At the end of May 2007 I became convinced that I needed to gain some credibility by being published.

So began a mad period of polishing, writing and sending out short stories to literary competions and publications across the country.

By mid July I had submitted 10 stories to 6 different publications/groups. To date I have sent out an additional two and will send out another three by the end of August.

But the reality is that I'm not a short story writer. It is a distinct form that I haven't mastered.

I am a novel writer - a long distance runner. I think of short stories as sprints. Doing sprints develops breadth, and helps me to prune my otherwise flowery prose. Sprints are good for my writing, and I will continue to do them. But I'm not about to win an 100 metre dash anytime soon.

So, after I finish submitting this round of stories, I will get back to doing what I do best.

And as the rejection letters roll in, I'll start publishing my short stories here. I'm not a master in the art, but some of my stories I quite like, so better they be available here than languish in the bottom folder on my mac.