A Topsy week.

My Topsy day has turned into a Topsy week. I found that once I settled on doing just that it was all that I wantedto do. I'm probably going to finish the first edit today.
On a more disappointing notea story that I sent to Take a Break at the beginning of the year was returned yesterday. Oncemore I have failed to impress Norah. Not to worry, I'll have another look at it and send it out again.
There are a couple of competitions that I entered ending tomorrow so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for them.

Thanks MotherX

I'm trying to follow motherx's advice about doing one thing one day/week and another thing another. Today is a Topsy day. I chose this to start with because
a) like I've said a million times it needs to be put to bed.
b) I learn something about writing because it's not a style I normally use.
c) I learn something about me.

Although I thought I would just be putting the final touches to this project, I find as I'm working it that Topsy is still growing.

I'm looking forward to getting on with it after lunch. Food must come first.

Aarrgghh!!!

I have been asked from time to time what I write and my standard answer is usually something along the lines of "Whatever I feel like at any given time."
What I mean by that is that I like to write lots of different things. I am not a novelist, or a short story writer or a poet etc etc because I am all of them. However, and I know I'm harping back to something that I've mentioned before, I want to focus more. I have so many things on the go I can't possibly be doing justice to any of them. I was pleased yesterday that I'd submitted 3 short stories but it's ages since I worked on my novel. And surely if I'm going to do that properly I need to concentrate on it. Then there's my topsy project. I really want to put that to bed but that's a personal project. It's all very confusing.
Do I concentrate on short stories in the hope of selling a few and making a name for myself or do I work on my novel which could ultimately, possibly, maybe bring greater rewards if I'm in the right place at the right time and the wind is blowing in the right direction.
Aarrgghh!!!

Three out of four aint bad

Three out of four of the short stories that I have written in the past few weeks have now been edited and submitted. The fourth one is the one that I could remember writing it but couldn't remember what it was about (see a couple of weeks ago.) My theory is that as I couldn't remember it the day after I'd written it then it probably needs a bit more work.
One of them is I believe one of the best that I have ever written (there's my neck on the line.)
The other two are as good as I could get them but one of them is a bit experimental for me and so I don't know if I've got it right. But if it's as good as I could make it even if it's rejected I'll have learnt something. I try to learn from all my rejections but I find that it's sometimes hard to be critical about something that you've sweated over (metaphorically speaking that is.)
So I have to be honest and say that I'm pleased with what I've achieved this week. My submission rate has fallen off in the past month or so and it has been good to get some things sent off.

Waiting Game

I've submitted 20 odd things this year ( my rate had sadly dropped in March) and as yet I have only heard about one of those things and that was the story that was rejected as soon at it had been read. (I have to believe that they did actually read it otherwise why are we bothering) I have had no hits this year - not one. I also have stuff that was submitted towards the end of last year that I haven't heard about.
Maybe all my acceptances will come at once - hopefully.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!
And to those of you who like me woke to a covering of snow - keep warm and upright.
I wrote two more short stories this week. I even worked one of them as far as getting ready to submit it but I couldn't get out to buy stamps and I'd run out so that will have to keep until Tuesday. It's probably better to wait until after the bank holiday anyway.
I love that particular story. Unusually for me I planned it from beginning to end before I started writing and then it just sort of flowed off the pen. When it was finished I really liked it. I just hope that my chosen editor likes it too.
I also edited the other story that I wrote this week but I'm not happy with it yet. I need to work on the word length as its not right for my chosen market yet. I haven't done anything with the stories that I wrote last week yet.
I guess that's how I'll be spending my bank holiday - oh and I will enjoy it it.

Opinions sought

I'd be interested to know what you think about simultaneous submissions. I'm reluctant to try it but sometimes it is months before you get an answer from an editor and if that answer is negative it's time wasted. I'm not sure what the protocol is these days. I know that it used to be frowned upon.

2 stories.

