Here are the last of my 'Thursday Thoughts' for January. I'm calling this a busy writing week and I have done a lot of writing.....but not anything new, I'm afraid. I seem to have spent the week editing and checking stories for submissions to magazines, on-line sites and competitions. Doesn't it take a time? And even then, I'd spot something I wish I'd changed after sealing the envelope or pressing the 'Send' button!
To make myself feel that I have had a productive writing week, I have made a list of what I've done:
- Sent two short stories to 'Take a Break Fiction Feast'
- Entered a short story in the Nottingham Writers' Group competition for new and less experienced writers. The theme was 'Emotion'.
- Sent a 300 word Flash Fiction entry to the Limousin Writers' Group competition in France. The story title here was 'Second Chances'. The prize is two days at the writers' retreat there. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
- Submitted a short story and a '100 Worder' to Cafe Lit.
- Sent a story to Alfie Dog Fiction
- Met up with writing buddies to talk writing on two separate occasions
- Attended a writing group meeting where we critique each others' novels.
- Have almost finished reading Stephen King's 'On Writing - a memoir of the craft'.
There - I feel a bit better now.
If you'd like to read my tongue -in-cheek story 'Stepping Out' at Cafe Lit, please just click http://www.cafelit.co.uk/
Do you have weeks like this where on first thoughts you feel you haven't achieved a lot in terms of writing? Should I set aside certain days for re-writes and editing perhaps? I'd love to know what you do.
Sounds to me as though you've been busy.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to think that if we've not added new words we've not really done much, but if we never did anything with our rough drafts there wouldn't be any point writing them, would there?
No, I can see that, Patsy. I love the thrill of writing a new story but also enjoy feeling that the writing is as good as I can get it after a re-write and editing. I'm just impatient!
DeleteWell. I'm exhausted just reading what you've done! Very productive even if it wasn't 'new' writing. Hope you have a relaxing weekend :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam. Yes, no writing until this morning when I did a final edit on a story to send off and then started a new story! Hope your short stories are doing well on Amazon - will be buying for my Kindle as soon as I get back home. (Up with our grandsons in Manchester until Wednesday.)
DeleteYou have certainly been busy, busy, busy, Jan.
ReplyDeleteOnce I listed everything, I think I convinced myself that it hadn't been a bad week after all, Wendy!
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