I Can't Stand Halloween

What the hell is it with Halloween? When did it suddenly take-off here in Australia? I'm all for kids being kids, and their right to have some fun, but is it just me, or does Halloween need to take a hike. As far as I'm concerned the whole popularity of Halloween here is just a perpetuation of the continual Americanisation of our fine country. Halloween might appear harmless and just a bit of fun, but in reality it is symptomatic of the erosion of our culture, and everything we embrace as proud Australians. We don’t need another completely pointless American influence on our country, there’s far too many as it stands.

Maybe I'm just a cranky pants, but my main beef with Halloween is the fact that you and I, and every person who lives on a suburban street, has to participate in this ridiculous festivity. We aren't wilful participants either. We all get dragged into Halloween purely because we might reside in a dwelling where lollies (or candy for the Americans) can be obtained at the threat of a 'trick'. If you want to celebrate Christmas or Festivus, at least you can do it in the privacy of your own home well away from everyone else. Halloween you can't escape. Unless you want to turn off all your lights and hide, or do what I did and post a sign on your door stating that you have no interest in Halloween, kids are going to come to your house and interrupt your peace and quiet.

Here’s the sign that I posted on my front door:



Sure, I’m a prick, but that’s the way I am when I feel strongly. When all is said and done, I’m afraid that the uptake of Halloween in this country seems inevitable. It’s unstoppable... like a Terminator.

Tenth Story Published - 'Aloha or Bust'

There has been a lot of change in my life over the last month, including a few important milestones - from a writing perspective, the publication of my tenth piece of original fiction is the latest. If all goes to plan, 'Aloha or Bust' should be appearing in AntipodeanSF #139 sometime in January, and is a tiny snapshot of interplanetary politics from the point of a ships Captain.

Sure, ten pieces short stories doesn't sound like a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but frankly, that's about ten more than I ever expected to get published back when I launched into this caper a couple of years ago. It's been an interesting 'hobby', and one that I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to recently, however this should hopefully change in the coming months.

I've been pondering exactly where I should go with my writing. I'm more of an instant gratification type of guy, so I find the long haul of grinding out a novel to be painful. Everyone thinks they have a novel in them, a select few actually do, and most of those people fall by the wayside. My first novel is sitting in the metaphoric cupboard drawer in second draft - every time I pick it up I can't put it down, I love the story I've written, but it's ultimately the quality of the writing that shakes my confidence, and I'm not entirely sure this is a story that a wider audience would enjoy. The long game, a.k.a. novel writing, may not be my ultimate calling. I love the short game, a.k.a. short fiction - writing funny anecdotal stories that people can enjoy almost immediately. That's more my bag.

For those interested:

'Aloha or Bust' - AntipodeanSF #139 (January 2010)
'Dog-E' - AntipodeanSF #138 (December 2009)
'Interrogation #8' - AntipodeanSF #131 (April 2009)
'Jack Austin: Xeno-Hunter' - AntipodeanSF #130 (March 2009)
'Payload' (poem) - AntipodeanSF #125 (October 2008)
'Hemodialysis' - Skive Magazine #6 (December 2007)
'One Bullet' - FLASHSHOT (November 2007)
'The Cloud' - Twisted Tongue #7 (August 2007)
'Supreme Hunter' - Twisted Tongue #7 (August 2007)
'Ringtone' - Ripples Magazine #9 (July 2007)