Just heading to London now for a brief stop-over to see friends before travelling to Bridport tomorrow - eeeek - prize giving is Sunday, I'll be back home Monday night.
Have decided at last minute to do a reading from my story on Sunday - I was asked a couple of weeks ago but declined, thinking I'd be bad at it/nervous etc - but well, what the hell, it's a great opportunity to push myself a bit into a new territory so I'm going to do it.
Just need to hunt down a hard copy of my story now to take with me - printer's broken - got one somewhere...
Back Monday!
Friday, 20 November 2009
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
a Bridport 2009 winner
I've been sitting on this news for almost 2 months; I couldn't 'make it public' until now. Talking about it here was out of the question, which was tough - this blog being about the writing hike - and this news being the biggest writing thing that's happened to me so far.
On September 23rd I got an email from the organisers of the Bridport Prize to tell me that my story, In a seaside cafe, is one of the 13 winning stories this year.
If you're a writer who's been sending work out you'll know what the Bridport Prize means, and the weight it carries, and you'll understand how my face went numb when I read the email, and how because I was on my own in the house I had to get a large vodka right away to celebrate.
And, if you were around at the start of my blogging life (June) you might remember me talking about getting my Bridport entry ready, and how I felt both inspired and intimidated by this year's judge: my favourite writer, Ali Smith.
It is an odd feeling to know that she's read and chosen my story, and even harder to take in that there were 14,500 entries (including poetry) this year.
On Sunday I'll be attending the prize giving in Bridport, where Ali Smith will be, and I have no idea what the day will be like or if I'll meet her, but I'm excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled, and all the rest.
It's weird because I've known about this for so long I thought I'd got used to the idea - but my stomach is doing flips as I write this blog post.
And now I have to dash out to work. I'll be writing here about what happens next and the prize giving - unless I make a faux pas - which I have a habit of doing when in the company of people I admire (as a teenager I told Tim Wheeler from Ash that he was a 'babe'. I won't say that Ali Smith. Must not say that to Ali Smith).
On September 23rd I got an email from the organisers of the Bridport Prize to tell me that my story, In a seaside cafe, is one of the 13 winning stories this year.
If you're a writer who's been sending work out you'll know what the Bridport Prize means, and the weight it carries, and you'll understand how my face went numb when I read the email, and how because I was on my own in the house I had to get a large vodka right away to celebrate.
And, if you were around at the start of my blogging life (June) you might remember me talking about getting my Bridport entry ready, and how I felt both inspired and intimidated by this year's judge: my favourite writer, Ali Smith.
It is an odd feeling to know that she's read and chosen my story, and even harder to take in that there were 14,500 entries (including poetry) this year.
On Sunday I'll be attending the prize giving in Bridport, where Ali Smith will be, and I have no idea what the day will be like or if I'll meet her, but I'm excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled, and all the rest.
It's weird because I've known about this for so long I thought I'd got used to the idea - but my stomach is doing flips as I write this blog post.
And now I have to dash out to work. I'll be writing here about what happens next and the prize giving - unless I make a faux pas - which I have a habit of doing when in the company of people I admire (as a teenager I told Tim Wheeler from Ash that he was a 'babe'. I won't say that Ali Smith. Must not say that to Ali Smith).
Nano Week 3
I think it's week 3..?
Just a short post to say things are moving, just slowly. Wordcount is out the window. And irrelevant, because I'm not doing NaNoWriMo like all the people who really are striving and hitting wordcounts all over the place. I'm kind of mooching at my own pace, making notes, deciphering the story.
I've stopped taking my laptop out with me to write, and instead I'm filling a notebook with ideas and scenes and timelines and spidergrams and drawings. It feels impossible, and not right for me right now, to be thinking about wordcounts. I am dusting off my idea and seeing where it's going. I'm enjoying the process.
Just a short post to say things are moving, just slowly. Wordcount is out the window. And irrelevant, because I'm not doing NaNoWriMo like all the people who really are striving and hitting wordcounts all over the place. I'm kind of mooching at my own pace, making notes, deciphering the story.
I've stopped taking my laptop out with me to write, and instead I'm filling a notebook with ideas and scenes and timelines and spidergrams and drawings. It feels impossible, and not right for me right now, to be thinking about wordcounts. I am dusting off my idea and seeing where it's going. I'm enjoying the process.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
a new competition
has been set up on the all-new Tomlit Blog.
We'd like you to write 500 words (or less) using the theme 'Reunion' as a prompt. Stories and poetry welcome.
The winning piece will be published in the next issue of Tomlit Quarterly.
If you'd like to enter
- become a follower of the Tomlit Blog (though we'd love you to do that anyway)
- email your submission to alex.notebook@hotmail.co.uk
- post a comment on the Tomlit Blog to say you've entered
This is our first competition and we'd really appreciate your support in spreading the word. If you'd like to link to us, or write a post about us, that would be wonderful.
Thank you!
We'd like you to write 500 words (or less) using the theme 'Reunion' as a prompt. Stories and poetry welcome.
