A thrill, honestly. A magazine about pints and pubs and nice things I like, and people pay for it, so it keeps on going. Through Pellicle I have learned more about writing than I ever thought possible. Having a good idea is one thing, making sense of it is another. I am a much better editor, too, than I was five years ago. I have in my head a very clear vision of how I want pieces we publish not just to read, but to vibe.
But before they can vibe they must flow, and editing for me is a process like making sure the pipes are properly connected before opening the sluice gates. Flow is a term I use a lot to describe the creative process, too. When a piece of writing emerges from this flow it might be good, but it before it can be great it needs polish. The latter is where my head lives most of the time these days, but recently I have found myself with an unstoppable urge to climb back into the swamp.
Not least because one of the most common pieces of advice I give to new writers is to start self publishing. I can be stubborn. Yes, I still write. For lots of publications in fact. Not as many as I would like, but a writer is never satisfied.
I just have a need for a space, a scratchpad, to try a few things out once in a while. No newsletter, no subscription, just a place to take things out of my head and put them on a page. I miss it, so here I am, back in the swamp, until I maybe decide to climb out again. I enjoy playing in the dirt.
