You know, it’s not as easy as it looks. Being out there, all alone, everyone staring. Waiting for you to start. Waiting for the magic to begin. The pressure - you know it’s there, but you can’t feel it, because you’ve been numb for the last two hours. The band starts playing, and so must you...


I did it! 55 words! I could enter it in the Age 55 words competition. Well, it's not really great. But I did write it in 30 seconds.

For a basic update on what I've been doing (or trying to do) over the past two weeks, here's the first paragraph of my essay:

The music of the 19th century was characterised by change, transformation and diversity. However, the middle of the century was, debatably, a political and musical turning point after which music began to move much more freely away from convention. In the later nineteenth century, music developed harmonically and structurally, while ideas about music and its role in relation to society and other art forms were hotly debated. The personal style of composers who were active during most of the century (such as Wagner and Liszt) changed to follow “new creative directions,” while opera was to be dramatically re-shaped by Verdi and Wagner. New musical forms were created, and nationalism became more prominent in marginal countries than ever before. The late 19th century was indeed an exciting period in music history.

Now that's what I call.... BORING!!! Just use some impressive vocab and they'll love it. Anyway, sorry about that. Maybe it will help. Help what? Help to ease the pain.