Dirty, dirty, dirty habits

Over at Bibliophile Stalker the kazbar-rocker Matt Staggs has been grilled and interrogated interviewed regarding his work as a book publicist, and he mentions my writing, stating I write "these incredible little slices of creative fiction that you should really check out." Too kind!

He even warned me of this before hand, which was even kinder, since it gave me the chance to get my freak out over and done with in private. See? Me, being all calm and adult-like. Be impressed. Even more thanks, Matt, I'll endeavour to turn off all caps in at least one future email.

Back in May I had another stealth mad prop from teh oarsum Deborah Biancotti, who accused me of being a "compelling writer". Which involved a lot of tizzing about on my part, not unlike a demented blowfly.

Actually, I have to confess my first reaction to both of these didn't involve any freaking out. The freak out did happen, but later. I was stuck for a long while on asking what on earth these two were reading of mine, 'cause, ah, I haven't published anything of note recently. Or at all for that matter. IS MY FUTURE BODACIOUSNESS THAT GREAT, IT REACHES BACK IN TIME AND GIVES ME THE GLOW OF FABULOUS?

No, wait-

This blog is always an afterthought. Poor blog. I don't tend to count any of my nightshift shenanigans as "writing" for the true and hard and high and mighty definition of "writing". 7wishes is written for this blog, and blog writing doesn't count. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't. I'm also writing about me, and fictional situations or no, that makes it count even less. Even as I go write myself into another satisfyingly sticky end, it feels a bit...dirty. Like all those fanfiction stories in which the fan very carefully takes the universe they are so dearly in love with and then completely miss the point, commit not just character assassination but character genocide, and generally make a great big masturbatory mess out of everything. (It's not even like I'm a fan of my life, c'mon now.)

All that aside, 7wishes appears to be well liked, and which is a huge relief and no small warm fuzzy thing. I enjoy writing them; they're a bizarre little challenge and deliciously self-indulgent. They'll continue for as long as is sustainable, but I'm not going to push myself to produce a new set every nightshift, else they'll all turn out as hit-and-miss as 7wishesIII. Ideas come when they choose to, and the flavour that the stories have picked for themselves means I have to be fussy. More concepts have been discarded than used.

I'm not all that keen on resorting to painting every other nightshift (strangely grueling activity that), so I have a couple of backup ideas tucked in the hindmind that I'll mess around with at a later date. That's the only warning you get.

And finally, the whole point of this post; Matt's nudge reminded me to make a table of contents for 7wishes and 7paintingfiascos, which I meant to do ages ago. There's a permanent link up on the top right, for all those moments you need a fix of Bert and just can't find him in the archive.

Thank you, my strange and wonderful readers. You humble and honor me.

Next nightshift begins in T minus 8 days and counting...