Freedom From The Mundane - A Writer's Blog

I neglected to mention in yesterday's blog entry that I spent most of the day working on and revising The Oasis. I know it's a cliche but I am finding that the more I write and revise, the more I feel I'm learning. I submitted it this morning before leaving for work to the Summerset Review.

There was an email in my inbox from the Fiction Editor at Spoiled Ink Magazine, letting me know it will be under consideration for the July issue.

I now have all of my current completed short stories and poems out for consideration simultaneously. This is something I having wanted to get a grip of; there's been too much writing stories then having them languish about un-completed. I need to get a faster turnaround and send them out quicker. This goes for re-writes if/when they are rejected.

I'm still fuzzed about the dropping of KIC Magazine. I decided to rearrange sections of my directory folders on my PC - moving all my research and planning for the columns into the "On Hold" folder (I'm still praying).

My "On Hold" folder contains some interesting items. I have five short stories all at different stages of abandonment that I couldn't quite bring myself to ditch entirely. They cover a myriad of topics from childhood pranks to abortion and so I am reluctant to pull the plug. They contain good stuff, which could be useful somewhere else in the future.

There is also the first draft of a sitcom script I started writing for a BBC competition way back in April 2000. It may be a coincidence - though it may not - but the BBC is launching a new End of Story competition this week. Unlike last time where we had to complete a short story, this will see us completing a sitcom script.

I'm going to give it a bash, and reading over the script in the "On Hold" folder it doesn't look to be a bad idea. I may have a look at it sooner rather than later and see if it is worth developing again.

I also came across a story I consider my destiny to write. I first came up with the idea in a bar in Leith one summer afternoon with my mate Chris. I have started writing it a dozen or so times in various formats and points of view but have crashed each time. I have never been able to decide how to go about it - and this has been the case for nearly 6 years.

I think I have finally come to a decision on it though. It isn't a story or play or anything in between - it's a novel. This came to me last night over the snooker table and I will be pulling this story out of the fire shortly A fair amount of research is required though, so it won't be in the next couple of months.

I caught up with my old mate Bobby Mackerel on the phone in the evening. We have one of those friendships where we don't see or talk to each other for months on end, but when we do catch up, it's like nothing has ever changed.

I then spent the rest of the night going over and editing issues 56 and 57 of Hunting Jack, which I will send in tomorrow morning at some point. I'm not allowing myself to sleep in tomorrow. I told Laura I will take her to school again so it gets me up and I can spend the day writing.

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