The long and the short of it…

The long and the short of it…..

I’m on a longlist….for the uninitiated, that means a competition judge (in this case it was the Fish Publishing  Short Story prize) had read my submission, and put in their “read again” pile. It’s not as cool as being able to say “I won” or “I’m on the shortlist” but it is still a cool thing. For me it is further confirmation that I can do this, and encouragement to keep going. As well as my publication earlier this month, I’ve two more forthcoming publications, which makes me happy.  I still have the words of a friend

I’m not writing a great deal of new work at the moment. It’s not writers block or anything dramatic like that, quite simply I’m really, really tired. I’m learning that I have a great rush where all I think about is writing, reading, and listening, then suddenly it stops and I need to do other things, like gardening or just sitting with the cat before I can go into another phase of writing. I think every one has their own way of doing things, and old adages like “write every day” can’t be followed religiously.

One thing I am doing, as part of my Crafting musical poetry course is trying to push myself to be more open in my work. Each piece I’ve submitted has had good feedback, along with a wish that I’d said a little more, gone a little deeper. I try to kid myself it’s because I want to “show not tell” but the reality is I’m a little scared. The other reality is that it’s only by being bold in my expression that my work will have the impact and resonance I want it to. I’ve been reading In search of equilibrium by Teresa Lola and the raw elegance with which she expresses herself is captivating. I need to learn to silence the voices of  those unhelpful folk who think discussing any kind of weakness is a search for attention. Ultimately, for me at least, it’s a search for understanding and resolution.

I’m always amazed by the support I get from my friends, even just in my lovely local people make the effort to say they’ve read my blog and they’ve liked my work. It’s cool. I kind of imagine that all of these words float out into to the world and are mostly ignored by everyone but my mom. It’s great to get feedback. It’s a bit scary too, and I find myself wondering whether I should be less candid on here, perhaps adopt a more professional tone but that wouldn’t be me – I’ve never been great at being fake, so I think for now I’ll carry on with the diary style and carry on being a tiny bit too honest.

As ever, read, like, share and do comment…I love getting your feedback online too.