It's been bitterly cold and dark in Melbourne, but the sun has been shining on me this week. I got a present in the mail from the Stella Prize as a thank you for their support. That was unexpected. Nicer still was a flash fiction piece being accepted by Fewer Than 500. After several years … Continue reading Winter of Content
Stories
When losing is winning
Earlier this year I entered a collection of my short stories into a competition. I reflected at the time that it was a handy thing to do, preparing a complete manuscript, because it helped polish them up so they felt fresher. In addition, arranging them together enabled me to see their flaws and similarities, as well as … Continue reading When losing is winning
Sometimes, a flurry
While waiting to hear back from editors and opportunities, I've been submitting stories again. Often writing works like that. A lot of nothing but waiting, or a lot of nothing but editing, or a lot of waiting while submitting. There's even a lot of writing, in the appropriate moments. It's cyclical. So, I'm at that point where I've … Continue reading Sometimes, a flurry
Ugly House
Close to where I used to live, there was the ugliest house in its long street. It was a small square single storey weatherboard, marooned on a slightly bigger square of uneven, greying concrete that filled up almost the entire empty yard behind a rusting wire fence knit with straggling weeds. That old home, with its … Continue reading Ugly House
X Millenials
I seldom remember dreams, but this morning my dream woke me and continued to entertain as I dozed. It was a full colour, authentic setting, millennial version of X Files where young hipster Mulder and Scully resolved spooky meme mysteries using encryption and through posting on Reddit threads. Deputy Director Skinner texted them saying as 'digital natives' … Continue reading X Millenials
The supermarketness of it all
It's not lethal or anything, yet this vice around my head is unrelenting, despite the pain killers (making me dopey). Or that could be the cortisone leaving me sleepless. But it's just (another) sinus infection. Never mind noises are too loud, light is too bright, and standing suddenly elicits a shooting agony and a weird dizziness. … Continue reading The supermarketness of it all
Little victory
I want to demonstrate why, despite the many rejections and deafening silence at times, I will I keep writing and keep sending pieces out. This is the story of a short story. There was a thing, a scrap of an idea pullulating away in its own stew in a quiet corner of a sprawling mess … Continue reading Little victory
Story decision making
It's a step and it feels like one, when launching a story into the maw of potential publishers. It used to be an actual trip to the post office. Now, not so much. What it entails is a dash to a deadline, other times a carefully considered effort to fit a piece to the journal where you … Continue reading Story decision making
Collected work – in progress
I'm in the midst of editing and putting together some of my short stories. My novella is in competition stasis and while I thought I had time to enter it in a slightly later competition for novellas I was wrong. So, because of submission overlap and the fact this second competition is accepting novellas but … Continue reading Collected work – in progress
Writing year steps up into new a gear
The thing about resolutions for the new year is they're generally forgotten by mid January. It's why, traditionally, I never used to bother. You can't break a promise you don't make. But lo, I've reached mid January and I'm about to tick one of my resolutions off the list. I'm heading to a writing workshop. It's … Continue reading Writing year steps up into new a gear
Writing Bec 