Bits and Pieces

First, congrats for two Boot Campers. They are on the shortlist for a comp, results TBA shortly. I got nowehere in that one and one of my stories was a finalist at Glimmer Train!! Throw in another shortlist at Pulp and we are up to 43 hits for the year.

I think that's well down on last year but two members have seriously raised their heights (one will only sub to paying markets now, or comps) one member has taken the first quarter to write a novel, and I'm a lazy bastard.




I have so much stuff to send out!! I've had so many things happening here, plus study and the general run of the mill BC stuff that my drafts just accumulated. I could sit down now and send out one a day for a year.

I don't know why but for some reason publishers don't write begging for stories. They have this quaint idea that we send to them.

My daughter is off on a french exchange and my son last night had FIVE mates sleeping over.

prompt: The Smell of Pizza, Feet and Armpit....

I woke early, critiqued the last primary Story (Friday Nights is deadline for stories in BC) posted the prompts and a couple of posts in BC, updated the blogs. Now I want to finish the month with another story as come lunch-time it's FOOTIE on the telly and then maybe a local minor-league game.

This month has been so intense I've stopped running and working out (but didn't drink). Now I have sore hips and feel like a slug. So April, run every day!!




Got a really good poem out yesterday (well I THINK it's a good un). I'm scared to work it and lose the edge but this morning I added a word and changed a word (the Ranieri of Words).

It's very strange being an expert in "seeing" short-stories and a complete KLUTZ in understanding poetry.

It's not as if I can't write the occasional decent one. I've maybe published 10-12 (must check) and won a very nice first prize, but it's INSTINCT, intuition, "feel". if a poem comes I'm terified of touching it. I feel like that man in the comedy sketch, just finished the Venus de Milo, goes to chip off a TINY bit of her shoulder AND THE ARMS FALL OFF!


I understand that...