Only two weeks until I go to Alice Springs, and I am madly preparing workshops. I’ve got my timetable – I’m visiting ten different schools (!) plus School of the Air and the Public Library. Some of them I’m just talking (though it’s not really JUST a talk – there are pictures and making up a group story and various other stuff), others I’m doing one of the following three workshops:

How to create great characters.
How to create your own fantasy world.
Striking out into unknown seas – taking risks with creativity.

I think they’ll be fun. I hope they’ll be fun. And useful.

I’m also trying to finish off Fetcher. I thought it was finished already, then realised that I’d got something fairly important wrong, so need to spend this week fixing it. Then, with any luck, I’ll have a free week before I go to Alice. Though I’m sure something will turn up to fill it.

We have had AMAZING weather this week. Two bitterly cold days with snow covering the mountain and Harry sprawled in front of the woodheater for the whole time, occasionally raising his head to say, ‘What? Go outside? Me? Why?’