It was the night before the deadline for the Mslexia short story competition.
I thought I'd grown tired of entering stories for awards (a month or so in...). Then I got some encouraging news, but more of that later.
So I sat up late, going over some scribblings, making those all-important final adjustments.
I always seem to leave it until the last minute. It's the way I work. I get a perverse pleasure from seeing the clock reach almost midnight before pressing send. I used to be a journalist, and we are known for liking our deadlines. Competitions tend to close at midnight, I'm finding, and there's definitely a Cinderella element to it all.
I do indeed have a ball when I'm polishing my final draft...and then there's the sudden bump back to reality once it's all over.
I return to my normal, drab self. I pour myself a glass of port and have a long bath. Final revisions where competitions are concerned can be quite exhausting, but I enjoy the discipline. This week I cut a 1,500 word story down to under 1,000 words just to see if it would still work. I think it's better. So I sent it off to The Word Hut.
And then my attention turned to Mslexia and Start Flash Fiction.
It's always a good idea to see what you are up against. Reading widely is, of course, a prerequisite for good writing. But knowing what works for a particular judging panel or the publication attached to it perhaps involves a little fine tuning. You can't always second-guess what people are looking for, but often you can assess whether your style is a good fit for a particular award.
So, having recently got into Mslexia (they produce a great magazine for women writers) I looked at last year's winning short story at their site. It's called 'What Goes Around' and it's by Tamsin Cottis. It made me cry, if truth be told...
And now I understand.
I understand what I am up against. Tamsin captures a seldom heard voice and offers a searing and vivid glimpse into a hidden away world. Her story is hauntingly beautiful and disturbing in equal measure and she wrenches your heart with her depiction of Pauline, a woman with learning difficulties who cannot speak.
I read that story and understood what it is to pack a punch, to sock it to the reader, to write with passion and conviction about your subject, and to inhabit the world of your character.
Pauline is complete. She is perfectly realised. And so is the world she lives in, right down to the sensory impressions that leave their mark on your mind.
So yes, duly impressed and full of admiration I had a good long soak, and a good long think about what I want my short stories to achieve.
What do I want to write about and why? These questions are being answered the more stories I produce. I feel I know what I want to achieve on that front. But it's only when you read something as good as Tamsin's work that you realise how you'd potentially like to connect with your readers. To leave people thinking, to write something profound that communicates human experience in a way that resonates far beyond the first reading...well it doesn't get much better than that, surely?
Do read Tamsin's story.
Not all short stories have to make us cry of course. But they do need to provoke a strong response and leave the reader with a sense of having experienced a brief immersion in another world.
18.3.13
1.3.13
Going Cheep
Writers aren't always known for being gregarious.
So for many, being on Twitter can be quite a painful experience. And yet plenty of us have taken the plunge, more often than not out of necessity.
Funnily enough, I am quite gregarious, when the mood takes me. But Twitter? It's had me foxed until very, very recently. And I have to say that opinion is divided among my writer friends. Some are on it all the time, others find the sheer volume of tweets simply too much to bear, and prefer to stay away.
Why do writers use Twitter? To promote themselves, of course. To build a following, to support each other in their successes and failures, to spread the word about new projects, novels, poetry or workshops. They tweet to keep up with the literary world, and to network with important people.
Whether you love, hate or tolerate it, there's no getting away from the fact that as a networking tool it simply can't be beaten.
And with a few simple tricks, life riding the big bird could become altogether more bearable.
Seasoned tweeters of course have no need for such advice, though I do find myself wondering how many writers secretly hate Twitter, and see it as a daily chore. Are you getting the most out of it?
I only really started using Twitter in earnest a few weeks ago, though I've had an account for ages.
Should I be admitting to the fact that I used to hate it? Have I just broken some rule of twittiquette?What are the rules of twittiquette anyway? More on that later...
Anyway, I saw it as a terrible cacophony of pointless noise, reverberating around the internet like an underground explosion.
Then I decided it might be worth another go. I grabbed it by the scruff of its scrawny feathered neck and embarked on a concerted effort to get with the programme.
I followed everyone worth following. Of course, there are countless more people and organisations out there, but I figured 400-odd was a pretty good start.
I started tweeting. I quickly became overwhelmed by the volume of tweets coming at me on a daily basis. It seemed to me nothing more than clamour. Clearly, I still wasn't enjoying myself very much.
Then a few things happened that changed my mind.
Someone retweeted something I said. I cannot tell you how much better that made me feel about it all. Twitter is so abstract compared to Facebook, until you start to find your way around. And there isn't the instant visual reciprocity of a 'like' or a comment. It takes time to adjust to retweets and replies.
Then one day, a couple of weeks in, I noticed that people were direct messaging me. How nice!
And I found two Twitter functions that have sealed the deal. @connect allows me to see who has mentioned me, retweeted or followed me recently. This helps me nurture new connections.
