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EDITORIALDecember 2006Welcome to the new look site. Okay the changes are subtle but necessary, because this site has been in a state of disrepair for too long. From this month onwards the monthly editorials will be archived, the previous ones tended to be deleted, thankfully I didn't say anything too important. This brings me to my next subject, writer's websites. Writers, and I include myself here, are notoriously sloppy when it comes to updating and maintaining their own websites. To a certain extent this is the nature of the beast, we write frequently and don't always find the time to update a site. After all, it's not like we're losing millions if the site stays static. But the site shouldn't stay static, it should contain the most current information about yourself, as well as updates on what you have been writing and your new publishing list. It gives a sense of permanence to your career, and if writing is not a career then at the very least it's a hobby. Either way, it needs an outlet and the web is the way to advance your career. It is strange that while I can update and design other people's sites, I am terrible when it comes to my own, perhaps I'll make that a New Year's resolution! This year however has been an eventful one. I have spent a good deal of time organising and sorting through work. I had always thought of myself somewhat disparagingly as a failed writer, until I printed out all the work I had written since 1997. There were well over 200 short stories, articles and other pieces, eighty percent of which were published, and a good percentage were for paying publications. I had to revise my earlier opinion and give myself a pat on the back. This year I have embarked on an experiment with erotic writing, you can find details on the erotic page and my erotic stories at Erotic Fables.com. I was tempted to put a female pen name to them but decided against it. Macho men can write sensual tales of erotic romance! I have also had several stories published by Secret Attic and while I did not receive money for them, I have found it incredibly encouraging. Free publications are a great way for a writer to find their voice. Of late I have been involved with Eurofiction, a 20 week fiction contest where you take one of three prompts and write a story within two weeks. The winner gets a prize. It has been a great contest, unfortunately I am well down in the rankings, but this is a normal part of writing and it does get one into a discipline of writing. Too many writers start a story and never finish it. Eurofiction forces you to focus on finishing the story and sending it in, and that my friends is the essence of writing; there is time enough for the editing proces but that comes after you've written the short story or chapter. Another exciting development has been my involvement with Luba Yamskaya, a Russian writer/songwriter and poet, her talents are seemingly endless! Her poetry has been archived on this site and will be updated regularly. I will be adding a gallery page with a difference, because writers have faces as well!! I guess in retrospect this has been a watershed year for me, this was my year of living dangerously when all hell could and did break loose. But it has been a rewarding year because I have finally turned a corner and now admit to being a writer. Yes, I do design websites, I can do desktop publishing and graphic art, but I am primarly, first and foremost a writer. I know it will probably be many years before I can retire from my day job and write fulltime, but in the meantime I do what writers do, they write! It is what you should say when someone asks you at a party, "so what do you do for a living?" Instead of saying, "I work in marketing, retail or in a crummy factory," say "oh I'm a writer." It's nothing to be ashamed of and you never know, you could be talking to an agent in disguise! Christmas is nearly on us and it tires me out even more now that I'm working in the retail trade. But it does mean something special and on that note I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Remember that is not the price tag on the gift that counts, it's the fact you thought of someone other than yourself. All the best, Alastair Rosie
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