Time To Be Extra Productive

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Yet again I’m struggling with the front cover for the next issue of the Ranfurly Review. Every flippin’ time I struggle to find something suitable that fits my image of what the issue should convey. Thankfully, I have one week remaining to fulfill this most rudimentary requirement for magazine publication, more than enough time if I focus.

Focusing is fine, but how many focuses can one man have? My main focus at the moment is GATECRASH, a story that is growing more complicated with each page. Now I understand why my original notes were so abundant—there is much to work on there.

As I work through the re-write, I’m remembering and using all that I found relevant from King’s On Writing and it’s giving me a boost of confidence. A large part of that, though, comes down to the same thing I’ve always known: Strunk & White—don’t start re-writing without a copy nearby.

I’m also focused on some short fiction ideas at the moment. I’m aware I set myself a goal of one per month but that has fallen short recently, and yesterday I added several new competitions to my list that I want to submit fresh stories to.

I ran through my annual GDR, or for this year, an 18-month GDR given this was the year I extended in order to make my writing year run from August to July (to coincide with the Edinburgh Book Festival). Things are on the up and it looks as though it may end up being a good “year” come my final wrap-up in August. There is still much to do, but if only the Dream section could do as well as the Goals then things would get really interesting. One can wish, but then, it is a dream after all.

Everything I’m working on just now is geared towards the book festival. Time ticks on and I have to keep writing. I want to have all the fiction re-writes I had on my books complete and be in a position where I can approach the first three weeks in August totally charged and with renewed vigour. Each year I have things hanging over me that I feel pull me back and I never fully commit, but this year I’m shifting up the gears.

I’m really looking forward to the Edinburgh Book Festival this year. The programme won’t be out for another three weeks or so, but I’ve heard some interesting rumours on the grapevine that it’s going to be a cracking year. People keep asking me when I’ll be appearing in the RBS Main Tent. I tell them to watch this space. 😉

Some of my holiday clothes arrived from the retailers when I got home yesterday. I sourced them from the brand new range of fashionable Madness clothing available at Madness.co.uk; my new t-shirts and a special 30th anniversary polo top all to be given their first airing when we finally get round to booking a holiday.

To today and the weather is cooler, as it was towards the tail end of yesterday. It rained warm yesterday afternoon and the streets were damp and clammy when I got up this morning. I’m looking forward to autumn already! (kidding.)

Peace and out!

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