So, I didn't win anything in that competition, but that doesn't surprise me. I was trying to write in my second language, and I was up against real lit students. The free books would have been nice, but alas. It was not meant to be.
Tonight I sent off Stories My Dad Told Me Which May Or May Not Be True, which I am just going to refer to as Stories from now on because it's a bloody long title. It's for the Permuted Press giant creatures anthology, and I'm curious to see if I'll get rejected straight away. It's probably not what they were expecting from a tale with giant animals in it - or maybe it is. Who knows? Time will tell.
It may not be anything I can put on a cover letter, but I have been published, in a way
So, Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's.
I feel dreadful about this for various reasons. I will admit, the first thing that came into my head when I read this was completely selfish: "What about the Discworld books?" This is of course dreadful, but somewhat understandable. I've loved that series for years and I've always dreaded the day when it would become clear that they would, at some point, stop. Writers are mortal, after all.
Another reason is that I'm not unfamiliar with how awful such afflictions are for those around the diagnosed person. I really don't know what to say, but the thought of what he and his family may have to face makes me want to sit in a corner and feel miserable about life in general.
However, he has stated that he wishes for people to remain cheerful about it - somehow that doesn't surprise me - and I have great respect for how well he seems to be handling it. I've seen people spiral down into depression after receiving similar news, and the fact that he's just carrying on is amazing.
I don't really know where I'm going with this so I'm just going to end it here. It seems the smart thing to do
So, I sent off the short story for that Christmas competition. No idea when you're supposed to hear back - I'll just keep checking the paper that was running the thing. I'm not counting on winning anything, but it's good to stay on top of things. At least I know it'll be a less than four week turnaround - Christmas is fast approaching, after all.
I wrote another short story today! Based on a story my Dad told me. It's for the giant anthology over at Permuted Press. I had pointed out that based on the description I gave it's rather similar to Big Fish. I honestly didn't even think of that while I was writing it, because although the beginning may be somewhat similar, the actual meat of the story is different entirely. Homicidal bikers ftw.
Anyway, that needs to be run through the editing machine before it can be sent off. I'll keep working on other submissions for the thing in the mean time, for if/when this one gets rejected outright. It's a rather challenging theme. After all, there are only so may variations on the OMG GIANT ANIMAL/PERSON/MONSTER theme.
It feels good to be writing short stories again. Woot!
Audio: What's your favorite carol or holiday song?
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile's
Lost its wheels
And ended up in a hedge
Yes, I am childish, silly, etcetera. I'm also quite partial to 'Ho Ho Fucking Ho' by Monty Python.
List five reasons (at least) why you are awesome.
Submitted by goobers18.
1: I speak two languages fluently. I think that, if you can, you should speak more than just your own mother tongue. Even if it's just 'Je ne parle pas francais'. Language is an amazing thing.
2: I have a sense of humour. This ranges from the witty to the bizarre to the vulgar to the just plain silly. I've made jokes that people didn't get till a few minutes later. I've also made people wonder how the hell I can be attending university when I'm stupid enough to laugh at 'rude words', just because they're 'rude words'. I'm open to just about all humour, and I'm generally able to make people laugh.
3: I'm nice. If you don't do something that will make me dislike you for ever and ever (it has happened, but only ever rarely), I will most likely be nice to you. If you're one of my friends, I will most likely be absolutely lovely to you. Also, I've managed to find a way to be nice without being a complete doormat, which was quite difficult.
4: I'm very tolerant. I generally don't care about what gender you like, what you believe in, what you look like or where you're from. If you're an awesome person, those things don't matter because your inherent wonderfulness will shine through. The only thing I'm intolerant of is intolerance. And maybe chavs, but that's a matter of taste, not principles.
Yes, that's a joke. See point 2.
5: I sort of like myself. That's a fair bit, coming from me, because for a long time I thought I was a bit crap, or I felt indifferent towards myself but thought that others thought I was a bit crap. Now I think, well, I might be an acquired taste in some ways (some of my humour, for instance) but I don't think I'm an unpleasant person. I might be a bit too bookish for some people (bloody chavs again), a bit too silly for others, but I quite like my silly, bookish, flippant self. I'm the kind of person that I'd want to be friends with, and I think that's quite awesome.
So, I completed NaNoWriMo. This is great - not only do I have a third of a novel done, I've also proved to myself that my 2005 win wasn't a fluke.
All that writing left my brain a bit dead, though - I'm much more suited to binge writing rather than a thousand words a day. If I have an idea, I sit down and write. If I don't, then I don't force it. I think that when I move away from short stories and on to novels, I'll change writing habits. However, I don't think that will happen any time soon.
Right now I'm quite happy just writing short stories. There's a certain magic to them that a novel misses.
I've currently got 2 short stories being considered for anthologies - CGC at Permuted and TBW at GST. I'm not expecting to get accepted, but I haven't received rejections yet, and that's good enough for me.
This weekend I'm going to be taking it easy. I need to recharge before attacking the two essays and a creative translation next week. It's the end of the third semester - half way through my bachelor's already, what a horrible idea - and the deadlines are looming once again.
But, all that comes Monday. Right now, it's Ramsey Campbell, Phantom Hourglass and brainstorming for future short stories. Oh, and a new haircut and a shopping trip tomorrow. Relaxation is good.
WINWINWINWINWINWINWIWNINWIWNWNWINWWINWINWNIWINW
I won! I did it! I did it two days early! I rock! WOOOOOO!
