Afternoon all,
Friday afternoon and I've finally gotten around to putting together a blog. Things have been seriously busy, both on the Alt.Fiction front as well as on my own work, so pretty excited about what looks like a packed summer.
On the personal work front, I'll be running four creative writing courses here in Derby (yes, that's four) after the great success of the first and second courses at QUAD, which have both booked out. I've also booked in for a follow-up course, which is something I'm really looking forward to. I'm also pretty pleased to be running an event with local crime author Adam Creed at Sadlergate's Bar Lisi (full details to follow) and resurrect Eat Your Words, a food and reading evening I used to run several years ago. Again, more details to follow... what an awful tease I am.
The summer for Alt.Fiction is absolutely jam packed, including the main thing I wanted to mention today - our Spring Writing Weekend. These writing weekends are a hugely valuable experience for writers, and for me have really helped me forge a lot of long-term friendships to boot. We're running at the Legacy Chesterfield Hotel, which is a stone's throw from the train station and have two fantastic guests in the shape of horror supremo Simon Clark and SF star and workshopper extraordinaire Tony Ballantyne. So if you're interested in writing in the field, this is the best chance you'll get at a weekend made just for you.
Full details all below anyway, and next week will be even more announcements on AF events for May, June and July.
Cheers!
Alex
Spring Writing Weekend, 20th-22nd May
Guest Speakers:
Simon Clark – acclaimed horror novelist and author of The Night of the Triffids
Tony Ballantyne – science fiction writer of the Recursion Trilogy and the Penrose Series
Venue: Legacy Chesterfield Hotel, Malkin Street, Chesterfield, S41 7UA
With a convenient location next to Chesterfield rail station and a wide range of leisure facilities, the Legacy Chesterfield Hotel is a great place to work and relax.
www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-chesterfield/
The Spring Writing Weekend costs just £180, including two nights’ shared accommodation, all meals and hot drinks, plus a full programme of writing activities throughout Saturday and Sunday featuring two guest authors.
To book your place, or for any enquiries, email alt.fiction@writingeastmidlands.co.uk
or call Alex on 07896 228367
A £90 deposit is required to confirm your place, with a further £90 to be paid at least one week
before the event. Deposits are non-refundable except in case of event cancellation. No refunds will be given in case of any changes to guest authors, or in the event of participants being unable to attend for any reason. Please note, the deadline for booking your place is 13 May 2011.
Alt.Fiction is a trading name of Writing East Midlands
Friday, 11 March 2011
Friday, 25 February 2011
The joy of film
Afternoon all,
Back for another blog on another topic that has been rattling around my brain of late, namely that of films. I've done a lot of programming in literature down the years, and it's a field I absolutely love. Hearing a really interesting discussion or a fantastic reading is always great, and I've been lucky enough to be there for some great ones.
But of course literature isn't my only interest, not by any means, and film is something I've always been really keen on. I may not have the broadest of taste, or be of any use at the monthly film quiz, but I'm a fan of genre films and cult films and foreign cinema, so I have my little patch anyway. But what I've been wanting to do for a while now - and have only seriously been looking at this week - is how you go about sourcing films for screenings. I've been able to get advice from a lot of people with an involvement in film, which has been a huge help. And to be honest, even since Wednesday when I first started making tentative phone calls, I've learned a lot about the process.
And boy, is it a tricky one.
Well, it is and it isn't. There's no intrinsic reason for it to be difficult - call the rights holder, tell them what you want to do, pay them a fee and then boom, you're ready to screen. The process in itself is simple, but what was particularly interesting to me, as an absolute novice, was how different it was trying to get hold of certain rights when compared to others. I'm not going to sit here and name studios or films, but some things were perfectly easy to get a hold of. Some you could even just play your own DVD without having to bring in a 35ml print or source anything from the distributor. Then other times it could be a long, exhaustive process involving shipping prints from the US or elsewhere overseas. Then there are differences in some cases for the size of the audience, the size of the screen, whether the audience is paying...
