Slingink and Writing Submissions

Slingink and Writing Submissions

ulpG or even Gulp

I have just submitted 5 poems and 2 short short stories to 3 different publishers (no duplicate submissions though – that’s just the total).

Will let you know about acceptances or rejections. And I may send out some more.

Decided to end 2010 as I want to go into 2011. Productive.

Have signed up to THE STIRRED POeT 2011 starting Jan on The Write Idea to help with this – a six round poetry competition.

This comes hot on the heels of Slingink Scribbling Slam

– a six round poetry and/or fiction compeition that I ran over on Slingink with masses of help, for which I am very grateful, from the two judges, for poetry Mandy Pannett and for fiction Nik Perring. Obviously I didn’t officially enter but I submited my poems (I managed 6 new ones) and stories (I managed 4 new ones and submitted 2 I’d previously written) anonymously for comments. I was so chuffed that I would have won one poetry round and come second in one fiction round so those are a couple of the pieces I have sent out today.

I’m sorry to say that due to a manic end of work (which I am now not at for two weeks over Christmas) I’m behind with editing the second edition of Slingink All Shorts though I am determined to get it finished (ideally before Christmas, definitely before the end of December).

Who else is on a mad submission rush at the end of 2010?

Good luck

In January I am going to look at my NaNoWriMo novel again. I’m already thinking of writing a sequel for NaNoWriMo 2011.

I don’t think I mentioned that I have submitted a few stories to a charity anthology (Write to Fight) to support a fellow writer’s karate club. This should be out shortly so I’ll add a link to it when its available.

Secrets and Silent Times

Secrets and Silent Times

Just a quick post to say I’ve been busy editing The Slingink Prize/The Slingink Junior Prize Anthology 2010 – Secrets and Silent Times. The cover was designed by Russel Herneman who also has a story in the anthology.

Contributor’s copies were sent out yesterday after 20 mins of weighing and labelling packages (felt sorry for the lady in the post office and the people building up in the queue behind me) and I won’t say how long taping them up the night before.

If you are looking for a Christmas present for an avid reader Secrets and Silent Times can be purchased from Slingink’s Lulu Spotlight Storefront along with our other publications (speaking of which I have to get to work on Vol 2 of the magazine).

Winning NaNoWriMo 2010

Winning NaNoWriMo 2010

I blogged a couple of days ago about having a hell of a lot of writing to do this weekend to succeed at the task I’d set myself of joining many others attempting to write 50000 words of a novel in 30 days. Well I did it, and it feels so good.

Here is my progress chart day by day.

Day Ideal Actual Left to Go Day Total
1 1667 1697 48303 1697
2 3334 1697 48303 0
3 5001 1697 48303 0
4 6668 3613 46387 1916
5 8335 5605 44395 1992
6 10002 6634 43366 1029
7 11669 11700 38300 5066
8 13336 11700 38300 0
9 15003 11700 38300 0
10 16670 11700 38300 0
11 18337 11700 38300 0
12 20004 15864 34136 4164
13 21671 16303 33697 439
14 23338 16303 33697 0
15 25005 16303 33697 0
16 26672 16303 33697 0
17 28339 16303 33697 0
18 30006 16303 33697 0
19 31673 16303 33697 0
20 33340 16303 33697 0
21 35007 21973 28027 5670
22 36674 23264 26736 1291
23 38341 25709 24291 2445
24 40008 25709 24291 0
25 41675 25709 24291 0
26 43342 31015 18985 5306
27 45009 40517 9483 9502
28 46676 50370 -370 9853
29 48343 50000
30 50010 50000

As you can see there were rather a lot of days where I didn’t write anything, and I didn’t feel well on a number of those days (or was travelling round Italy in the rain!). But to be honest this is how I work, I have never really been a plodder, routinely working on something until it is finished. I have always been a last minute wonder, needing that adrenaline to keep me moving.

Doing this for sponsorship and having people put their money towards a cause I believe in has been a good motivator and when I have actually sat down to write it has been a joy. Although, on more than one occasion I found myself eyes drooping, nearly nodding off at the computer (hopefully that is more to do with how tired I was rather than my story). But I did plod a little more than usual and sat down to write when sometimes I din’t want to, I even did a bit of planning and outlining before I started.

Now, I know some of my facebook and twitter friends are still working and I wish them all the luck and determination in the world to keep going. One thing I know is that this is only the beginning and that despite the ‘Novelist’ badge that I have been wearing from the No Plot No Problem Novel Writing Kit I do not have finished novel under my belt. So I need to keep going and finish the manuscript and then go back and cut out lots of the rubbish words and add some better, more magnificent ones, and correct the name changes and that dreadful tense change, and develop my characters and fill in the plot holes and foreshadow and… I think you get the point.

Please keep nagging me and you never know you may be in  position to get a (self-published – I’m not foolish enough to think I’ll be snapped up by an agent or publisher) copy of Training Time (Book 1 of Cop Across Time) in your stocking from Santa next Christmas.

Roll on NaNoWriMo 2011 when I can write ‘As yet Untitled’ (Book 2 of Cop Across Time)

Now excuse my blatant adding of NaNo Winner’s badges (which one is your favourite).

I did say blatant – sorry!

Good night and good nano one and all.

Kirsty (aka CharmedP3 and kirstyes)

(Ps. My sponsorship page for Cancer Research UK is still open if you are feeling generous – UK taxpayers don’t forget to select the gift aid button – http://www.justgiving.com/Kirsty-Stanley)