Quiet here, innit?

So anyway, what have I been doing lately? Here’s a brief snapshot of my writing life over the last few days:

I have written the first chapter of my first grown-up novel. This has taken the total word count (including the prologue) to around 4000, which (as those who know me will appreciate) is completely uncharted territory. The good news is that I even know what happens next, and it seems to be flowing reasonably easily so far. It is, however, rather silly.

Eurofiction has come to an end. I had high hopes for my Task 10 piece, which was unbelievably massively clever and intricate, but it picked up a very average 6. Needs more contextualization, apparently. Although the lack of context was part of its charm. I can guess that it’s going to be one of those stories that I really like, but is going to hang around the house taking up space and asking me to do its washing for the next five years.

The Whittaker starts on Saturday. I am doing both fiction and poetry this year and I really wonder what I was thinking of when I signed up. However, Geoff Nelder will be an interesting judge for the fiction, so I’ll try to stick with it for a round or two at least.

The STIRRED POeT continues, increasing my poetry portfolio at a rapid pace. Whilst my ranking could not in any way be described as stellar, I’m actually picking up a few votes from some of the real poets on TWI, which pleases me no end.

And I’ve got a few things coming out later this month – specifically in Litro, Every Day Poets and Aphelion (and possibly FlashScribe).

Finally, if you’ve nothing to do for a few minutes, take a look at this piece from my mate Oscar. It’s ace.