Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Chipping Away At The Stones
The rainy season has arrived. It poured all morning and never stopped until late afternoon. This is June! I can only assume our summer was that weekend in May when we all got burnt down at The Shore.
My back is starting to hurt. The top feels tight and the base has a dull pain. I think it's caused by the way I sit at my computer at work. I have a high-back chair I got in from Health and Safety a while ago but I still tend to hunch when I've been sitting for a while. I also tend to type into the laptop instead of my PC at home. This means I can sit with Gail in the evening while I write but it also means I sit at the edge of the couch with the laptop on the coffee table. It's not ideal.
A wee while ago Laura told me she was telling her pals that her Dad is a writer. When she told me about it, she said one of her new pals in the street who is a bit older than her, said she had read some of Hunting Jack. I was a bit suspicious, and put it down to childish nonsense.
Today, Gail picked me up from work with Laura and her new pal. Laura mentioned it again and her friend confirmed she had read some of it. I asked where and she said it was in school on a website.
Then I remembered. My second press release was picked up by the School Library Association (SLA). I liaised with my editor and the SLA publisher to to arrange a deal where schools could buy a 'site license' for the story if interested. They've not picked it up on subscription yet, but it's weird to think that my daughter's pal knew what it was when mentioned to her.
First proof, that Hunting Jack is out there to a wider audience without me knowing it. The possibilities are endless if I keep chipping away at these stones.
The Leith Festival is approaching and it has a full and varied schedule of events. There are a couple I want to go to such as the tour of Leith Police Station, the Slam Poetry night and a reading with authors Zoe Strachan, Laura Marney, Rodge Glass and Louise Welch. One event NOT publicised is Irvine Welsh appearing at a so far undisclosed event. It's a first come first served situation with tickets so I'm going to get in touch tomorrow and see if I can reserve a couple.
A new writing project has begun formulating in my head. I'm not ready to announce it but it may involve the use of several interests; writing, fiction, photography, journaling, imagination - you get the picture. It is inspired by a couple of blogs I have been reading recently. A germ was planted in my brain and is now growing daily. I don't have a name for it yet, so until I announce the project I shall refer to it as Project X. That is much as I know myself. When I know more - I'll let you know.
No writing tonight since it was snooker night. On the downside I drank pints of water all night and the waitress slagged me off. On the upside I hammered Ian 7-2, scored my highest ever break (24) and highest ever frame score (82).
And now, it's time for June's GDR To Do List
GDR - June 2005
Fiction
* Submit Monday Mornings to WM competition
* Complete Whisky Snatching and submit
* Resubmit Heart of a Child
* Resubmit Loaded
* Write 2 short stories
* Write 10,000 words of novel WIP
Poetry
* Write 4 new poems minimum
* Edit and complete 3 poems in WIP (Boxes, In the City and Life)
* Write more Haiku
Non-Fiction
* Travel article on Edinburgh Literary Figures (priority) - complete. Needs smoothed out.
* Submit above article to intended market.
Marketing and Promotion
* Look at getting business cards made up
* Press Release for last six months of HJ
Reading and Research
* Read more poetry and fiction
* Keep up to date with KIC e-zines
* Project X
Technical
* Complete first draft of Web Development manual.