"Victory on the Other Side of the Earth"

Crossed the 50,000 word threshold in Melbourne this afternoon 3 hours before the deadline of midnight Pacific Time. That it is technically late afternoon the following day here in Australia doesn't affect the 30 day deadline, although it does contribute to a great feeling of disorientation, as I type this on the first day of Summer, here on our planet's southern hemisphere.

I had intended to finish Sunday afternoon before getting on the plane, but instead finished packing only to learn my sister Kate's passport was missing. The rest of the day was absorbed in that unhappy drama, which culminated amazingly with the rest of us leaving her behind as we drove to the airport, heavy hearts all around. (She will be joining us later this week).

So, off the 15 hour flight, an hour through customs, another hour to Uncle Bob's house in the suburbs, a meal resembling breakfast though it was lunchtime in Australia and dinner time in LA, and then with no time to spare I shut myself away and began typing, determined to cross the finish line before the clock struck midnight on the far side of the Pacific.

I am glad at having done what I said I would do, and thrilled and curious and dubious about the sprawling saga that has spilled out of my fingers over the last 30 days ... I may have met the official deadline, but this story is far from over. Now at last a little time can be taken to gestate - to get a firm handle on the trajectory of the story, it's characters and themes. My first novel "Tale of the Tribe" was about 60,000 words and took about 14 months to generate a first draft ... this process has been, in a word, different.

Still I wouldn't trade it. discovering the world of this story and meeting Anka, Trevor, and Tamreh is something that never would have happened without the unique parameters of this process. One must surrender control to some degree in order to do something like this, and it is fascinating to find what storytelling lies behind the unfiltered mind. Just as reading a good novel, as Ursula Leguin puts it, "leaves us a little changed" - writing a novel is an inevitable catalyst for change.

The Parliament of World Religions holds its opening ceremonies in two days. Now that I'm here and getting some sense of the scope of the event, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.

And, now that the pressure is off, I hope the writing keeps coming, and all the richer, if perhaps not quite so fast.

My utmost gratitude for everyone's support along the way.

total word count: 50,055
Words to go: only time will tell...