Friday, August 27, 2004
Poetic Success
Ah the joys of writing. One day you are down, and the next you are up. At the start of the month I submitted four poems to Zygote In My Coffee, and this morning I was informed that they want three of them: Clouds, Missing Out and I Smoke Because I Want To. They rejected Robots presumably because it reads quite science-fictiony, but interestingly, it actually concerns the same subject that Missing Out addresses. Not to worry - I am delighted to have these published and they will start appearing from Issue 19, due out September 6th at http://www.zygoteinmycoffee.com
My subs list now reads:
2 short stories to Writing Magazine - deadlines ages away yet
1 short story to Sol Magazine
1 short story to Gorlan Publications - rejected but request for rewrite
1 short story to The Summerset Review
1 short story to the Bridport Competition - results due mid-September
5 poems to Greenshoots Magazine
3 poems to The Poetry Kit
4 poems to Zygote In My Coffee - 3 accepted for Issue 19 on Sep 6th
2 poems to Caffeine Destiny
2 poems to Pudding House - rejected this week
I have been reading a lot of short stories lately from a wide variety of authors. It has made me think (harping back to yesterday), that I am really aiming too high with mine and trying to achieve big things with them. I have come to the conclusion that simplicity is best and that it's possible to write great stories about everyday things. I read two over lunch, one called To Steal From A Thief written by an anonymous author about a boy who breaks into a house to rob and old woman and she binds him to her for life if she pays off the debt he hoped to repay by stealing from her - just to have some company. I also read one by Crysse Morrison called
Leonara's Forte about a woman in a nursing home who takes dirty phone calls.
Both excellent reads, delicate and descriptive with superb dialogue, and yet they are not trying to achieve too much in the way of complicated plots or overstimulated characters. I need to focus on the things around me more and start using the notes I take every day and put them to better use.
My subs list now reads:
2 short stories to Writing Magazine - deadlines ages away yet
1 short story to Sol Magazine
1 short story to Gorlan Publications - rejected but request for rewrite
1 short story to The Summerset Review
1 short story to the Bridport Competition - results due mid-September
5 poems to Greenshoots Magazine
3 poems to The Poetry Kit
4 poems to Zygote In My Coffee - 3 accepted for Issue 19 on Sep 6th
2 poems to Caffeine Destiny
2 poems to Pudding House - rejected this week
I have been reading a lot of short stories lately from a wide variety of authors. It has made me think (harping back to yesterday), that I am really aiming too high with mine and trying to achieve big things with them. I have come to the conclusion that simplicity is best and that it's possible to write great stories about everyday things. I read two over lunch, one called To Steal From A Thief written by an anonymous author about a boy who breaks into a house to rob and old woman and she binds him to her for life if she pays off the debt he hoped to repay by stealing from her - just to have some company. I also read one by Crysse Morrison called
Leonara's Forte about a woman in a nursing home who takes dirty phone calls.
Both excellent reads, delicate and descriptive with superb dialogue, and yet they are not trying to achieve too much in the way of complicated plots or overstimulated characters. I need to focus on the things around me more and start using the notes I take every day and put them to better use.
Colin 7:47 am