It's Done

After a hectic few days my revised, edited and sometimes enough to drive you mad story for the choc-lit competition is finished and completed.  It has been a rough ride but I have enjoyed it.  In all my years of writing this story is the one I have spent the most time on.  A lesson there I think!!  I am hesitant to attempt to tot up just how much time and I'm just glad it is complete and I feel it is the best it can be.  Strange feeling, a feeling I hope to have a lot more.

No news from TABFF but then it is early days yet.  I have a couple of stories on the back burner and I'm very tempted to try my luck with the Australian market.  Thanks to two very kind ladies I now have a wealth of examples of the type of stories they publish in 'That Life Fast Fiction'.  I Know other British writers have had success across the water so why not me?

Always Something To Learn

Well, my completely revised story for the Choc-Lit competition has really come on.  I have been working on and off with the story since January.  What have I learnt?  A good story need time and effort spent on it, as much time as you can give it.  It sounds obvious doesn't it, but up until this point I have often rushed my work and not given it the consideration it deserves.  With any luck it should be ready by the end of the weekend to send out in time for the competition deadline.  If not, then I have learnt an invaluable lesson - nothing is wasted.

I wrote four new stories in January which was a good start to the year but in February I have only produced one.  I am not about to beat myself up about it though because not only is February a short month but you cannot force creativity.

On the hole I am pleased with my progress this year and positive about the coming months and whatever they may bring along with them.

A Little Faith

Despite it being half term this week, so far, I've had a good couple of days.  Last week I decided my Choc-Lit competition entry wasn't actually going anywhere.  I decided to rewrite the whole thing even though I knew there would be only a small chance of it being read for the competition deadline - 28.02.13.  Well, I have completely rejigged the whole thing, changed character names, deleted some darlings and the framework is looking really good.  I am hoping that if my run of luck continue then it will be ready to be submitted to the comp.

I am still playing with two other stories which are aimed at WOMAG market, I might even try my luck with the Australian market.  As ever, my favourite proof reader has cleaned the needless commas etc away for me, so they are almost ready.

I'd like to say Thank you to Carl (Hubby) for his time and patience over the past few weeks, I know I am not always easy to work with.

I probably won't get around to posting tomorrow as it is my morning in the shop and I may be lucky enough to grab a coffee and a cream tea afterwards with a friend.

Honesty

A head cold has knocked me off my feet for the last couple of days, we all suffer from the common cold and some stage so I will spare you details.

As some of you will already know, I have been working on a story for a Chic-Lit competition aptly called Choc-Lit, as the theme is Hot Chocolate.  Anyway, Over the past three weeks I have been putting a story together, editing, revising and all those time consuming things we do only to discover today, that due to some rigorous editing and constructive criticism, the story actually isn't going anywhere at all.  Too much of this and to little of that has left me with a mismatch.  What now?  Well, back to the drawing board I'm afraid - don't get me wring the story isn't completely lost I'm just not sure I can turn it around in time for the competition deadline (28.02).  If not, I will adjust it slightly and perhaps look at submitting it to WWFS (woman's weekly fiction special).

Onwards and upwards, so the saying goes.  Getting where you want to be is never going to be a walk in the park, for me, more like a walk from London to Cornwall.  But then every steps has it's rewards to offer, if you stop to notice them.

Getting A Grip

Feeling sorry for yourself never is a good idea.  I gave myself a shake and told myself that If I don't try, I will never know - and if I want to stop trying then I don't really want to be a writer.  Which of course I do.  So, here I am getting on with it.

Today I was reading the Australian stories my friend sent to me.  I'm not sure what I expected but really they aren't that different to ours.  Obviously, I was being a touch naive, not a Kylie, Bruce or Shelia to be seen!

I finished a story I had been playing with, it's an attempt at humour - and I must admit is rather daft in places but I like it.  In due course I will send it out to TABFF or even That's Life (Australia) and see what happens.

I still have a few more stories on the boil, one is chic-lit and the other a twist-in-tale.  So, there really is no excuse to me wallow in self-pity why there is work to be done.

Doubt

After such a wonderful and positive start to the week the last few days have found me doubting myself.  Nobody said, and I have never believed, that writing and being published was easy but once you let that seed of doubt into your mind it's incredibly hard to get it out again.  Criticism can be hard to take but there is usually something constructive in it which you can turn to your advantage.  As I say of late, I feel as though I am making a huge effort only to hit a brick wall at the finish.

I wanted to try writing for the Australian magazine "That's Life (fast fiction)" and an on-line friend of mine sent me a back copy of the mag and copies of some of the stories.  I was so excited and delved in straight away.  Then doubt crept in again, if I wasn't cracking the British magazine market why did I think I stood a chance with the Australians?  My mind is like a see-saw at the moment and it's driving me crackers.

When I don't write I feel as though I am missing something very dear to me.  The thought of giving up feels me with horror but as I keep saying, I really am not sure where I am going at the moment.  I am hoping that the weekend will sort me out and put me back on course.

Scribbling

I'm not sure what's happened to me.  I have stories coming out of my ears.  The other night, while watching TV, I suddenly thought of a storyline.  I grabbed the first sheet of paper I could find and scribbled it down quickly it was something of Carl's, but let's not tell him that).  It had nothing to do with what we were watching.  Don't think I'm complaining because I'm not, quite the opposite in fact.  I feel like a "real" writer at last, having to delve for paper, or my notebook, it's quite fun.

I sent my story for TABFF off today.  I feel good about it and anxious to hear back from them, which probably won't be for a few weeks yet!  My story for the choc-lit competition is almost complete and my third story of the month is also simmering away nicely.  So all in all I am feeling positive about my work.  It's a good feeling which I hope will last.

Of course, I will keep you up to date with things and as ever, my fingers are crossed.