Of Whizz-Bang Fizzle March 5, 2010
Posted by Jen in : Journal, Novel , trackbackOk, ok, I confess. The novel-writing has sort of ground to something of a halt. I’ve been, ahem, a little distracted with what I laughingly call ‘real life’. There has been rather a lot of it lately. Work is ridiculously busy. Tweed Clad Colleague mysteriously gets louder in direct proportion to workload. I am wearing ear plugs and wondering whether people have forgotten there’s supposed to be a recession on? Working 72 hours a day is not conducive to fabulous novelling you know.
Excuses excuses. I know. I have, however, managed to produce yet another short story. I struggle and struggle with them though no one in my lovely writing group has laughed yet. Well, not in a mean fashion. All I need to do now is summon up the courage to start subbing them. Voices rumble in my head. All aboard the nine-eleven fast train to Rejection City. Mind the gap, you clumsy berk. Eek. Editors should be like the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang child-catcher. Not that my stories should be caged, or even tied up. I’m just not convinced they’re ready to be free? But I will. Oh yes, I will for it is written on the blog.
Anyway, my novel is fermenting. Festering. Whatever. This weekend will see a tumble of words. No really, it will! If not, you are permitted to chase me round Tescos with a pointy stick while I stuff weak platitudes into my trolley along with some Bicarb of Soda and a bunch of tulips. The tulips are to make me happy (they will be purple) and the Bicarb of Soda is to sparkle up the words wot I have writted already. I’m not sure they have the right flavour. They don’t taste of string though, which is a good thing. I’m just not sure what they should taste of? Strong black coffee? No… vanilla cheesecake? Nope, too sweet… oh, I’ve got it. Space Dust. Sweet but bitter with a lingering fizzle on the tongue. Yes, that will do nicely. Or Flying Saucers – the orange ones. Ah, those were the days.
What d’you mean I haven’t told you about meeting Man from the Past? What can I say? It was better than a Wham bar. Even better than Gold Nuggets bubble gum. ‘Go easy on me on the blog,’ he pleaded. This means he may read what I say. I’m saying nothing. First rule of theatre, darlings, always leave them wanting more. Leave you wanting more, I mean. Not him. But actually… oh dear. Perhaps it will another 22 years until we meet again. (Him, not you.) I do hope not. *Blushes*
Must dash, she said, changing the subject. My aubergines are griddled. This is not a euphemism. What flavour will your day be today?
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Short stories are hard. You’re doing well. There will be rejections, or what we prefer to call ‘resubmission opportunities’, but each one leaves you a step closer to your first, or next, acceptance.
My day is leftovers-flavoured, not looking altogether appetising but likely to taste better than I think.
Yes Mrs. We do not use the word rejection around here. ‘Resubbing opps’ is what they are, Queenie is quite correct.
So far, my day tastes of toast but I would rather it tasted of jammy dodgers.
Short stories are so difficult, but I’m hoping that the more I perserve with mine the better they’ll become. Worth a try anyway.
My day tastes of a clinical kind of taste. The one that comes with having had a couple of injections in your mouth. Ouch. Still numb now and forgetting my mouth goes crooked when I smile, gave the lady in the shop a bit of a fright just now.
Short stories terrify the bejeebers out of me. I’m finding all sorts of excuses not to try… Love today’s cartoon.
Some editors are, sadly, very like the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But, on the other hand, some are like Truly Scrumptious so we mustn’t grumble.
I’m struggling to start a short story for my group at the mo. I have a whole load I have to be edited and subbed as well but work and life gets in the way. Now that I have subbed a few it seems to be gettingn easier each time. Although I haven’t been properly rejected yet so time will tell.
Good luck will the story.
My day is tasting of a cornetto. Tastes good but even better once you get to the end.
Fermenting is good, you’ll end up with all sorts of new ideas that weren’t there last week. So long as the weekend doesn’t get in the way!
Today tastes of chocolate milk, to give me some zing.
Sherbet dib-dab
Don’t let the fear of rejection stop you subbing your short stories – it’s gutting when it happens but somehow the more you sub and the more you get rejected the easier it gets (or maybe I’m just weird)
My morning tastes of gammon. Hubby popped a hunk of it in the oven first thing, and it’s making me feel hungry.
