Thursday 26th December, 2019

Not only have I been absent from the website for a while, it’s been a couple of years since I did this, so let’s do a massive review of how things haven’t been going!

Oh, and a Happy New Year for Tuesday night / Wednesday morning.

What I Learnt About Writing in 2019

Here’s my stats for this year with the previous two years for comparison:

  • Submissions = 9 (9, 2018; 7, 2017)
  • Total pieces in circulation = 5 (4, 2018; 8, 2017)
  • New pieces in circulation = 2 (2, 2018; 3, 2017)
  • Rewrites = 0 (1, 2018; 1, 2017)
  • Acceptances = 2 (0, 2018; 3, 2017)
  • Published = 2 (2, 2018; 2, 2017)

NOTE: These numbers do not include stories written for the website or published here. Attempts to rehome stories published here and elsewhere have been included.

I think we can safely say that I’m statistically consistent. One of the things I think I missed from skipping this last year is that I didn’t get to see that – in terms of overall word count and results – I’ve been doing much the same as I always have. The key is to keep pottering on when I can.

In 2018, I made a few more attempts to submitting to agents but, this year, that has fallen by the way side. On the other hand, I’ve still made quite a few submissions overall.

As is becoming traditional, one of those submission / acceptances was a request from Michael S Collins of Other Side Books [External Link], this time for something ghostly / horrory for an anthology he was putting together called Sea Horror.

The other acceptance this year was for a short story inspired by Tom Cruise’s repeat deaths in Edge of Tomorrow. This was picked up by The Future Fire [External Link] and is the fourth story of mine they’ve published – having also published stories in 2012, 2013 and 2015. I really hope this doesn’t mean I have to wait until 2027 for the next one!

My base line for word count over the years is around 90,000 words. I think I pretty much hit that in 2018, what with the Patreon side project (Plumtree) and various diversions. This year I’m probably somewhat less. I’m going to say about 75,000 total. It’s taken me two years to scrape through the current main work in progress (WIP) so that’s contributed to the feeling like I’ve got nowhere but I have managed to maintain the Patreon side project (still Plumtree) and write a couple of short stories.

This year, I actually went to a writing retreat – to the lovely Albergo Ristorante Leso [External Link], organised by the lovely Donna Moore [External Link] and by Damien Seaman [External Link], in September. I wrote something like a thousand to two thousand words a day, along with taking walks and eating the most delicious food I’ve had in ages. So, it’s reassuring that I can still do this writing thing provided that I can get brain space.

Writer, Editor, General Dogsbody

Writing plans… I have basically devolved to “just keep going.” Which has been exceptionally hard to do several times over the last two years.

I still would not say no to an agent but I haven’t had anything stand-alone enough of the right length to submit – hence lack of submissions to agents.

The return to the Fur-Skins world has been a slog. I picked it up after having to admit I wasn’t going to make it through the previous WIP and I’m not sure whether that coloured my approach to it or not. However, the subject matter has been difficult, if only because of my choice of framing device, and I have yet to find out whether the story works for anyone but me. We’ll know once it’s had a once over from some beta readers.

My Patreon side projects continue [External Link]. I started Plumtree towards the end of 2018 and it’s still going on. I only had a loose plan for it and expected it to be about a year but the level of detail I’m putting into fortnightly posts of about 500 words means it looks like it’ll be about twice as long as initially thought. I’m not someone who plans especially heavily and it shows…

What I Learnt About The Rest of Life

OK.

So.

Finn had his front left leg removed in September 2018 – just in time for his birthday. Happy birthday, hellhound. There were some minor complications but, over all, he seems to be happier than he was the last few months with the leg attached. Carrying Finn Junior (the cancer) must have become very uncomfortable.

He is, of course, considerable clumsier on three legs instead of four and now Dora thinks she can tell him off (this is instead of telling off Rosie) so I occasionally have to detach her from his back legs. He is much more grumpy when he gets hold of her if it gets that far and, although he doesn’t injure her, she disposes of whatever dignity she has left to come yelping to me. He also has a number of fatty lumps but none of these seem to worry the vet or get in the way.

