March '24
Another month in the rear-view mirror
1st - 4th
Away for the weekend at a cosy cottage in the Peak District. Not expecting to get too much work done…
Entered a really interesting (informal) editing competition from Valley Press. Given a rough draft of a new poem, what could we make of it? This is akin to a private exercise I’ve given writers when mentoring: you take a poem by someone else and try to make it ‘your own’. This both aids your editing skills and helps you appreciate what the original poet has achieved in their work. Most importantly though, you must not try and publish it afterwards / pass it off as your own. Naughty and illegal… As I said, a private exercise.
Wrote (and posted) an article on ‘being a creative’ vs. ‘being creative’, on brand, and on celebrity - all with a ‘what should I being doing on Substack’ slant. (Luckily did this before embarking on a 4-hour / 10-mile walk. Now I can’t move, think, or keep my eyes open!)
Drafted a couple of off-the-cuff poems.
Started the v6 edit of The Red Tie. I want this to be the final one!
By the way, here’s one of the ‘cottage companions’:
5th
Last night I attended my last North Yorkshire Stanza meeting for a while; going to take a break. I need the time/energy for other things!
Put together the necessary documentation for Saturday’s launch of the 2024 Coverstory books’ Poetry Competition. From Sunday, you can check it out by going onto the Coverstory books website, finding it on the National Poetry Library’s website, or searching for ‘Coverstory books’ in Submittable’s ‘Discover’ function.
7th
I should finish v6 edit of The Red Tie today. The after some fettling, have the ebook version ready to send out to my premium subscribers. The paperback version (there will be one) will be available sometime in April.
I’ve just noticed that Howard Jacobson is doing something similar to me (with ‘The French Story’) in terms of serialising an unfinished novel started some time ago. He’s charging people to read it though. Is that what ‘fame’ allows you to do? Or am I simply being naïve?
8th
Busy day coming up today. Started it with producing the first of my two Mailchimp newsletter postings. [If you’re not on the list and would like to be, let me know in the comments to this post.]
Finished the editing of The Red Tie. Going through the process of book set-up, paperback proof copy etc. ebook version out to premium subscribers.
Secured two reading slots at the Market Rasen ‘WordFest’ event on Saturday 6th July.
Also, plans are afoot for Crash to be performed in Market Rasen in the Autumn. I should be checking out the potential venue next week - very exciting! After that, hoping to firm-up plans…
9th
Coverstory books’ 2024 Poetry Competition is now open - which has meant a lot of posting and emailing around the place. Raft of initial PR which will be refreshed at various points between here and mid-May.
Thinking about next big project. Might revisit another partially complete draft (as an alternative to ‘The French Thing’) - though neither might make it back into my good books. Pun intended…
10th
Prep all done for Tuesday’s Derby Stanza meeting.
Started re-looking at a second part-finished novel (31.5k words this time). Have written a kind of foreword to it, and am now editing a little - all in an attempt to see if I can re-kindle ‘the love’. But it may prompt some musings…
…which turned out to be a post considering why we abandon unfinished literary creations.
An aside. Currently reading Victoria Kennefick’s collection “egg/shell” and have been forced to abandon the first section. Poem after poem after poem all on the same subject, resorting at times to gimmick for variation. I think such an approach is increasingly common. The risk is losing the reader (as in my case) by constantly beating them around the head with the same stick.
11th
Just approved the paperback eproof of The Red Tie. Ordered a physical copy to check.
Amazon still haven’t fixed the issue with the ebook version of 17 Alma Road showing as a paperback. Now solid proof that - depending on how you navigate their website - you get different data. Their system is clearly broken.
12th
Spent over 2 hours restructuring my Substack - which meant editing tags on 138 posts! But now it looks so much cleaner!
Derby Stanza evening; as stimulating as ever!
13th
Drafted two articles. One on the ‘hidden’ character in every novel (posted this morning), and one on the relationship between literature and ‘moments’ (to be posted tomorrow morning).
14th-16th
Unwell. “Man ‘flu”. Output down; telly-watching up…
Three poems long-listed for an upcoming issue of Butcher’s Dog.