So while you have certain principles in general, there are a lot of differences in each individual case. Which made me realise just how tough a job the guys at cinemas, and particularly independent cinemas, have to do. They have to weigh up not only whether they can get the rights, and then cross the proverbial minefield that ensure, but whether what they pay for the rights will recoup itself at the box office. Sure, it's cheaper to bring in an old classic than it is something brand new on release, but then do people want to see it when they can just pick it up on DVD, in many cases for less than the price of a cinema ticket? Then if you're splashing out for a new film, is it going to draw enough audience and be popular enough to justify its outlay? I remember being thoroughly annoyed when I couldn't find a local cinema showing Pandorum when that was released, but having seen it since I can better understand why it would perhaps have been a risk - it's hardly safe ground like an action film or a romcom after all.
As I noted a few days ago, the process behind things has always interested me, and it's been a buzz to have the chance to explore this new process. Hopefully the fruits of all these phone calls and emails will be seen soon enough, and I'll be able to expand my programming horizons a bit into this new area. As I've always said, it never hurts to have another string to your bow (says the event organiser/tutor/proofer/copyeditor/writer...)
So that's been the joy of film for me this week. Be sure to stop by next week, as I should be able to announce some very exciting gigs for the first time...
Cheers!
Alex
Back for another blog on another topic that has been rattling around my brain of late, namely that of films. I've done a lot of programming in literature down the years, and it's a field I absolutely love. Hearing a really interesting discussion or a fantastic reading is always great, and I've been lucky enough to be there for some great ones.
But of course literature isn't my only interest, not by any means, and film is something I've always been really keen on. I may not have the broadest of taste, or be of any use at the monthly film quiz, but I'm a fan of genre films and cult films and foreign cinema, so I have my little patch anyway. But what I've been wanting to do for a while now - and have only seriously been looking at this week - is how you go about sourcing films for screenings. I've been able to get advice from a lot of people with an involvement in film, which has been a huge help. And to be honest, even since Wednesday when I first started making tentative phone calls, I've learned a lot about the process.
And boy, is it a tricky one.
Well, it is and it isn't. There's no intrinsic reason for it to be difficult - call the rights holder, tell them what you want to do, pay them a fee and then boom, you're ready to screen. The process in itself is simple, but what was particularly interesting to me, as an absolute novice, was how different it was trying to get hold of certain rights when compared to others. I'm not going to sit here and name studios or films, but some things were perfectly easy to get a hold of. Some you could even just play your own DVD without having to bring in a 35ml print or source anything from the distributor. Then other times it could be a long, exhaustive process involving shipping prints from the US or elsewhere overseas. Then there are differences in some cases for the size of the audience, the size of the screen, whether the audience is paying...
So while you have certain principles in general, there are a lot of differences in each individual case. Which made me realise just how tough a job the guys at cinemas, and particularly independent cinemas, have to do. They have to weigh up not only whether they can get the rights, and then cross the proverbial minefield that ensure, but whether what they pay for the rights will recoup itself at the box office. Sure, it's cheaper to bring in an old classic than it is something brand new on release, but then do people want to see it when they can just pick it up on DVD, in many cases for less than the price of a cinema ticket? Then if you're splashing out for a new film, is it going to draw enough audience and be popular enough to justify its outlay? I remember being thoroughly annoyed when I couldn't find a local cinema showing Pandorum when that was released, but having seen it since I can better understand why it would perhaps have been a risk - it's hardly safe ground like an action film or a romcom after all.
As I noted a few days ago, the process behind things has always interested me, and it's been a buzz to have the chance to explore this new process. Hopefully the fruits of all these phone calls and emails will be seen soon enough, and I'll be able to expand my programming horizons a bit into this new area. As I've always said, it never hurts to have another string to your bow (says the event organiser/tutor/proofer/copyeditor/writer...)
So that's been the joy of film for me this week. Be sure to stop by next week, as I should be able to announce some very exciting gigs for the first time...
Cheers!
Alex
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Events - the ins and outs
Afternoon all,
Interesting times at the moment for me - even though the next few weeks are a bit quiet on the events front, April to July is going to see quite a pick up, not just in Alt.Fiction terms but also on freelance terms as well.
I have to admit that this is one of my favourite phases of work. First of all you have the daydreaming, the blue sky thoughts of what would be absolutely ideal to run. That's a good bit, because at that point the world is your oyster. Then it's taking all those optimistic, wide-eyed ideas and then trying to apply some kind of sense to them - what is feasible, what is realistic, what is affordable. At that point you tend to lose a whole batch of ideas, and after that process of elimination you're left with a simple choice - just how much can I take on? And what offers me the best return on my time and effort?
I don't want that to sound too clinical, but I think we all know these are tough times and unfortunately my days of being able to do things because it was a good idea are long behind me. If it doesn't make money, then unfortunately it's on the ideas scrapheap and soon forgotten about. Artistic quality doesn't always pay the bills unfortunately.
Then it comes to my absolute favourite part - the logistics, the real ins and outs of putting an event together. People will often say to me 'I don't know how you go about running events'. And I always say that it's not any particular talent, it's just that your brain either works that way or it doesn't. Ever since I first started going to events I was interested in how they came together and how they worked on the day - from my earliest days of volunteering just after university, the process fascinated me almost as much as the event themselves.
And that's what I mean by how your brain works - 9 out of 10, perhaps 99 out of 100 people, would go to an event and listen to the speaker and just enjoy it, take it in. I try and do that as well, but there are all sorts of thoughts pop unbidden into my mind such as 'I wonder what this venue cost to hire?', 'I wonder if you could do idea X in this space', 'I wonder what the deal was on the bookstall' and so on. I'm always interested in what lies underneath an event, which is no doubt how I've come to putting events together myself over the last five years. I'm also a dreadful venue watcher when I'm out and about, which I think is a particularly bad habit, but I digress.
The other thing about events is that you have to remember that the ultimately satisfying thing is the end result. Many jobs and walks of life you have landmarks on a pretty regular basis, things that you can tick off and say, 'yes, that was done successfully'. An event essentially has no life apart from on paper until the day, and even then your months of planning will only result in a day or a weekend of activity. That's not something that is satisfying for everyone. But for me, again, the penchant for logistics comes in, because for me that one day of activity is not just one success, but a whole series of small successes. When the venue is set up right, that's a little moment of satisfaction. When things kick off on time, that's another. When the glasses of water arrive on time, that's another tiny victory. And these are the things that make up an event, the tiny pieces of a jigsaw that hopefully will only ever be seen as a whole by an audience, but has been painstakingly put together over many months.
I suppose, frankly, that to most people these types of ins and outs are ultimately quite boring. Even more so, as an audience member, they are largely unnoticeable in your experience. But do bear in mind the people who put events together up and down the country will ultimately succeed or fail on these often tiny factors. I salute my fellow pedants, detail-watchers and control freaks who make all these things happen.
To be honest, I struggle to see myself ever not doing events. It's become a sort of addiction over the years, the buzz of planning and putting together and then the even bigger buzz of getting there on the day and thinking 'I made this happen', or at least in part made it happen. There will always be other things on the table as a freelancer, but events are ultimately what I love. So brace yourselves for more - more from Alt.Fiction and more from Alex Davis Industries or whatever it may in time be called.
So just remember, next time you see a glass of water arrive on stage, that was meant to happen.
-Alex
Interesting times at the moment for me - even though the next few weeks are a bit quiet on the events front, April to July is going to see quite a pick up, not just in Alt.Fiction terms but also on freelance terms as well.
I have to admit that this is one of my favourite phases of work. First of all you have the daydreaming, the blue sky thoughts of what would be absolutely ideal to run. That's a good bit, because at that point the world is your oyster. Then it's taking all those optimistic, wide-eyed ideas and then trying to apply some kind of sense to them - what is feasible, what is realistic, what is affordable. At that point you tend to lose a whole batch of ideas, and after that process of elimination you're left with a simple choice - just how much can I take on? And what offers me the best return on my time and effort?
I don't want that to sound too clinical, but I think we all know these are tough times and unfortunately my days of being able to do things because it was a good idea are long behind me. If it doesn't make money, then unfortunately it's on the ideas scrapheap and soon forgotten about. Artistic quality doesn't always pay the bills unfortunately.
Then it comes to my absolute favourite part - the logistics, the real ins and outs of putting an event together. People will often say to me 'I don't know how you go about running events'. And I always say that it's not any particular talent, it's just that your brain either works that way or it doesn't. Ever since I first started going to events I was interested in how they came together and how they worked on the day - from my earliest days of volunteering just after university, the process fascinated me almost as much as the event themselves.
And that's what I mean by how your brain works - 9 out of 10, perhaps 99 out of 100 people, would go to an event and listen to the speaker and just enjoy it, take it in. I try and do that as well, but there are all sorts of thoughts pop unbidden into my mind such as 'I wonder what this venue cost to hire?', 'I wonder if you could do idea X in this space', 'I wonder what the deal was on the bookstall' and so on. I'm always interested in what lies underneath an event, which is no doubt how I've come to putting events together myself over the last five years. I'm also a dreadful venue watcher when I'm out and about, which I think is a particularly bad habit, but I digress.
The other thing about events is that you have to remember that the ultimately satisfying thing is the end result. Many jobs and walks of life you have landmarks on a pretty regular basis, things that you can tick off and say, 'yes, that was done successfully'. An event essentially has no life apart from on paper until the day, and even then your months of planning will only result in a day or a weekend of activity. That's not something that is satisfying for everyone. But for me, again, the penchant for logistics comes in, because for me that one day of activity is not just one success, but a whole series of small successes. When the venue is set up right, that's a little moment of satisfaction. When things kick off on time, that's another. When the glasses of water arrive on time, that's another tiny victory. And these are the things that make up an event, the tiny pieces of a jigsaw that hopefully will only ever be seen as a whole by an audience, but has been painstakingly put together over many months.
I suppose, frankly, that to most people these types of ins and outs are ultimately quite boring. Even more so, as an audience member, they are largely unnoticeable in your experience. But do bear in mind the people who put events together up and down the country will ultimately succeed or fail on these often tiny factors. I salute my fellow pedants, detail-watchers and control freaks who make all these things happen.
To be honest, I struggle to see myself ever not doing events. It's become a sort of addiction over the years, the buzz of planning and putting together and then the even bigger buzz of getting there on the day and thinking 'I made this happen', or at least in part made it happen. There will always be other things on the table as a freelancer, but events are ultimately what I love. So brace yourselves for more - more from Alt.Fiction and more from Alex Davis Industries or whatever it may in time be called.
So just remember, next time you see a glass of water arrive on stage, that was meant to happen.
-Alex
Friday, 18 February 2011
A long overdue blog
Morning all,
Thought a new blog was well overdue - things have been pretty busy with Alt.Fiction, as well as a number of other projects going on right now, but I promise I'll get more regular bloggage from now on :-)
So what's happened since my last blog? Well, we ran the day of Christmas Spirits at QUAD, in association with 1623 theatre company, which was a fantastic experience. Having never done anything like it before, I was pretty terrified to actually get up on stage, but both the kids and adults alike seemed to enjoy the whole of the show and I got some nice compliments about my section, so that was all good.
Our afternoon show was a shortened version of A Christmas Carol, which featured Jane Upton as our narrator, Marcus Houden as Scrooge and me as... well, everyone else. That's Jacob Marley, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, plus Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew Fred. I'm just glad we did cut it down, because it could have been many more characters... Highlights of the hour-long show for me was the reaction to me walking in as the robed and hooded Ghost of Christmas Future (that got a real gasp!) and the kids making the most of Scrooge's new-found generosity, going into the crowd and dishing out chocolate coins. The excitement of it was almost too much...
The show in the evening was a whole different matter, because I didn't have a costume or a host of characters to hide behind. Marcus kicked things off with a reading of The Tell-Tale Heart (always a favourite of mine), which set things on their way in a suitably atmospheric and spooky fashion. Jane was then up with her rendition of The Turn of the Screw, the superb closing extract, which I still say has one of the best last lines ever. These solo readings both went down really well, especially with the whole thing being set completely in character.
