take a deep breath...

I have a small piece of art on the wall in front of me which says the above, "take a deep breath..." and this is written over a photograph of an old factory with a rusting corrugated iron roof  and the name of  the business which is "Perseverance". I bought this small picture because it reflected how I feel about my novel writing. I just need to keep on taking that breath and persevering because it would be so easy to give up. I have played around with all sorts of writing projects over the years and behind it all has been this book and the story that goes with it. The characters and the place, the story itself do not want to go away even though I have left them alone when it wasn't working and come back for visits over many years. I am trying to be focused now as I write the third draft, to work more quickly and get to the end. I wonder sometimes why it has taken so long but believe that I have had a lot to learn along the way that will flow through to the book and make it what it needs to be. Also it has been a wonderful journey and helped me to grow in surprising directions which feels extremely important, perhaps as important as the book itself. It is time now for me to finish it to the best of my ability and I am so enjoying this draft and the twists and turns that it continues to take. Perseverance has been essential in the whole process and will enable me to complete what I started a long time ago. So I love that little piece of art, it inspires me. And so does the lady who made it.
Earlier in the year I was in the Dandenong ranges outside of Melbourne and saw some of her work in a coffee shop. I loved it and bought two pieces that day. I travelled with them back to Sydney and out of interest I looked her up on the net. I found her blog and saw that she had written wondering about the person who had bought two pictures from the exhibition which she had set up only hours earlier and returned to check on to find a gap on the wall. So I got in touch and now keep an eye on her blog and enjoy the photos she puts on it and also some of the links. If you'd like a look, she is on http://blog.danielleq.com/
So that's it for now, off to shop for the double boys birthday party on tomorrow. Lollies, cupcakes, chips, sausages, and, my specialty strawberry kebabs, on the menu. Then let them all run around and play soccer and stir it all up before sending them home with parents....should be fun. Have a good weekend, love K.xx