CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

We keep getting these little guys and gals coming inside. I don't know what particular species this one is, but it is some kind of wolf spider. I can't tell if it's a Lycosidae or a Venatrix (and if that sounds like some vampire clan, it's not my fault). More information on wolf spiders can be found at the following sites: http://www.lycosidae.info/identification/australia/ http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/pchew_brisbane/index.html http://www.findaspider.org.au/index.htm https://www.flickr.com/photos/australianspiders/collections/72157622669463297/ http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/arachnologists/framenau/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider http://australianmuseum.net.au/Wolf-Spiders

An englyn is a form of Welsh or Cornish verse, with a reputation of being hard to master. It has several different variants, all of which are governed by strict rules. This week, we’ll look at the englyn milwr. The englyn milwr consists of a three-line verse. Each line is seven-syllables long, and all lines rhyme. The englyn milwr is also known as the soldier’s englyn. I thought I’d try a slightly longer englyn, made of verses that followed the rules above. I don’t think that’s against the rules… The Soldier’s Path The soldier marched a long way from his home, where heart held sway As he marched his thoughts did stray He missed working in the field missed his wife, the kiss she’d yield missed her pies, the apples peeled When the war was done and gone The soldier marched each step home For his wife was still the one Why don’t you give it a try? Try writing at least one englyn milwr for each day of the week. You can find out more about how to

This week started where last week left off… with studying for an exam. Not a lot of writing—or anything else—happened this week. Overview New words produced: 0 Old words revised: 2,643 Works completed: 0 Works revised: 1 Covers created: 0 Works published: 0 Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Bloggery: 234 Tier 4 Tasks TweenNovel1A— Orb Wielder : added 2,643 words Publishing Tasks Created 1 blog posts for this blog; Edited and formatted C.M. Simpson: Short Stories and Poems from 2013—The Year Just Gone New Arrivals The following ideas arrived this week: Cookbooks 2-3

The second volume of my annual collection of short work from the previous year is now available. This year I had enough work for two volumes and it spans the range from speculative to fantasy to science fiction to horror to urban fantasy and paranormal fantasy through a variety of poetry, flash and short fiction. Sometimes, I wonder where it all comes from; mostly, I just enjoy the ride. Last year’s anthology consisted only of the short stories and poems published in 2012. This year’s anthology consists of all the short stories and poems that I created, edited or rewrote in 2013, regardless of whether or not they have been released. The tales are taken from completed anthologies, and anthologies yet to come, from my blog, and from my notebooks. Most are published as stand-alone stories, but some are yet to be published. This year’s anthology is two volumes long. I have divided them up chronologically, according to when the stories were first created and completed. This