In the last week or so, I’ve written about 8,000 words on The Gate. Partly this was jump started by my having nailed Fiona’s underlying character motivation. But more importantly, I belatedly realised that the reason I’ve stalled on The Gate lately isn’t just because I’ve been madly scribbling away to get a pile of short fiction pieces submitted around the country, but because I haven’t been reading.

Well it seems obvious in retrospect, but I can’t remember the last time I sat down and read a book. Three months ago? Four?

I’ve been reading “Encounters – Modern Australian Short stories”, which I was given for Christmas. I was using this to inspire me in my quest for understanding the short story form. Prior to that, the last book I read was probably “Elizabeth Hecate Macbeth and I”, a children’s book I bought for my niece (I’m planning to write her a book at some stage).

Two weeks ago I borrowed Jeanette Turner-Hospital’s "Tiger in the Tiger Pit". It’s probably the fourth time I’ve borrowed this book from the local library. I think it’s a masterful telling of what is otherwise the kind of material I wouldn’t normally bother to read - a family reunion. But in JTH’s hands, this is a compelling, and deep exploration of the characters and defining moments in their pasts. The unravelling of all of her novels are a joy to read, but this one especially so because it is the least “mystery-like” of her novels I’ve read to date. It becomes a mystery the longer you read, but the driving plot is the “what will happen?” when this reasonably dysfunctional family get together. The unexpected introduction of a mystery is a pleasure, like finding a honey centre in your fairy cake. Delicious!

The other book I picked up in the last two weeks is Tim Winton’s “The Riders”. A friend recommended it to me, and I was struck by Winton’s very unique story-telling voice, and the edgy narrative. I can’t say that it was one of my favourite books, but it led me to read "Dirt Music", which probably is my current favourite book. On a second read of the Riders, however, I am definitely appreciating the enormous skill that Winton has in crafting his very raw characters, and their inner turmoils. Scully is such a “heart-on-your-sleeve” character, that you wince at his actions as he becomes more and more desperate. And the figure of the absent wife is startling, the way Winton reveals so much about her through Scully’s own realisations and the comments form those he comes across on his quest to track her down. It’s brilliant stuff. I still think "Dirt Music" is better, but I’m really enjoying this tale, and I’m learning so much of how to really get into the meat and bones of my characters and what motivates them.

So from now on, I plan to have an open book beside my scribblings for the Gate, or any other project that I'm currently working on.