It became evident very soon after the op that the place I was renting was too small for us all to be downstairs all the time – and Finn can no longer do more than a couple of steps. So we had to move. Rental places that accept one pet, let alone three, are few and far between, so I bought and we now live in a much nicer place in the same small town. I regularly talk to the house and say “thank you,” for being kind to us.

It has also become a source of DIY tasks, most of which I enjoy. It’s been a source of weirdly relaxing activities since we moved in – with the odd mini-crisis to keep me on my toes.

Work continues to go well, despite the fact that they moved to a not particularly people-friendly open-plan new build office. I am not the only one who finds it wearing but I’m likely to be the only person who works there who has overloads because of it. David Stewart of Autism Success Formula [External Link] continues to work with us and it does help. You just can’t fix open plan.

I haven’t attended fencing in over a year. Partly because of being rundown and partly because Sundays (when the club I was attending runs) is now a family day. My sister and I take it in turns to pick up Dad and meet at a pub nearby to the other. Tai chi is relaxing but my attendance is spotty – because just getting there takes a lot out of me.

The rundown thing. This is in part the managing the mental and emotional work it is for me to go to work in the new office. It’s also, in part, the similar workload of maintaining the family Sundays. It’s having to go shopping. It’s having to cope with the idea that at some point we’re going to have supply disruptions that make maintaining life for me and three dogs difficult, that keeps shifting to another future date. (And, no, a hard Brexit earlier would not have eased that anxiety. It would have just meant that I was actually watching the shit hit the fan, not imagining it. This is not something the UK is ready for. Wishing it doesn’t make it so.) It’s having to watch the nation make collective decisions that make me wonder if we’re really just a bunch of fascists.

We’ve done a good job, as a whole, of pretending our history is glorious and we’re always on the morally right side as well as being on the side that won. We haven’t had a 100% record on either of those points and it’s not looking great right now. And I have yet to get my head around how I’m supposed to find it comforting that worse things happen somewhere else. After all, just because it’s worse somewhere else doesn’t mean a) it’s actually good here, or b) I don’t also object to that worse thing happening somewhere else that only gets trotted out when I dare to complain about what’s going on here.

There you go. My two years in review. And this is why I’ve struggled to make posts for the last two years.

Wednesday 23rd January, 2019

Hey folks! I have moved and, although I still have a few boxes to unpack, I’m back to having the brain-space to write. This now includes updating the web-site. Apologies for the month of silence but you must be used to me being a terrible correspondent by now.

ASIDE: Yes, this does mean we’re without a “what I learned from last year / what I intend to do next year” post. I’m skipping a year because I was without t’Internet when I should have written it.

In the process of moving, I discovered that I have two complete sets of the Elkie trilogy (not my very own author copies, just copies I have for events) and an almost complete set of the Fox Spirit [External Link] Fox Pockets. I have mentioned on social media the possibility of giving these away when I’m more organised. So, expect me to have rules for at least the Elkie giveaway set up by next week. I shall probably run a giveaway on Facebook and one on Twitter.

The Fox Pockets will wait until I’ve sorted out the complete set, because giving you a set with some missing would just be mean, right?

The 25 Ways [Not] To Be A Vampire limps on. I’m now about 50,000 words in, I more-or-less know how everything works out and where I need to go to do it – and I’m doubting whether it was a good idea to start in the first place, given no-one will ever read it or, if they do, like it. So, business as usual for a writer!

I also have another idea that would quite like to be written, please, so I may detour slightly or try juggling three WIPs at once.

And on Plumtree, non-backers can read the prologue, first passage and epilogue and can get to them from the index page here: [External Link]. Passage 2 should become available to everyone on Monday and I’ll update the index page at some point to point to that, too. Backers are currently up to passage 4 – and they have a vote to decide (some of) what I write for passage 5.

Pretty sure that’s everythig up-to-date… See you in a week!

Wednesday 17th January, 2018

Well, here we are another week on. And the times they are a-changin’. Or something.

Right. My first order of business is to shout about this year’s Sword & Sourcery – my club will once more be hosting a women’s HEMA event in September, this time for a whole weekend. Please do look it up if you’ve ever given any thought to waving a sword and you identify as a woman. You can find the Facebook event page here: [External Link]

In writing news, I’ve shuffled Feintheart down the list of things to do – I suppose it’s technically abandoned but I may get back to it at some point – so I can listen to May Greywolf – a name that might be familiar to anyone who has read the later two Elkie books. I blame it on the fact that she kept me awake into the wee hours a couple of nights ago. We’re only a little way into the first chapter and the working title is “25 Ways To Kill A Vampire” as of this morning because I’m nothing if not useless at naming things.

