Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Turn

I'm taking a leaf out of Mr Sunny Dunny's book and facing Janus' stone visage forward: I have lots of things I think I'll be doing:

Looking forward to the set up in early January of a new writing group: members drawn from here and there in Ireland.

Also looking forward to using a bursary that Dundalk Town Council awarded me: two whole weeks at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annamakerrig, Newbliss, Co. Monaghan. New bliss all right!

What else: getting my finger out and making substantial submissions to the usual suspects: The Stinging Fly, Crannog, The SHOp... & also some UK journals. I need to build up publication credits for 2010 publication...

Writing up and organising the new series of classes for Dundalk and Newry: quite a few of them are getting publishing credits, so I must be doing something right, but I still need to keep their fires stoked and imaginations running.

Applying for more teaching positions - there's always the OU - might get the old foot in the door there.

And I have a hankering to go to StAnza, been wanting to go this few years, and I see Ben Wilkinson is reading at it - there's an opportunity to see an up and coming talent before he becomes famous. ;)

When I cast my eye back over this preliminary list, I don't feel quite so disorganised, or as disgruntled as I have been lately. I tend to feel over the holiday period that I've lost momentum and that there are things I should be doing, other than feeding, cleaning and washing clothes. But that's what happens when holidays are here. There's simply no time to luxuriate in what I could be doing. Contentment lies in what is to come.

8 comments:

Rachel Fox said...

Not long till the little darlings are back to school and we can get back to work!

Maybe bump into you in St Andrews in March. All the best for a productive and exciting 2009.
x

Unknown said...

You too Rachel, it's looking pretty good already!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Two weeks at the TGC will be deadly,something to really look forward to.I haven't heard of StAnza-must check it out.Keep up da gud teeching werk and get dem subs out.I'm planning a sure-fire ten steps to success weekend plan fer meself.
Step one;Get yeer lazy ass out'a bed.
I haven't thought of dudder 9 yet.

Liz said...

Hey Barbara, the Tyrone Guthrie centre will be a brillaint experience no doubt...well done on getting it.
And your list of 2009 happenings is positively inspiring.
Must get my own act together right and proper and down on paper or up on screen, whichever! : )

Unknown said...

I think that when you actually make a list of things that you know you must do, that's half the battle. I always used to think that the thoughts of something was worse than actually doing it, Liz.

And you're right TFE, getting the arse from the bed to the worktable is the most important step!

Debi said...

I wish you much more than contentment. Forward to new heights in 2009! xxx

Group 8 said...

It all sounds good and focussed, B. Enjoy! (I'll update soon on next week's meeting.) Happy New Year! N x

red dirt girl said...

new women's writing group in January; culled from here and there ?

umm.. my muse ran away with this other writer's muse that i know. they (the muses) went 'on holiday' and i naively believed 'on holiday' meant vacation.

neither returned. left no forwarding addresses either.

i could use a kick start ... but maybe you might want to read a few of the 'oldies' first ..

in the other words, keep me in mind when you form your group!

thx
rdm