Beaten Up

Well I didn't make the longlist for the Bristol with my Victorian fantasy story. Sending it out again soon, question is where?

The Beat accepted 'The Commuter's Tale' , which is not quite as boring as it might seem.

http://the-beat.co.uk/the-commuter%e2%80%99s-tale/

Black Weekend

So Saturday I find I haven't won a place on Lancaster University's distance learning Creative Writing MA and foolishly didn't make any back-up applications. Then, after waiting ages for the Fish One Page longlist, only the shortlist is announced. Never expected to win but certainly last year hearing I'd been longlisted gave my confidence a boost.

I've plenty of work out there to keep my interest up. Now I'm waiting to see if my submission to the first Bristol Short Story competition receives any acclaim.

Mythos(ish)

Nathan at MicroHorror has accepted 'The Vaults', a Lovecraftian tale (see link). This was inspired by a challenge on the Flash Fiction part of theWriteWords site, of which I've been an active member for around a year.

Perseverance

No news on Saturday, so no news = good news.

Have sent 'Topsider' to L. Ron Hubbard's 'Writers of the Future'.

Pulp

AlienSkin magazine weren't impressed by my comic sci-fi story 'Stranded'. I've edited to the point it's probably too tight and sent to the Writers Digest competition, 'genre' category. If I'm a main contender I'll hear in October otherwise results in December.

My sci-fi is heavily influenced by the Pulp era or Golden Age. In the late 60's I used my pocket money to buy old copies of American mags like Astounding and Bewildering from a grubby bookshop in Brixton Road. They used to be piled up below the tables of soft-porn magazines, which I virtually ignored. In my pre-pubescent years, travelling to other worlds was a far more interesting concept than any naked woman.

I'm on a bit of a roll though with this sort of writing being rejected. Murky Depths didn't want 'Topsider', a tale of a traveller in London years after the Bomb. I need to find it a home because I think it deserves one.

Still, Saturday is the day I usually here back on my offerings, so fingers crossed on the other stuff.

A Good Cast

Edinburgh e-magazine Ranfurly Review has taken a 5,000 word short story 'Pure Theatre'. I've rewritten this more times than I can remember. Glad its found a home. Out in the June issue.

Leaf Books

Subbed one new SF storyand three previously published e-zine pieces to Leaf Books Micro-Fiction Contest - prize is anthology publication. The contest closes in May '08 so shouldn't be too long to wait.

Plus & Minus

SAND: A Journal of Strange Tales has now published my Clark Ashton-Smith inspired 'At the Oasis' (link). Robin at Boston Literary Magazine has rejected my historical piece on the Boston Tea Party. In retrospect I agree with her take that there wasn't enough power for something so pivotally emotional, I concentrated too much on the historical side. May rewrite and send elsewhere.

Starting Point

Over the past year I've submitted 100 pieces of fiction (some many times), have 17 submissions outstanding and achieved 16 publications and 1 competition long-listing (Fish One Page Story 2007). This gives a hit rate of just over 20%.


Published/accepted by: Apollo's Lyre (1); Bewildering Stories (1); Boston Literary Review (2); Clockwise Cat (1); Delivered (1); EveryDay Fiction (2); LitBits (2); MicroHorror (1); Ranfurly Literary Review (1); Sand: A Journal of Strange Tales (1); Static Movement (1); The Beat (1); Twisted Tongue (1).

Awaiting results of entries to: Fish One Page Story, Bristol Short Story Prize and Biscuit Flash Competition.

Currently working on a comic novel, a horror novel and a horror short story.