The last day of freedom?

  “So, what are you going to do on your last day of freedom?” a colleague asked yesterday.

Pretty much what I’ve generally been doing, I guess. At least two hours on the creative writing aspect of the project. A couple of hours on designing materials for my talks. An hour reading further appropriate texts and an hour using the internet. Then, I’ll carry on with the sort of tasks that more normally occupy my time.

One difference today is that I’m writing this blog now, rather than when I’ve completed a certain stage.   

Having said that, I’ve almost finished the eighth edit of the novel, so I may even be writing about that as well later today.

This blog will of course carry on – to start with roughly at the same frequency as it’s been posted since about the beginning of December 2011. Once the novel is completed postings may be slightly less frequent.

It’s felt like an incredible privilege, being able to take a sabbatical in order to complete this work. It says that my employer and my colleagues have faith in me and in my project. One could interpret this as being the best paid writing I have ever done.

It’s been quite heavy at times, and almost every day I’ve shed tears.  Just very recently I’ve become a little desensitized. That probably means it’s a good idea to step away from it for a while; you mustn’t sanitize the Holocaust. Thank goodness for Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and QI, though. They’ve kept me sane.

This project will leave ripples for a long time. There’s another one growing on the back of it. The writer’s life goes ever onward. I’m thankful that the ideas are still flowing.