Okay, do you remember last year when I talked about my balls? Yes? No? Well, I’m using the new year to kind of stock take and push on from that position. I actually managed to tick a few things off the original list, but here’s what remains.
The novel. For various reasons (mainly to do with a dead netbook with a load of new (and unbacked-up) edits on it and a busy year end at the day job), Queen Of Clouds didn’t get finished. So, that’s the immediate priority. I actually feel pretty good about it at the moment, so here’s hoping that battering away at it will see it done very soon.
Short stories. Very pleased about the sale to NewCon’s Dark Currents anthology and the double publication in the Christmas Estronomicon, but I still think I could be doing better on the short story front. No point in half-measures, so I’ve set myself a goal of having ten new stories in print by the end of 2012 (and it’s a relatively conservative goal – I’d prefer to get 14 so that I can reach the landmark of having 50 stories in print). “Lost Sheep” counts as one. All I need are nine more!
Music. As always, the music will continue in tandem with the writing. Murnie are now well back in the groove and I expect another EP release in the next few months, and hopefully some songwriting and gigging too. Markee and Bert will be playing I hope at least as much as they did in 2011, and our goal for the early part of the year is to devise a longer length show that we can take to The Fringe. And then there’s the Other Musical as well which I hope will take a spurt forward sooner rather than later.
So, to sum up, by the end of 2012, I’m expecting to have produced:
– 1 novel (and be well into the next one)
– 10 stories
– 2 or 3 EPs
– 2 musical shows.
Check back in December to see how I did.
ayeahmur 
good luck Neil.i applaud a creative chap with all my creativity.
i am particularly intrigued by “the other musical”.what could this be ..i wonder.?
i have an operetta in the pipeline. how effing pretentious but hey we are artists.
Cheers, Iain. Looking at it all written down, it looks like a lot, but it’s not really that much more creative work than I normally do during a year. What it really amounts to is Finishing Things Off. That’s the real challenge.
The Other Musical – it’s very early doors for it yet, but it involves collaboration with another Glasgow-based songwriter who I’ve admired for years. There’ll be more as and when it develops though, but I’m excited about the potential for it. 😀
And an operetta, Sir? Jings! That’s not really pretentious though. And I for one would totally love to see what you come up with in that form. Go for it. Get it done. By the way, though, I meant to say last time I saw you that I stumbled across some of the videos you’ve been doing. How cool are they? Really liking them stylistically. Great work.
il stay tunned re “the other musical”
incidentally if “finkle and the saw “want a vid il do it.always keen to make vids.no fee i just like makin them.
keep it in mind esp if you have a concept.
any cheers neil
Aw, cheers, man. Hmm, let’s talk at Matsuda next week.
Wow. That’s all I say. 🙂 Wow.
Well, it’s all on paper at this stage, Gio, but I’ve got a strong can-do feeling at the moment.
It’ll be interesting to see how much of it actually gets accomplished. 😀