I’ve been swamped by day job and night job tasks recently – with an extra teaching load and a bit more writing to do, and I have been almost completely ignoring the actual writing of fiction. But I haven’t been ignoring the idea of fiction writing at all, as I’ve been immersing myself again in podcasts and books that have given me all kinds of great ideas and inspiration.

This week on the train I whizzed through the newest Armistead Maupin book, Michael Tolliver Lives – and it was such a pleasure. Almost ten years ago I borrowed the whole Tales of the City set from a gay friend of mine and something about Maupin’s fresh and honest style really impressed me – along with the interesting characters – so I was really pleased to get the new one. I tried to figure out just what it is that makes me read Maupin so easily, and I can’t put my finger on it. I just wish I could write books that others would feel the same about. One day!

Simultaneously (because I always have several books on the go – it just depends on my physical location as to which one I pick up) I’ve been reading the second novel written by a teaching colleague of mine – The Woodchopper by Cry Bloxsome. It’s independently-published and therefore not usually in mainstream bookshops, but somehow he’s got it in to the big chain Dymocks in the city – seeing it there made me feel just a little bit more confident about me seeing my own book there one day. He’s also promoting it with bookmarks and yesterday on the train a woman next to me had his bookmark in her (cheesy romance) book – I guess she probably picked it up at Dymocks. Knowing someone who has published novels floating around certainly makes me feel like it’s not an entirely unachievable goal.

You might be wondering about the progress of our buddy system for getting more writing down during this semester. We’re wondering too! All kinds of life things have got in the way for both of us but now it’s time to take stock again – I’m going to rewrite my chapter-writing goals a little and then get diligent. I promise – really.