I've written two short stories this week. One of them is a ghost story which I have never written before so that was fun and the other one is...to be honest I don't remember what the other one was but I do remember doing it. It's still in the pocket of the jacket I wore to work that day so I'll need to go and have a look to remind myself. I'll do it later though because I'm very comfortable where I am with my feet up on the end of the sofa and the laptop on my knee.
I've also been working on my screenplay experiment and I believe that the first planning stage is now completed. It's proving more difficult than I thought it would be.
On a different note I have just realised that it is 6 weeks since I invoiced a magazine for some work that they published and I still haven't been paid. I think I'll give them this week and then politely send them another one. It is quite a lot of money so I could certainly use it.
Just going back to the two stories that I wrote, I was thinking the other day that I don't think I edit as much as a lot of you out there do. I tend to write the first draft in longhand with a pen and paper. Edit as I type it up and then maybe tweak it a bit before sending it off. maybe that's where I'm going wrong.

Doing it for the love

How many of us want to give up the day job and write full time? Show of hands please. I thought so, quite a few of us.
Well, according to an article I read the other day and sadly for us (me included) apparently there is no money in writing and the chances of being able to being able to write all day long without another means of supplementing our income are remote. So what of the six figure deals that we all dream of? It seems they are very rare and are exaggerated.
I guess we'd better carry on doing it for the love.

Must try harder

Its been a quiet sort of week writing wise. I did submit a story on Monday that was promptly returned on Tuesday. That's always a disappointment.
The screenplay experiment is still in its planning stage. I'm pleased that I stoppped myself from racing in head first because the plan has changed more than once. At one point I had the first 9 scenes planned but as of yesterday I was back to scene 5 (again) and the only scenes that haven't changed are 1 and 2 which run for about 3 minutes. I think its safe to say that progress is slow.
Apart from that I don't think I've done anything else but I can't really say why. This week has just sort of passed me by. I can't even say that I've been particularly busy at work but I did have to use my day off doing other stuff.
Therefore, I find myself with very little to say other than I will try harder next week.

Quick turn around

Tuesday morning - short story submitted by email
Tuesday afternoon - offer of short story politely declined - also by email

Why is it that I've never had an acceptance as quickly?
I have to assume that the story was read and in a way I'm glad they were so quick to tell me that they didn't want it. At least this way I'm not hanging on and hoping.

Wonderful writing community

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how friendly and helpful the writing community is (or at least the one's I know.)
I had a question the other day about a story and knew of someone, a very successful writer who would be well placed to advice me. My only link to this person is that we have twice appeared in the same publication. I figured that I had nothing to lose and sent of my email. I had a reply from them within ten minutes telling me everything that I needed to know and suggesting what I could do.
I'm not going to mention names here but to that person and you know who you are and you were familiar with me blog (which did my ego the power of good) thank you. I'll be resubmitting the story tonight.

Mothers

Happy Mothers Day to mothers everywhere. To those of us that are still lucky enough to have our mothers with us love them and treasure them because she is special - even when she treats you like a two year old. You always will be two years old to her so accept it.

Diverting from my usual route

Yesterday I remembered something that I wrote towards the end of last year. It was just a page and a half, the start of something that I would get to eventually. Well, I got very excited about it yesterday and last night when I was going to bed I couldn't wait for this morning so that I could get on with it. So, the first thing I did when I got back from grocery shopping this morning was pick up my pen, pull out my book and start writing. ThenI realised that I was going at it like a bull in a china shop and I need to slow down.
You see I'm trying to write this idea as a screenplay which is something that I've never done before and I think I need to approach it in a more structured fashion. I forced myself to put down the notebook and come away from it. I need to tackle this project differently, I need to plan.

No writing but still a good day

Haven't written anything today, in fcat I haven't done much of anything. We paid a surprise visit to our parents instead. They're all getting on a bit now and we live a long way away so we don't see them that often. The last time was just before Christmas.
I have officially given myself the day off writing.
So, since returning I've had a cuppa, a bath and put the dinner in the oven. Now I'm going to watch Dancing on Ice and then hang out with Himself this evening.
I feel so relaxed today - its fab.

