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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday Saturday


Last night I stayed up late to read Half of a Yellow Sun (Olanna- how could you? How could you sleep with him? My heart is broken. I fear I have more heartache ahead though.) so when I finally fell asleep I was not too happy to be woken up by the African Sausage Dog barking like a mad man. People who follow this blog know that waking up in the night to see what the dog is barking at in MY garden is NOT a good idea (refer to
The Baby Snake Massacre ) but after a full hour of non stop yapping, I had no choice.


And what did I find? my dear reader asks. I found out that my dog is an ignoramus. Sad but true. For a full hour he was barking at my husband’s punching bag which had fallen off the tree; a punching bag that had hung from said tree for four years. Was it really such an incredible thing for a punching bag to fall two feet to the ground that he had to bark at it for an hour? And what was worse, as soon as I went out and saw the punching bag on the ground, the African Sausage Dog retired for the night in his cosy blankets, his job obviously complete, while I sat up another hour to fume. Grrrrrr!!!


So today is Saturday which usually means a bit of work and a bit of fun, but today, I am going to give myself the whole day off. Yesterday my publisher called to tell me that Mmele and the Magic Bones was selected by the Ministry of Education as a set book for standard five. That was fantastic news indeed, but he was not finished. Two of the short story anthologies I wrote with Wame Molefhe and Bontekanye Botumile earlier this year were also chosen by the Ministry for standard 6 and 7. YAHOOOY!!! I think that deserves two days completely free to do what I want. (The weather seems to agree, as the sun is out and I am ready to hit the pool.)


For writers in Botswana, getting books taken by the Ministry is really the only way to survive as a writer. Though I rant about it, I am practical. Yes, I want to write for a mainstream reading public, but in Botswana that market is not there, and until I can write the book that will allow me to break out, this is my world. It does mean, though, that some time in the future, perhaps about 2010, I will have a bit of money and for writers, money equals breathing space and time to do what they want with no practical limitations. In that space, a writer can find what she is looking for. Lying in the sun dreaming of 2010 today……




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4 comments:

  1. AM-C November 15, 2008 at 6:55 PM

    Congratulations! A writer has to survive somehow. How long does the book form a part of the curriculum for?

    Over time, I have observed that you do children's literature, short stories etc. What would you say your specific genre is (or rather, if a rich aunt left you a million pounds in her will, what kind of literature will you write since you won't have to worry about the money)?

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  2. LauriNovember 15, 2008 at 8:43 PM

    Thanks! They stay on the curriculum for 5 years minimum.

    I would love to be able (not just financially but actually able) to write literary fiction, novels. But having said that, I do like having the variety I currently enjoy. I think all writing moves you forward as long as you put your all into it; and I try to do that. If I had that rich aunt I think the first thing I would do is register for some writing courses.

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  3. AnonymousNovember 19, 2008 at 7:42 AM

    That's brilliant news. Good on you. I am laughing about your dog barking at the punching bag. That is just so cute.

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  4. LauriNovember 19, 2008 at 10:03 AM

    Thanks Selma. At the time I didn't think the dog was very cute. Anyway, like my son has said, he just wanted us to know things had changed and we better come and take a look. He's graduated from barking at plastic bags as he did when he was a puppy, so that's a good thing.

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