July 31st, 2009
"Australian Winter"
Writing has been an exhausting journey. As of July 31st, my second draft is up to 125,000 words. That’s a 250-page book, and I’m only about 60% through - without photos (which I still haven’t begun editing.)
This is definitely something that I am taking one day at a time. Stepping back and looking at the “big picture” makes the task seem impossibly large and only causes frustration. Each morning, I wake up and focus on a small piece of the puzzle. Slowly slowly those little pieces turn into bigger chunks which begin to resemble a larger story. At the moment, I’m a bit overwhelmed with what this project is turning into. My intent is still to create and print a “coffee table” book, but right now it looks like it would need to be a series of them.
In any case, I’ve come up with a format that I'm happy with; I hope it keeps things interesting and holds a proper balance between saying too much and too little. For now, that’s what I’ll continue to do, trying to capture the essence of my thoughts and experiences.
Each night, I go to sleep eager for the next day to begin. That can't be a bad thing.
Outside of writing, not much else has changed. I had to depart Australia in late May to renew my visa. Oceania is a part of the world that I had not yet explored, so I took advantage of Australia’s geographic position (and a fare sale) to book a trip to Samoa. The above photo was taken from my stilted bungalow on the island of Savai'i. Twelve days was a nice break, but in the end I was more than ready to get back to writing and life with my girlfriend here in Melbourne.
The Australian winter is getting tiring. Soon, I’ll be back in the United States for a short break, hopefully catching the tail end of a glorious Minnesota summer. By the time I return to Australia, spring and warmth will be on their way!
"Tell me a story, Pew.
What kind of story, child?
A story with a happy ending.
There's no such thing in all the world.
As a happy ending?
As an ending."
(Jeanette Winterson, "Lighthousekeeping")
Away Awhile is hosted by Josh Trutwin.