The first of April brought the notification dates for two further writing competitions - days I have taken to approaching with a cocktail of dread and foreboding, with just the tiniest soupçon of hope. It often leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, but for some, inexplicable reason I continue to return to the bar...
I was again unsuccessful with Reflex Fiction, who at least put me out of my misery in the early hours of the morning. I'm yet to crack this particular nut, but hope to try again in the hope of getting onto the longlist if I can.*
But later in the day I had better news; another minor success achieved, with a shortlisting in the Grindstone Literary Open Prose competition. My first taste of writing recognition came with Grindstone last year, with a 4th place, and though the podium places continue to elude me, it nonetheless proved a welcome and timely encouragement that my work does have some merit and value.
Grindstone Literary give feedback to all competition entrants, and indicate where you come in the standings overall, in terms of percentile. They are a relatively new enterprise, and don't seem as well known, but I imagine greater notoriety would result in difficulties in providing individual critiques, so it's a fine balance to strike.
My story - a 1000 word piece entitled 'A Flash of Blue' will apparently be published in the coming months, either within an anthology or in their inaugural magazine - The website is pending an upgrade, so I will post links when the notifications are published on the new website.
I had low expectations for this piece, much preferring the piece I had written for the other competition, which I suppose serves as prove that the writer is not always the best judge of his or her own output. I will try elsewhere though - my flash was experimental, but has some merit, in my humble opinion.
I do begin the Spring with some encouragement and confidence though, and that cannot be a bad thing. Time to write.
*Update: Though I missed the 50 story longlist for the latest Reflex Fiction competition, it seems I nonetheless came very close, so my story will be published in mid-May. I naturally want to win competitions, but getting my work out there is not a bad consolation. It seems this nut, though not quite cracked, is weakening...
I was again unsuccessful with Reflex Fiction, who at least put me out of my misery in the early hours of the morning. I'm yet to crack this particular nut, but hope to try again in the hope of getting onto the longlist if I can.*
But later in the day I had better news; another minor success achieved, with a shortlisting in the Grindstone Literary Open Prose competition. My first taste of writing recognition came with Grindstone last year, with a 4th place, and though the podium places continue to elude me, it nonetheless proved a welcome and timely encouragement that my work does have some merit and value.
Grindstone Literary give feedback to all competition entrants, and indicate where you come in the standings overall, in terms of percentile. They are a relatively new enterprise, and don't seem as well known, but I imagine greater notoriety would result in difficulties in providing individual critiques, so it's a fine balance to strike.
My story - a 1000 word piece entitled 'A Flash of Blue' will apparently be published in the coming months, either within an anthology or in their inaugural magazine - The website is pending an upgrade, so I will post links when the notifications are published on the new website.
I had low expectations for this piece, much preferring the piece I had written for the other competition, which I suppose serves as prove that the writer is not always the best judge of his or her own output. I will try elsewhere though - my flash was experimental, but has some merit, in my humble opinion.
I do begin the Spring with some encouragement and confidence though, and that cannot be a bad thing. Time to write.
*Update: Though I missed the 50 story longlist for the latest Reflex Fiction competition, it seems I nonetheless came very close, so my story will be published in mid-May. I naturally want to win competitions, but getting my work out there is not a bad consolation. It seems this nut, though not quite cracked, is weakening...