What do you think of that picture? It's the view from the room where I work on my book.
We’ve switched gears big time now. It’s work, work, work. The manuscript I’m working on is quite a challenge. I revised the first chapter, sent it off to my good friend, Lou Lynda, the world’s most finicky critiquer, and she sent it back with practically half of it highlighted! “Rewrite to capture the main character’s uniqueness,” she commanded. Voice. The hardest thing about the work. Nailing my main character’s voice. And so I roam around Oxford, weaving through the hordes of freshers that descended into the city last week, searching for Mtonya’s voice. I pop into bookstores, page through books, seeking, searching. I cycle through the parks where the trees now are increasingly taking on hues of red and wonder what she would say to me. And so the rewriting goes …
One of the wonderful features about Oxford is the many, many open spaces. A short walk or a cycle ride in just about any direction gets you to green meadows, fields, or landscaped parks with ponds, and everywhere there are trees – horsechestnut, beeches, oaks. Of course, the River Cherwell, the Thames, and the Oxford Canal are prominent too, adding to the charm. It’s fantastic to take a break in the middle of the day and wander through one of these parks, taking in the fresh air. I’m enjoying seeing autumn unfold in front of my very eyes. The air, moist, with a coolness, isn’t unpleasant yet. After a good dose of this, I retire back into my den for more brain exertion.
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