You know how there are some weeks when everything seems to go right? Well, this has been one of those weeks. The early morning writing regime has worked brilliantly, and I did five days of solid work without distractions.

Why did it make such a difference? I think it’s something to do with how easily our minds fill up with rubbish.

Up until this week, I’ve been doing a whole lot of other stuff before I get down to writing – checking my email, checking the news, taking the neighbour’s dog for a walk, having a shower, having breakfast …

So by the time I start writing, my head is full of tangles. Which makes it really hard to focus.

But if I don’t do any of those things, the only things inside my head are night dreams and early morning wonderings, which help the writing rather than hindering it.

So it’s early morning writings again this week, and my aim is to get this draft finished by the end of March. Here’s my new office – i.e., my bed.

But a new writing regime wasn’t the only nice thing that happened. On Thursday morning, I got a message from author Jo Sandhu: ‘You need to check the Aurealis Awards shortlist.’

I checked it. And there was Accidental Heroes, shortlisted for the Best Australian Children’s Novel! *puffs out chest with delight*

The only one I have read – apart from my own – is The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, which is a gorgeous book. So I’m setting out to read the others. Assessing the competition. Ha!