The winning piece will be published in the next issue of Tomlit Quarterly.
If you'd like to enter
- become a follower of the Tomlit Blog (though we'd love you to do that anyway)
- email your submission to alex.notebook@hotmail.co.uk
- post a comment on the Tomlit Blog to say you've entered
This is our first competition and we'd really appreciate your support in spreading the word. If you'd like to link to us, or write a post about us, that would be wonderful.
Thank you!
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Opportunity - One Story
This week's Interesting Place To Send Your Writing To is a fairly unusual one.
One Story is a magazine that showcases one short story per issue. It's mailed out to subscribers (about 5000 of them) every 3 weeks.
It's small and neat looking. The website is impressive.
I like the feeling of the operation; they're very supportive of their writers.
I like that they'll only ever publish a writer once - so there's less 'in crowd', and more opportunity.
And, they pay - $100 dollars plus 15 copies of the magazine. Getting paid is nice, but what's nicer is that feeling I'm getting about how they feel about the short story - there's a lot of respect and admiration for the form:
And they're thorough - there's a generous interview with the writer in each issue - a nice touch.
So, here's the basic info:
Send: literary fiction
Length: 3000-8000 words (consider that the story will be 'standing alone', so they're looking for a sense of satisfaction and wholeness)
How: online entry, automated system
Turnaround time: 4-12 weeks
Pay: $100 and 15 copies of the magazine
Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.
One Story is a magazine that showcases one short story per issue. It's mailed out to subscribers (about 5000 of them) every 3 weeks.
It's small and neat looking. The website is impressive.
I like the feeling of the operation; they're very supportive of their writers.
I like that they'll only ever publish a writer once - so there's less 'in crowd', and more opportunity.
And, they pay - $100 dollars plus 15 copies of the magazine. Getting paid is nice, but what's nicer is that feeling I'm getting about how they feel about the short story - there's a lot of respect and admiration for the form:
We believe that short stories are best read alone. They should not be sandwiched in between a review and an exposé on liposuction, or placed after another work of fiction that is so sad or funny or long that the reader is worn out by the time they turn to it.
And they're thorough - there's a generous interview with the writer in each issue - a nice touch.
So, here's the basic info:
Send: literary fiction
Length: 3000-8000 words (consider that the story will be 'standing alone', so they're looking for a sense of satisfaction and wholeness)
How: online entry, automated system
Turnaround time: 4-12 weeks
Pay: $100 and 15 copies of the magazine
Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Inner critic rears head in Nano Week 2
Though, actually - it's pretty much always there when I'm writing. Just yesterday it was bloody persistent and took the form of a Newsnight Review panelist:
"...and that entire section of 2nd person, I mean - what on earth was that? Why bother? Oh yeah, observations about life, blah blah: meaningless. Nothing to do with the story, or the plot, just a contrived attempt to jazz up a - quite frankly - very dull novel."
Be gone!
"...and that entire section of 2nd person, I mean - what on earth was that? Why bother? Oh yeah, observations about life, blah blah: meaningless. Nothing to do with the story, or the plot, just a contrived attempt to jazz up a - quite frankly - very dull novel."
Be gone!
Monday, 9 November 2009
Aesthetica results
Just had an email to say that while I'm not a finalist, my stories Blue Raincoat and Waking have been Highly Commended in the Aesthetica Annual Creative Works Competition.
There were 2500 stories: 50 were highly commended and 16 made finalists.
So, a pleasing result :)
There were 2500 stories: 50 were highly commended and 16 made finalists.
So, a pleasing result :)
an interesting fish
This week's place to send your work to is fairly big and well known. If you've been entering writing contests for a while you've probably heard of Fish Publishing and may even have their annual Short Story Prize on your calendar. It closes at the end of November.
But I actually wanted to alert you to their One Page Story Competition, which I found out about today, and am particularly intrigued about because of the interesting choice of judges, John Hegley (a performance poet) and, the one I'm really excited about: Simon Munnery.
Simon Munnery is a left-field comedian I've liked since I was a teenager (his character Alan Parker - Urban Warrior was much quoted in our classroom) and I've continued to like and appreciate his style as I've got older and seen so much fake and run of the mill stand-up comedy.
I saw him at Edinburgh a couple of years ago in a small but packed out venue and his show was so much more interesting and daring than the more commercial acts I saw. Simon Munnery is an artist of a comedian, and I'm really curious about his involvement in this prize, and what kind of judge he'll be. It will definitely make me consider the story I write for this prize, and push me to be daring too.
Here's the info:
Closes: March 20th 2010 (loadsa time)
Results: April 30th (quick turnaround)
Online entry fee: 12 euros
Max words: 300
First prize: 1000 euros plus publication in the anthology
9 runner up prizes of 50 euros and publication
But I actually wanted to alert you to their One Page Story Competition, which I found out about today, and am particularly intrigued about because of the interesting choice of judges, John Hegley (a performance poet) and, the one I'm really excited about: Simon Munnery.
