I haven't been very productive on the writing front the last couple of weeks. A number of reasons. Work has started to be busy. This is great - but tiring. Personal life has shifted a gear. Also great - but another impact on the writing time. Summer is almost here - so the exercise-o-meter is ticking and I've joined a local gym - another time soak.

I'm trying not to stress about it - figuring that life comes in cycles (or waves) and that this might not be the right cycle for writing. I had hoped to get enough words on paper that I was proud of that I might submit for a place at the Harper Collins Varuna Workshop. A very long shot - but I was using the deadline more for motivation. I haven't entirely given up on this - but the current cycle is going to have to move fairly quickly to make my hopes in any way realistic.

I do know a number of people who get up at 5.30am to write. I'd like to say 'I could do that' but it would be an outright lie. Unfortunately writing isn't like going for a jog. You can't say to a friend 'Let's meet up and run together'. It just don't work that way.

I've got one story on the verge of being 'send outable' and one story that needs a serious re-write... oh yeah and that longer thing. The one that haunts me in the small hours. I've also got a flash drafted - that would probably only take a few hours to get roughly on paper. Am I really too busy? Or just struggling for motivation?

I have a short attention span - so before I go to a conference I look closely at the brochure describing who's speaking and what they're speaking on. Are they good meaty topics that I'm interested in? Am I likely to learn? Is there the possibility of travel - and possibly a 3 course lunch....

I attended 1 day of a 2 day conference today. I'm sending Shanna for the second day tomorrow - because I know that 2 days is more than this koala can bear.... even if the speakers are truely excellent.

I did pretty well - making it most of the way through the day before leaving halfway through the last speaker. Perhaps I'm growing up - maybe one day soon I'll have the attention span of an adult.

By the way - lunch was sadly disappointing. No sit down, no 3 course. Sandwiches and salad awkwardly clutched.