1) Annalemma takes my flash fiction piece called 'Tattoed With Mermaids'.
2) Flash magazine takes my flash fiction piece called 'When Tania Sings' (and the Tania is Tania Hershman of 'The White Road' fame)
3) Have just won and lost a short story competition, the same competition. My entry was originally a flash fiction piece that I sent off to Aoife's Kiss. The editor there said he would publish it as it is, but felt it could be something bigger - a full story or even something more. So I wrote it into a full length story and before the flash was even published, entered the story into a competition of some repute. I was certain that the story was good, and that it would get a mention or even a prize in the competition. When the longlist and shortlist and commendations and prize-winners all went up and my story was missing, I thought there had been an error. A note from the judge said that some stories had been pulled because a google-search had revealed that the stories had already been published and this was against the rules of the competition. My flash had indeed been print-published by this time. I wrote to the judge and asked if my story was one of the pulled ones and explained what had happened. She was genuinely sorry and disappointed for my story had been a possible outright winner... too late to change things then. My mistake, using the same title for the flash and the story... but as the judge acknowledged, the title was a really good one and she could see why I had kept it.
4) An editor is reading through a second piece of my children's fiction to see if it is worth pursuing.
5) I have written fourteen flash fiction pieces this year so far, keeping to my goal of writing one a day. One of the pieces is growing into something else... a fuller story.
6) I have completed the eleventh story for the 'Quilted Stories' exhibition that I am doing with my wife (she's making journal quilts) and my son (he is producing graphic work). Only one more story to go for the calendar to be complete. The exhibition will go up for the three Easter days: 10th, 11th and 12th April... in the village of West Linton in Scotland.
7) I am almost decided on the novel that will be written this year... indeed it is already begun. More news will follow as progress is made. Watch this space.
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5 comments:
Douglas, congrats on all the flash acceptances (even if I do star in one of them - I maintain that you haven't heard me sing and might not want to!), and commiserations on the win&loss, but at least you know you have a damn fine story that, when you change the title, stands a great chance in other comps. Send it out!
You sound incredibly productive, I am impressed and more than a little envious:) Happy New Year!
Tania
Music like beauty is something in the beholder...
Thanks for popping by and for your kind advice. Am thinking of one or two comps I might send the 'damn fine story' out to... but initially set my sights for this year to only the high comps... so am in a bit of a quandary about where to throw this.
Happy New Year to you too, Tania... am sure that you are also busy producing... or maybe just turning over ideas, like turning over soil and then planting.
Sorry that the new year is so terrible where you are. Hope for peace and then for something near to joy.
D
Blimey, you've been busy, Mr!
Thanks for dropping in Nik... busy, yes... but more than 50% of what I produce will go to the bin on my computer, or be filed away and never come to anything...
Hopefully some good stuff will surface... soon, maybe.
D
You know, I know exactly what you mean!
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