On which note, don’t forget that I have an anthology of Alex & Conn stories (short stories set in the Fur-Skins world but earlier on the timeline than Elkie’s story) coming out later this year from Fox Spirit Books [External Link]. While I mention that, I may as well also post a reminder that the Other Side Books [External Link] will also be publishing some of my work – the first of the Greenwood novellas – later this year, too. Dates when I have them.

Finally, passage 7 of Under Smoke City [External Link] came out on Monday just gone and the first of the apochryphal stories comes out next Monday. (I got my dates screwed up a bit last week by forgetting to add 7 on.)

All caught up? Good. See you next week!

Wednesday 27th December, 2017

So I blinked, overslept a little bit and woke up to find out it was time for the end of the year post again. Don’t get me wrong, I was around for Christmas (Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it) but the last few weeks have been blurry, probably due to the long nights and not wanting to do anything but considering my own navel. I wish you all have a Happy New Year for Sunday night / Monday morning.

What I Learnt About Writing in 2017

Well, let’s get on with that annual tradition first inspired by Foxie (whose website is sadly no more). Here’s my stats for this year with last year for comparison:

  • Submissions = 7 (0, 2016)
  • Total pieces in circulation = 8 (8, 2016)
  • New pieces in circulation = 3 (2, 2016)
  • Rewrites = 1 (1, 2016)
  • Acceptances = 3 (1, 2016)
  • Published = 2 (3, 2016)

NOTE: These numbers do not include stories written for the website or published here. Attempts to rehome stories published here and elsewhere have been included.

This year’s submissions have been in three flavours. A couple of those items counted are actually submissions of long work A Fistful Of Feathers (first drafted in 2015) being submitted to potential agents. It’s not proving to be very successful, which suggests:

  1. It needs a rewrite,
  2. I should probably submit to more than a couple of people a year, and
  3. I should probably consider sending out something better.

More news on that next year!

Four of those items were requested of me. Well, sort of. The recently published Second Christmas Book of Ghosts from Michael S Collins (and his new ebook publishing company Other Side Books [External Link]) had a reprint of my story, The Girl From Yesterday. While he didn’t specifically ask for that story, he asked if I’d contribute a reprint and I sent along three stories for him to look at – including that one. The fourth incidence of a request was the collection of Alex & Conn stories – Auntie Fox / Adele Wearing of Fox Spirit Books [External Link] and I have previously discussed putting the short stories together and this year we started the process. Which also accounts for two of my acceptances.

The third acceptance, also by Michael S Collins, was for the more traditional unsolicited submission of The Knight’s Daughter to the Other Side Books. I first drafted that last year but finished off the basic version this year. I also sent the first drafts (something a writer should never do except, you know, when you do) of the other Greenwood novellas, because he might not be interested when it’s part of a linked theme. (These have not been accepted because not finished, not formally submitted, just drafts, etc.)

In wordage terms, I think we can say that my base line over the years I’ve been doing this is about 90,000 words. Some years I write more but I don’t think I’ve written less. This year I’m probably over 100,000, despite feeling like I’ve done nothing. My main problem in the last couple of years seems to be that I’ve had a few ideas that petered out and stopped or became a shorter work than I envisioned.

Writer, Editor, General Dogsbody

So, here are the plans are for the immediate future of my writing and editing career:

I am still looking for an agent (I may consider sitting on doorsteps and mewing woefully until someone opens a door). However, this takes time and concentration and I haven’t given it much of either as – as you all know – I have day job and dogs and actually want to spend some time writing. More news as and when, etc.

The folk-tale inspired works seems to have got out of my system but it may have left ideas for a return to the Fur-Skins world (but not with Alex, Conn or Elkie as a main character). However, that will have to wait until I’m done with the current WIP, which is only about a third of the way through.

