Competitions and novels and things

Cazart's October flash fiction comp is upon us. (Has it been a month already?) I'll be having another go at this, if I can jsut decide which of my recent efforts I should enter. Any thoughts on this?

Also, I just discovered Spike the Cat. It's an opportunity for fiction writers to get some of their stuff published as part of a compilation, so that established publishers will be more likely to take us seriously. I'm particularly intrigued by Somebody has to Die (Volume IV). If I can provide a decent short story by 30th Nov, I'm in with a chance of getting it published. I could even win £100 if the judge decides it's the best piece. Now I just need a decent idea...

Finally, I'm also taking the plunge and making a start on a novel. I always promised myself I'd write a novel one day, and I reckon it's about time I got on with it. Don't want to say too much more about it now, but drop me an email or a private message if you're interested.

Visiting Hours

You know the time we went rowing on that lake? It was just after we started going out. (Our third date, maybe?) I don’t remember what made you drop the oars, but I do remember how embarrassed you were. I laughed about it and told you not to worry. What I didn’t tell you at the time was how disappointed I was when someone finally came out to rescue us. I know it was cold. I know you felt stupid. I know we only had a bottle of Ribena and a packet of Mini Cheddars to share between us. But it’s one of my favourite memories. Just you and me, with all the time in the world and nothing and nobody to spoil it. So peaceful. So simple.

It might sound strange, but in the months since the accident, it’s all felt a bit similar to that. We’ve been cast adrift, you and me. And yes, it’s been hard. It’s been a lonely experience, especially since no-one can tell me for sure whether even you can really understand what’s going on. Like being in that boat, we just don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here. But somehow, I still know it’s all going to be OK. And whatever happens, we’re together.

People wonder why I still come and see you every day. In fact, Natalie took me to one side last week and told me plainly to find someone else. ‘Let him go,’ she told me, ‘Why waste yourself on a man who’s never going to wake up? You’re still young. You’ve still got time to find someone else.’ But how can I do that? When I promised, ‘In sickness and in health’, I didn’t add, ‘unless you’re in a coma’. Besides, I don’t want anyone else. Of course, I’m angry to be in this situation, but more than that, I’m grateful. I’m grateful for what we had; for what we still have. Think of all the people who go through life without ever truly loving someone. Think of all the people who are lonely, abused or bitter. Whatever happens to us now, how many people can say they had what we’ve got? So that’s why I keep coming here. That’s why I’ll always keep coming, regardless of whether you wake up or if you keep lying there, not moving, not saying a word. We might be stranded in the lake, but at least we got in the boat to begin with. See you tomorrow.

New Story

I'll be uploading a new story later today - the 'Love' instalment in the Faith, Hope and Love sequence. I tried to do something a little different with this one. Also wanted to see if I could write a believable female narrator. Not entirely convinced this one works. Have a read and see what you think. As always, I'd appreciate your comments.

You Don't Know What You've Got...

I wonder if they stopped to think of the consequences before they set about trying to depose God. Come to think of it, I wonder if it really was as calculated as that makes it sound. More likely, it was just a matter of one small step logically following on from the last. The move from urging respect and tolerance for other beliefs to endorsing all beliefs (including no belief) as equally valid was so subtle that hardly anyone noticed. Carrying on to insist on prosecution for anyone who taught that their own belief was somehow objectively true seemed a reasonable and responsible step. From that point, discussing religion at all seemed dangerous, and anyone guilty of doing so had to be imprisoned, simply in the interests of tolerance and civil liberties. And then came the final, inevitable step: the 2027 Abolition Act, outlawing religion altogether. It was greeted as a great day for humanity; a triumph for tolerance, reason and enlightenment; the end of centuries of bigotry and oppression.

A world without God. A brave, new world, indeed. After all, what purpose did God serve? We didn’t need a divine provider any more, since the endlessly benevolent Internet gave us everything we needed. We certainly didn’t need any kind of cosmic judge. The justice we meted out to each other was more immediate, more proportional and somehow fairer than anything we could expect from him. We had no need of miracles, either, now that science could solve practically any problem we could imagine – even creating life. All that was left of God was an archaic, superstitious concept.

But the fundamental error that the atheists made was in not realising that trying to eliminate something is certain to make people realise they miss it. The increasingly shrill anti-God polemic only succeeded in reminding people that God was, actually, good. The championing of the human spirit as the pinnacle of existence merely made people reflect on how flat life seems without someone or something, greater, better, other than oneself. The draconian fines and prison sentences might have driven religion underground, but they also drove people through the doors of clandestine places of worship in unprecedented numbers, dwarfing any previous religious revival Britain had ever seen. It would appear that God has a great deal to thank atheists for.

Change of Plan!

So I got a little bit stuck on the 'Love' piece, and at the same time got inspired to write something on 'Faith'. So I'll post the 'Faith' piece in a second, and I'm afraid you'll have to wait a day or two for 'Love'.

This next piece is different - kind of a mixture of fantasy, satire, dystopia and optimism! Hope you like it!

Competition Results

I entered 'In Loving Memory' in the September flash fiction competition at cazart.com. I just found out I was one of the runners up. That's great, but my first reaction was to be annoyed that I didn't win. (Much to Jo's despair.) I just think the results were a bit odd. I didn't think the winning piece was much good at all, although that might just be me being a bad loser. At least one of the other runners up seemed stronger. Hmmm. See what you think.

Anyway, I'm writing another piece now. If 'What If I Just Kept On Driving?' was about hope, this one's about love. And yes, there is a 'faith' piece in the pipeline too.