It’s been a rather exciting week on the writing front. My copy of Knitting and Other Stories arrived on Tuesday. It feels so good in my hands- such a beautiful weight of paper and words…

 The winning piece, Knitting, by Barry Divola, had me laughing out loud on the first page. Divola’s story is humorous and poignant in equal measure- I’m honoured to have been published alongside him.

My favourite parts in Barry Divola’s Knitting (read it and you’ll understand):

‘They chingle.’

‘…a business card bearing her name and the words ARTIST, WRITER, BON VIVANT on it.’

‘The world is too sharp. There are edges everywhere. I must soften them.’

In other news, I attended Natasha Lester’s Better Beginnings Workshop today and I’ve come away feeling alternately inspired and daunted. I’ve long known that the existing manuscript is problematic and Natasha was very astute in identifying its shortcomings. Her practical suggestions will help me to make my way forward in a clear sighted way. I know that I’ll need to invest an awful lot of time and energy- the novel requires a lot of work and I’m terribly impatient. I need a plan (and an au pair!).