2016 wasn't the year either. But then let's be honest, it wasn't much of a year for anyone.
But this isn't the place for politics. (You probably don't want to get me started on that, to be honest.)
The novel remains stubbornly unwritten, and once more nearly a calendar year has gone by with no posts or updates on my neglected and lowly website.
But. There is a but.
I am writing. I am developing ideas, and getting things down on the metaphorical page. What's more, I am finding myself not entirely dissatisfied with the end result. On completing a piece of flash fiction the other day, I got that little rush of triumph that I haven't felt in quite a while. A feeling that what I had set out to do had actually been achieved to some aesthetically pleasing end. It needs a little tweaking and fettling, sure, so it has been left to one side for a while, until I can return to it later with a fresh, critical eye. But there is something there.
It won't be here though, I'm afraid. My revised plan for the year is not necessarily to get the novel completed, but to get my work in print, through whatever means. To this end, I'm working more in the short form at the moment, and have more ideas bubbling away in my head than I can recall having in some time. I just need the time and serenity to get them finished.
There are a number of my older stories on this site, but other publications are understandably a little reluctant to accept previously published work, so my new output will have to wait to put in an appearance on this site for the time being. I don't actually think anyone is awaiting it with baited breath however, so I don't expect this is particularly bad news...
It's time to brace myself for what I am sure will be a large number of rejections and ominous silences. That's okay. The best writers in the world were rejected at some point or another. It's time for me to start catching up, and frankly, I cannot wait.
But this isn't the place for politics. (You probably don't want to get me started on that, to be honest.)
The novel remains stubbornly unwritten, and once more nearly a calendar year has gone by with no posts or updates on my neglected and lowly website.
But. There is a but.
I am writing. I am developing ideas, and getting things down on the metaphorical page. What's more, I am finding myself not entirely dissatisfied with the end result. On completing a piece of flash fiction the other day, I got that little rush of triumph that I haven't felt in quite a while. A feeling that what I had set out to do had actually been achieved to some aesthetically pleasing end. It needs a little tweaking and fettling, sure, so it has been left to one side for a while, until I can return to it later with a fresh, critical eye. But there is something there.
It won't be here though, I'm afraid. My revised plan for the year is not necessarily to get the novel completed, but to get my work in print, through whatever means. To this end, I'm working more in the short form at the moment, and have more ideas bubbling away in my head than I can recall having in some time. I just need the time and serenity to get them finished.
There are a number of my older stories on this site, but other publications are understandably a little reluctant to accept previously published work, so my new output will have to wait to put in an appearance on this site for the time being. I don't actually think anyone is awaiting it with baited breath however, so I don't expect this is particularly bad news...
It's time to brace myself for what I am sure will be a large number of rejections and ominous silences. That's okay. The best writers in the world were rejected at some point or another. It's time for me to start catching up, and frankly, I cannot wait.