I did one of those online quizzes this week that's supposed to discover what the ideal job is for you. It's only a bit of fun, but (surprise, surprise) it turns out that the perfect career for me is as a writer. How they came to that conclusion by asking whether I preferred The Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, and whether I'd rather take food or a friend with me to a desert island I don't know. All they really needed was to ask four simple questions. Am I a control freak? (I like making my characters do what I want.) Am I a superhero in my dreams? (There's no adventure I won't go on or skill I can't tackle on paper.) Do I enjoy planning? (I'm always plotting the next story/chapter.) Am I obsessed with small details? (Bad punctuation, grammar and spelling are guaranteed to make me grind my teeth–especially if they're mine!)
Fun or not, it's nice to have confirmation that I'm in the right profession. With so many critics out there, reassurance is always welcome, although this week it isn't actually necessary. Having four stories appearing on Alfie Dog Fiction and a request from Paul Cole of Beam Me Up Podcast for me to send him one of my stories was validation enough. That's not to say that I'd turn away any praise that anyone cares to offer. All compliments are gratefully accepted.