trying to find the words

...NikkiSexKitten Performance at Liar's League On-Line

2008-02-21T09:48:00.003+01:00

the sound file of the performance of 'truth, music and nikkisexkitten' from a week ago has been posted on the liar's league site

the link's on the right

it'll be there for a couple of weeks, i think, along with the other stories from the night.

it was a good night - plenty of people there, good stories, good interpretations by the actors.

it's the second story i've had accepted by them, so i'm after the hat-trick now...

Truth, Music and NikkiSexKitten to be Performed at Liars' League.

2008-02-02T21:20:00.001+01:00

a rubbish story i wrote a while back got a late-night, half-drunken rewrite a few weeks back, and it turned out better

so, i subbed it to the liars' league 'lovers and liars' theme night comp

got an email today telling me it'll be performed upstairs at the wheatsheaf, 25 rathbone place, london w1t 1dg (5 min from tott ct rd/goodge st) on tuesday 12th february

last time i had a story performed at liars' league, i forgot to go, if you can believe it, so i'm up for this one

anyway, nice way to start the month, especially as i found out that i had a story rejected at the legend writing award comp and also another reject (the fourth) from thieves' jargon

The Sea, The Sky 3rd at JBWB

2008-01-31T22:17:00.000+01:00

an old story (aren't they all? i really have to write something new...) called 'the sea, the sky' has been awarded 3rd prize, and £25 in the recent jbwb comp

i came second a while back as jenny jackson, and now 3rd as jason, so next time it's first and the £100 quid.

i'll put a link on the right to the story...

Final Knockings Wins 1st at Writers' Forum

2008-01-15T20:41:00.000+01:00

a story that's been hanging around a while, called 'final knockings, just won 1st prize in the 'writers' forum' comp.

published in a nice shiny magazine that you can buy in (some) real shops

and a nice £300 cheque as well

my first 1st prize for too long

a nice way to start the year...

there's a link on the right to the writers' forum page where they've put up an excerpt of the story...

Jared Willams Again Published in Leaf Anthology

2008-01-09T21:14:00.000+01:00

i got my copy of the new leaf anthology through the post yesterday.

'jared williams again' features under my female pseudonym, jenny jackson.

there's a link to the the leaf books website page which features the anthology on the right.

Chantin's Place at Eclectica

2008-01-02T21:33:00.000+01:00

my story 'chantin's place', second prize winner in a recent children in need competition (see posts below) has gone up at eclectica.

see the link at the right.

New Year's Revolutions

2007-12-28T21:28:00.000+01:00

a writing colleague on alex keegan's bootcamp used the phrase new year revolutions to describe his new approaches to writing for this year.

i liked the phrase, started thinking about my own.

so, providing life doesn't get in the way, here's some revolutionary approaches to make sure i make the most of my writing this coming year...

i'm going for 3000 words a week, which will include: one story, one timed flash, and one poem. at least.

i'm going for ten submissions (to competitions and/or websites) each month, which is going to mean lots of polishing/rewriting of drafts i've got lying about.

i'm going for more poetry. i'm no poet, but i got a book by stephen fry about the technicalities involved in writing poetry, and it's inspired me. oh dear.

i'm going to start a novel. writing one, i mean, not reading. this is something i have avoided for four years. not anymore.

more reading. wider reading. more shorts. more 'recognised' novels. more poetry. more non-fiction.

i might even post more here. not just hits, but other stuff. we'll see.

also, somewhere alongside all of this, i'm going to have a life...

happy new year.

Last Hit of the Year?

2007-12-28T21:18:00.000+01:00

eclectica magazine, an on-line literary website, have awarded a story of mine called 'chantin's place' second prize in a small competition.

the competition was a children in need fundraiser run by alex keegan and his writers' cooperative, bootcamp, of which i am a member.

all the people who entered wrote 'flashes' - pieces of fiction inspired by lists of prompts (words, phrases, lines of poetry etc) which were put up on the website every hour on the hour over two days around children in need time.

i was busy with work at the time, and only managed seven (i think) flashes.

some lunatics did almost every hour.

anyway, we all judged the stories, selecting the most promising, and these were then sent to eclectica's fiction editor.

i heard back a couple of days ago that my story came second.

it's a strange story. not my usual kind of thing (if i have a usual kind of thing, of couse...i don't seem to)

anyway, second prize comes with a cash prize (about £25 quid, i think) which covers my entry fee.

eclectica is a site with a good reputation, so it;s good to be up there - or at least it wil be when the issue comes on line.

when it does, i'll post the link on the right.

