I absolutely loved my sabbatical. My employer, the
University of Salford, recognised that my work was of value and allowed me a whole
five months off teaching, meetings and most of my emails so that I could get on
with some research and some writing. And because I am employed as a creative writing
lecturer, quite a lot of that time was spent on my novel.
However, there was also a creepy thought at the back of my
mind. This is all fine and good, but what next? I was part way through editing another
book. So, finish the sabbatical novel (not far off, now actually) and that other
book – then what?
I shouldn’t have worried. I now have this To Do list:
Finish the sabbatical novel (in time to enter it for a competition
next week?)
Complete the accompanying web site
Complete the associated Power Point presentations
Complete the associated academic articles
Finish editing that other novel
Get the sabbatical novel and the other novel out there
Research and write the biography of one of the (real) minor
characters in the novel
Edit and self-publish two books that have gone out of print
Follow up that idea for a teen novel situated in ancient times
on Tenerife
Write a modern day novel about the girl who … ah that’s a
secret!
Edit Spooking (by 11
March for Crooked Cat)
Accept Crooked Cat’s edits so that the book can be out by16
March (cripes!)
Get some self-promotion going associated with Spooking.
Possibly all of this came about as I came out of my deep absorption
in Potatoes in Spring and got back to
normal life. On my To Do list was get Spooking
out there. I also have to get Veiled Dreams
out there. But that will now have to wait.
It’s great. I’m now bubbling with ideas again. And I have some
deadlines that are there because I have had some success.
The problem is, all of this comes as I’m busy again with
teaching – bigger classes this semester – meetings and exchange students. But
that is the way it is generally. Deadlines and ideas rarely come at convenient times.
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