Official blog of short story writer, Geoffrey Field Dean.
These are random posts about various phases of my life, in no particular order, just as they come to mind. Most will be uplifting, but here and there will be a touch of humour and a touch of sadness. I hope you will enjoy them. Let me know!
Dear prospective virtual readers,
I've published heaps of stories and won heaps of prizes and had heaps of acclaim throughout the fifty or so years that I've been writing short stories. I would like to say that I've also earned heaps of money and gained heaps of readers outside of my home state of Tasmania. But no, the strait is too wide to send across the message that good things happen in the quiet backwaters of this wonderful country. The little poem I wrote to myself last year sums it up quite well I think:
In this long drought, a few drops of rain here and there, but never enough to moisten the soil and grow my literary garden.
But then my main motivation wasn't to be famous, or get rich. Both fame and money frighten me somewhat. I write short stories because I like them. I like reading a good short story and I enjoy above all other literary pursuits to write them. They suit my temperament. I like to get in and get out before the story looses its excitement. If I can't write a story with a sense of excitement, then how can I expect a reader to be excited when reading it. The fact is I have a need to tell stories. I've been writing stories ever since I learnt to write. It's probably a deep-seated neurosis, but hell, who cares, it keeps me happy.
I find now it takes too long to publish a story in the conventional way today. It can take up to four or five years to battle your way through the heaps of pink slips that say: The editor regrets ... and blah, blah, blah ... It's all too much hassle for someone at my age. I haven't got the time or the patience to persist in the hard-copy world so I pass them into cyberspace, in the hope that they will be read immediately by someone somewhere who appreciates them before the virtual ink dries and the paper curls at the corners.
I hope you like my offerings. If you do, let me know. I must admit I'm not too adverse to a bit of ego boosting. I mean, with all the outward bravado, like most writers, a bad critique hurts and a good one inspires. And if you want more than I can give here, you can always check out the four books that I still have in print on the NET.
Posts
Great to see you online, Geoff! Go for it!
ReplyDeletegeoffrey, your stories are magnificent! great to see your work on the web. Doreen
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey, your work is so under appreciated but a delight to read. Thanks for the lunch. Maria x
ReplyDeleteG'day Geoff, I finally found my way here. I like what you said in your into about the Bass Strait being too wide, it makes your blog entries a sort of literary/cyberspace equivalent to a message in a bottle. Cheers, Michael (maskellshillbilly).
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