I also discovered lists, and decided to make lots of them, to break my experience down into manageable chunks. I have a friends list, a literary list, a blogs and magazines list, a local orgs list...and so on. I check most of them each day, and none of them have more than 50 members. Some have a very manageable ten or so.
And now I have got my head around it all, I find I am starting to enjoy myself. Twittiquette is something I am learning as I go along. Here's what I have picked up so far (and feel free to illuminate me further in the comments):
So for many, being on Twitter can be quite a painful experience. And yet plenty of us have taken the plunge, more often than not out of necessity.
Funnily enough, I am quite gregarious, when the mood takes me. But Twitter? It's had me foxed until very, very recently. And I have to say that opinion is divided among my writer friends. Some are on it all the time, others find the sheer volume of tweets simply too much to bear, and prefer to stay away.
Why do writers use Twitter? To promote themselves, of course. To build a following, to support each other in their successes and failures, to spread the word about new projects, novels, poetry or workshops. They tweet to keep up with the literary world, and to network with important people.
Whether you love, hate or tolerate it, there's no getting away from the fact that as a networking tool it simply can't be beaten.
And with a few simple tricks, life riding the big bird could become altogether more bearable.
Seasoned tweeters of course have no need for such advice, though I do find myself wondering how many writers secretly hate Twitter, and see it as a daily chore. Are you getting the most out of it?
I only really started using Twitter in earnest a few weeks ago, though I've had an account for ages.
Should I be admitting to the fact that I used to hate it? Have I just broken some rule of twittiquette?What are the rules of twittiquette anyway? More on that later...
Anyway, I saw it as a terrible cacophony of pointless noise, reverberating around the internet like an underground explosion.
Then I decided it might be worth another go. I grabbed it by the scruff of its scrawny feathered neck and embarked on a concerted effort to get with the programme.
I followed everyone worth following. Of course, there are countless more people and organisations out there, but I figured 400-odd was a pretty good start.
I started tweeting. I quickly became overwhelmed by the volume of tweets coming at me on a daily basis. It seemed to me nothing more than clamour. Clearly, I still wasn't enjoying myself very much.
Then a few things happened that changed my mind.
Someone retweeted something I said. I cannot tell you how much better that made me feel about it all. Twitter is so abstract compared to Facebook, until you start to find your way around. And there isn't the instant visual reciprocity of a 'like' or a comment. It takes time to adjust to retweets and replies.
Then one day, a couple of weeks in, I noticed that people were direct messaging me. How nice!
And I found two Twitter functions that have sealed the deal. @connect allows me to see who has mentioned me, retweeted or followed me recently. This helps me nurture new connections.
I also discovered lists, and decided to make lots of them, to break my experience down into manageable chunks. I have a friends list, a literary list, a blogs and magazines list, a local orgs list...and so on. I check most of them each day, and none of them have more than 50 members. Some have a very manageable ten or so.
And now I have got my head around it all, I find I am starting to enjoy myself. Twittiquette is something I am learning as I go along. Here's what I have picked up so far (and feel free to illuminate me further in the comments):
- Don't be boring
- Use direct messages to say hi and thank you to people
- Retweet using @ to indicate the original author
- Make your profile page visually appealing
- #FF is something nice, but use it sparingly, and meaningfully
- Favourite something you may want to retweet later
- Be funny
- If you can't be funny, retweet something funny
- Never repeat yourself
- Think of your audience before you think of yourself
22.2.13
Give It Time...
One of the main differences I have found in making the transition from writing journalism to writing fiction is the importance of the 'slow cook' approach.
Knocking out a double page spread on deadline is a valuable skill, and one that ensures fear of the blank page will never be a problem.
But stepping away from copy is a luxury few reporters can afford. Putting a story on hold for a while, turning down the heat, walking away... all of these are unthinkable in a newsroom, just as 'knocking out' a short story should be unthinkable to the writer of fiction. It is the act of coming back to a piece of writing afresh that enables the polishing process to begin, and the time that has elapsed will give the necessary objectivity on your return.
Basil Bunting wrote seven key points for young poets on the back of a postcard, so often was he asked for advice. The final two points are pertinent here:
Put your poem away till you forget it, then:
6. Cut out every word you dare.
7. Do it again a week later, and again.
I have found this to be sound advice where writing poetry is concerned, but also more recently in my short story endeavours. I actually prefer to leave a poem for a good month. Striking out words comes more easily when you are returning to something with fresh eyes. And so it goes for short stories, although I tend to leave these for a couple of weeks or so.
The editing process can only begin in earnest when you have divorced your mind from the preoccupations of the first draft. In a sense, you are returning to a piece of writing (or a poem) with the editor's hat firmly on. Every story or feature in a newspaper will have been looked over by at least two other people. Writers should seek to establish a similar workflow. The views of a respected peer are of great value once the first draft is on paper. Join a writers' group or get networking to find the best people you possibly can to offer critiques. Always allow some time to elapse before returning to your writing, especially when working alone as you will more easily be able to adopt the editor's role. Some writers find editing their work very difficult. I have been surprised, as someone who used to check over other people's words on a daily basis, at how hard editing your own writing can be. Objectivity is key, and leaving well alone for a bit helps enormously. When you return to your work you will notice how phrases you were originally unsure about will leap off the page, clamouring to be changed. Little details you never noticed whilst you were wrapped up in writing the thing will also emerge, and mistakes will be easier to spot too.
