My writing week 2(44)

Hi all,

The countdown until my cataract surgery hasn't been postponed a second time and is diminishing too quickly for my liking, with only a week to go. If the surgery is in the morning next Monday then I probably won't be doing a weekly blog post next week. I wonder if I will be doing any writing at all for a while. My compulsion of writing every day since new year's day 2008 will probably end - 671 days in a row so far. I reckon I need a break anyway.

Hardly a word of the first draft of chapter nine of Stalking Tigers still survives. Surprisingly, the chapter is still going to get to where it originally went, but the characters will arrive with different attitudes.

I read that Dymocks, in an attempt to appease some of the many who oppose changes to the parallel importation laws, suggests the setting up of a levy to help Australian authors writing "culturally worthwhile" works. Just imagine a Liberal appointed body judging what is culturally worthwhile: is it about Robert Menzies? does Gerald Henderson recommend it? did Les Murray write it? I have doubts on whether any science fiction writer would be judged by any literary body outside the speculative fiction arena to be writing something "culturally worthwhile".

Graham.