Commended at Speakeasy

2007-12-21T13:25:00.000+01:00

'oriale', a story i wrote quite a while ago, has been commended in the recent speakeasy milton keynes writers' group short story competition

(i think it basically came 6th)

no idea if there is anthology publication attached.

there's certaibly no cash...

still, a hit.

last one of the year?

i've subbed nothing so far this month. need to get my act together or it'll be a quiet few months at the beginning of 2008

3rd Place At H.E Bates

2007-11-28T20:22:00.000+01:00

i got an email letting me know i'd won 3rd place in the H.E Bates short story competition, run by literature northants.

you can see the results here: http://litnorthants.wordpress.com/about/

the story is called 'telling kate about the polish wolf song'

it wil be published in an anthology in the new year

when that happens, i'll put a link on the right.

also, i get £100, which is great.

so that's a second and a third in the last two months...

still no sign of a first all year, but, hey, there's still a month left (and i've only got a load of crap subbed and i haven't written anything decent for weeks...)

Leq Zoblivski At Espresso

2007-11-22T21:45:00.000+01:00

'the short, happy transformation of leq zoblivski' has been accepted by espresso fiction

this is an american website which emails regular short stories to subscribers

they're using the story on 25th december, when it's likely to get the fewest readers...

or, hey, maybe with everyone on holiday, nothing better to do...

anyway, they pay £15, and the story had been rejected here and there previously, so it's a nice hit.

there's no link at the side to the story as it'll only be available to subscribers, but i'll put a link to the site there anyway.

Two Micro Fiction Stories Published In A Leaf Anthology

2007-11-22T21:31:00.000+01:00

'you are my giraffe now' was runner-up in a recent leaf books competition, and 'backwards' was commended.

both were published this week in an anthology called 'derek'

there's a link on the right where you can buy the thing.

trying to find the words published

2007-11-18T20:00:00.000+01:00

an anthology called 'practise to decieve' was published last week with my second-prize-winning story 'trying to find the words' included.

apparently at the launch/prize giving, the judge said very nice things about the story (unfortunatley i couldn't attend)

anyway, it costs £2.99 and as soon as i find out where it can be bought i'll put a link on the right.

two rejections

2007-11-18T19:58:00.000+01:00

been a long, quiet time since i posted last

got two rejections this week, one from transmission magazine, one from liar's league

no real surprise if i'm honest - need to up my game, stop sending out stuff that's merely ok

Windowjumps Shortlisted at Guildford

2007-10-05T19:33:00.000+02:00

got this email from the guildford short story competition today:

Dear Jason

I am pleased to inform you that your story, Windowjumps, has been shortlisted for the Guildford Book Festival Short Story Competition.

The winner will be announced on BBC SCR at a date to be arranged. The date will be on our website www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

so that's cool.

winner gets £200 and the story broadcast on the radio.

2nd gets £50 book tokens.

the rest, nada.

Jared Williams Again at Leaf

2007-10-05T19:30:00.001+02:00

'jared williams again' was recently longlisted at cadenza.

leaf books have taken it - commended in their recent fiction competition.

it's first person female so is published as jenny jackson.

it'll be published in an anthology soon, and i'll put the link on the right.

Nothing at HISSAC

2007-10-05T19:25:00.000+02:00

normally i submit a story and forget about it. then if it's a reject, it doesn;t matter because i've forgotten about it anyway, so i just sub it somewhere else. and if it hits, then great! it's a surprise.

i entered a story in the highland and islands short story comp a while back, and the email i got back had a ps on it from one of the judges saying how much they;d enjoyed the story, and how they hoped it did well.

so the submission stuck in my mind. i started to think i had a chance.

didn't get shortlisted.

so, anyway, the story is going to get sent out elsewhere.

and this time i'm going to forget about it.

A Remembrance at Apt

2007-09-28T19:35:00.000+02:00

a short flash fiction piece called 'a remembrance' has been taken by www.apt.aforementionedproductions.com, a literary ezine.

i've already had a story up there, but it's great to have another story out there.

once it's up, i'll put the link in the box on the right of the page.

