11.30.07
I’m so proud!
I’ve finished NaNoWriMo! Let there be dancing in the streets!
Okay, so it needs some serious editing but I’m still so proud!
(And thank goodness it’s over!)
11.29.07
Almost there!
I just have to string this out for another 2,326 words. I have until midnight tomorrow. The end is in sight.
11.28.07
Uphill climb to the end
It should be the downward stretch by now but it’s still an uphill climb. I’ve basically finished my story in outlining and I’m just trying to flesh it out now. I’m totally out of love with my novel right now but know that actually I think there’s a lot in there worth keeping. I’m already starting to think about the edits, but right now I just can’t wait for it to be over.
11.27.07
So close, yet so far!
I went out for drinks last night. I forgot how large a large glass of wine is and over did it a bit. I only had three glasses but at 250ml per glass, that’s an entire bottle right there. No wonder I feel so crap today. I’m also worried I might be getting sick – there’s a flu-like virus going around.
I’m feeling grumpy because after working so hard on my novel on the weekend and breaking the 40,000 word barrier, I feel like it should be finished by now. Instead I’ve got 9,600 words still to go between now and midnight on Friday and a ton of other work to do besides. I’m going out for a nice lunch though so that should cheer me up.
11.25.07
Back on track
A massive push over the weekend – nearly 5,000 words today alone – and I am back on track for finishing on Friday. I have 12,000 words to go, an average of 2,400 per day between tomorrow and Friday.
11.24.07
The changing of the guard
So Australia has a new prime minister. Well done, Kevin Rudd and the Australian Labor Party.
I am not John Howard’s greatest fan so I’m quite happy with the result … but Rudd still needs to prove himself. I’ll be interested to see what Australia becomes under Rudd.
The world’s first climate election?
www.flickr.com
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The Guardian today has a very good article about the Australian election, the Tasmanian forests and that pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, near Launceston. It’s similar to an idea I was planning to pitch to them when I return to Australia for a holiday early next year but I’m actually really glad someone has done it now.
One of the most disappointing things about this election has been that both Labor and Liberal are committed to this pulp mill, which will lock Tasmania into old-growth logging for years, cause an environmental disaster through logging and pollution, poison the agriculture and viticulture in the region, and pump dioxins into fisheries in Bass Strait. All I can hope is that if Labor are elected they will suddenly find compelling new evidence they were not privy to in Opposition that will mean they delay, review and then cancel the pulp mill. But since work on constructing the mill is due to start within weeks, they don’t have much time.
When I went to Tasmania earlier this year, I travelled with my grandmother, two aunts and cousin around the east coast of the island. We stopped in a place called Swan Point on the Tamar River and camped over night, sharing the promontory with black swans and eating fresh oysters off the rocks. Tasmania is such a beautiful place and it’s so sad to see what’s happening to it. I saw logging trucks laden with logs so thick they could only fit four or five on the back of the truck, compared to the usual 15 or so for plantation logs. My friend Katrina and I drove into the national park near Hobart, got lost and ended up in recently logged State Forest that just looked like a bomb had hit it.
Click through to Flickr to see all the photos, including the ones from the Tamar Valley.
11.21.07
An uphill battle ahead
I need to write an average of 2,199 words every day to finish by 30 November. Hopefully I can catch up and perhaps pull ahead this weekend – also next week I will only have part-time work so that should help.
I’m very tired right now. I’ve had a lot of work on so it’s a struggle to do NaNoWriMo as well. I need to get to bed but I have at least made word count today.
11.18.07
Over halfway but falling behind
I’m falling behind. I should be at 30,001 words by the end of today but I’m about 3,500 words under par. I’m hoping to keep pace with my minimum word count all week and then catch up on the weekend. Thankfully in the final week I’m a little more free so I can devote more time to this if need be.
Last week was just a little insane. I was working 9.30am to 6.30pm every day, plus I had about 4,000 words of various freelance feature articles due on top of that. So there was little time left for writing. I’m working full time again this week (8.30am to 5.30pm) but I don’t have all the freelance stuff due so it should be a little more under control, I hope.
11.17.07
I’m voting early (but not often)
‘Vote early, vote often’ was the old advice from Al Capone. I’m heeding at least part of that advice – the Australian election is still a week away but I’ve already cast my vote. Once is enough for me though.
I popped down to Australia House to vote around midday today and the queue wasn’t too bad at all. When I voted in the 2004 election I had to wait for over an hour just to get into the building. The queues are bound to grow over the week though and I would certainly recommend any Australian voters in London get down there as soon as they can or organise a postal vote.
I was interested to see the list of parties running for the Senate included a group called ‘Conservatives for Climate and the Environment’. I don’t know anything about them but I found their very existence quite heartening. Environmental issues have been considered a left-wing issue for far too long and I’m glad to see that’s changing. Protecting the environment and the world we live in is so very fundamental that it should be a bipartisan issue as far as I’m concerned.
I was a little irritated to find that they changed the system since last time. Once of the reasons I wanted to vote in person rather than through a postal vote was to preserve the sanctity of the secret ballot. However, I was given an envelope and I had to fill out my name, address and enrollment address on the outside and then put the completed voting papers on the inside before dropping it in the ballot box. We were advised to fold the ballot papers over so the person taking them out of the envelopes wouldn’t see but still, there is an element of trust involved that I am uncomfortable with. Ultimately I think elections in Australia are fair and honest and no one is going to be super-interested in finding out how I voted, but that’s not the point. The secret ballot (which incidentally, was invented in Australia but is now used around the world) is a hallmark of democracy and should be preserved.
I’m pretty sure last time I had my name marked off on a roll and was given anonymous ballot papers to fill out and drop in the box, just as it would be if I were voting on election day in Australia. I don’t know if they’ve actually changed the system or possibly that last time I voted on the actual day itself rather than a week before the election and that might have made a difference. It’s not the end of the world though, I guess.
I won’t say how I voted but what I can tell you though is that I filled out all 79 boxes for the Senate instead of ticking the one box above the line. I always do this – it’s kind of fun in a way, and I don’t like the thought of a party deciding where to send my preferences on the basis of political deals.
How to vote – a guide for Australians in the UK
Australian citizens living in the UK can vote in the upcoming Australian election through the High Commission in London. You can choose between a postal vote and pre-poll voting in person at Australia House in the Strand, London. You can check your enrollment at the Australian Electoral Commission website.
The election is Saturday 24 November and the High Commission has been open for pre-polling since Tuesday and will be open again from Monday to Friday next week. Voting is not compulsory for Australian citizens abroad (it is for Australian citizens at home) but nonetheless there could be lengthy delays. Expect security checks so leave knives and scissors at home and avoid large backpacks.
Next week’s opening hours
Monday, 19th November 2007 10:00 – 16:00
Tuesday, 20th November 2007 10:00 – 20:00
Wednesday, 21st November 2007 10:00 – 20:00
Thursday, 22nd November 2007 10:00 – 20:00
Friday, 23rd November 2007 10:00 – 18:00
