It ends ...

... well, sort of. Until around about December, when I get my mark and go round kissing/punching each of you individually for voting for something that has either impressed or depressed the judges.

(Actually I think they are more likely to be depressed in any case, given the generally downbeat endings of all three stories, but it's a question of whether they are depressed in a good way or not. Sebastian Faulks/Graham Greene levels of depression are what I'm after. More kind of beautiful melancholia than depression, actually. Depression's quite sordid, or so I understand, where as sadness is rather stylish. Anyway.)

Thanks to everyone who gave me input or commentary, verbal and written. The People's Choice seemed to be The Hardest Florist in Stockwell, but with a different ending. There was a late surge in favour of GDYPC, but in the end I went with the one that would give some appearance of semi-coherence and connection between the stories. Normally I like to show off my versatility, but I thought I'd aim for consistency this time around; it remains to be seen whether this gamble comes off or not. They might mark me down for being limited in scope, or something. The fuckers. It's just so hard to know what will appeal.

Enough of this agonising. If anyone cares, I'll probably be sticking up the semi-final versions of the two other stories that went to make up the dissertation at some point, although part of one of them is published in the UEA 2006 Anthology under the title Tastes Like Chicken. I'll plug the Anthology in a future post, but it's available to buy now, if you fancy it, here. Please forgive the somewhat inelegant prose of the press release - I did not write it (although I offered ...).