The right time to write is 2010

I always think of Australia Day as the official last day of the summer holidays.

During the Christmas break lots of Sydneysiders leave town, most for the coast, and it's not until January 26 that they're all back and poised to jump onto the treadmill for another year. In the interim Sydney has a relaxed laid-back feel to it as if those who've stayed around have infused it with their good-holiday vibes.

Sadly, it's all come to an end. I heard a traffic report on the radio this morning and it's back to normal already - endless traffic jams and accidents signal the return of the peak hour (which runs into hours and sometimes all day).

I've got another week before I return to work, which is a relief as I've been delaying the inevitable preparation work. I did quit my job at one of my workplaces last year but was asked back to do a less-stressful job. I couldn't say no. Money is a strong motivator. Sigh.

But I'm determined to write, so I've moved my office and computer into the spare room. Now it's time to sit down at the computer and do some serious writing. I wrote a short story and entered it in the Little Gems contest, so that's a start.

Next on the list is ironing out all the rough edges on my ms and entering it in the Valerie Parv comp.

It's all systems go. Stress is back big time.

My brother-in-law is reading my MS

Mr Flyby (Spanner's sister's husband) kindly offered to read my ms (manuscript).

This is not as strange as it seems.

In the past, Flyby has flirted with romance writing - his short story was published in one of the Romance Writers of Australia Little Gems anthologies and in 2004 we went to an RWA conference together.

Afterwards we both stopped writing, but Flyby turned his back on the genre.

Now, he reads widely, writes a fine blog on light planes and keeps bees (he has other hobbies too numerous to mention).

OK, maybe it is strange to have your brother-in-law reading your romance novel.

Or could it be that Flyby is strange?

I decided he was the best person for the job. And so far, I've not been disappointed. He's given me some excellent tips on dialogue, pov and showing not telling. I am a bit worried about him reading the more explicit chapters. Embarrassed.

However, I will have a better story because of his wise advice.

There's still got a long way to go before I can honestly type THE END.

PS: Photo borrowed from the blog edited by Flyby - it's taken by pilot Darryl and shows the mist over Warragamba dam. It illustrates where I'm at with my MS, lost in the mist.