Well I’ve done it.

The first draft of The Farmer’s Wife is now officially finished! Yes! It came in at around 74 000 words which gives me something solid to work with, a hefty stone to shape into the book it will (hopefully) become. Today I celebrated with a massage, the party continuing tonight at the launch of my friend Phillipa’s Book of Love. It’s a perfect gift for mother’s day; a great read by a wonderful new Australian writer. I’m also a special visitor on her site this week so check it out! www.phillipafioretti.com.au

Also exciting is that on Radio National tomorrow (22nd April), my best writing buddy Helena Pastor is being interviewed on the Bush Telegraph program from 11:30 to 12 about her latest creative non-fiction project, Iron Man Welders, a youth initiative run by the remarkable Bernie. I’ll be listeningand cheering from the sidelines.http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bushtelegraph/

It feels fantastic to have finished all that hard work. What they don’t tell you when you first start out is that sticking at this writing game actually takes a great deal of courage. It takes guts to sit down and face a blank page, over and over again.

So tomorrow I’ll clean the often-ignored cupboards and let the first draft settle before wielding it into something more presentable.

Love to all,

Edwina