Tempy wrote:

I had two decent things published. First was a very wanky bit on MO: Astray, which I stick by! It's a lovely underdog. Second is a more grounded but sadly short piece on how city builders handle (or don't handle) narrative elements. I especially like this one.

Two really good pieces there, and I have to say, the tenor of your prose is maturing very nicely.
Keep up the good work Temps.

Tempy wrote:

yourfavouriteuncle wrote:

The cities one in particular is brilliant. Well done, would read more.

Thank you for being my biggest fan

Yikes, I hope you don’t think I’m being over the top? It’s just I kinda think the least I can do for the published games writers on here is read their stuff, considering how and where the forum was birthed and how difficult the industry can be to break into for those of you constantly trying.

Submitted a short story 30 months ago. It went past slush on day 1.

They just bought it (subject to edits and contract).

...

That's ridiculous, frankly, and I had to chase many times. The current editor only read the story last week. But I'm obviously delighted. Woo.

Maybe this is what will get me out of my 'write one short story a year' funk that is absolutely not conducive to getting better at this stuff.

Congrats, tiger!

Nice one Tiger!

What an insane timeframe. Congrats tiger. Can I ask what the publication is?

tigersgogrrr wrote:

Galaxy's Edge Magazine.

Looks great. Congrats again.

Nice one Temps!

tigersgogrrr wrote:

Submitted a short story 30 months ago. It went past slush on day 1. They just bought it (subject to edits and contract). ... That's ridiculous, frankly, and I had to chase many times. The current editor only read the story last week. But I'm obviously delighted. Woo. Maybe this is what will get me out of my 'write one short story a year' funk that is absolutely not conducive to getting better at this stuff.

Well I received the contract. Signed the contract. Got paid.

...

They still haven't sent me any edits or published the damn thing! 

And I've largely done no writing at all since. I find myself at my most productive when writing in the morning and, uh, I have a job and 3 young kids. So that doesn't really happen. I think this may be partly down to wanting to crack on with The Novel and it's just too daunting. So I think I'm going to play with some shorter stuff and see if I can at least get a few stories to send out.

Yeah well, congrats on getting paid at least. But I hope it gets published soon. That (I imagine) is the most gratifying part, after all.

I haven’t dared yet even submit something. If I’m hard sometimes on the things I read, I’m doubly so on my own work. Having said that, I’m working on a novella (I too have scaled back my ambitions) called Apricot Firefly, and if ever I had a good feeling about anything I’ve written, it’s this one.

I'm trying to write poetry. Have written a few but it's hard not to stray into Birthday card territory - esp. when you start trying to rhyme instead of just matching the rhythm.

I become compelled to write something every so often. It's often when I am reminded of deceased relatives. Being autobiographical compels me too. But it's hard trying to convey feeling while being compact and not being hackneyed.

Then you read someone like Betjeman which is demoralising as he makes it look so easy. His style is particularly deceptive and high brows can be fooled into looking down their collective noses at it.

I think showing poetry is likely the most embarrassing thing one can do. It can so easily be a twee train wreck.

Or pretentious hot air.

A thin line.

acemuzzy wrote:

tin_robot wrote:

If it's any consolation your "one story a year" funk is better than my current "once in a blue moon".

Apart from in 2018, when there were two blue moons, so I assume you managed twice as many shirt stories as Tiger that year?

It's true, I wrote an astonishingly large number of stories about shirts that year.  (Sorry, had to be done.)

But, yeah, I've not written much that I've put out into the world since 2018. I have done a few bits here and there for other people, as gifts, but I've not dared submit anything to anyone who wasn't guaranteed to be kind.  As I mentioned in the Reasons to Be Cheerful thread, I did write a kids book last year for a friend of the family. Whilst that sounds grand, I wrote the first chapter of it ages ago - in fact I owe all of you a big thank you, as I posted that chapter on here ages ago and some of you were kind enough to give feedback on it.  Looking through the feedback, much later, was in part what gave me the confidence to dust it off, and attempt to write the rest, so thank you.

(If anyone wants to listen to it, I can send a link, but I'm more comfortable with the critical appraisal of primary school kids...)

Having said that - Davy - you should post a poem. I'm genuinely grateful for the reception that was afforded to my slightly wonky kids story, and I'm sure anything you penned would be treated with equal care.

My freelance games writing is now earning me a living at Cyprus living cost standards, although nothing like what I'd need to come back to the UK.

Bit of a milestone today in that I finally got something published in Eurogamer:
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-01-27-the-rise-of-taiwans-indie-scene-and-why-it-deserves-our-attention

tin_robot wrote:

Davy - you should post a poem. I'm genuinely grateful for the reception that was afforded to my slightly wonky kids story, and I'm sure anything you penned would be treated with equal care.

Well..  A short one.

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