Busy day today. We finished the crit sessions at 12:30pm. A quick lunch with the gang, then to the library.

Somewhere between then and now I’ve read 20,000 words of stories (4 short stories) and written for about six hours. I was working on my story, ‘The Man Who Laughs’, hoping to hand it in this week. But I decided I didn’t like the voice, wanted to let it sit a bit and then revisit it. I reached the decision over an hour and some ups and downs (should I keep going, should I not).

I’ve decided to go with ‘The Workers’. Hence, lots of writing today. I banged it into shape. It has a plot - beginning, middle and end. The characters are a little fluid, but that’s ok. I think part of Clarion is learning to let go of something as a first draft, realise it’s not going to be perfection and being prepared to take some on the chin. Not that you don’t aim for something good. Something great, even. The tutors, after all, are editors. You want to impress. But your limits are quickly tested.

3:35am now and I’m heading off to sleep. A tough day. Rewarding. Inspiring. People are working hard. We’ve four weeks to go and anything possible from here. I guess we’re starting to find our groove. At least, that’s how it feels.