A final gift idea, since there's only a week to go. The Creative Writing Coursebook is based on the University of East Anglia's creative writing courses, and is suitable for beginners and more advanced writers.

Nothing on the new project this week, but I have written a couple of other short pieces, drafted a new poem, and got my submissions up to date. Short things, flash and poetry, seem to be all I can manage at the moment. Anything longer requires a sustained level of brain power I just can't manage after a day at work, certainly on the days I finish late. Being on a rota sucks.

The competition special issue of Writing Magazine is out this week, so I updated my deadline calendar for the rest of the year. As always there seems to be an increase in competitions for very specialised age groups - women over 40 or 60, or under 25, for example. It's a bit of a wasteland if you're anywhere in between. I wonder why organisers don't seem to consider that the rest of us might need support or encouragement. Maybe they think we're all too busy off having babies or something.

There's an increase in contests requiring ridiculous levels of fees, too - upwards of £12 in some cases. While I understand the need for contests to charge a fee so they can pay the judges and the winners, some of them seem to be plainly taking advantage. I'm a firm believer in Yog's Law - money flows towards the writer - and if it's flowing in the other direction there had better be a good reason. That's why I won't submit to regular markets with submission or reading fees, and if I'm entering a contest I set the fee I'm willing to pay at 2% of the prize unless winning is particularly prestigious in itself.

My writing books have all turned up now.

Although, to be fair, The Observation Deck was ordered before Swanwick and turned up without the deck (which is presumably why it was so cheap, although it wasn't mentioned in the product description). I'm working my way through them, and it's nice to have a collection to dip in and out of when I want to get my head into writing. It's also nice to know I can buy them without worrying about having to move house with them - and that any I decide not to keep will easily find a new home at Swanwick next year.