Into the second half, and it was my turn, performing Dickens' classic The Signalman with Marcus as the unfortunate signalman of the title. Despite my utter fear, I did my best to project nice and clearly, and having practiced the story to death I managed to avoid any big stumbles. The story itself got a great reaction, with a lot of people saying afterwards that it was one of their favourites, so that was good to hear. There will be some footage of the evening forthcoming, which I will of course post up here.
So will we be seeing another Christmas Spirits? Frankly, yes, you bet we will. Having sold out two shows at QUAD, as well as having had such a positive response, I think it'd be silly not to. And when that takes shape, you'll be the first to hear about it.
Other than that, it's all been looking forward, with plan afoot for a busy few months in May, June and July. I can't say a great deal at this stage, but if you live in Lincoln, Leicester or Nottingham, rest assured Alt.Fiction will be headed your way in the near future.
The last thing to add is that I was on Siren FM's Midweek Drive show yesterday, which was a great fun experience - thanks a lot to Alex Lewczuk for the invite. If you'd like to hear me talking all things SF and Fantasy, you can check it out at www.southsidebroadcasting.podbean.com
Cheers, and have a good weekend y'all!
Alex
Thought a new blog was well overdue - things have been pretty busy with Alt.Fiction, as well as a number of other projects going on right now, but I promise I'll get more regular bloggage from now on :-)
So what's happened since my last blog? Well, we ran the day of Christmas Spirits at QUAD, in association with 1623 theatre company, which was a fantastic experience. Having never done anything like it before, I was pretty terrified to actually get up on stage, but both the kids and adults alike seemed to enjoy the whole of the show and I got some nice compliments about my section, so that was all good.
Our afternoon show was a shortened version of A Christmas Carol, which featured Jane Upton as our narrator, Marcus Houden as Scrooge and me as... well, everyone else. That's Jacob Marley, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, plus Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew Fred. I'm just glad we did cut it down, because it could have been many more characters... Highlights of the hour-long show for me was the reaction to me walking in as the robed and hooded Ghost of Christmas Future (that got a real gasp!) and the kids making the most of Scrooge's new-found generosity, going into the crowd and dishing out chocolate coins. The excitement of it was almost too much...
The show in the evening was a whole different matter, because I didn't have a costume or a host of characters to hide behind. Marcus kicked things off with a reading of The Tell-Tale Heart (always a favourite of mine), which set things on their way in a suitably atmospheric and spooky fashion. Jane was then up with her rendition of The Turn of the Screw, the superb closing extract, which I still say has one of the best last lines ever. These solo readings both went down really well, especially with the whole thing being set completely in character.
Into the second half, and it was my turn, performing Dickens' classic The Signalman with Marcus as the unfortunate signalman of the title. Despite my utter fear, I did my best to project nice and clearly, and having practiced the story to death I managed to avoid any big stumbles. The story itself got a great reaction, with a lot of people saying afterwards that it was one of their favourites, so that was good to hear. There will be some footage of the evening forthcoming, which I will of course post up here.
So will we be seeing another Christmas Spirits? Frankly, yes, you bet we will. Having sold out two shows at QUAD, as well as having had such a positive response, I think it'd be silly not to. And when that takes shape, you'll be the first to hear about it.
Other than that, it's all been looking forward, with plan afoot for a busy few months in May, June and July. I can't say a great deal at this stage, but if you live in Lincoln, Leicester or Nottingham, rest assured Alt.Fiction will be headed your way in the near future.
The last thing to add is that I was on Siren FM's Midweek Drive show yesterday, which was a great fun experience - thanks a lot to Alex Lewczuk for the invite. If you'd like to hear me talking all things SF and Fantasy, you can check it out at www.southsidebroadcasting.podbean.com
Cheers, and have a good weekend y'all!
Alex
Friday, 12 November 2010
Other Worlds and New Projects
Afternoon all,
Apologies for a rather quiet week on the blogging front - have been hopping from meeting to meeting in the main, with a lot of good stuff in the offing at the moment...
