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Sweet Summer Writeathon
Issue #29 - July 2025
Arthur Manners
July 11, 2025
It’s been an intense few months, so it’s high time to catch up on things.
Table of Contents
May/June Life Summary
I’ve been busy since late March on a structural edit for a novel, which was much more substantial than I’d anticipated. Three months’ worth of edits is a big lift, but I’m happy with what I achieved, and I think the book is much stronger for it.
My reward was a beach holiday in Tunisia. It was our first time doing an all-inclusive package holiday, and usually that wouldn’t be our sort of thing. But, given that we both just finished some large chunks of work and had been putting in a lot of hours, just lying on the beach and being fed was absolutely the right decision.
I stared at the ocean and people-watched for days on end, we talked and reconnected, and the free booze was nice too. I’d definitely like to revisit Tunisia to see its historic sites and enjoy its culture—regrettably we were having too good a time to leave the beach.
The beautiful beach at our hotel during our holiday to Tunisia
I’m now about to enter another hectic writing phase, this time on a new book. I have around a third of a draft already written, so it won’t be a cold start, but there will be a ramping-up period after having been away from it for some time. The deadline is tight but it’s going to be fun!
Links & Recommendations
Books: Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin. One of the seminal craft books on writing. Whether you’re a writer or not, read this if only for Le Guin’s strong hand, and singular voice. I recently came back to it, and picked up on things that hadn’t landed the first time. I’m sure it’ll reward further repeat reads in future.
Podcast: Brian Eno Knows “What Art Does”, The New Yorker Radio Hour. I heard about this through Austin Kleon’s newsletter. Brian Eno talks about the purpose of art, and what the mind does when producing it. Best quote: “Children learn by playing. Adults play with making art.” I also picked up a favourite new word from this interview: Torschlusspanik (Door-shutting panic): the feeling that time is running out to achieve something one is aiming for.
Music: Father and Son by Yusuf/Cat Stevens. Just a great song. It’s been in my head lately. Enjoy.
Poetry: Dreams of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich. I’d heard a lot about this book but I didn’t expect the poems to hit so hard. Here’s an excerpt from “Power”:
Today I was reading about Marie Curie:
she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness
her body bombarded for years by the element
she had purified
It seems she denied to the end
the source of the cataracts on her eyes
the cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends
till she could no longer hold a test-tube or a pencil
She died a famous woman denying
her wounds
denying
her wounds came from the same source as her power
Film: 28 Years Later. I’d see anything put together by Alex Garland or Danny Boyle. Something they collaborated on, which they haven’t since 2007 with Sunshine. The second sequel to 28 Days Later is very different, so don’t go expecting a rehash of the first film, or the second. It’s more artsy and meandering; I can understand some of the criticism, but I enjoyed it and will be watching it again.
Writing News
My short story “Nelly’s World”, which originally appeared in the anthology Divergent Realms, is now available in audiobook format. You can find it at Audible and iTunes.
My sci-fi poem “Looking Back” is now confirmed to appear in the September/October 2025 issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact.
I’ve made my first flash fiction sale to Flash Fiction Online. My sci-fi/horror story, “Woodsong”, will be appearing in the forthcoming October 2025 issue.
Where’s Rolo?
Have a great summer!
Arthur