Deakin's writerly update - June 2023

What I've been writing/reading this month.

My new DnD character’s favourite mug.

Apologies dear readers - I haven’t been writing as much as I ought. The summer heat is clearly getting to me.

I have been thinking about what to write next - the last story had a mixed reception, which to be honest is actually more fruitful as you end up thinking about different things you could do. To help me refresh my creative juices, I will be taking a break from Derek, Dave and Alyssa, and exploring new worlds. Hopefully this will give me fresh eyes and new ideas.

What I’ve been working on

My new Dungeons and Dragons character, a human Barbarian blacksmith with two badly behaved teenage sons. In the real world she’d be drinking a mug of wine and pretending it was coffee. In DnD, she bashes zombie hoardes to de-stress. Maybe I’ll write a story about her!

What I’ve been reading

I’m currently reading Jade City, which I am enjoying. Think complex gang warfare and family drama meets magical superhuman abilities. Dark, gritty and interesting.

A rant and a recommendation

I recently read The Birds, a horror short story collection by the one and only Daphne Du Maurier.

Du Maurier is a master of creeping suspense and The Birds was a perfect example of the sinister terror of birds gone wrong. I highly recommend.

There was only one short story in the collection that didn’t work for me (The Old Man). I will now rant about what I thought was wrong with it.

SPOILERS BELOW - PLEASE READ THE STORY FIRST IF YOU WANT TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND

It’s a story of a strange couple who are a bit too obsessed with each other. They have several children, including a son who has a learning disability (warning - it’s an old story so ableist language gets used). The mum dotes on the kid but the dad seems to resent him stealing his wife’s attention. All the other kids leave home but he comes back, trying to be close to his mother, the only person who understands and seems to care for him. The dad gets jealous, seemingly murders the son and the couple seem to get back together.

Then here comes the twist (scroll on if you don’t want to know).

It turns out they were swans. Yes that’s right. Swans.

I was NOT happy about this ending. It ruined the sympathies I’d built up and the point I thought it was trying to make. Other people seem to love it though. Let me know what you think.

What I’ve been watching

Been watching comfort TV, so mostly Scrubs, Bridgerton and Being Human, along with some Disney movies.

What I’ve been listening to

The Lady of the Lake, the last in the Witcher series. After the high drama and brutality of The Tower of the Swallow, this one is feeling a little tangental and meandering so far, but I will give it a proper hearing and see how it turns out.

Books I'm looking forward to reading

Newton Webb's Nestor Lynch and Charles X Cross's War and Prize.