Creative Suspicions

Image: Green Office

I had a surprise day off work yesterday when I had to call in for some time so I could look after a sick family member. My doctor’s duties were called on until mid-afternoon, which meant I missed all of the warm sun that had been afforded Edinburgh. By the time I had some time to myself the sun was gone, it was cooler outside and so, I thought, was the best part of the day with it.

Determined not to waste the afternoon, in between checking up on my patient and making sure she wanted for nothing, I got to work on other things. Task one was to rewrite PAINT, a short story I wrote a while back but which I was never completely happy with the ending. This time I got it right and I found myself off to a flyer.

Next up, I finished sorting all my markets into their new categories. This took a little longer than I thought it might but not quite so long as I feared. Strange, eh?

Time out to help the bed-bound invalid then I spent what was left of the afternoon and the evening working on GATECRASH. And that was where the second high of the day came from, for I completed the second draft, which included the writing of the final chapter.

There came an awesome feeling from this. Not only is it a great feeling to always complete a major piece of work and to be able to see it clearly in one’s mind’s eye, but it takes my GDR possibilities to new levels of expectation. I now have one full novel settling down in my mind waiting for the day I print it off to proof it, and two novellas—BACCARA BURNING and GREENER IS THE GRASS—that are both in the final throes of proofing.

My mind was buzzing with the story of GATECRASH when I finished and not even a plate of mince and tatties could empty all the story noise in my head. So I watched some of the Italy versus Paraguay World Cup match and then stuck a DVD on: Protégé, a Chinese film with some pathetically dubbed voice overs but which was actually a good film by story and by the way it was filmed.

To today then and it’s back to the office. The sun is shining this morning once again and this time I know I will definitely miss it through the day job. My head is turning over some short fiction ideas, which if I can get them down on paper and clear my thoughts I will prove to myself what I am beginning to suspect: that I’m moving into a creatively rich time in my year.

Tonight I will make a start on the printed manuscript of GREENER IS THE GRASS. It’s the one nearest completion and the one that needs the least work.

If you’re an e-book fan, then you might be interested to know that my book, STELLA, is now available to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy of STELLA, the Kindle Edition, priced $5.29.

Gail Galbraith Photography is offering portrait shoots for £25 (knocked down from £40) if you book before 31st August 2010 and you use the word “Leith” in your query. For that you get a 1 hour session in her new studio in Leith, 1 free 8×6 print, an online gallery to show off to friends and family and where images can be purchase direct from, and all images from the shoot on a free low-resolution CD. (Subject to max of 4 people per session; each additional person is £5 each). You can contact Gail at gail@gailgalbraith.co.uk and view her website at: www.gailgalbraith.co.uk

That’s all for me just now. Peace out!