Western Australian Unemployment Falls

Well, by one, at least, and only for a week or so if I fail to prove myself. Starting Monday, however, I'll be roving and reporting for one of Perth's metro newspapers. Got a list of contacts and a brief for my first story, just got to do the legwork and find an angle.

Just in time too, because I've been going quietly mad having next to nothing to do all day. Ironically, the lack of work was starting to breed a lack of desire to work - the free time would have been ideal to pick up any number of projects I've put to one side over the last year, but I just couldn't get motivated for worrying about the lack of paying work coming in.

Fortunately Benny Overlord Simon Guerrier threw me a lifebelt last week with news of a short story collection I might be interested in pitching for. I'm used to having story ideas kicking around in the back of my mind while I do other things, but since the move the only thing rolling around back there's been the tumbleweed. Having plot possibilities to mull over prevented my brain from dribbling out of my ears entirely (which would have been bizarrely appropriate, as the short needs to be a horror story).

It's been a long time since I've read anything even vaguely resembling a horror book, though (the last being a collection of short stories by the unfeasibly talented Christopher Fowler) so I'll be delving into a few choice tomes this weekend to get into the mood. That said, since the first book I'm getting stuck into is by an author on the editor's 'This Is Not What I'm Looking For' list, it'll be less for inspiration and more to avoid unwittingly stuffing the pitch up before I even make it.