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Thursday 21 July 2016

Half-yearly review

I have just been looking back at my goals for this year. Well, we are over half way through the year. Though success rate has been poor, in other respects I have achieved a great deal.

Number one on my list was to submit a novel to an Agent. I've achieved that one. No, I don't have a contract or even a near miss, just rejections, but at least I've started the process.

Second on the list was to write short stories. I thought this would be hard as I've written two extremes....75 words at one end and 80,000 at the other plus the odd 500 worder. However, I have ended up already writing more short stories than poems this year. I'm beginning to enjoy the process and I've started entering them into competitions and magazines.

Find new outlets for my flash fiction. While I have been successful getting published on Paragraph Planet, I wanted to widen my horizons. Again, I have entered a couple of competitions, but there is still much to do here.

The last on the list was about being tough on my poetry editing. While I have done very little in this area I have edited some poetry and written a few new ones. I've even begun submitting again.

I have a lot of work out there, stuff I'm waiting on, but there have been lots of rejections this year so far. However, I'm not going to be despondent because there is another half year to come, well almost.

Next month I am going to Swanwick Summer School for a week. I love the fact that you don't have to commit to workshops when you sign up and can make up your mind on the day! It looks terrific. The programme arrived at the weekend and I've been highlighting things I'd like to do. I'm particularly looking forward to the Crime Special on the Tuesday. I enjoy reading the genre these days, now I've found authors I really like, but to write it I think is the most difficult. I've dabbled in writing a few crime stories, never murder though, I feel I need to learn a lot more about it to make it sound authentic.  The Chairman of Swanwick Writers will be involved in the Crime Special. I bought his book a couple of years ago. Absolutely fascinating to read.

Anyway, I thought I'd mention Swanwick in case there is anyone reading this who is also going. If you are let me know. This will be a first for me and I'm really looking forward to it.

2 comments:

Bea Charles said...

Hi, Heather. I'm also going to Swanwick next month, my first time as well. It'll be good to meet you in real life.

Heather said...

Brilliant. Look forward to it.