Seems like a long time since I did any serious writing. Novel #2 has been in the starting blocks for almost nine months but with only a little over 2000 words written it can hardly be said to have got started yet.
So I was grateful for a link from a mate at the end of last week, pointing me in the direction of a Manchester-based writing competition that closes on Friday of this week. Luckily - in view of the extremely short deadline - it's a *short* story competition. No more than 3,000 words and on any topic at all as long as it reflects city life in some way, and the city of Manchester in particular plays "a central role" in the story.
Always a good sign when an idea pops into one's head straight away, which is exactly what happened to me as I flicked through the competition rules. I'm on to the second draft now, and really pleased with the idea I've come up with for the ending. The short story is a form I'm entirely unfamiliar with, as a writer not a reader, although I have read the odd article on the particular challenges faced by short story writers. I refreshed my memory of those over the weekend in a couple of stints of Internet research, interspersed with actual writing. I know myself well enough not to fall into the trap of spending all my time reading about the good practice and no time on the actual doing.
Winners are announced at the beginning of August so that's another bonus - I don't have to sit around for weeks wondering how I've done. Always the worst part.
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