This weekend I stepped into my manuscript.
The story is set on the New South Wales Central Coast on an isolated beach near a small town.
I travelled a few hours from Sydney, to stay in a coastal town and while it isn't isolated like the beach my character escapes to, the location was perfect.
I spent hours with a pen and notebook walking along the beach and watching the sea, the sky and birds.
It was magical to watch the currents and tides and the changing temperament of the sea, to explore the mood and tempo I want to bring to this story. Up to now, I have only imagined what it would be like to live alone on a small beach, how emotions ebb and flow with the tide.
This weekend I’m ignoring the children playing on the beach and the families walking along the beachfront.
I’m imagining an empty beach and a young woman sitting on her deck and looking out into the waves, trying to reconcile her past with her future.