You may find you need to extend dialogue or ramp up description in places, but with short stories generally less is more, and the editing process, as for poetry, should involve a large amount of paring down.
You may find you have to rework the beginning, or indeed the end. Feedback from a fellow writer is especially useful here.
Bunting also advised young poets to 'fear adjectives; they bleed nouns' and to 'jettison ornament gaily but keep shape'...again, because of the economy involved, these are sound observations where the writing of short stories and flash fiction is concerned.
So, whilst my mission remains to crack on with my short story writing and put the best ones forward for publication or as entries to competitions, I am aware that nothing should go off in a rush. Nothing, in fact, should go off before it is at least a month old. And for a former journalist, that's really quite something.
Knocking out a double page spread on deadline is a valuable skill, and one that ensures fear of the blank page will never be a problem.
But stepping away from copy is a luxury few reporters can afford. Putting a story on hold for a while, turning down the heat, walking away... all of these are unthinkable in a newsroom, just as 'knocking out' a short story should be unthinkable to the writer of fiction. It is the act of coming back to a piece of writing afresh that enables the polishing process to begin, and the time that has elapsed will give the necessary objectivity on your return.
Basil Bunting wrote seven key points for young poets on the back of a postcard, so often was he asked for advice. The final two points are pertinent here:
Put your poem away till you forget it, then:
6. Cut out every word you dare.
7. Do it again a week later, and again.
I have found this to be sound advice where writing poetry is concerned, but also more recently in my short story endeavours. I actually prefer to leave a poem for a good month. Striking out words comes more easily when you are returning to something with fresh eyes. And so it goes for short stories, although I tend to leave these for a couple of weeks or so.
The editing process can only begin in earnest when you have divorced your mind from the preoccupations of the first draft. In a sense, you are returning to a piece of writing (or a poem) with the editor's hat firmly on. Every story or feature in a newspaper will have been looked over by at least two other people. Writers should seek to establish a similar workflow. The views of a respected peer are of great value once the first draft is on paper. Join a writers' group or get networking to find the best people you possibly can to offer critiques. Always allow some time to elapse before returning to your writing, especially when working alone as you will more easily be able to adopt the editor's role. Some writers find editing their work very difficult. I have been surprised, as someone who used to check over other people's words on a daily basis, at how hard editing your own writing can be. Objectivity is key, and leaving well alone for a bit helps enormously. When you return to your work you will notice how phrases you were originally unsure about will leap off the page, clamouring to be changed. Little details you never noticed whilst you were wrapped up in writing the thing will also emerge, and mistakes will be easier to spot too.
You may find you need to extend dialogue or ramp up description in places, but with short stories generally less is more, and the editing process, as for poetry, should involve a large amount of paring down.
You may find you have to rework the beginning, or indeed the end. Feedback from a fellow writer is especially useful here.
Bunting also advised young poets to 'fear adjectives; they bleed nouns' and to 'jettison ornament gaily but keep shape'...again, because of the economy involved, these are sound observations where the writing of short stories and flash fiction is concerned.
So, whilst my mission remains to crack on with my short story writing and put the best ones forward for publication or as entries to competitions, I am aware that nothing should go off in a rush. Nothing, in fact, should go off before it is at least a month old. And for a former journalist, that's really quite something.
20.2.13
Writing about writing...
when I should be writing. Yes, I know. But having done my head in compiling a shiny new Twitter feed comprising several hundred literary bods, publishing houses, organisations, prizes, festivals and so forth, I decided well, to hell with it, why not start my own blog?
I am building a short story collection with a view to getting myself an agent and hopefully getting published. I am attending an Arvon short story course in May. I'd like to get on the Arvon mentoring scheme. Short stories are my passion. So this blog will be about my own progression as a writer, and I will share thoughts on my favourite authors too.
I'll also be keeping an eye on literary events, including PowWow Litfest 2013, which I am proud to be helping to organise again this year. Here's a recent blogpost at the PowWow site on entering competitions...
I love books. I love writing. I hope to share the love!
I am building a short story collection with a view to getting myself an agent and hopefully getting published. I am attending an Arvon short story course in May. I'd like to get on the Arvon mentoring scheme. Short stories are my passion. So this blog will be about my own progression as a writer, and I will share thoughts on my favourite authors too.
I'll also be keeping an eye on literary events, including PowWow Litfest 2013, which I am proud to be helping to organise again this year. Here's a recent blogpost at the PowWow site on entering competitions...
I love books. I love writing. I hope to share the love!
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