Wednesday, September 15, 2004
A New Dawn
It took seconds after waking up before the buzz from my nerves reinstated themselves in my gut.
"Yes," I told myself. "You are writing for KIC, and can probably consider yourself a fully fledged author."
The enormity of this may be lost on some, and it may take longer than I thought to sink in, but I am determined to enjoy this taste of success. There is still a lot of hard work to be done though, I'm not kidding myself in that respect, but as far as the goals I set myself for this year go, I have beaten them hands down with this one.
My main aim this year was to get published. Simple as that. It didn't matter the format, the genre, electronically or in print - as long as I could get published. Money isn't an issue, that's not why I am here. I have had a few poems published and a short story, which I was, and am, still happy with.
Footballers' dream of playing for their national team in a World Cup, on the big stage, in the shop window. They get to mingle with other players and learn from them, improve their skills and absorb their art, (Football IS an art - just ask Bill Shankly).
Similarly for writers, especially at my stage (?), the dream is seeing their work published. If it is being talked about - good or bad - and if it is being read, then that's all that matters (to me anyway). But to be involved in a paying market, with other experienced writers such as within KIC, then I have taken a giant leap this year more than I could have hoped for.
I have discovered that when writing it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can be quite good, or that nothing can be improved. Not true, and only by throwing myself into this every day, reading books and writing more and more, am I now beginning to feel I am getting somehwhere, five years after the quest began on any kind of serious playing field. I feel that I have arrived somwhere significanty in a life goal. I may be over-reacting, but frankly I couldn't give a sh*t the way I feel today.
I went for a pub lunch with my team from work. We went to Hamilton's in Stockbridge - recently done up and looking quite smart now. No surprise to many to discover then, that it was a liquid lunch.
During the afternoon, I signed my contract - yes - I signed a contract for KIC and got it ready to post. I also worked out my synopsis, bio and blurb for the website. I have a great idea for a front cover image, but tracking one down on the internet is proving difficult and I may have to rope in a friend or two to get the desired effect.
In the evening I did a drastic, but vital thing - I ripped out the entirety of Issue 1 of Hunting Jack. This is a result of me learning as I go, for while it was good reading, I felt it did not contain the hook required for a first issue in KIC. It started too early and did not have enough action, so I ripped it out and inserted only a couple of paragraphs from it into Issue 2. This has given the story a much edgier start requiring more questions to be asked and I will go back and explain the background a little later in the story.
I read a friends Blog; a colleague from work lost her baby the day after she brought it home. As a Dad, I pray she can get through it - I doubt I could. As a writer, it makes everything that has happened to me over the last two days seem entriely irrelevant compared to the loss of a child.
"Yes," I told myself. "You are writing for KIC, and can probably consider yourself a fully fledged author."
The enormity of this may be lost on some, and it may take longer than I thought to sink in, but I am determined to enjoy this taste of success. There is still a lot of hard work to be done though, I'm not kidding myself in that respect, but as far as the goals I set myself for this year go, I have beaten them hands down with this one.
My main aim this year was to get published. Simple as that. It didn't matter the format, the genre, electronically or in print - as long as I could get published. Money isn't an issue, that's not why I am here. I have had a few poems published and a short story, which I was, and am, still happy with.
Footballers' dream of playing for their national team in a World Cup, on the big stage, in the shop window. They get to mingle with other players and learn from them, improve their skills and absorb their art, (Football IS an art - just ask Bill Shankly).
Similarly for writers, especially at my stage (?), the dream is seeing their work published. If it is being talked about - good or bad - and if it is being read, then that's all that matters (to me anyway). But to be involved in a paying market, with other experienced writers such as within KIC, then I have taken a giant leap this year more than I could have hoped for.
I have discovered that when writing it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can be quite good, or that nothing can be improved. Not true, and only by throwing myself into this every day, reading books and writing more and more, am I now beginning to feel I am getting somehwhere, five years after the quest began on any kind of serious playing field. I feel that I have arrived somwhere significanty in a life goal. I may be over-reacting, but frankly I couldn't give a sh*t the way I feel today.
I went for a pub lunch with my team from work. We went to Hamilton's in Stockbridge - recently done up and looking quite smart now. No surprise to many to discover then, that it was a liquid lunch.
During the afternoon, I signed my contract - yes - I signed a contract for KIC and got it ready to post. I also worked out my synopsis, bio and blurb for the website. I have a great idea for a front cover image, but tracking one down on the internet is proving difficult and I may have to rope in a friend or two to get the desired effect.
In the evening I did a drastic, but vital thing - I ripped out the entirety of Issue 1 of Hunting Jack. This is a result of me learning as I go, for while it was good reading, I felt it did not contain the hook required for a first issue in KIC. It started too early and did not have enough action, so I ripped it out and inserted only a couple of paragraphs from it into Issue 2. This has given the story a much edgier start requiring more questions to be asked and I will go back and explain the background a little later in the story.
I read a friends Blog; a colleague from work lost her baby the day after she brought it home. As a Dad, I pray she can get through it - I doubt I could. As a writer, it makes everything that has happened to me over the last two days seem entriely irrelevant compared to the loss of a child.
Colin 10:45 pm