Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. I can't believe we are already well into May, and still with daffodils in flower here. (This is not my garden, sadly, but photos from Darley Park in Derby, my old hometown, where I went for a visit last week.)
I spent much of April working on a story that's been floating around in various versions for over a year. Sometimes I thought that one would sink without trace (possibly in the River Derwent), as it was quite an emotional and challenging story to write. Finally I have something I'm happy with, after a long and often draining process of writing. Now it's in the drawer for a week or two, so I can do the last polishing with fresher eyes. In the meantime I have several newer stories at first draft stage that need further work.
Once again I had the luck to see something unusual, practically on my doorstep, and within what seemed like seconds a whole story had formed itself around the incident. At the time I rushed to write the beginning and the end, so now I've been able to fill in the middle. In a different story, I decided to remove a cat and add a husband. (Some of you may prefer to do things the other way round!)
I'm not doing many competitions this year, although I again reached the longlist for the recent Flash 500. I have yet to be placed anywhere in this one, but I continue to enter with optimism. 500 words is a nice length to write, and I always enjoy it.
If any readers of this blog supported the Ifakara Bakery competition, you may be interested to know that the organiser, Sharon Bradshaw, now has her own blog here with details of the winners and forthcoming anthology.
And lastly, a quick mention for Rosemary Kind of Alfie Dog Fiction, who has a lovely piece on Womagwriter's blog today. It's all about the Alfie Dog website, and very informative for anyone who wishes to submit or download stories.
With the sun shining outside, and the blossom trees all pink and pretty, I am today working on a Christmas story. Right - back to the land of snow and tinsel!
