Today’s graphic is a recent painting – December 2010.                                                                                                                                                

My absence over this week might give the impression that I’ve been easing up on my writing but that’s not the case. 

I have three short stories on the go and a collection of twenty poems I’m editing quite severely.  In order to take a break from those tasks I’ve occupied myself with writing poetry and reading.  On Starlite Cafe I am well underway with a series of poems based on the analysis of dreams.  I am also writing a romantic series about a couple who are trans-atlantic friends … then they meet. 

With trans-atlantic friends in mind, during the week I co-wrote a sensual piece with a lady friend.  The poem is called ‘Bare Flesh on Sand’.  On completion of this post I’ll be adding a link to it in my Poetry/collaborations section but I’ll also add a link to this post.  

By way of a change, the link will go to the other poet, Cheryl’s page.  The graphic, background and text scheme were Cheryl’s idea and I think they all work well.      ‘Bare Flesh on Sand’  http://www.thestarlitecafe.com/poems/105/poem_91187761.html

   For this post I’ve added the lovely Katherine Jenkins.  It’s a portrait I created on black card using soft pastels.  I achieved the look I wanted which is nice when it happens.                                                   

On the writing front over these last few days I’ve actually been working on my novel.  I’ve also been choosing and editing a selection of poetry to send to a publisher.  The novel, not surprisingly is an ongoing project.  My poetry on the other hand is so wide ranging in subject matter that I found it difficult to choose what I thought was appropriate. 

My final selection, be it right or wrong, is spread across five genre, which has allowed me to list four pieces for each.  I’ve avoided the idea of going with different forms.  Any publisher would expect that you know a variety of forms. 

My reading this week has been the brilliant book, ‘The Writer’s ABC Checklist’ by Lorraine Mace and Maureen Vincent-Northam.  I’ll write a dedicated review of the book in my next post because it would be unfair to the authors unless I do it justice. 

Strange as it may seem, whilst reading the superb book of information for writers I came up with the idea for my next short story.   The theme bears no relation to the book or it’s content – it’s a tale about terrorism and the fight against it.