Eek. I have, for some time, well years really, been quietly – and occasionally loudly – dismissive of other people’s blogs. Not, I hasten to add, because of their content, but because they seem like such displacement activity to me. something that people do INSTEAD of making work. And I already have facebook and myspace and emails and cooking and the garden and life to distract me from writing … do I need this as well? Probably not. BUT, I have enjoyed some blogs this past year. Michael Legge’s comedy c***ing. Mark Trezona’s Peformance Marks . Dovegrey Reader . Chris Goode’s process/progress reports on making Hey Mathew. It was Chris’s stuff that made me start to think maybe it would be of value to write up my own process. To consider it in another way. Of value for me, I mean. I’m not sure one writer’s process can ever be of much use to another writer.

I’ve recently delivered an early draft of a new book to my editor at Virago and am (impatiently) awaiting her notes, in the next month I’m going to be starting on the first draft of the book to follow it, no doubt there will be times when I’m working on both at the same time. I’m not sure if this is diary or report of process or what really. But I do feel a desire to report on it. To whom, I have no idea. Maybe you’ll tell me. Maybe you won’t. Maybe you’re not there. Let’s find out.