Sorry this is late, I’ve been editing poetry. It’s done now. Once husband’s completed the obligatory grammar pass, off it goes to undoubtedly be rejected. No matter, it gets published this year, with or without anybody’s official sanction. I know how good it is. I am aware how important it will be as a line in the sand for my long-term literary progression. This is no longer about other people’s validation.

I spent most of yesterday as a result putting down the foundations of a NEW EMPIRE. It is, in essence, a lot like the Old Empire was except a bit better organised. What you get is what is possible, with constraints of time and other responsibilities. There’ll be a lot of questions asked in the next few weeks, and I hope you’ll be good enough to provide some feedback. It really does matter an awful lot.

This is part of the process of moving forward, over time.

I am ready to do things differently. Lying awake last night, planning the path forward, was absolutely the right thing to do. I’m going to write a letter to a lot of people over the next few weeks in the hope to persuade them to come on board with funding. If that’s possible, then many things will happen as a result. It is going to be a lot of gentle yet determined persistence to get this started, after which? More of the same.

It is obvious money is tight for so many people, and asking for support will be a tough ask. However, if what is made is good enough, there has to be the hope that someone would bung a tenner a month my way. The result of that will be doing my best to foster a helpful and accepting writing community, to support those people who in turn do the same for me, and then just hope that momentum can do the rest.

All there is, I can but hope, moves forward with everyone’s support.