January sucesses and hybrid writing

Rue 'helping' my son with harvesting carrots

It's been a while since I've posted twice in a month, but a lot has been happening. Apart from another cough from the tail end of another cold, my writing space has become a bit of a tip, not helped by my son's puppy who likes to chew the boxes my art materials are in. Somehow, I have managed to keep on top of things. I've had two poems published this month. One is on the Visual Verse website and the other in Issue 9 of Palest Blue e-zine (see page 17), a US publication. I'm still waiting for one more piece of writing to appear this month. Not a bad start to the year. Although I have no target for submitting this year, I have sent out five pieces.

The surprise this month was the 5-Day Hybrid Writing Challenge with Arvon. I knew I'd signed up for something in December, but then couldn't remember what! So this was a jolt to the system. Every day I that week received an email with articles to read along with writing tasks. This short look at hybrid writing blew my mind. I wondered if it was for me, but then certain articles stirred me and I saw some possibilities. Basically, it's about mashing up genres, format and mixing human with other things, like My Wolf Sister. Do read it. I'd call this type of writing surrealism! Now, I do enjoy the work of surrealist artists, so maybe this is a better fit than I first thought. It certainly got me thinking, and I managed to get something written.

I then read the book Not Sorry by Sarah Salway. I only picked it up from my to be read pile because I wanted something to fit the gap between reading my last book and the library visit. Well, it was obviously meant to be because this was hybrid writing. The book inspired me. The mainly flash stories were compelling and different. One made me cry. I loved it and out of that I ended up writing something I'd never have written otherwise - an acrostic flash!

The short course listed books and publications accepting such writing. I think this is something I could work with. In fact, I realise I had written a couple of things along these lines, but just classed them as a bit twisted! I think with a course like this you get out of it what works for you, and I can definitely find a way in this. It's given me licence to take risks.

This morning I have had a bit of a clear up in my writing space, though it seems to be the spot for the collection of articles waiting to be taken to the charity shop! Never mind, it's a start. Rue is on his daily walk in the park, so I'm not going to be disturbed. Happy writing and reading folks.