February has brought hot weather for all and a heavy workload for me. For the last couple of weeks I have been deeply embroiled in the process of editing my first novel, The Dagger of Dresnia, which is scheduled to come out in April.

I'm not usually on the receiving end of editing, at least not in fiction, so much of this endeavour is made up of new experiences for me! My editor has an eye for superfluous material. When I first look at his deletions of sentences (and occasionally even entire paragraphs!) I am taken aback, but closer investigation almost invariably reveals the extraneous nature of most of the proposed deletions. Sometimes I don't agree and 'stet' them (that means I want them to stay) but at least 70% of the time the work is better off without them. That means that the book's getting a bit shorter, which is probably a Good Thing.

Things we disagree on? My editor would like, I think, fewer - maybe almost zero! - commas, adverbs, adjectives and reflexives, but I'm stetting some of those, too. Here the boot is on the other foot: I think I probably stet 70% of them! So far, we have refrained from coming to blows.

This is, of course, only the start - when we've finished we'll start all over again. However, we're racing through this first pass and if the rest of the editing goes as smoothly, The Dagger of Dresnia stands a very good chance of being let loose less than eight weeks from now!

On top of the editing, I have bitten off more than I could chew in a number of activities. First, it is Festival of Perth time, with its attendant Fringe performances. I had put my hand up to review a lot of shows for Artshub, but once the editing started I sadly had to let most of them go to other reviewers. I also had to pass on a couple I really wanted to do because I couldn't find friends with wheels to go with. My not driving is becoming more and more of a limitation in recent years. Australian society is built around the motor car and people who don't drive are few and far between here.

Furthermore, in a moment of what was probably wildly misplaced enthusiasm, I offered to report on the forthcoming Perth Writers Festival for Artshub, too. I am thankful that a colleague, Ilsa Sharp, has offered to help out. Between us, we should be able give the weekend good coverage. I'm looking forward to hearing such luminaries as Lionel Shriver, Martin Amis and Margaret Drabble speak on matters literary - and of course, to catching up with like-minded friends!

And this week my dance classes start up again, both the ones I teach and the one where I'm a student. I'm looking forward to seeing my 'old' students and colleagues again and to meeting some new ones!

Yup, life is suddenly very, very, busy.