Podcasting, signing, editing, soaking in the tears of hysterical laughter
What I've been up to this week...
Subplots is my more-or-less (less more and more less lately, tbh) weekly snapshot of where I am in life, what I’ve been up to, what’s been preoccupying me etc. The life of a writer is pretty varied, and though much of my time is spent alone at the desk chatting to imaginary people, not all of it by any means. So here’s (some of) the rest…
Friday 20th Sept
Had a good week, all told. Will and I met up on Tuesday to talk podcast and actually record some. The results will be out soon, once he’s edited it to make him sound like the funny one. (I’m joking, he is the funny one).
I love our podcast, Let’s Get Lit. Mostly because (and I can’t speak for Will here), I do it just for fun. There’s no master plan, it’s not a means to an end. It just means I get to go up to London regularly and spend time gossiping and being irreverent with my friend. We make each other laugh. I think he makes me laugh more than I make him laugh, but as we’ve established, he’s the funny one. Right?
I think it’s important, perhaps especially when your work is your passion, to do something ‘just’ for fun. Fun is important. I’m trying to be more playful in my life, less serious. The podcast is part of that. Listen to it. It’s fun. And funny. But Will’s the funny one, remember? Not me. Never me.
And then… I spent what felt like ALL of Wednesday signing books for the Goldbroro book special edition I talk about in the post below.
I’ve got a story in there, the best thing I’ve ever written (or perhaps published, the thing I’m writing now is the best thing I’ve ever written and I’m not just saying that because it’s the done thing. It really is). It’s called ‘Pound’. It’s not funny, dark as hell in fact. A subject I’m not sure I could pull off in a novel-length piece (though I’d like to try) but fits a short story brilliantly. Because I can treat what my character ends up doing to save her marriage as if it’s meant as an extended metaphor, I suppose. Not something she really does. (Or does she?)
[Continues below, pause for commercial break]
A request: Would you consider upgrading your subscription, so that Compendia can continue? Writing is work and work should be paid, BUT I know things are hard for most of us right now. I’ve therefore lowered my prices as far as I feel I can given the effort I put into Compendia.
It’s just £1 per week (around US$1.30) if you pay for a year in advance, and around £1.40 (US$1.80) per week if you pay monthly.
Bear in mind it’s easy to cancel if you’re not enjoying what I offer.
Most people enjoy Compendia for free, and it’s great to have you on board. But it’s the handful who do pay who allow me to continue writing here, so please consider it.
And for those who might be tempted but are not sure they want to commit…
[Commercial break ends]
Anyway, because Goldsboro specialises in signed first editions I guess, the contributing authors were asked to sign the books. Just the 1500 copies. I hadn’t quite worked out what that would mean. It took nearly four hours. Of writing my name over and over again.
But, y’know, as ‘jobs’ go, that ain’t so bad. It was like having lines, but it wasn’t like having to work for a living. Coffee and snacks were on hand. I sat between Araminta Hall and Will, and I managed to reduce the latter to hysterics, merely by accidentally signing a book ‘S J Wattson’. (I think he was delirious by that point, but still. Proves I AM the funny one).
So one person is going to get a book signed by S J Wattson, my new alter-ego. (Actually no, they’re going to get a squiggle, because I tried to correct it). And one person (not the same person) is getting one signed in blue, where the other 1499 I signed in black. I just felt like making one unique or something.
If you want a copy, and frankly why wouldn’t you, with SO MANY amazing writers contributing, you can order one here…
You may even get the one I signed with a squiggle, or the blue one, or the one soaked in Will Carver’s tears of hysterical laughter.
Rest of the time, I’ve been editing my ghost story. I wrote it ages ago, and kind of shelved it, but I’ve fallen back in love with it again and can see what’s wrong. That should be done soon, and then it’s back to the very special project (which is a new full length novel that I’m terribly excited about).
Cheers
Steve