Simon Munnery is a left-field comedian I've liked since I was a teenager (his character Alan Parker - Urban Warrior was much quoted in our classroom) and I've continued to like and appreciate his style as I've got older and seen so much fake and run of the mill stand-up comedy.
I saw him at Edinburgh a couple of years ago in a small but packed out venue and his show was so much more interesting and daring than the more commercial acts I saw. Simon Munnery is an artist of a comedian, and I'm really curious about his involvement in this prize, and what kind of judge he'll be. It will definitely make me consider the story I write for this prize, and push me to be daring too.
Here's the info:
Closes: March 20th 2010 (loadsa time)
Results: April 30th (quick turnaround)
Online entry fee: 12 euros
Max words: 300
First prize: 1000 euros plus publication in the anthology
9 runner up prizes of 50 euros and publication
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Days 6, 7 and 8: ahem
I decided to dedicate days 6 and 7 (Friday and Saturday) as no-Nano-zones. I'm on holiday from work and I planned a few visits to see friends and family at the end of this week, so knowing I'd be away from my laptop, in the company of others and travelling in between various places I thought it safest to give myself a break. Unless a magic inspirational thing happened where I had to write the novel. It didn't. I'm okay with that.
I love train journeys, and I made 6 in 2 days, visiting 2 sets of friends and then heading to Leeds last night to see Mew play- part of M's birthday present and a brilliant gig.
Being small, I'm used to not seeing everything that happens on stage, but Mew project animations created by their lead singer on the wall behind them - odd animations, line drawings, words, a cat playing a violin, an old woman telling us she was shaking... it was an eerie and wonderful effect and I appreciated the extra visuals no end.
The only video I could find one youtube is this one, take a look if you fancy. Go to 2mins 25secs - ish to see the violin playing cat. I just love the way it blinks.
So, okay then - today should have been a Nano-doing-day. It's day 8. I haven't Nano-ed.
Maybe I made a mistake leaving a couple of days out, so it's harder to get back 'in'.
Anyway, I decided to edit a short story instead, but then I got distracted by a new idea - what! I'm not supposed to be having new ideas until December! - but I went with where I was drawn to - grateful for the creative pull - and wrote a new piece of flash fiction. I've even sent it away already - it's gone to Six Sentences - fingers are crossed they'll like it enough to put it on the site.
So, 3 days without working on my novel, just a week in to NaNoWriMo. I'm not worried. I realised early on that I haven't signed up for this to get all angsty about what I'm writing and how much and when. Okay, that's sort of the point of NaNo - to write a definite amount NOW. But, I feel strangely at peace with the way I'm doing it, it's working out okay. I think.
I love train journeys, and I made 6 in 2 days, visiting 2 sets of friends and then heading to Leeds last night to see Mew play- part of M's birthday present and a brilliant gig.
Being small, I'm used to not seeing everything that happens on stage, but Mew project animations created by their lead singer on the wall behind them - odd animations, line drawings, words, a cat playing a violin, an old woman telling us she was shaking... it was an eerie and wonderful effect and I appreciated the extra visuals no end.
The only video I could find one youtube is this one, take a look if you fancy. Go to 2mins 25secs - ish to see the violin playing cat. I just love the way it blinks.
So, okay then - today should have been a Nano-doing-day. It's day 8. I haven't Nano-ed.
Maybe I made a mistake leaving a couple of days out, so it's harder to get back 'in'.
Anyway, I decided to edit a short story instead, but then I got distracted by a new idea - what! I'm not supposed to be having new ideas until December! - but I went with where I was drawn to - grateful for the creative pull - and wrote a new piece of flash fiction. I've even sent it away already - it's gone to Six Sentences - fingers are crossed they'll like it enough to put it on the site.
So, 3 days without working on my novel, just a week in to NaNoWriMo. I'm not worried. I realised early on that I haven't signed up for this to get all angsty about what I'm writing and how much and when. Okay, that's sort of the point of NaNo - to write a definite amount NOW. But, I feel strangely at peace with the way I'm doing it, it's working out okay. I think.
Saturday, 7 November 2009
new piece over at Pygmy Giant
called 'Train starts to move'. I wrote it a couple of years ago, sent it to Pygmy Giant a couple of weeks ago - and here it is.
Published on a day when I'm making 3 train journeys - spooky.
Heading into town now to buy Writers' Forum - my contributor's copy hasn't arrived yet, but I want to see it - especially seeing as I've had a few text messages from my brothers saying they've seen it. I'm impatient.
I spent last night with one of my best friends, drinking wine and watching the film we watched pretty much on repeat as teenagers.
Still awesome! (yeah, I said awesome...)
Published on a day when I'm making 3 train journeys - spooky.
Heading into town now to buy Writers' Forum - my contributor's copy hasn't arrived yet, but I want to see it - especially seeing as I've had a few text messages from my brothers saying they've seen it. I'm impatient.
I spent last night with one of my best friends, drinking wine and watching the film we watched pretty much on repeat as teenagers.
Still awesome! (yeah, I said awesome...)
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