Competitions – Page 54

My drawing for this post is a nude study I completed in March 1985. I remember it took about three hours. I still consider it to be one of my best of that time. This is one of very few ladies drawn naked because I prefer to draw them partially clothed.

Decided I had to check in here with an update. I now have three short stories on the go and an appropriate piece for the monthly magazine Scottish Memories. I’ve completed the writing but I want to edit once more before it goes to the magazine. I’m considering a sidebar menu for features and articles. It would make sense since I’m getting back into my studies with my Creative Writing course.

Over this last week I’ve been enjoying my favourite writer’s latest tale, THOSE IN PERIL by Wilbur Smith. It has all the usual WS ingredients like adventure, larger than life characters, death and heroics. I’m savouring this one because it will doubtless be a while before his next.

On the Starlite Cafe site I read a poem about a lad being taken to a brothel by his father as a treat and an introduction to sex. The comments I noticed didn’t seem to be concerned with the poetic tale itself but with the subject matter … prostitution.

The comments rather than the poem got me thinking that there was a need for a wider explanation of the topic. Not that I’m an expert, but I’ve written a piece which in the next two days should be ready to post. All I ask of readers is that they remember it is personal observation, not banner waving support of the industry.

Hopefully now everybody who reads this will be waiting impatiently for my poem about prostitution. I’ll post a link for it on Facebook and I’d like to think it will be read with an open mind.

I’ve spent three months working on the latest short story to be posted here. It’s called, ‘Debt of Honour’. A young sailor is marooned after a mutiny, but then the ship returns to the island a year later. The Lord might well say, ‘vengeance is mine’ but our young hero has other ideas. I’m entering it for the Global Writers March competition, so once again, here’s hoping.

Whilst we’re on the subject of doing the right thing, I’ve made fair progress with Chapter 1 of my novel. The working title is, ‘A Life of Choice’ and the main character is a young man by the name of Jim Faulkner. He looks, sounds and acts remarkably like I did at the same age when I joined up. By this weekend I intend to have Chapter 1 edited and be working on Chapter 2.

In the knowledge that I’m now converting my autobiography to a fictional novel (laced with fact), I am more content to continue. I would appreciate any comments on my decisions to go down this route. I appreciate comments or criticism of any of my writing.

On poetry, I am underway with a series on the analysis of dreams. I will continue with that idea. My most difficult task in the future is to avoid spending too much time on verse because it distracts me from my ‘conventional’ writing.