Rediscovering Old Notes: Use It or Lose It?

This month, I’ve been making some steady progress. By no means am I racing through my chapters, but I managed to ramp it up a notch, which is fortunate, because prior to that I’d been going so slow I was almost going backwards. Before beginning a chapter, I always take a few moments to look over the chapter plan. In the current one, the plan covers a section that I’d already written in the previous iteration of our book. And though it was in a slightly different context originally, the basis of it remained the same.

Yet, I barely trust anything I’ve previously written, or any research I’ve previously attempted, because it was a number of years ago and I know both my writing and researching skills have come a long way since then. So I decided to start with fresh eyes, including re-researching the topic which had grown quite foggy in my mind. But, all my efforts went unrewarded. I spent possibly an hour trawling across search engines trying to find information on a specific military training tactic. Finally, in defeat, I decided revisit my old notes. Interestingly, I had made some quite extensive notes last time, and the prose that developed from those notes was not bad at all.

After editing it for context, I decided to use a small portion from the very first draft. Probably, it will need to be edited further, but it was still extremely helpful. The lesson this time was not to assume that younger Sarah had no idea what she was doing. Apparently, younger Sarah could write well, from time to time. And, she didn’t always fudge the research.

In other news, it is taking a ridiculously long time to be cleared to start at the new hospital. It took about three weeks for the police clearance to finally come through, and then another week or so for Human Resources to process the paperwork. I shouldn’t be surprised, as there is an inordinate amount of paperwork and boxes that need to be ticked before you can start a job in healthcare.

However, I am finally close to starting! This Tuesday I will officially have my first day. It feels like the final piece is falling into place—that with this job, my integration into Canada will finally, truly be complete. I am no longer stuck in limbo, waiting for some semblance of normality to return to my life. This long journey has come to an end, and no doubt, another is about to begin. I can’t wait to see what it holds in store.