On days like this

On days like this, I compose reviews of my (non-existent) short story collection in my mind. I caught myself doing this just now, as I lugged wet washing to the line. The reviews aren't harsh - they're tepid, like milk left out too long. They say things like: While the stories are generally well-written, they are also stolid and unsurprising. I realised what I was doing and stopped. I looked for the silver lining and congratulated myself for at least imagining a published anthology. But I know those negative thoughts are there, I know the limp reviewer hasn't gone very far. It's a mug's game, this writing gig. We write and re-write, edit and edit some more, send out our precious baby (manuscript/story/poem), and often don't even hear back at all. Nothing. Not even a form rejection. Who would do this to themselves?! And yet there's that world we inhabit when we write, the places we create exactly as we please. We play with words and mix them up and tumble them into sentences. We bring characters, places, stories to life. It's an enormous joy and I truly love to write. Fellow writers, may your week be free of negativity and filled with writing bliss!