Some thoughts; two reviews

Tags

Black Static, Creativity, Des Lewis, Fiction Reviews, Horror, SFRevu, Short Stories, The King Of Love My Shepherd Is, TTA Press, Writing

It’s fair to say my levels of motivation and my will to apply myself to the task of writing have been low of late. It often takes a change in circumstances or new point of view to jump-start the engine, and the two weeks holiday that have just drifted past are settling nicely in my brain. Unfortunately, the act of writing has eluded me for longer than I should have allowed it to, so now I have the usual unblocking-the-drain activity to undergo in order to place words in a document.

As an additional ingredient to the unblocking process, a couple of reviews of Black Static 34 have appeared online in recent days, both of which have been quite heartening. First is Des Lewis’ personal and unique real-time-review, which I found exceptionally kind in reference to ‘The King of Love my Shepherd is’.  Particularly with respect to the era I set the story – early 1950s England. It’s always encouraging to know that research does pay off, and my own 1970s school experiences translated across to young Jim’s in the story (minus the horror elements, although sometimes…).

And then there is Sam Tomaino’s usual review for SFRevu, which was also kind, even if my name is spelled incorrectly.

Writing is such a closed activity, being locked away in our little rooms creating stories, with most of the work taking place entirely in our own heads. Seeing that those stories are being read and appreciated makes it all worth the effort.

Weekend Wonders and Weirdness

Tags

Chess, ChiZine, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, Fiction Reviews, Horror, Inspiration, Neon, Novellas, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Unpicking the Stitches, Writing

Bearing in mind that my weekend is a Sunday/Monday rather than the traditional one, this has been a momentous weekend for me and others.

I met up with an old friend and as a result found myself on my knees on Princes Street playing speed chess (or ‘blitz’ as it’s more commonly known). It was nice to play some face-to-face chess again (even if I only managed to win one out of about eight games over the weekend), and reminded me of a certain novella I need to revise. Add to this massive life-changing decisions for the two people closest to me in life, and it all makes for an atmosphere of huge potential; the feeling that anything can happen.

Woven through all of this was a full-on weekend of Edinburgh Fringe-going, with Frisky and Mannish and Jon Richardson being most enjoyable, and just the atmosphere of the whole place, reminding me why I live in this great city with history practically seeping out of the walls. Leaving a show in the evening, breathing the still night air with just a whisper of sea breeze, to be almost knocked off your feet by the fighter jet screaming overhead towards the castle to entertain the folk watching the Tattoo. Lying in Princes Street Gardens eating ice-cream. Drifting with the crowds from all over this planet (and possibly others – who knows, I wouldn’t be surprised) through the streets of the old town.

And to top it off with a glistening cherry, I discovered a review of ‘Unpicking the Stitches’ in the British literary zine Neon. And it’s a generous, humbling and inspiring review, reminding me that I can write and must push on and make something of this. Incidentally, I did once submit a story Neon, probably two years ago at least, and received a kind and helpful personal rejection.

Small Press Notes Review

Tags

Blogs, Fiction Reviews, Horror, Short Stories, Small Press Reviews, speculative fiction, The Harrow, Writing

I stumbled across a blog recently, written anonymously and only just started in March 2009 – This is the address: http://smallpressnotes.blogspot.com/

It’s a bit of a strange one, out of the blue, with nothing added to it since, but I was nonetheless chuffed at the review of my story ‘A Discerning Palate’ on The Harrow. Anyone who takes the time out to read my work and write about it deserves an honourable mention. I guess that constitutes my first review of any kind.

As an addendum, The Harrow has stated that it is going on a 12 month hiatus after its June stories are published. All stories will still be available to view, but they are presuambly taking a well-earned rest.