Please tell tweed-clad life and fear to stop getting in the way – the sooner you launch your writing talent on the world, the sooner you’ll start reaping the rewards. Trust me. I feel it in my tummy
(And no, it’s not the hunger talking.)
Queenie – Mmmmm, leftovers. I’m currently plundering Womag’s blog, determined to submit a couple of stories this week, while scoffing cold stuffing. Cold bacon at 6am is… erm… desperate?
Helen – ‘Resubbing Opps’, I like that. I think Mondays should taste of Jammie Dodgers. It’s only fair.
Debs – I guess keeping on is the key. Or getting started in my case. Hope your face de-numbed quickly and you didn’t scare any more innocent bystanders!
JJ – They used to scare me but I’m becoming hooked. Useless but hooked. Ho hum.
Honeysuckle – ‘Mustn’t grumble’ is a phrase I haven’t heard in ages! So thoroughly, staunchly British, what? And hurrah for Truly Scrumptious editors.
Lily – Real Life is a bugger, isn’t it? Absolutely love your Cornetto comment – that HAS to find its way into a story!
Denise – Fermenting… it’s weird how stories tick away in the background, isn’t it, not to mentioned a good excuse for being away with the fairies!
Sarah – You’re right of course. I just need to get on with it! Sherbert dib-dab sounds a splendidly licky sort of day…
Karen – Ooh, a hubby who puts things in the oven, I like the sound of him… Tweed-Clad Fear as a character sounds even more scary than the child-catcher. I’m going to do it. I am. Eeeeeeeeeeek.
My day tastes of bleach. I have visitors arriving and haven’t had time to clean properly (well, inclination, if I’m honest) so I reckoned if I squirted a bit of bleach around it would at least smell as though I’d tried.
You have to get your stories out there – they deserve it! I hate the idea of characters stuck in a drawer screaming to be allowed out into the limelight. They have feelings, you know. And if, perish the thought, the stories should be RETURNED then they can be RESUBMITTED. The girls are right – we don’t have rejections any more.
Tease
Flying Saucers just aren’t same today as they used to be. And don’t even get me started on Wham bars!
If your short stories are anywhere as good as your blgo posts (which I’m sure they are) then you will be published before you know it!!
I’m not sure what my day is going to taste like yet….but I’m hoping it will be like warm scones with jam and cream washed down with tea….that would be a good day
C x
Griddled aubergines, thats what they should taste like, I can’t think of anything nicer…
Bernadette – Bleach? Ew… hopefully the visitors were impressed by your sneaky cleaning tactics? ‘Characters stuck in a drawer’ sounds awfully cruel, when you put it like that. Yes, resubmission, resubmission, resubmission. Gotcha. It will be an editing and subbing weekend. No, really, it will this time.
Gekkogirl – Tease? Me? Whatever do you mean, madam?
bedshaped – Nothing is ever the same as it used it be – even the things that are seem not to be since they lack the lingering gloss of nostalgia. Perhaps some things are better the second time around? Have you thought of that, hmmmm?
Carol – Thanks Sweetie, you say the nicest things. Cheque’s in the post. Oh my, warm scones sound hopelessly divine. Might have to get my sieve out!
Lucy – Griddled aubergines are truly one of my most fave things in the world… with feta, spikily peppery salad… perfect…
Jen, get subbing. That’s an order!
My day looks like its going to be a diet flavoured one….ugh. Fx
My words always taste of cold coffee. Sometimes with biscuit floaters. Once I had a caramel digestive floater, which was quite good though…
Good luck with the novelling, real life is demanding sort of flavour, sort of an over powering garlic one. Nice in small doses but leaves you unpleasent the next day.
Anyway, get subbing yo!
Fionnuala – Eurgh, days should not be ‘lite’. Well, maybe work-lite or something. Or bursting with fairylight. Oh dear. A combination of the two?
Nik – Hmm, yes, garlic is a sod like that. No days should be stale garlic flavoured. There should be a law against it. I might write to my MP about such a thing. Biscuit floaters has made me feel a bit weak. Even caramel ones. Ew.