Last Saturday was our first Alt.Fiction branded event, Other Worlds, and a very successful day it was all in all. We kicked off the day with two busy workshops - a fantasy session with Mark Charan Newton, and Tony Ballantyne running a science fiction slot. These were both really popular, and offered people an insight into the writing process - from what I saw there was some very good stuff coming out.
After a short lunch breah (which ironically was the busiest part of the day for me) it was on to the main part of the Other Worlds day. The opening panel, 'The Landscape of Science Fiction and Fantasy', produced some really good, articulate points on writing and the genre as well as some fantastic cross-genre 'trash talk'. All meant and taken in good heart, of course, and great stuff from all four participants - Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mark Charan Newton, Peter F Hamilton and Tony Ballantyne.
With so much SF v Fantasy tension, it felt like a good idea to break everyone up and have a session devoted to each. This brought a much more intimate atmosphere, and a lot of audience interaction with the authors, which was a nice counterpoint to our opening slot.
Finally it was on to the signing, with everyone present having the chance to buy themselves a book and get it scrawled upon by their favourite author. This was also a good social time for everyone, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones as well. We concluded the day with the drawing of the raffle, with some awesome prizes won - including one lucky recipient of a year's supply of Tor books!
For me it was fantastic fun to be back in the events fold, and it's always great to see your long-term plans come together on the day. It was a good crowd, with some excellent authors talking all things genre with each other and the audience.
I also have to add my thanks to Tor for all their amazing support in making the event possible, QUAD for all their work and for hosting us on the day, and Waterstones and Murky Depths for their sterling work in the book room.
We also had some great reviews on the web - check them out at:
http://stevesfantasybookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/alt-fiction-other-worlds.html
http://speculativehorizons.blogspot.com/
This week I've been talking about all manner of things with all manner of people. My main job for next week is to plot up our three writing weekends, which are close to coming to fruition. I'll be posting news of those here before anywhere else, so keep your eyes peeled...
I'm also hoping to have our first authors confirmed for the main event in June pretty soon, so again watch this space!
I'll be away all weekend, but should be back with more news in the early part of next week.
Cheers!
Alex
Apologies for a rather quiet week on the blogging front - have been hopping from meeting to meeting in the main, with a lot of good stuff in the offing at the moment...
Last Saturday was our first Alt.Fiction branded event, Other Worlds, and a very successful day it was all in all. We kicked off the day with two busy workshops - a fantasy session with Mark Charan Newton, and Tony Ballantyne running a science fiction slot. These were both really popular, and offered people an insight into the writing process - from what I saw there was some very good stuff coming out.
After a short lunch breah (which ironically was the busiest part of the day for me) it was on to the main part of the Other Worlds day. The opening panel, 'The Landscape of Science Fiction and Fantasy', produced some really good, articulate points on writing and the genre as well as some fantastic cross-genre 'trash talk'. All meant and taken in good heart, of course, and great stuff from all four participants - Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mark Charan Newton, Peter F Hamilton and Tony Ballantyne.
With so much SF v Fantasy tension, it felt like a good idea to break everyone up and have a session devoted to each. This brought a much more intimate atmosphere, and a lot of audience interaction with the authors, which was a nice counterpoint to our opening slot.
Finally it was on to the signing, with everyone present having the chance to buy themselves a book and get it scrawled upon by their favourite author. This was also a good social time for everyone, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones as well. We concluded the day with the drawing of the raffle, with some awesome prizes won - including one lucky recipient of a year's supply of Tor books!
For me it was fantastic fun to be back in the events fold, and it's always great to see your long-term plans come together on the day. It was a good crowd, with some excellent authors talking all things genre with each other and the audience.
I also have to add my thanks to Tor for all their amazing support in making the event possible, QUAD for all their work and for hosting us on the day, and Waterstones and Murky Depths for their sterling work in the book room.
