A little bit of information on my new novel
- Danila Botha Vernon
- Feb 16, 2021
- 2 min read
People have been asking me about updates about what I've been working on, and I'm so excited by and grateful for the enthusiasm. I started my latest novel in 2017, as my thesis for my MFA at
University of Guelph MFA in Creative Writing (which was a fantastic experience that I can't say enough about) I got to work with and learn from amazing writers, got amazing feedback from talented peers, etc. At the same time as this was happening, and I was (am) teaching Creative Writing and mentoring writers, which is the hugest joy ever-- I started having health issues. They couldn't figure it out for the longest time (doctors thought I had mono, I had a million blood tests, things came back normal, no one knew etc) It turned out, eventually, that they figured out that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I never realized how important my finger joints and my hands were, how much being able to sit at a desk to work matters, how much energy it takes mentally and physically to finish a project. (I also just had another kid, a baby girl, who is awesome, but another thing that has taken time and energy) Anyway, I am on draft five of my novel now. It's been such an interesting experience and I have made so many changes (but have also recently gotten excited about this book again after finally figuring out how to fix some key stuff- with shoutouts to Elyse Friedman and my mentor since forever, Richard Scrimger)
I can't wait until it's really done and I can tell you more about the process, and the book itself-- but it's getting there.
I was also named the Writer in Residence at Heliconian Club this past September and I'm also working on a new short story collection as always (I've had a story in Dane Swan's anthology Changing the Face of Canadian Literature, and another story in Humber Literary Review, with more details about stories to come. Anyway, a lot is coming soon, including lots more details.
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