I’ve interrupted the novel rewrite to show you this:

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That’s how many pages I have left to edit.

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It’s a thin stack, isn’t it? Only 25 pages thick. Twenty-five. That. Is. All. I’m a slow writer, and it’s given me a boost to see how close I am—now I’m striving to get to the end as soon as I can.

I want to say that rewriting this novel has been one of the most arduous, mind-consuming, brain-draining things I’ve ever done. It’s made walking the Cradle Mountain Overland Track seem like a stroll through a park. It’s made giving birth seem like a little ‘ouchie’. It’s made studying Medicine seem like—actually, studying Medicine still feels like studying Medicine. If I had a choice between rewriting this novel or studying Medicine again, I don’t know which would be worse and I’d decline both.

So that’s why I’ve been neglecting my poor blog. I’m itching to post here more often, but there are only so many hours in each day, and I’ve had to devote them to my novel. While I’ve been writing, I’ve had many ideas for future posts and essays, and I’ve also read more Australian women authors, so I have reviews I want to write, too—some from last year.

I’ll return to the novel now, but before I go, here are some photos from Sculptures By the Sea at Cottesloe Beach. It’s in its final days here in Perth, and I’ve been down with the camera a few times—some attempts were more successful than others. I haven’t been able to get a good sunset shot—always too many people! So, here are some dawn shots:

Book Cave by Juliet Lea

Juliet Lea, Book Cave, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Juliet Lea, Book Cave, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Sømærke by KWY with Lise Kassow, from various vantage points with kayakers in the distance

KWY with Lise Kassow, Sømærke, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Early morning kayakers

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Rebecca Westlund’s The Red List (Extinct)

Rebecca Westlund, The Red List (Extinct), Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Gull prints on the sand

Gull prints

Norton Flavel, Dust

Norton Flavel, Dust, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Norton Flavel, Dust, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Robert Juniper, Xanthorrhoea and Tree Form

Robert Juniper, Xanthorrhoea and Tree Form, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016. Photo Clyde Yee

Tony Davis, Manscape

Tony Davis, Manscape, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Cottesloe Beach

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Karen Macher Nesta, Sea Sponges

Karen Macher Nesta, Sea Sponges, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016. Photo Jessica Wyld

Suzie Bleach & Andrew Townsend, A Burden

Suzie Bleach & Andrew Townsend, A Burden, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Suzie Bleach & Andrew Townsend, A Burden, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Russell Sheridan, Pilgrim

Russell Sheridan, Pilgrim, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

 

Russell Sheridan, Pilgrim, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Tae Geun Yang, Pig of Fortune #2 (2nd Series)

Tae Geun Yang, Pig of Fortune #2 (2nd Series), Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

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Harrie Fasher, Boxed

Harrie Fasher, Boxed, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Naidee Changmoh, Fun!

Naidee Changmoh, Fun!, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Michael Le Grand, Recoil

Michael Le Grand, Recoil, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Keld Moseholm, Catch Me

Keld Moseholm, Catch Me, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.

Keld Moseholm, Catch Me, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2016.