time we live so far away from each other, and most importantly, I am putting writing first, as I've intended to do my whole life but just couldn't find my way there.  Four months into 2012 I'd say things are looking, in the words of Larry David, pretty, pretty, good.

What about you?  How is this year turning out?  Is it one of love?  Is it one of greatness?  It's not too late to make this year the year, you know - this year and every one after! xoxoxoxox

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