Friday, October 31, 2014

Almost there...

There's been a bit of a gap I know, sorry about that. So what's happened in the intervening time? Well I'm now about 3000 words away from finishing Zora's Dawn - I have the story in my head, just have to get it down on the screen. I also re-read the entire book and have a pretty clear idea of the editing I need to do so I'm pretty happy with that.Well as happy as you can be at the prospect of editing.

I've had a birthday, not very good at birthdays so pleased it's passed by without too much trouble. I've discovered that if I ignore all of the guidelines of zentangling and just go with whatever my pen does it is actually quite relaxing - although I still feel the need to finish whatever I start without taking a break.

I've been sick, a touch of Pharaoh's Revenge from I think some pickles. My previous experiences of pickles has been pretty limited - gherkins and onions. Here, everything is pickled and it's delicious. Carrots, lemons (the local name for limes), chillies, capsicum, cucumbers and onions and others I'm not sure what they are except that they are vegetables of some sort. I love them, and I bought these from the Metro so I thought they would be ok - but they were the only different thing I ate and the next day I was sick. So sad face, wasted day zonked out on Antinal, and throw away the pickles.

 I am considerably sleep deprived but that's not something that will change soon and not because of my poor sleeping habits. There are three things that are disturbing my nights right now. Firstly mosquitoes. This apartment is not fully screened and those that are in place have holes in them. Until now I have not had a problem with mosquitoes but recently they have been driving me crazy at night, even though it is now autumn in this part of the world. The local mosquitoes seem to thrive in the cooler weather, sigh.

Secondly, someone nearby has a dog, possibly it is on a lower floor in this building but I'm not entirely sure as I can't really tell where it is coming from. All I know definitely is that this dog is either bored or unhappy and it likes to let the entire neighbourhood know by barking incessantly ALLLLLLLLLLL night. I believe its owners must be deaf...

Thirdly, I think a mosque nearby has new speakers. Usually the call for prayer comes from multiple speakers (that are not synchronised) but they are all faint and so do not wake me or disturb me in any way. Usually I like to hear the sound of the call drifting on the air. But now one of the speakers has become really loud, like megaphone at your front door loud. Now I am woken - should the dog have shut up and I have managed to kill all the mosquitoes and I am actually asleep - at 4.30 every morning.

Sigh, complaint over. Of course I will get used to the sound of the dog and the speakers in time, and I'll find a way to control the mosquitoes but for now, bedtime holds no charms for me. So I draw since writing at night guarantees sleeplessness.

One thing I've found since coming here is that everything I have experienced in the last several years has unlocked the block I had put in place on my creativity. I am writing more than ever, and ideas are coming all the time. I love writing the short read books even though they don't make much money for me. I love doing the non-zentangles and have started drawing other things too, even though an artist I am emphatically not. I feel like I am finally being who I really am - although the poor as a church mouse thing I'm pretty sure is not who I really am! But all things come in time.

So here are a few of my non-zentangles, and the drawing I did last night when I emptied my mind (I know, I'm shocked too and the words in my head must have totally panicked!). The last one is not good, I know that, but it's interesting that it formed without conscious thought by me.

Next time I write here, Zora's Dawn will be finished and I will be deep in editing and probably very grumpy about it. Meanwhile have a great day/night/morning/afternoon whichever it is in your part of the world whenever you read this :)

Some non-zentangles:

I did this one on my birthday:

Fun with feathers:

Work in progress:

And finished:

What it looks like when my mind is empty:

And finally...






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