The real reason why it rains

On Saturday mornings, when I have my opportunity to write and be alone, I often have this nervous energy fizzing away inside me. I need a way to channel this energy so that I can then sit down and write. Perhaps I need to do some deep breathing before I start (speaking of which, 'Writing begins with the breath' looks like a good book - maybe I should buy it) or, on the flip side, it may be more helpful to get some good music on, crank it up really loud and dance for a while to release some of this nervous energy. It's hard to explain, but I'm almost too over-excited to actually get down to the writing so I end up wasting silly amounts of time doing other things, eg looking for lost camera battery chargers which I've just been doing. Grrrrr. Crazy, isn't it?

So far this year, I've been keeping a close record as always of stories I've been sending out into the world, mostly to small press magazines or online literary zines. I've sent stuff to 11 different places and of these, 4 have said no, 1 has put my story on to a short list and I've not heard from the others. But it makes me think - this is a good indication of just how far and wide I need to keep casting my net in order to get the thumbs up from anyone. Here's a small tale I wrote about my paternal grandfather Sam for the Scottish Book Trust's 'Family Legends'. It's nothing too creative, but I love family folklore and I think it's so important to keep these family tales alive and passing through the generations. My daughters didn't know my maternal grandparents, but they know exactly who they are (Granny Teacups and Great Grandpa Thompson, or GGT) and I hope will one day be able to pass on stories about them to their own children.

Speaking of my daughters', yesterday my four year old said 'I know why it rains.' When I asked why, thinking I was about to hear  a version of something she'd learnt at science week at school, she replied 'Because a giant turns on an enormous tap in the sky.' I love that. Children's imaginations are just so fertile and it's something we MUST encourage, before that frustratingly inevitable reality check kicks in.