We also had some great reviews on the web - check them out at:
http://stevesfantasybookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/alt-fiction-other-worlds.html
http://speculativehorizons.blogspot.com/
This week I've been talking about all manner of things with all manner of people. My main job for next week is to plot up our three writing weekends, which are close to coming to fruition. I'll be posting news of those here before anywhere else, so keep your eyes peeled...
I'm also hoping to have our first authors confirmed for the main event in June pretty soon, so again watch this space!
I'll be away all weekend, but should be back with more news in the early part of next week.
Cheers!
Alex
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Business is about to pick up...
...as they say. I'm in the final stages of preparation for Saturday's Other Worlds event, which means getting flyers and book sales ready, printing up signage, sending last emails to everyone involved and so on. A good event is all about getting the little details right, and that's something I've always tried to do at events I've run. It'll be good to get back 'in the game' - barring things like Black Library Live and Games Day I've been pretty much out of the events circuit, so it'll be good to get the old buzz going again!
In other news, I've just had a story accepted for a new Pill Hill Press publication, entitled 'Daily Bites of Flesh'. It's a collection of flash fiction, and my 500 word story 'The Hunt' will be part of it, which is great.
I've also been squirelling away at the Alt.Fiction writing weekends, and have definitely found some really promising venues now, so that's pretty exciting stuff. I think it's a huge gap in the market, and people are so keen to come on these kinds of weekends and devote some real time and space to writing. I'm hoping to have some real solid news on that front soon.
That's it from me until the weekend - I'll be back on Sunday with a full report on Saturday's Other Worlds event.
And here's my song of the moment, one I'd totally forgotten about... this used to play all the time in rock clubs when I was a little younger...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9COTgWZ9f44&feature=channel
Cheers!
Alex
In other news, I've just had a story accepted for a new Pill Hill Press publication, entitled 'Daily Bites of Flesh'. It's a collection of flash fiction, and my 500 word story 'The Hunt' will be part of it, which is great.
I've also been squirelling away at the Alt.Fiction writing weekends, and have definitely found some really promising venues now, so that's pretty exciting stuff. I think it's a huge gap in the market, and people are so keen to come on these kinds of weekends and devote some real time and space to writing. I'm hoping to have some real solid news on that front soon.
That's it from me until the weekend - I'll be back on Sunday with a full report on Saturday's Other Worlds event.
And here's my song of the moment, one I'd totally forgotten about... this used to play all the time in rock clubs when I was a little younger...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9COTgWZ9f44&feature=channel
Cheers!
Alex
Monday, 1 November 2010
Back to reality...
Afternoon all,
It's been back to the daily grind today after a fantastic weekend away for Hallowe'en. Good friends, good food and an awful lot of singing made for a great time. The costumes weren't half bad either - amazing amount of effort from everyone for the party on Saturday! You know who you are :-)
Today has been back to the grindstone, and the search for work as a freelancer goes on. Nothing surprising in that - I knew I had Alt.Fiction as my one big project, and I knew the early days were going to involve a good amount of meetings, emails, phone calls and so on. Still, there's a lot of stuff looking pretty promising, which can only be a good thing. I've also got Other Worlds to occupy me this week, as well as some rehearsal for Christmas Spirits, so plenty of stuff to do on all fronts really...
So just that brief update for today really - more as the week goes on and more meetings take place :-)
Thanks a lot!
Alex
It's been back to the daily grind today after a fantastic weekend away for Hallowe'en. Good friends, good food and an awful lot of singing made for a great time. The costumes weren't half bad either - amazing amount of effort from everyone for the party on Saturday! You know who you are :-)
Today has been back to the grindstone, and the search for work as a freelancer goes on. Nothing surprising in that - I knew I had Alt.Fiction as my one big project, and I knew the early days were going to involve a good amount of meetings, emails, phone calls and so on. Still, there's a lot of stuff looking pretty promising, which can only be a good thing. I've also got Other Worlds to occupy me this week, as well as some rehearsal for Christmas Spirits, so plenty of stuff to do on all fronts really...
So just that brief update for today really - more as the week goes on and more meetings take place :-)
Thanks a lot!
Alex
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