And I’ve now taken on the challenge of having a public side project, which – weirdly enough – is currently being worked on more consistently than the main WIP. At the moment, said side project is Under Smoke City but, when I get to the end of that, I expect to pick up another side project to publish on my Patreon [External Link]. The key thing will be maintaining the trickle of work on the side project without letting it take over everything else.

Editing is unlikely to resurface any time soon.

The Ink Plan

Admitting to book numbers floundered last year as they were pitiful and unconnected to my donation to the NAS [External Link]. If / when I have numbers for 2017, I’ll add them together and do a post. However, I already broke things by getting a second tattoo. (Which does not prevent me getting a Journeymouse at some point, but the challenge element is kind of gone.)

What I Learnt About The Rest of Life

Dora and Rosie still fight over Dora not really being in charge. Dora is ageing disgracefully (Note to self: do not leave anything remotely edible or chew-able lying around) but will probably still be around after the nuclear holocaust along with the cockroaches. Finn’s paw cancer has only grown slowly this year but there’s now a second, very small lump on his other front leg. Diagnosis of this second lump would require a biopsy and I don’t think either of us can cope with that.

Work is going pretty well. They brought in David Stewart of Autism Success Formula [External Link] and the workplace is an even better place than it was before – for me, at least. Fencing is going pretty well and tai chi is as relaxing as ever.

Wednesday 28th June, 2017

Hi all,

Radio silence is now broken so that I can officially announce I finished draft the first of novella the third in my Greenwood theme. Strictly speaking, I finished it on Friday (23rd) and have since been pretending to enjoy some downtime. By which i mean that somewhat empty period between projects when I’m not sure whether to start something totally new (as I have a few things on the list I can’t decide between), hassle readers for feedback so I can work on second / third / nth redrafts, or pick up one of those old things gathering electronic dust and see if I can finally make it work. Which, of course, means procrastination and playing games usually fills the void while I pretend to think.

For those who care, my queue of things I’m deciding between looks like:

  1. A new science fiction thing involving social media, game quests and algorithms (a word I never spell right first time) with the working title “Aurora”.
  2. A new dark fantasy / horror thing in the Fur-Skins world but with a different bunch of heroes, currently labelled “25 10 Ways Not To Kill A Vampire”.
  3. Reading through and potentially resurrecting “The Three Guineveres” (in short form, “The Gens”, and I even have a tag for that for previous mentions), which was a sort of science fictional take on Guinevere. Because the world needs more Arthuriana, right?
  4. Reading through and potentially redrafting a fantasy called “In The Shadow of The Wall” that was a blatant parallel (but not factual) of the Romans leaving Hadrian’s Wall with a locked room mystery thrown in for good measure. Because there’s no such thing as too much, right?
  5. A fantasy thing called “City of Dreams” that needs a rewrite and therefore may end up being something I’ve got notes for as “Feintheart”.

Any preferences?

Wednesday 15th February, 2017

The Future Fire [External Link] achieved their goal!

Rugby has been entertaining!

I have been writing!

Oh, and – as you may remember – I have a book out. And I forgot to mention I’ve been cleaning up my notes on how the fur-skins world works again last weekend, so here’s the latest Order of Play post.

Order of Play, Version 3

Given that the final installment of the Elkie Bernstein trilogy / series has been published, here’s the latest version of the Fur-Skins Order of Play posts.

Reminders:

  • There is essentially just a write up of my world-building notes with respect to what I would like to do here if I get back to it – while hopefully avoiding spoilers of what already exists and what could exist.
  • As well as the page linked above … Continue reading
  • Wednesday 25th January, 2017

    Sorry for the silence, at least on the web-site.

    However, you’ll be happy to know I’ve been attempting to get my writing groove back. I had to abandon my fairies for their lack of good behaviour in mid-December last year. I managed to get about 22,000 words out of them before they went on strike, so I may come back to them when they’re feeling a bit more talkative.

    My current (1st draft) WIP is thematically if not actually linked to the “long” work before the fairies that I mentioned as Greenwood in the tags and The Knight’s Daughter as a working title. The current working title is The Wolf of Ravensholme and I’ve broken 10,000 words today – which means I’m still limping along at about 1,500-2,000 words a week but any progress is progress. And more greenwood-themed story ideas have been noted so, if they’re the stories that get the words flowing, expect to see many more greenwood tags over the next year or so as I grawl through them.

