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Rejection #1

 Not strictly my first rejection, as I had a number of them about 6 years ago when I last sent out stuff to magazines, in the days before kids, but Rejection #1 arrived today; that is the first rejection from the pile of stuff I sent out last month. I even received a little numeric breakdown of various features of the story, highlighting areas where the piece needed work, according to the magazine’s editors. Some of the points were helpful, some amusing, considering the feedback I got when the story was assessed for my recent course.  I’ve put Rejection #1 in a little file. I am sure it won’t be…

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WAG #14: Do-Overs

 “WAG #14: Do-Overs” The exercise: Thanks to Carol for the topic idea! (This one is more of a mental/emotional exercise than observational, but you get bonus points if you can somehow tie this to a person you can see and describe OR a physical object.) Think of a time where you’d like to change what happened – whether it’s to get that witty retort in or to say something you never got the chance to say. Write how it should have been and compare it to the reality. My effort: I call round your house even though I shouldn’t. Even though we aren’t together anymore. Even though we haven’t been…

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Denmark

 Booked a last minute break in Denmark. The family Powell rested and played. Hence the period of quiet here.Weather was perfect and the beaches and people were warm and welcoming. I think the following picture more than explains why I haven’t posted in a week or so. I was working on a short story in the evenings though, promise.

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WAG #12 Results and WAG #13 Instructions

 WAG #12 Results and WAG #13 instructions below. All are welcome to join next week’s adventure! The theme for the Writing Adventure Group #12 was Memory Lane: Describe something by memory. It can be a place, a person, whatever you like. Include as much detail as you can as well as your impressions. The Writing Adventure Group is on Facebook. Join us there too, and get weekly reminders so you never miss an adventure. How to Join the Writing Adventure Group Brenda M. (New WAG Member) Mickey Hoffman Christine Kirchoff Melanie Trevelyan Iain Martin Dan Powell Nancy Parra Sally Peter Spalton Carol Marsha Next week’s Writing Adventure: “WAG #13:Dress for…

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Flash Fiction 40 contest.

 The Flash Fiction 40 Contest presented by Editor Unleashed and Smashwords started accepting story submissions today. You can read the full rules and post a piece of flash fiction on the Editor Unleashed forums, though you need to register to see the Contest Forum. If you have registered, you can read my effort, by clicking here. Thanks to J.M. Strother for the heads up about the competition.

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Finished

 I have just put the final touches to the ECA for my Open University A215 Creative Writing course. My three copies have their cover sheets attached and are sealed in an envelope ready to post tomorrow. Now I just have to fight the urge to do any more revisions between then and now.  I started the course last September and it has been challenging and motivating in equal measure. Now I have a summer stretching out ahead of me which I can devote to the projects I have put on hold the last few weeks as I completed the final assessment. And I had best get cracking as the Advanced…

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WAG #12: Memory Lane

 Dad’s shed was so big that when it finally came time to dismantle it we borrowed a neighbours chainsaw to slice the structure into manageable chunks. It was like a small house, taking up a whole side of the small garden it squatted in, and had the same damp timber smell all sheds share. The flat roof leaked in a few places, often demanding a speedy repair. Along one side was a large glass window, under which sat the lengthy workbench. At intervals along the length of the bench, were set three separate vices. Dad would use these to hold toys in various states of construction while the wood glue…

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Pixel City.

 I like to have interesting images on my screensaver and my desktops, they give me something to look at when I’m warming up to write. My account on my wife’s iMac has an awesome HD moonscape as a wallpaper, my Macbook has the earth seen from space, while the family PC uses family photos for both desktop and screensaver.  Yesterday, I came across this video of a procedurally generated city via William Gibson’s twitter. It’s an awesome looking thing and is available as a screen saver for both Windows and OSX. I’ve installed it on my Macbook. I’m not sure if you can get a similar screen saver that uses…

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End of Course Reflection

 I’ve been quiet the last day or two as I put the final touches to the last assessment for my OU Creative Writing course. ‘Connected,’ my final piece of short fiction for the course, is very nearly in its final shape. I am about to abandon it and print the three copies I need to send off. Being this close to completing the course, has put me in a reflective mood, got me to thinking about what I have learnt since starting the course.  So, in true blog tradition, here’s the top five list of things I have learnt: 1. A greater appreciation of the short story. Before taking this…

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Writing Adventure Group: Results #11 / Instructions #12

 The theme for the Writing Adventure Group #11 was “Scaredy-Cat” Choose a stranger and observe him/her for a little while. Now give them a phobia. A full-on, jump on the chair, scream like a little girl, unreasonable fear. Here are the links to all the entries: How to Join the Writing Adventure Group Dan Powell (New WAG Member!) Alexia Brown (New WAG Member!) Nancy Parra Peter Spalton Frances Wookey (New WAG Member!) Christine Kirchoff Nixy Valentine Sharon Donovan Melanie Trevelyan (New WAG Member!) Iain Martin J. M. Strother – Mad Utopia Marsha Carol Next week’s Writing Adventure: “WAG #12: Memory Lane” Thanks to Lulu for the topic idea! For this…

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Notes from a Man trapped in a Giant Bottle.

