Going Back To Zero

Image: YtseJam Photography

‘Tis the eve of Halloween and all around mysterious things are happening. Work has pretty much taken over everything I’ve been doing, and there are things happening in the day job just now that I must attend to. I’ve not dropped the ball with absolutely everything though, and have managed to keep a few things going, but all in all it’s been a bad month.

As you can probably tell there’s been some shit. Not going into anything but it’s not been the most glorious of months at all. There have been a few high points but it’s not really a month to remember in any respect. My period of renewal seems to have died on its feet.

I’m reading a fabulous book just now. My wife bought it for me out of a second hand stall for £1—The Kenneth William Diaries is about 3 inches thick and full of his own personal diary entries from 1946 onwards. I never thought it would be such a marvellous read; funny, witty, and providing an amazing insight into one of Britain’s most beloved of actors.

This time tomorrow I will be in Spain. It’s my annual lads’ trip away to foreign climes, and with all the hours I’ve had to put into the day job lately, and my need to let my “hair” (sic) down and try get everything back into balance, it really cannot come quick enough.

I’ll spend this evening in an airport bar with the Group Captain and Five Bellies, then at 5am tomorrow meet up with the final member of the squadron, Mikey P From the Crazy Y-B. Then it’s Malaga here we come. Last year it poured torrentially the entire time we were there, and we watched the rain bounce from the inside of a variety of pubs. Great days—I’m hoping for more of the same.

If you’re interested, I’ll be doing my utmost to Tweet over the weekend. No pictures unfortunately because my phone has no camera, but you can track my adventures around Fuengirola by following me on Twitter.

I find myself having to utter those words I always promised myself I never would, but I would be lying to you if I said anything else other than, “life got in the way of my writing.” Just typing it makes me feel like a loser, but as Devon said, my GDR wrap-up is as much about what didn’t happen as what did, which is just as well because it makes for dire reading. It follows after this post.

I’m aware I’ve got a stack of email and blog entries to catch up on, so if you have emailed me I will get back to you next week. I’ll try and fish out the urgent ones before I leave for Glasgow this evening.

Hope you all have a great weekend. See you on the other side where hopefully things will have improved.

Fiction
* Complete writing Baccara Burning – not done
* Complete editing on Greener is the Grass – not done
* Positively work towards clearing away fiction backlog – not done
* Re-submit any rejected/recalled short stories – not done
* Enter more fiction/poetry competitions – done
* Meet fiction/poetry e-zine deadlines – not done

Poetry
* Write at least one poem per week – done
* Finish developing ideas for new chapbook – still ongoing but have more poems to work with

Editing
* Stay on top of RR submissions – done
* Prepare RR issue 9 for December 2009 – not done
* Start preparing RR issue 10 for March 2010 – not done

Freelance
* Get a few more gigs to review for NotW – not done
* Work with new client for driving instructor site – waiting for feedback/go command
* Complete SDR website for 3rd November launch – done
* Keep up all websites updated and relevant – general updates to stay accurate
* Complete ST column for SDR re-launch – done

Marketing and Promotion
* Publish October newsletter – done
* Bring Podcast idea to life – not done

Reading & Learning
* The Butt by Will Self – done
* Try and fit more reading time in – done
* The Kenneth William Diaries – IP

Non-Writing
* Re-launch diet – ROFL!!!!

Things That Turned Up
Non-writing events have impacted my writing more than at any other time in my life.

Submissions Made
None

Outstanding
Fiction
Barcelona Review 1
Every Day Fiction 1
Spinetinglers 1
Gemini Magazine 1
Identity Theory 1
Be A Better Writer 1

Poetry
World Haiku Comp 5
National Poetry Comp 1

Slick – still out there

Successes
None. It’s been a bad writing month – negligible writing month – and it’s down to the one factor I always tried my best to avoid saying: “life got in the way”

Failures
Everything.

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