    That said, there will always be room for my Fur-Skins and Elkie Bernstein, particularly as Elkie’s third outing (Foll If You Think It’s Over) should be landing this weekend at Amazon. I’ll be putting out my published announcement as soon as she’s spotted but, to tide you over, here’s a reminder of the whole trilogy: The Collected Covers (with blurbs and links).

    Wednesday 28th December, 2016

    It’s here again, the end of the year post. I hope those who celebrate had a good Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year for Saturday night / Sunday morning. And, of course, Happy Hanukkah as I believe that continues until Monday.

    What I Learnt About Writing in 2016

    Well, time again for that annual tradition that was first inspired by Foxie [External Link]. Here’s my stats for this year with last year for comparison:

    • Submissions = 0 (6, 2015)
    • Total pieces in circulation = 8 (6, 2015)
    • New pieces in circulation = 2 (1, 2015)
    • Rewrites = 1 (0, 2015)
    • Acceptances = 1 (3, 2015)
    • Published = 3 (4, 2015)

    NOTE: These numbers are a combination of Duotrope figures and some notes for submissions to non-listed destinations but do not include stories written for the website or published here. Attempts to rehome stories published here and elsewhere have been included.

    I think in wordage terms, I’ve been as productive as last year. However, I haven’t been working (so much) on short stories so things are staying in the “working on” queue a little longer and there’s no sign of submissions. Elkie hasn’t quite made the published numbers this year as her third outing, Fool If You Think It’s Over, is due out in January – although she was accepted in 2016. I never included European Monsters or African Monsters in my figures and I had to step down from co-editing duties this year for Asian Monsters (and the remaining works in the series). My excellent partner in crime, Margrét Helgadóttir [External Link], has picked up the slack marvellously.

    I’m in a much more regular job this year but I find it a very mentally absorbing in an enjoyable way. When combined with a number of issues (I still have a house 70-odd miles away and the hormonal influence of my implant finally became too much to bear), it means I’ve been spending more spare time soaking in books and movies rather than creating new work.

    Writer, Editor, General Dogsbody

    So, here are the plans are for the immediate future of my writing and editing career:

    The work I long work I started first draft of in 2015, A Fistful Of Feathers, is now looking for a new home. Actually, it’s currently being used to help me find an agent who may then find it a new home. More news when I have something to share.

    ASIDE: This is not because of any issues between myself and Fox Spirit Books [External Link], and there may be further Fur-Skins related news from them for 2017 or 2018 but it’s a small press and the lovely Auntie Fox (Adele Wearing) is a very busy lady.

    My main work from 2016 was an attempt to craft a folk-tale that mimicked (but wasn’t identical to) existing stories. Redraft should begin fairly soon and I’ve apparently enjoyed it enough that the first draft I recently started is another one. I have a suspicion that I’ll end up writing – or starting – several before I get this out of my system.

    The adventures continue.

    The Ink Plan

    I’ll be looking at my book numbers soon and making a donation to the NAS [External Link]. “Soon” probably translates as end of January / beginning of February.

    What I Learnt About The Rest of Life

    Dora continues to be the source of adventure. She’s attempting to take over the role of Grand Dame. However, this can lead to fights with the somewhat more youthful Rosie to the effect of “You’re not my real mother and you can’t tell me what to do!” These occasionally get physical. In fact, I shall be dosing them both up with anti-inflamatories tonight so they don’t get stiff from today’s exertions (brought on by a young girl paying attention to ROsie, not Dora).

    Oh, and Lancashire isn’t that bad, after all. I’ve recently found a tai-chi club and I’m fencing most weekends!

    Wednesday 30th November, 2016

    Despite almost complete silence on here for a month, I ain’t’nt dead, yet. I’ve just been forgetful about updates and easily distracted. Which is not to say that the current fairy-related WIP is going especially well (it’s very slow going) as I’ve mainly been procrastinating with the help of a number of games.

    However, we have (drum-roll please) a book cover for Elkie 3, Fool if You Think It’s Over, and I need to work out some related blog-posts. And possibly some kind of blog tour (anyone want to host?) or something. So please let me know if there’s anything you want adding to the list of Elkie Bernstein or Fur-Skins materials on site!