CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

I seem to have a love for these little guys. They sometimes come and perch in my backyard, but they usually don't stay very long, once the camera appears. This one was enjoying the sun on a cold winter's day, and then he noticed the camera, checked it out twice - yup, still there. After moving to a safer distance, he was joined by a friend, and continued to watch the camera, with a careful eye. You can find out more about the magpie lark at the following sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magpie-lark ; http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Grallina-cyanoleuca ; http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/magpie-lark ; http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Magpie-lark ; and http://www.climatewatch.org.au/species/birds/magpie-lark .

Very rough week, just gone. Besides being the second week of university’s second semester, I had to make a hard decision. Up-side? My day job might not be taking up so much of my time come the start of next semester. Downside? The budget will be a bit tighter. Up-side? I get more time to study, write and be a mother. Downside? Um… the budget? Up-side? I won’t be as stressed and will have more time for exercise and looking after myself. Downside? I’ve covered that. *Very* hard decision. We’ll just have to see how the next eight months go. Downside is that the stress of this is making it hard to write, but I’ll adapt. Guess I’ll just have to kick in a bit of discipline.  Good news? I'm 10 poems off completing Annual 13 - and then the editing can begin. Overview New words produced: 794 Old words revised: 0 Works completed: 0 Works revised: 0 Covers created: 0 Works published: 0 Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Bloggery: 1,823 Tier 1 Task...

I’ve had a little more time to think about why I like publishing independently I can create my own release schedule—and not be tied to someone else’s; I can view other writers as colleagues and not as rivals—because we are not competing for the very limited places in a publisher’s release schedule AND because neither of us can write quickly enough to keep up with our readers; I can recommend other writers to my readers based on my own judgement and not on someone else’s need to promote another author in their stable—this means I can recommend writers who create similar stories to my own, and/or whose stories I think my readers will enjoy, regardless of where they are published or who by; I can recommend other writers to my readers without fearing that any drop in sales will mean my work falls behind and is pulled from the publishing schedule; I can correct errors in a more timely fashion—instead of waiting for the end of a print run or depending on someone else’s agreement to...

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 proest dalgron. The englyn proest dalgron consists of a four-line verse. Each line has seven syllables that half rhyme with each other. A half-rhyme is one where the final consonants agree. Changing Fortunes I have seen beyond the skies Beyond the plans man’s devised Beyond the truths long denied I’ve seen beyond your lies My gift is not yours to share For purposes you’ve ensnared Nor for foes to be declared You who use it should be scared I have seen dreams overflown Long-held desires overgrown Well-meant denial bemoaned As we over-burdened groan We hear, and hopes start rising No loss, no compromising Our vic’try, our devising We make sure, no surmising. Why don’t you give it a try? Try writing at least one englyn proest dalgron ...

It's no secret that I publish my own work. Some say it's the height of arrogance. Some say it's because it's not good enough to be published by a 'real' publisher. To be honest, I had six titles published by 'real' publishers, before I decided I'd rather go indie, than chase the traditional dream. I also spent eight months researching blogs from independent authors, traditional authors who'd gone independent, or who didn't intend to, publishers, writing industry magazines, agency blogs and pretty much anyone who knew more than I did - and then I decided that independent publishing would suit me better than going forward traditionally. I've spent the last two years feeling my way and I think I'll continue. Here are ten reasons why: I can write what I love—not what I think the publisher will take; If it’s good enough, I can guarantee it will be published—because I can choose what of my work I publish, whereas a publisher is go...

I'm still reading my way through my Laurell K. Hamilton collection. Here are the novels I covered this month - bear in mind I've been sick and I had no tutorials to attend, so there was a bit more reading time than usual. I don't think August is going to see quite so much: