So, as the third week of the sprint to finish the first draft of Sudden Deaths comes to an end, I have a few hours left to write the 700 words that will keep me strictly to my target.

Given the overall target of 75k words, I’m now 55% of the way there. I’m hoping that, as most of the second half is resolving everything that started in the first half, things will get easier from now on.

The more I write the more I wonder if I’m envious of my grandson, who has put in his UCAS application for next year, to study English: would I be up to reading all that stuff that somebody else says is good for me, or would it put me off reading for life?

In this week’s news: M John Harrison is on the Booker shortlist. Is this the first time a long time SF author has made it?