There’s been another draft. I won’t go into the specifics (not just yet anyway) but let it be known that I’m really beginning to tire of this novel. There’s a small part of me that feels that I could potentially write this novel for another ten years, that I could keep drilling down, write about the Borden’s all the way back to their genesis, write the code of their DNA and still discover something new about them.
To keep my mind focussed I’ve gone on some amazing walks lately. Nothing exceptional – just keeping in my immediate neighbourhood – but these walks have been a crystal time: the onset of winter in Melbourne has produced so many different species of fungus, that I’ve been reminded that there is always something new to be found along well worn paths.
And so with that (minus photos of fungus):

That amber blood. Late May 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)

The bird I stepped on. Late May 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)

The lights are always on. Late May 2016 (sarah schmidt)

Colour rock. Late May 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)

Pirate/leaves Late May 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)

Abandon. Late April 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)

What those walks allowed me to do: redrafted sections of Emma Borden’s narrative. Late May 2016 (Sarah Schmidt)