Burning the midnight oil

So much for not neglecting this blog...Well, at least you will be pleased to know that I have written one short-story and two flash-fiction pieces since the last time I posted here and besides that I have completed reading "On Writing" by Stephen King and started reading "The tortilla curtain" by T.C. Boyle (which shows a lot of promise).

"On Writing" was a great book. If anything, it lifts the veil of the writing fairy-tale and myths and confronts some simple truths about it, which personally made my life a little easier. If you're looking for a book that will take you by the hand and give you all the much desired "tricks" to write the next best-seller...well then this isn't what you're looking for.

But for those eager to find out, how the mind of probably one of the most successful contemporary fiction writers works and how he makes his magic happen, then rest assured this book is everything you ever wanted. I thoroughly recommend it to any writer! King doesn't promise to turn you into a best-selling author. What he does say though, is that hard work almost always pays off, unless you are a really bad writer. In that case, there is no hope for you. Sorry! Try cleaning a car instead.

I will keep up my writing then (in the hope that I am not a really bad writer) and submit to short story competitions and literary magazines. And should I get accepted for publication or actually make a shortlist of any kind, you can count on me shouting it out from the rooftop and in this blog, for the whole world to hear.

I think I should go to sleep now. I still have to work tomorrow.