A Room of One’s Own… or whatever

To borrow a phrase…

I’ve been on vacation in the country for the past week and I’ve been madly writing. I sit, mostly, at the table on the side patio, looking over the tree-lined hills and listen to the cockatoos squawking like they’re ready to attack anything that’s moving down here; great big packs of sulphur-crested cockatoos. From time to time the neighbour’s back door slams, a kid laughs and plays on the trampoline; and my dogs chase skinks in the garden, sometimes with success.

I wake and I write. I drink coffee and I write. I smoke and I write. I walk and I write. And I repeat the cycle each day. I’m on track to finishing this manuscript by the end of next week. I’ve been working on it for around 4 months and now, in the space of a few days, I’m going to finish it. Hooray!

Having the space to write is something indescribable. I’ve always written around something – work, mostly, but also procrastination. But having the time, without any real interruptions makes me realise just how it’s possible for someone to write a novel in a year, as Kathy Charles has done in 2010.

It’s a luxury that so many don’t have so I’m not taking it for granted, that’s for sure. 

So here’s to plenty of time and space for writing in 2011!