For the love of flash fiction...

 

Since I last posted, flash fiction has dominated my writing. I entered three pieces into Mslexia's annual flash fiction competition and two of the three were short-listed. I have since submitted both of the short-listed pieces to Mslexia. One, 'Caution' was published in issue 75 labelled as Horror (not a label I would have chosen myself - I would have gone for Gothic or Fantasy.) The other, 'Fish' was published in issue 77 and is most definitely Romance.  

I also gained more experience of flash fiction recently when I was invited to join the judging panel for Hysteria's writing competition. This was a thoroughly enjoyable task to undertake and I hope the successful entrants enjoyed taking part. Hysteria Writing Competition is now taking a year off but I look forward to its return.

Also taking a year off is Norwich based 'Words and Women.' I have found this news quite a blow as I love this organisation and have often entered their competitions and attended their events in Cambridge and Norwich. I know how hard Lynne Bryan and Belona Greenwood have worked and how hard it is to sustain a project of this sort. The inclusion of my story 'Atacama' in their third anthology and the chance I had to read at an event in Cambridge with friends and family present, was one of my most exciting writing achievements. I am fervently hoping that this is not the last of Words and Women.

Only a few weeks now until I go on a very exciting Writer's Retreat. I am hoping it will further my interest in myth and legend and give me some exciting inspiration for a venture into travel writing.

Spring turned into summer...

Not sure where that time went.  One of my recent highlights was attending a Words and Women event at La Raza where I met up with others associated with Words and Women and read 'Atacama.' I enjoyed reading and trying a Jane Austen cocktail and send my thanks to family and friends who joined me and those who couldn't make it on the night but sent their good wishes.
Now my work commitments settle down a bit for summer and I need to get on with some writing.

Life seems to be getting in the way of writing lately although I did pull all the stops out to send some entries to mslexia's short story and flash fiction competition.

I was really pleased to see my dear friend Janet  Bingham has created a website to keep everyone up to date with news of her beautiful books for children. Here's the link:

https://janetbingham.co.uk/https://janetbingham.co.uk/

The stage is set...

http://www.carersuk.org/how-you-can-help/creative-writing/2016-competition/landing/5357-the-decision

Mother's Milk Books Anthology 2016

This morning was spent checking the proofs of my two winning entries in this anthology. A short story and a poem. The latter was written in response to a tragedy that affected much-loved friends and was moving to read again at the proof stage.

Getting back into the writing groove.

I don't know where the last few months have gone. It seems as if one minute I was working on a short story about the Essex coast, inspired by a trip there in May, and the next minute summer, and its whirlwind of festivals, holidays and birthdays, was behind me. Start of term work has taken up every minute of every day and I didn't even get round to blogging about my trip to Dublin, City of Literature. No time for writing at all! The only consolation is that my mslexia writers diary shows that a number of submissions I have made haven't reached their closing dates yet and last night I had that wonderful moment of realisation that an email from a competition was good news, not rejection!
A short story, in fact one could describe it as a short short story, has been awarded 3rd place in the UK Carer's writing competition and will be published in an anthology. This is a story I have a particular fondness for, having a written in Norwich, another City of Literature, so all the gadding about must pay off!

Looking around.

Its been a horrible week, with the Referendum result and all the ensuing, and ongoing, angst. This isn't the place for discussing that but I find it painful that I am currently polishing a short story about a trafficked Eastern European woman who is willing to risk her life to get to the UK and to try to improve her lot once here.

That particular story didn't meet with any success in Mslexia's short story competition but that's an extremely tough challenge and I have a good feeling about entering it into another competition.

Which brings me onto the topic of identifying suitable markets. I have invested in a rather expensive little directory  from Mslexia entitled Indie Presses. I can't wait to have a proper look at it!

PS At least I had a few mildly witty words in Mslexia's summer issue, on the Forum page, extracted from a comment I made on their Facebook page.