Amazon still refusing to correct the erroneous £5 ‘paperback’ of 17 Alma Road. It has cost me sales. I bet it would be different if I’d published through KDP… And yet you couldn’t pay me to do so.
17th
Feedback on Once Significant Others from a reader: “What a beautifully crafted and written book. I loved the structure of it and all the characters. You really are a wonderful writer.”
The Amazon saga… I’ve now complained to the UK MD - not that I expect my email to ever reach him. I’ve also put a Note on here and contacted my mailing list and asked purchasers to cancel any orders for the ‘ghost’ Amazon edition that will never be fulfilled. The whole thing is embarrassing and frustrating - and not resolved yet. So, if you’re tempted by 17 Alma Road - and please be tempted! - don’t fall for the £5 paperback; it’s not a real thing.
18th
I’ve rekindled a series of poetic monologues I had been working on (in the style of Crash). Currently these are masquerading under the working title Bound, which is also the first poem in the collection - and which I aim to read at the July ‘WordFest’ event. The series is based on the thoughts of people who are tied to things/situations. Just drafted one which may or may not be based on a voter’s thoughts at an election in Russia.
Prepared a couple of posts for later in the week, both in work-in-progress.
Also wrote an article about my background and how this has influenced the what and why of my writing - and hopefully to help people understand how important Writing until the light goes out is to me. It may be too emotional, I don’t know…
19th
Having decided the ‘writing’ section on the site was becoming too large and unwieldy, I have split it into “this writing life” and “the craft of writing”. Hopefully that will help readers to navigate, find what interests them.
My story "“Closing his account” has now been published in Verdant Journal.
20th
Up early. Wrote the article about ‘immortality’.
I have also been revising a number of short ‘poetic monologues’ (à la Crash; see “Mirror” and “Curly Kale” in ‘work-in-progress’) and started drafting a new one. Could end up as a collection…
21st
Finished the first draft of the short monologue I was working on yesterday. Needs a lot of work!
Concerned I may be spending too much time on Substack vs. writing new things. Balance perhaps not quite there… But that’s also a side-effect of not having a ‘big project’ at the moment. I confess to struggling with that at the moment.
Proof copy of The Red Tie has arrived. One final read-through required.
24th
My ‘Love Books Tours’ “tour” for 17 Alma Road starts on 1st April with potentially 14 reviews being posted over the subsequent nine days. Intrigued to know what people will make of it.
Final minor edits to The Red Tie complete; the book is now scheduled for publication on 9th April.
I have been editing some old short stories to see if they have any merit for a collection at some point.
Reading through a draft poetry collection for which I have been asked to submit potential back-cover blurb. An honour to be considered.
25th
Working through my draft short stories, have decided to take a run at some competitions with a few of them… Entered three. Or is it four?
Local recognition growing. Met someone who’d heard of me and said “I hear you’re a writer…” OK, where I live is a small place! But what struck me was that the comment wasn’t a question, it was an acceptance… I feel an article coming on…
26th
I have now got The Society of Authors involved to see if they can help remedy Amazon’s blithering incompetence…
27th
Finished the draft of the book back-cover blurb I was invited to submit. I hope it’s ok!
Downloaded a ‘self-promotion’/brand worksheet in order to check-out whether I’m doing the right things / should be doing more etc. It asks some hard questions… This may take some time…
Dismayed - but not surprised - to discover a piece of prose has won the National Poetry Competition. It seems the primary selection category for the winner these days is ‘difference’, not poetry… I boycotted the latest competition and will continue to do so.
29th
Our 25th Contextual poetry reading event last night. Who’d have thought we’d still be going nearly 2.5 years after I initiated the first one in November 2022?!
30th
I’ve been playing with a ‘brand identity’ worksheet in order to try and map-out a more effective regime of reader-engagement in the future. This may or may not affect Substack postings. In part this is in readiness for my 17 Alma Road ‘book tour’ which starts on Monday, and which should see multiple reviews (on websites & Instagram) over the following week or so.
Also, the above worksheet has thrown up an idea for a new project that I’m now tinkering with. It will be a bit of a departure for me (non-fiction!) so we’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks… Exciting!