Definite Articles

While I've been gone, things have moved on with my article for Perth's Sunday Times Magazine. Despite the many hitches that resulted in my missing the deadline, the story made the grade with the editorial bods and I've been handed another assignment to work on over the next couple of weeks.

This second story should be a rather more straightforward proposition now that a) I'm back online and b) we've finally found a daycare spot for my son, after striking out completely with nannies. Not only will this provide the poor little sod with some much needed social time with kids of his own age, it'll buy me a clear day and half of kid-free time each week, more than enough to cover any interviews I may need to conduct. Well, so long as I sit up half the night doing the actual writing bit ...

This first story, meanwhile - a look at the explosion in popularity of the Internet social site MySpace - made it into the mag yesterday, and has been reasonably well received. I'm particularly chuffed that Tama Leaver, the expert from UWA who so kindly gave up his time to be interviewed on the subject, considered it to be 'pretty balanced'. The STM and MySpace are both owned by News Corp, and there was always the danger of the story sinking into self-promotion. Respect is due to my editor for allowing me to point out some of the site's more pressing problems.

In other work news, last week I heard back from Simon Guerrier - editor of the upcoming Old Friends collection for Big Finish - that the edit of the first draft of my story will be finished soon. Quite keen to see how it's turned out, not least because I've thought of several ways to tighten it up since submitting it.

I'm a compulsive fiddler when it comes to my writing: if not for deadlines I'd never get anything done, instead spending an eternity hunched over the keyboard 'tweaking'. As it is I'm champing at the bit to work the changes in - all assuming they've not been picked up already by the ever-vigilant Mr G ...