You ever had one of those days when you sit back and say to yourself ‘why the fuck do I bother?’ You know, that stupid little voice in the back of your head that tells you you’re just wasting your time. And of course, you’re dumb enough to listen to it and you start questioning things. These things can be anything, from trying to be nice to someone or even your own writing.

Well, yup, I’ve had a few of those, ‘why the fuck do I bother’ days. We all do. And I always tell people not to listen to that stupid voice. So, really, I know I shouldn’t listen to it but I do. My writing suffers. I suffer.

Then when you think things can’t get any worse it does… so, you think to yourself ‘this is it, it can’t get worse than this, things are gonna pick up’. And does it? Does it naff! It gets bloody worse! You know the stages; you’re all writers here. It’s normal to feel like that. Sensitive bunch ain’t we.

And the funny thing is, all you need is that one tiny drop of hope and you’ve picked yourself back up out of the gutter. It doesn’t matter how important or significant it is, it can be the smallest thing ever, but it makes you smile. And now you’re back on track, laughing at yourself for being such a fool.

A few weeks later… yup, back in that gutter. Why? Why do we allow ourselves end up there? We know we’re gonna get back out if it. Don’t we?

Well anyways, I too have those days too; lately they seem to be more often than usual. I blame health reasons though for getting in my way.

Anyways, here was me feeling down and pissed off browsing the net, finding any excuse not to get on with my writing. So, I popped onto a site that has just recently accepted my ‘Stepping Stones’ story, which is sold for $A2, and I receive 30% of that price, not bad, it’s a paying market!

So, as I was saying, I was peeking through the site and I stumbled across this in the news section:

The Writers > Claire Nixon Published: 2006-01-23 17:43:41

Stepping Stones. Horror/drama - move over everybody

What starts out as a gruesome discover left me ghasping. Claire Nixon is a new breed of horror writer. Knowing what she had planned she keeps the revelations just right, a true mistress of the art of suspence, of redemption nearly regained when she piles it on. Not gratuitously, this is well thought out in its climatic vision of a mind whose depths are slowly spawning its own essence. Deep, dark, describing this piece would not do it justice. Suffice it to say other famous writers seem tame compared to this. More frightening than `Psycho'.

Ain’t he so sweet! I suppose I don’t have to tell you that it placed a wee smile on my face.

If you’re interested in a copy, you can buy it from here:
http://www.rspublishing.com.au/viewbookshop.php

You do have to become a member, which is free. And there’s some great stories on there too.

Right, I better dash now. I’m off to go and sulk in the corner again…