These are the notes I made (unedited) when standing back and taking a quick review of my ‘writing plan’ following yesterday’s submission to the Prairie Schooner book competition.

Where am I? What next?

1 – Poetry is good.

But – “An Index of First Lines” feels a bit like a busted flush.

So, kill it them? (‘Pause’ maybe)

But – ‘found’ stuff has been interesting and is a reliable mechanism for keeping stuff churning…

So, think of a new collection for 2017 containing all post-HA work, found and ‘normal’.

Update Writeral with news of both decisions.

2 – Fiction is good too! And I need to get back into it.

But – Is “Secrets and Wisdom” a busted flush too?

Should I take the same ‘pause’ approach?

Feels the right thing to do.

Update Writeral [probably with a kind of ‘state of the nation’ post explaining ‘stuff’ – or even this lot, typed up..!]

So the big ‘fiction questions’:

• One project, or more than one?
• Short or long (size / duration)?

Output / turning out stuff is important (sense of progress, self-esteem). The poetry helps with that. If I need it in prose, then do shorts fit the bill?

In terms of a longer piece…

“The Man Who Waited…” is all planned out and ready to go. Great opening sentence..! Big question here is ‘do I believe in it?’.

Or something new… Thinking cap on…