I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can

The Women of Vietnam - a digital painting

I always thought life was supposed to slow down as you got older, but -- in my case at least -- it seems to get busier all the time. In fact, I've had to invest in a blotter on my desk where I can write down all my commitments to avoid double-booking myself. These days doctors, dentists, etc. send text and email reminders, and many events are recorded in my computer/phone calendar, but I feel more comfortable having a visible record right in front of my nose. I fit in my housework, reading, TV watching, writing, art, errands, etc. -- oh, and time with my husband -- around my calendar commitments.

This entire year has been crazy busy, and October is no exception. But before it got too clogged up with obligations, I arranged a 5-day stay with my sister in Vancouver. It was just as busy there as at home, fitting in a trip to IKEA so I could order two new cupboard doors and a drawer front for my kitchen, a visit to Opus to buy art supplies, and a big family dinner at my niece's home for Thanksgiving. Of course my sister had obligations too -- she's even busier than me -- but somehow we still managed to have a wonderful visit.

She dabbles in art too, though she works in oils, while I play mostly with pencil and watercolour. Anyway, we managed to dedicate one entire day to our current projects, working in her studio. It was great. We didn't talk a lot -- we were both focused on what we were creating -- but it felt like we were caught up in a cosy bubble away from the world.

Because I didn't want to haul around a bunch of art supplies on the ferry -- I was a foot passenger -- I decided I would do a painting on my iPad. It's been well over a year since I've done any digital art, so I wasn't even sure I remembered how. But I've been working on some Women of Vietnam art, and I had a photo of a beautiful elderly woman I wanted to attempt and thought was well-suited for digital art, so that was what I did. Amazingly I managed to complete the painting while I was at my sister's. Not sleeping one night probably had something to do with that.

So now I have three finished artworks for my Women in Vietnam theme and a couple more percolating in my brain.

The Women of Vietnam -- a watercolour

The Women of Vietnam -- a watercolour

Naturally, I have other paintings I want to do too. When you have a mind that is forever spewing out ideas, there is always another project waiting in the wings.

Of course, I'm writing too. With all that was happening with my husband's health during the summer, I didn't do any writing during July and August. But I got back to it when September rolled around, and -- because I don't seem able to remember that I already have more than enough on my plate, I revisited a fantasy trilogy I began years ago titled The Huldufolk Chronicles. I'd written the first book (The Third Portal) and was halfway through the second book, (Of Roses and Thorns), when I decided the story premise was flawed. So I abandoned it. Well, last month I reread what I'd written and decided the story worked just fine, so I wrote another scene, completed the outline for that particular book, and sent the trilogy premise and first book off to an editor at a major publishing house in New York. To my surprise, the editor emailed back, saying she was looking forward to reading the book. As a result, I now think perhaps I should work on the second book, in case she asks for it.

If I do that though, my writing group will likely string me up. For the last 10 years, I have been working sporadically on Lady of Bethnal Green, an adult historical novel based on my great grandmother's tragic life, and I have been feeding them bits as I go. When I resumed work on it last spring, I promised the group that this time I was going to finish it. And I have been working diligently to do that. In fact, I'm more than halfway done. To keep me from getting distracted by other projects, I am setting a deadline for myself. I want to have it completed by the end of June 2027. Hopefully I can finish it sooner than that, but knowing there is still more research to be done, I want to be realistic and not pressure myself.

But -- as with my endless parade of ideas for paintings -- the writing part of my brain is already thinking about another historical novel I'd like to write inspired by my grandmother on my father's side.

Have I mentioned life doesn't seem to be slowing down?