What I did this week

The weather was really bad yesterday so we decided to stay at home. I did some tidying in the garden which was pretty yucky but not a lot of writing - just jotting down a few ideas mainly. I was thinking about what I have done this week and I think that I'm happy with what I've achieved.

• My topsy project is now 12,500 words through it's second draft. For those of you that don't know I call it my topsy project because it just sort of grew out of nowhere.
• I found some very old ideas/notes in the back of a cupboard which I've added tp my WIP folder.
• I've worked on some of the old ideas, finished one and submitted it.
• I've had fun

Plus away from writing I've got some really yucky jobs thatI've been putting off for a while done.

Like I said, the weather was really bad yesterday and the power went off last evening so the clock in the bedroom wasn't set. I woke up and thought it was later than it really is ( I thought it was about 6.30 it was 4.15) but I was wide awake and thought I might as well get up. I spent a while writing an email to a friend who has sponsored me to do The Race for Life. It was just going to be a quick thank you but then I realised that there was loads of stuff I hadn't told her so that took over half an hour. I've also done a couple of other things but it's still only 5.50. Once I'm awake I'm awake but I'll suffer for it later. I think I'll go and put the coffee pot on and then do a bit more of topsy

Topsy update

I gave myself a day off the yucky jobs today. I had to do the grocery shopping this morning (some might consider that a yucky job) and then I had to go and deal with some stuff about the car. That took way longer than I had anticipated so I can't face anything nasty like cleaning cupboards or something similar.
I've spent an hour or so working on my topsy project and thats coming along nicely. I've got twelve and a half thousand of the words typed up already but I have come to the conclusion that it won't be finished this week but its moved on a long way and I'll finish it soon.
Himself is taking the day off tomorrow and will probably want to go out for the day so I can't imagine there'll be much done then. I'll get more done on Saturday and Sunday but then it's back to work ya boo hiss!!!

Time for bed

Today's yukky job was to strip all the covers from the sofa and wrestle them into the washing machine and wash them. Of course there's still the fight to get them back on which is always a challange. I have also emptied the washing basket and cleared the ironing pile. So I am now quite rightly in my opimion proud of my achievements on the domestic front and have given myself the next hour of to surf the net, check out blogs or whatever I want. After that it'll be back to my topsy project which I have been working on.
This particular project as some of you will know is one that probably won't ever be seen by the public at large but will rather be a record of how I felt at a particular point in my life. But like I said last week it's something that I'm ready to put to bed now. Then I will concentrate on some other stuff.

Yukky jobs and emails

Todays yukky job was to clean the cooker (URRGGHHH.) It's not really a long job it's just a messy job which is why I tend to put it off. Anyway, its done now and the rest of the day is my own.
I have also this morning typed up a story that I finished last night so I am feeling like I have achieved something today already and its not even 10 o'clock yet. Imagine what I could have achieved if I hadn't spent half an hour trawling the internet and checking emails for acceptances that weren't there. Well you never know, I have a few pieces submitted in other countries in different time zones, there might have been an email that I needed to see.
In all seriousness though, I wonder how much time I waste surfing the net and checking emails./ Do I really need to do that every day? I was reading an interview with a prolific author who said that they never check their email on a writing day. I suppose the difference is that they have made it and I'm just hoping that a short story is accepted an a paying magazine.

Finding treasure

I decided that on each day of my holiday I must do a job that I've been putting off. Todays was that I cleared out the space above my wardrobe. I found all sorts of things in there including an old notebook. I've just read through it and now I have more things in my Work in Progress folder. Actually there were a couple of ideas in there that I really like and I will be working on.
It is just a tatty old notebook but it was like finding something precious. It was full of things that I was thinking and planning at some point in the past and now I get chanceto develop them.