New Laptop and review of my writing year

The Jigsaw put together in one day

In the last few days I have been getting to know my new laptop. Times have been fraught, especially for my techie son who has had the job of putting right what I've done wrong, answering my queries and basically losing it. I fully understand. Everything about this laptop feels different, from the keyboard to the way the start up screen looks and functions react. The mouse is super sensitive...to match my mood!

But I am getting the hang of it slowly and yesterday I did lots of typing. That's helped a lot. This morning I have loaded up some photos from my phone for the first time. My son said it will be exactly the same as the way I did it before. Er...not quite. Once the device was ready to go (as it told me) I couldn't find it! Then once I did find it I copied the photos I wanted and went into pictures but couldn't find the tab for 'create new folder'. It was stuck at the top in tiny print. So it has been successful. Besides which my son is still in bed and even I haven't the nerve to wake him over this!

I've been slow to get to my laptop because there was so much to do before Christmas and during Christmas but now I have loaded my writing folder onto it (with a lot of help and distress....from me and son!). However, I've not transferred everything from my old laptop and don't intend to unless I need it. I'm trying to start afresh and be better with my filing system. Let's see how long that lasts!

So, how is everyone's Christmas going so far? We had the girlfriend of my younger son staying for two nights and between them they put together the 1000 piece jigsaw in one day! I never got a look in. I received some nice presents - books, of course, earphones, a pen that lasts a lifetime...wow! Two friends remembered my eco-friendly lifestyle and bought me a box of pens made from recycled card, plus a notebook made from recycled plastic, a soy candle, a string bag (which I first thought was a ball of wool, and I wondered what does my friend think I'm going to knit?!) and some bee bombs for the garden. My husband bought me the Dairy Diary that I asked for. I love this diary and I used to buy one every year. Then I swapped to cheaper options but they weren't the same. A friend bought me one two years ago and I realised how much I'd missed it. These days it comes with little stickers to highlight birthdays and special occasions. Oh, such fun!

Books for Christmas!

Now we come to the part where I look at my writing successes and otherwise during the year. Otherwise is very high on the agenda this year. Anyway, here goes:

Short Stories - submitted 13, successes - none
Flash stories - submitted 7, one published (Paragraph Planet)
Poems - submitted 44, successes - 4 (all published by Visual Verse), 1 consolation prize! 4 no replies (assumed dead), 3 waiting (assumed dead)
I have one poem accepted from last year's batch which will be published at the end of next year!
Novels - one submitted for a competition - no go.

During the year I attended Mslexia's writing conference in Leeds, took an online novel writing course, enjoyed author events locally, and a couple of poetry events in London. The biggest and best move was joining the writing group which meets in Hammersmith. There I found friends and a relaxed atmosphere to try new, and often, wacky things. I'm off there today.

I don't want to dwell too long over this year. It hasn't felt great writing-wise, but support from friends helps. As to the future, I don't have much planned. I shall finish my year of writing one poem a day and I want to re-visit some of the poems I have written about climate change and try sending a few out. I've decided not to go to any writing conferences in 2020, and I'm not sure about general submitting either. Competitions just feel a waste of time and money. The only workshop/conference I would consider next year is one about self-publishing. I'd like to publish some poems, but don't feel confident enough to go it alone. Just getting to grips with my laptop has been stressful enough without the thought of tackling book covers, formatting text etc. for publishing.

To end with I thought I'd share this poem I wrote over the dilemma of whether to use the candles I was given for Christmas. Did I? Er.......

The Santa Candles

A row of Santa candles waxed red

and white, I’m sure they will burn

nice and bright, but in my heart

I know this to be wrong.

It can't be right to burn Santa Clause

even for the cause of Christmas,

to light the wick will rip my heart

apart, to see him melt from the 

red of his hat to his shiny black boots

taking with it his suit all trimmed

in white, and for what, a light?

If I strike the match, see his sacrifice

flaming, will my fingers tremble

as this terrible deed is done?

Oh Santa, pick up your sack and run!