Hello faithful readers! I am your leader! That last sentence was a joke! Read the whole thing at the link below. I was very happy to complete this work, as it is my first short story for a while (a year? eighteen months? nine months? I am not sure as time morphs ridiculously these days!).
This short story feels like it is actually half a short story & half a novella. . . they don’t have a word for that, as I think that still falls under the rubric of a ‘short story’. . .I don’t even know how many words it is, but my instinct says perhaps 7000 words, or at least 6000….maybe 8000 who knows!
Ok I just word counted – it is 8500 words! This after a couple of edits will prob trim down (if I want it to stay a short story) or gain words (If I turn it into a novella). I will worry about this later – the smartest thing is to do both versions, I guess.
As I have just finished this new work, I feel that it might be the best thing I’ve written….but of course every writer, be they good, hack, or crap does say this – but it does feel like it is a more meaningful one. Perhaps it is because this story, I would say, is also semi-autobiographical. That’s all I’m saying on the matter!
Anyway I hope someone out there enjoys it.
Outside the short story, I am just back from a half writers weekend/half family visit to Dunedin. It was good, and I had a party night at the Dunedin Social Club with the very quality host ‘English Joe’ (The Punk Band lookalike) Bartender. Those cheap beers went down the throat like a fluffy reverse endoscope (ok bad analogy).
I also caught up with family, which was nice. You have to forgive your parents in this world; this is what I have learnt. There might be exceptions, but they don’t apply in my case. Sons & Fathers have too much beef against each other….that should change.
I also visited the great little bookshop called “hard to find books” on Dowling Street. It’s a gem & I only bought 5 books this time – I limited myself.
I am now back in my small Central Otago town. I’ve got back to my bathroom renovation project – it’s an odyssey in itself! It’s getting cold. I need to make more cash in day jobs. Same old story unfortunately! The three cats (one is mine, the other two just turn up each day) are glad I am back, they have been demanding food. The little bastards! It’s good to be back in this good writing environment (there’s not much to do you other than write you see).
So you are all updated….I hope you read my short story & I hope it’s not too hard going. I plan to write a few more short stories, as I have a few ideas brewing from my Dunedin trip.
See you soon, happy reading & take care.
p.s. there were no paid promotions here by the way. I haven’t hit the bigtime yet for that!
Martin Anton Smith 16 April 2025 10:01 PM (nice & exact)
Anton Martin Smith Writer 