 This latest unit of my Open University course called for an investigation of possible markets for my fiction. While trawling the interweb for possible homes for my work I found Fringe – a free to view online literary journal that prides itself on featuring progressive voices in creative writing. In their own words: Fringe is the noun that verbs your world. We are about writing that confronts and questions. We want to challenge perceptions, to drive readers to action. Fringe also provides a venue for artists who take their genres into the next paradigm–those who play with form, who work outside the box—those who are on the fringe. Their online…

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Manic Redraft.

 My last TMA (Teacher Marked Assessment) is due on Friday of this week, then my ECA (End of Course Assessment) is due on the 5th June. Or it would be due on the 5th June if I didn’t have to post it at least two weeks early to make sure it makes it from here in Germany to the Open University marking centre on time. And I hadn’t booked a family holiday to Denmark for the 23rd May. And the kids weren’t breaking up from school two days early on the 20th May. So instead of having nearly four weeks to complete my course, I have ten days. So begins…

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WAG #11: Scaredy-Cat

 The Assignment: “WAG #11: Scaredy-Cat” Another people-watching exercise! Choose a stranger and observe him/her for a little while. Now give them a phobia. A full-on, jump on the chair, scream like a little girl, unreasonable fear. (Or however you imagine them to respond.) Try to choose something that fits the person you’re watching, and let us know what it is about them that clued you in to their secret fear. The object is not just to describe the fear, but to make us understand why it fits with this particular person. My attempt: The hydraulic ramp lifts the car above the inspection pit with ease. Even so, the mechanic is…

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Writing Adventure Group.

 Writing Adventure Group is an open, online writers’ group, whose purpose is to build a community of writers who help and support each other, and to hone observational and writing skills. Each week a task is set the group and you post your work on your blog, sending a link to your post to the group. At the end of the week the list of particapants gets posted to the blogs so folks can see what everyone produced. You can find the full details of how it works by visiting Nixy Valentine’s Writer’s Group page. I am going to give this a try. Below are the instructions for this weeks…

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Short Fiction

 The short story has received a fair bit of media coverage in the last few months. It has been said many times already that the short form suits contemporary living, much more than the novel that demands regular attention to give up its goods. Since starting my Creative Writing course I have developed a greater affection for short fiction than I ever had before. Previously I enjoyed the collections of Michel Faber and Alexei Sayle and dipped in and out of Raymond Carver’s work, but I never really delved much further than that. Now I am ordering a variety of short fiction collections from Amazon, listening to short fiction while…

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Poem

 A small nudge sneaks the car under the falling barrier. On the line, in no man’s land, Unclipping her belt to clamber out, she panics, recalls the cost of the car, pumps the pedal, to beat the train before therearofthecaraccordionsuptothefront.

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Librivox

 Pootling about on iTunes, looking for fiction audiobooks and podcasts, seeing what’s on offer and I came across Librivox recordings’ short fiction podcast. Librivox basically records literature in the public domain and offers the audio files for download free of charge. The readers are all volunteers and the quality of what I have listened to so far has been excellent.  I cycle my youngest son to nursery three days a week and have this stuff on my Zune to listen to as I do. Highlights so far have been Kurt Vonnegut’s superb ‘2BR02B,’ a tale of population control that confidently predicted the current state of our planet though written over…

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Nonline.

 My internet went down last Monday evening and I spent all of Tuesday and most of Wednesday arguing with my ISP. They eventually told me that the problem was with the line and sent a technician. He found the line was fine and it was, in fact, my router that had died. I was told the technician was being sent free of charge, but what’s the betting they charge me on my next bill.  Still, it’s nice to be back online, hence the heavy posting. I had planned to post stuff over this week, but with my router kicking the bucket, I ended up with a backlog of snippets in…

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Title fight.

 I seem to have real problems coming up with titles for my fiction. I find it a real struggle. Other people I share my work with seem to have a better grasp of what fits. Usually it is my wife who helps me choose titles, though ‘Breaking Distance,’ which I entered for a competition recently, had its title suggested by a member of my Open University tutorial group; thanks again, Chrissy.  I know I want to use a line of dialogue from the story for the title of my new piece, but I’m not yet sure which one. Current favourite is ‘What’s the forecast?’ That said, I might be wearing…

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Notes, Memory and Google.

 I spent most of my writing time last week drafting my next TMA for my OU Creative Writing course. The story was inspired by my stay in Dorset over the Easter break. In fact, my first idea for the piece came while in the laundrette washing the kids’ clothes. Strange how a simple event like a dryer working for over half an hour more than it should on a single token can spark a story and two characters into life.  I made extensive notes on the laundrette in order to properly describe the one my character Alan frequents during his stay in Dorset. What I hadn’t realised was how the…

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