I have reached the point...

...in the revisions where, if I'm going out and I know everyone else is going to be out of the house, I lock the manuscript away with the laptop. This is because back in March, our house was broken into, and I've done enough work on the revisions (and not word-processed it yet - I'll do that when I've completely scribbled over the entire manuscript next week) for it to be, not traumatic (and it probably wouldn't hurt the story at all—hmm, must think about what that implies about the state it's in), but a big bloody nuisance to go back in to the last WP'd version and re-do them.

This morning I wrote two pages of the new thread (nasty Teasel Wurledge lusting after Branza) before heading out to the birthday-shopping, which I've just got back from. It's not as if we bought a lot, but my goodness, it was a full day. We did pretty much all of King Street, Newtown, and a fair whack of the centre of the CBD. And during the long tryings-on of extremely tight jeans, I read Holly Black's Valiant. Gotta get me some of that Nevermore...

Anyway, also, because of my early-morning diligence (it really unlocks my brain, writing before I'm properly awake), I kept having ideas all the time I was out, including good ones for The Next Novel, which is kind of cool, because until last weekend's workshop I had no clue where I might start on the next project once Tender Morsels is done. (What, Tender Morsels will be done? Is that possible? *world changes shape*). It is all very tentative and secret, but it feels as if it might be a whole lot of fun. I'll let you know about it when I feel more certain of it.