Nearly There

Still not really writing. Still working through ToC stories for Dark Pages. The muse is still on holidays.

I've come to the conclusion that summer is not 'My time to write!'

I wrote my very first manuscript during the summer of 2006/7 but I was new to the whole writing thing, I had time up my sleeve, and I was working through some not very pleasant stuff at the time. Writing was an escape. Once the manuscript was done, I wrote 14 short stories in the space of three months. I sold the first three of them to the first place I submitted them to - I figured this writing lark was easy. I've sold another four or five of those stories and retired all the rest but one. I will find a home for Too Late the Rain one day.

I've written maybe 20 stories since then and had published around a third of them. I don't even count the first three publications in my bio anymore. They gave me wonderful warm and fuzzy feelings inside at the time and I'll be forever thankful to those editors, but when I read them now, I cringe.

But, I was talking about writing at different times throughout the year. My first 14 short stories were written in winter. The best stories I've written to date were all written during late autumn early winter last year. Inner Voice was written during last winter.

I'm currently working with some brilliant people editing Dark Pages Volume 1 during the summer and feeling a little down on myself for not getting any of my own writing done. Well - no more!

I'm a cold weather writer.

But I hate the cold with a passion. I turn purple if the temp drops below 20C. I don't wear shorts unless I'm swimming or at home, and then only rarely (nobody should be subjected to my chicken legs). And yet, here I am longing for this summer to over and the cooler months to begin so I can get back to it. My wife will begin searching for our new home in the southern parts of Tasmania once she's read this, or maybe we'll be heading over to the UK (we both love the EPL as well. We can watch the 'football', cricket, and have cold weather all year round!**).

So when do you find it best to write? At night, during the day? Summer? Winter? Snuggled by the fire, naked by the pool? Inside, outside? Tell me, I'm interested.

**A summer of four weeks where it rarely gets above 35C is not something to get excited about.