Wednesday 27 November 2013

Tying back to 'January business'

I would just like to say CONGRATULATIONS TO ME for posting at least once a month on this blog, this year, sometimes more than twice a month. I win the internet. But I was rereading this from earlier in the year and was struck by all that has happened since, even though it feels as though it's been quite a quiet few months. Also, I need to write something before Sunday, because then it's December and I will have missed a month on the blog, to nicely circle back to the start of my paragraph.

Firstly, same-sex marriage! What a crazy year. After a terrible end to Julia Gillard's groundbreaking turn as PM (I know I'm not the only one who cried during her leaving speech. Say what you want about her politics, she's a class act), I was willing to give the Ruddster another go, once he'd pulled on his big boy pants and decided to behave himself. Also, he was offering a conscience vote on the whole gay marriage issue which was nice. Anyway, in a fit of alarming stupidity, Australia managed to elect Gollum- I mean Tony Abbott and his 1950's views of...well, everything. This included his frequent and clumsy dodging around the issue of same-sex marriage, saying it wouldn't be a 'high priority' for his government. Right then, as you do, at least he told us up front (WHY was he elected, again?). But as soon as the ACT Legislative Assembly passed their gorgeous Marriage Equality Act, Tony's hightailing it to the High Court to challenge it. Bit of a high priority now, hey Tone? (There's a lot of 'high's in those last couple of sentences. Deal with it.) So, after lamenting back at the start of the year how disappointed I was that Australia hadn't taken that crucial step into the 21st century, I find myself still angry, but at a very specific group of people, and also inspired by the ACT. Don't give in.

It is impossible to list all the books I've read since I wrote that first blog because I'd be typing for a week, but I've now joined up with the Jane Austen Society of Melbourne (pretty sure I'm the youngest member by a decade at least, and the meetings are lovely and always interesting) and have been making my way through an ever-growing list of all different types of books that have piqued my curiosity. This includes most of Sonya Hartnett's work which has been like the best kind of literary treat. And yep, I've kept up with New Girl, which is still lovely, and yep, I've watched all of McLeod's Daughters which was mostly terrible (apologies to fans of the show, but I remembered it being so much better).

I still have not heard back from the agency that has my manuscript. It's been well over a year, so that feels not right. I should probably take it back, but I'm so busy with uni and other writing stuff that I don't have the time to go over it now. So I've decided to leave it with them until I do, and if they get back to me in the meantime, all the better. But, I had my first piece of fiction published this year and was PAID for it, so snaps for me! Read more here. Hopefully I can get something else published next year as well...(I never did go back to that angry draft I wrote about Manohar Lal Sharma. Other, better writers have said what I wanted to say with more art. And it's made me feel sad even thinking about it as I type this.)

Also, the Book Thief film :) Yay. We've had trailers and stills and all manner of juicy blog tidbits from Markus Zusak, so I can safely say I'm even more excited about the film now than I was back when I wrote that entry. Out in January - only weeks away!