Okay, it’s actually the first notices regarding competitions I have submitted my work to this year; it just so happens that the first two notices—one, really (I have not received the second notice, but the winners have already been announced via Twitter, so…)—are out, and my name appears among neither the winners nor the finalists/runners-up.

This is actually a bit of a relief. For one thing, it means I can raid the material for possible inclusion in my next book. For another, it means that I no longer have to worry about how the books in question would have been presented—that is, about the size, cover design, layout, and typeface selection—or about someone else’s publishing schedule.

None of my other outstanding competitions involve works for publication; in that sense, the pressure is off.

(13 September 2017)