work in progress

When a writing idea comes to you is it best to shelve it in your memory, note it in your diary, or get it down where you can play around with it and see if it has any merit?

I’m a great believer in the writing it down method. Although I enjoy writing novels I am unashamedly addicted to the discipline of short story writing.

While working on a story for inclusion on Around the Bend: and other stories, my next anthology, I considered a tale which involved the passage of time, and it struck me that ‘Time’ would be a superb theme for a multi-author anthology. I could write my standard twelve tales to build a collection, but then I thought how great it would be for the reader to have different voices and styles.

Short story collections may not be at the top of readers’ shopping lists, but when there is the opportunity to read a selection of authors and obtain quality with quantity … it works for everybody concerned. I don’t go through the mill of trying to make my author compilations free on Amazon, and I don’t use Smashwords. I do, however, make the price the lowest possible and like all of my titles, I list the combined-effort anthologies on Kindle Unlimited.

Rather than detail everything twice, I have added the idea to my Work in Progress (WIP) list on the main menu. If you feel you could produce a short story based on the theme ‘Time’ and you’d like to donate a tale or two to the collection, please click Time after Time or the book cover graphic, and leave a suitable comment on the appropriate page.

If you’d like to just read the criteria and make a suggestion or comment, please do so.

As you’ll see from my WIP I have a lot on my schedule but I will be taking a keen interest in any stories which are offered for the multi-author collection. There are certain criteria as noted on the book’s page, but above all, I am aiming for quality stories.

I’ve already produced ‘My Writing Year – 2019’ back in November, so no doubt this post will be my final one for 2019.

Thank you to all who take the time to visit and special thanks to you lovely people who make the effort to leave a comment. I wish you all a great festive season and look forward with you to another great reading and writing year.

I’d like to start this new year by celebrating ‘firsts’.

This is the first month of 2018, and the start of my first full year of retirement. I’ve had a few weeks practice to get accustomed to the idea. To celebrate, I’ve reduced the price of all of my ‘first‘ in series to a mere 99p (or equivalent), and it’s an ongoing promotion.

What are my main targets for the writing year ahead?

– I have novels underway and intend to publish them this year.

– I aim to resurrect pages of notes and compile another anthology of short stories.

Czech Mate – a thriller set in Scotland and the Czech Republic.

Codename: Nightshade – a spinoff from my successful Beyond The Law trilogy.

One Man: Two Missions, and other stories – a collection of short stories and flash fiction.

What could be better than two more novels and another anthology?

I also intend to produce:

Curious and Camping – an erotic novel.

Quiet Night Inn: and other erotic stories – a collection of 12 short stories.

The updates and details of these two titles appear on Tom Benson – Erotica.

Apart from my titles:

– I’ll be assisting my distant friend and fellow author Carmen Lopez to compile her second anthology. Carmen is the author of Alone: and other short stories.

– More reading and reviewing will be in order.

– I will continue to work with the other members of the IASD to produce the next anthologies we’ve planned.

– This may be the year I finally tackle the idea of a paperback version of my titles. I have the first in mind, but I’ll keep the title under wraps until I’ve made progress — or I need help.

– I’ll continue to go out on my bike rides to do a lot of my thinking and planning. My choice of ride affects my thought process, but more of that in a later post.

– I’ll also be drawing and painting, which are wonderful pursuits to allow ideas to develop.

– This year I will try my latest hobby – baking. What has that got to do with writing, you might ask. It depends on the results, but at present, I’m hoping that like cycling, it will allow my mind to wander. I can’t promise to publish pictures of my early failures, but I will no doubt let you see my successes.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts.

May the new year be as good to you as you wish.

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