Tiptoeing through my words
I don’t know about you, but I find writing a story an exhilarating, but somehow unnerving, experience.
What if I tell the story all wrong? Miss the chance to commit something wonderful to the page and end up with an account that is merely satisfactory? In some ways, the blank page of the empty book is so reassuring, because, in it, anything is still possible, nothing is committed, fixed or final.
I’m not a commitment-phobe, I hasten to add, it’s simply that I worry I have the wrong story, when there are so many out there to locate and try to frame with words. One might feel a certain sympathy for youngsters starting out in the world, where their horizons are so broad they too, might be wary of taking the wrong paths, a detour – or a derailment? – that might alter one’s whole course.
And in some ways, that’s how I feel every time I start a new novel. My characters will of course help me to write what they want me to – they are usually quite clear about that – but there is still this sense of embarking on a new, smooth path, which, if I am careless, might end up all crinkled and awkward.
A good friend says I have a habit of deciding that it is better to do nothing, rather than the wrong thing; what she calls a ‘clever delay mechanism’ though I suspect she is being kind. If in doubt, I do nothing; which is something my mother used to say – “If in doubt, do nowt.” So that I have very often done nothing.
Perhaps that is a little bit defeatist, and perhaps a better way when I am unsure is to inch forward with small steps. Hopefully, that will get me used to the idea of constant momentum, even if by tiny degrees; a small step is better than a stand-still.
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November 29, 2017
Renewing my ITIN
Fran Macilvey Fran Macilvey, Path To Publication 0 Comments
Renewing my ITIN
A lot has changed since I first applied for an ITIN in 2013. If you are in a hurry and have applied previously for an ITIN, this is the current position:
~There is a new consul here at the Consulate in Edinburgh, so I do not recommend relying on an existing certified copy, even if you will be submitting the same ten-year passport as previously to obtain a notarised copy.
~The consulate charges $50 for each notarised copies, ($100 for two…)
~Walk-in appointments are available at the Edinburgh Consulate on Tuesdays from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and on Wednesdays from 9.00 to 3.30 pm The American Embassy in London no longer handles ITIN applications or routes them to Austin, Texas.
~There is no toll-free phone line to the US to check on the status of an application. There is still a dedicated phone-line, but it is charged at the full rate.
While chatting with the clerk who handled my application, the advice was basically to fill in the IRS W7 form – it has been updated recently, as has the guidance, so please be careful which boxes you tick – and send it to Austin, Texas, with the original certified copy of one’s passport and business paperwork (after having taken several good copies) and hope for the best.
If anyone would like a more detailed look at the process, you can check out this page. It goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – that a close look at the guidance notes – and remembering to swap round your dates – month, day, year – is very instructive.
I’ll let you know how the process goes. Fingers crossed.
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