Fate???

I managed to get a couple of hours off work on Friday afternoon and Himself picked me up and took me to the rescue centre that we got our previous dog from. We hadn't planned on going then, we were going to go today but something was dragging us there. We looked around the dogs and all of them were barking apart from one who just sat at the back of the kennel quietly, then came to the front on the cage, looked at us for a while and then went back to the back of the kennel. This is exactly the way that our previous dog had behaved so we asked to see him and when he came and snuggled up to our hands we were hooked. We agreed to adopt himand found out that his name was Zac - our previous dog was called Zoe. Fate or what?

A week off

I decided to give myself the week of writing as my head just isn't in the right place for it. I did submit something this afternoon but that will be the limit of it this week.

Not a time for writing

Not really in the mood for writing at the moment. My beautiful dog had to be put tp sleep yesterday and I am so miserable. I miss her so much. It all happend so suddenly and I wasn't prepared for it.

Whatever works

I've been around a fair bit this week because I've been on holiday from the day job. It has given me the opportunity to get on with a couple of small projects and one big one. I've just finished the first edit of that big project and I started to think. I have read in lots of places that some writers let "trusted" friends and family read their work and give them feedback. I must confess that is something that I've never done. No-one gets to sdee what I have written until the editor of my chosen market sees it. I don't know if this is the right thing to do but it's what I do. There is no right and wrong in this game. It's whatever works for you. Then I started to think about who I could trust to give me an honest opinion and I couldn't think of anybody. Maybe that says more about me and my friends than I care to think about.

Going it Alone

It's not something that I've ever really considered but it does seem to be a growing industry. I'm talking about self publishing. Maybe one of the things that has stopped me from considering it myself is the fact that I remember the era of vanity publishing. Unscrupulous publishers took money from people desperate to be published and the writer received a second rate product in return. I know that when I worked in a charity shop we used to come across some of these books and frankly they were dreadful. One author even donated us 50 copies of their book and we couldn't give them away.
I know that self publishing is different but I still don't see it being for me (sorry captain black) How many times have we been told that people should pay us to publish our work and to run away from anyone who asked for money from you. Also I've never looked into it but I would assume that it is expensive and I don't think that I can justify the expense.
I would be really interested to hear your views. Has self publishing worked for you? Maybe if I was better informed I could make a proper judgement.

Sorry for my moment of weakness

Sorry you lot for my moment of weakness and self pity which I suffered about half an hour ago. I was sitting on the sofa writing (couldn't stop myself and didn't even try to) when I got over the way that I was feeling when I made my last post. I just had to come back and say sorry. I have been published in loads of places. I can write good stuff. It just happens that the story I sent the magazine wasn't suitable for them for whatever reason. And their reasons are their reasons. Or maybe they just didn't like it. That's allowed to happen. God knows I don't like everything that I read. There are lots more magazines out there.

A low point

I've hit a bit of a low point this afternoon. The postman has just delivered another rejection and I'm left wondering if there's any point with my going on with it. Not with writing because I do that for me but with the trying to get published. But I write to get published. I write so that others can read what I have written. I want others to read what I have written. I do write for myself but I want it to be of a standard that is good enough to be published. I don't write for the money (thank God otherwise we'd starve) and if we won the lottery I would still write but I would still want it to be good enough to be published.
I guess what's beating me up is the realisation that my work isn't good enough. I'll get over this I know because I have before but right now it feels bad.

Nothing in particular

I've been writing this morning but seem to have hit a bit of a spot. The juices just won't flow so I thought I'd come and check if I had any emails. Apart from one form Uswitch and an offer of cheap car insurance that was a no so I figured I'd drop in here and see what was going on. I've read a few other blogs and left a couple of comments. Then I thought I'd just pop over here and say Hi. I've submitted a couple of things this weekand received an acknowledgement from one this morningsaying that they'd get back to me as soon as possible. That makes 33 things out there under consideration at the moment. One of those is something that I sent to Readers Digest last August but I'm not giving upon them just yet because I was talking to someone who had a piece accepted by them out of the blue after a year. I am of course just waffling now and I haven't succeeded in getting the jiuces going again so its time for plan B which involves a cup of tea and some cake.

My writing week

I've had a busy writing week this week - well busy for me anyway. I submitted a short story, I submitted a non fiction piece and I entered a couple of competitions. Oh and then there was the story that I sold.
I sometimes get annoyed with myself when I read other blogs and see how much more prolific some of you guys are and I am looking at ways of fitting more writing into my schedule. I read on one blog the other day of someone who has already submitted over 50 things this year. I'll be lucky if I do that in the whole year.
But relatively speaking it was a busy week for me and a good week for me on the writing front.
In fact, I've just realised that I've done myself a dis service. I submitted 2 short stories this week. Go me!!!

1st one of the year

I got my first hit of the year yesterday. Woo hoo!!!!
I like womag's theory that hits are like buses and now that one's arrived hopefully there'll be another one around the corner.

A warning

A friend of mine had a comment on their blog this week that included a link. When they clicked on that link their computer became infected with multiple viruses. Just thought I'd mention it as a warning.

No worries for the tax man

For one reason and another which I won't bore you with this hasn't been a good week on a personal level. However on a different level it was a great week. (How very cryptic) But the great news outweighed the bad news so thats good. Life's a bit like that. None of it had anything to do with writing though.
On a writing front I've written two short stories this week. Well if I'm being honest I've written
1 3/4. I need to finish the second one but it's almost there.
The stuff that wasn't to do with writing did make me realise that I HAVE to focus (I know I've said it a million times before - well maybe not a million but a few) With that in mind I made a list yesterday of things that I need to do. I have yet to attack that list but I'll make a start on it later today.
With the financial year ending the other day I made a list of everything that I'd been paid for last year and I regret to say that I didn't worry the tax man. Maybe next year.