David Maybury | Blog

There really is nothing worse than hitting a wall. Be it on a bike, in a car, when you’re out walking or if you’re just sitting in front of a page writing. So when Carbags said Oddbally needed help I felt a twang of empathy:

Writing books. It isn’t all bonbons and disco balls, they lied. I’m in a bit of a rut at the moment, or a hole to be more precise. A scream hole. The ’scream hole’ is pit in the ground on the outskirts of my fictional town. Rumour has it that that for centuries children have been drawn to the scream hole in their sleep and have fallen away forever. The air around it carries their misery and cries for help. Is this a bit much? - Carbags, let her know what you think.

Elsewhere in the writing world - Sinéad Keogh is abandoning her own blog to finish that book.

12 Stories has an interview with poet John F Deane - who has a very hopeful outlook on short stories:

Stephen King has said the short story is gasping its last. Do you think it is in a healthy or a weak state at present?
It’s in a very weak state because, in Ireland, it was overpublished during too many years and the standard was never too high. Too many poor stories appearing in national newspapers. A good publisher is required, and will appear, inevitably, who will market great stories and present them to a rushing generation, for trains, planes and gains.

And finally - have a look at the new Penguin website. And then have a look over on the Puffin site - now complete with flying Puffin games.