2nd Prize in The National Writing Competition

2007-09-28T19:31:00.000+02:00

got a phone call a couple of days ago telling me that 'trying to find the words' - the story that gives this blog its name - has won joint second prize in the National Writing Competition, run out of the north east with pat barker and david almond as patrons.

i share the £200 prize, and the story will be published.

a very nice way to round off the month.

Poem at Leaf

2007-09-22T22:55:00.000+02:00

a short poem called 'do not add post' has been published in a leaf books antholgy called 'outbox'.

i think it was the third poem i ever wrote.

or at least, the third poem i ever wrote since i stopped being an angsty fifteen year old who wrote poetry all the time...

anyway, the anthology is available by following the link on the right.

Smokelong at long last

2007-09-16T21:15:00.000+02:00

'from hallivlle to grice's town' went up at www.smokelong.com this week (see link on the right.)

there's also an interview with me about the story there, which i found a bizzare experience to say the least.

writing about your own writing is weird.

anyway, i've wanted to get a story into smokelong for a long time, so this is satisfying.

Liar's League Not Dogs...

2007-09-16T21:09:00.000+02:00

'not dog, not angie, but life' was performed at the lamb pub in london on the 11th of september.

for various reason too boring to go into, i didn't go.

but the nice people at liar's league sent me a sound file of the performance, and a link to the web page where it will be up for a couple of weeks - see link on the right.

the actor is a bloke called alistair cope. he did an excellent job, and i wish i'd been there to thank him in person.

Acceptance at Liar's League

2007-08-31T22:41:00.000+02:00

liar's league have taken an old story called 'not dogs, not angie, but life'

it'll be performed at The Lamb, 94 Lamb's Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LZ. (nearest tube Russell Square) on september 11th, and could feature as an audio file on their myspace site.

after three rejections from them, this feels nice.

especially after a crap month, less than 10,000 words, too many blank days of no-writing, thoughts of giving up.

there's a link to the liar's league myspace side in the box on the right.

A Couple Of Subs

2007-08-27T21:47:00.000+02:00

dead time for a week or more.

i've got twenty or so stories out there, but i haven't written anything new in days, and my email is just loads of spam trying to sell me medicine.

so i did some rewriting and sent off a couple of things, just to feel like i'm doing something.

one to a competition, one to a print mag.

still going to try for ten subs this month, so that means polishing a few turds...

A Week And Two Days At 3am

2007-08-15T18:49:00.000+02:00

no, not another story at www.3ammagazine.com.

just the length of time Drumsticks was up there on the front page, new fiction section.

there are usually three or four stories up there with extracts and a photo, and every time a new one gets posted, the one at the bottom falls off into the archive section.

Drumsticks fell off today.

did my life change through finally having a story on there (i've only subbed three times, but it's been an ambition for four years)?

no

no agents beating down the door wanting to publish a collection and give me a ten grand advance on the novel, funnily enough

but hey, i had a story published at 3am.

someone (anyone) might have read it.

and liked it.

that's better than it not being published.

isn't it?

(the fact that the story that pushed it off is written by a particularly attractive Brazillian lady who is clearly more famous than i'll ever be - three novels and two bands more famous, as it stands - has somewhat softened the blow.)

(actually managed to write something today, for the first time since, oh, days ago)

Carve, after six months

2007-08-12T20:56:00.000+02:00

i subbed a story to Carve Magazine about six months ago.

usually if i don't hear back within a couple of months i write off the submission and send the story off elsewhere.

but i left this one alone. not sure why.

got an email today:

Jason,
First, thank you for waiting patiently for our response. I wanted to let you know your story has been read by myself or one of our readers and is under consideration for publication. There is a batch of about 10-15 stories I am going to read through again to determine for publishing in the September issue. Yours is one of them. While I know a concrete answer would be more satisfying, I hope this allows you to extend your patience for a little while longer.Thank you,

so not an acceptance, but not a rejection.

sounds promising, perhaps...

I Make Lists published at smokebox

2007-08-06T20:26:00.000+02:00

busy day...

http://www.smokebox.net/ has published an old story they accepted a while ago, called 'i make lists'

reading it back is weird - it's old, and i can hardly remember writing it.

one of thoses that just came out of nowhere.

anyway, follow the link on the right to read it.

Drumsticks published at 3am

2007-08-06T20:06:00.001+02:00

'drumsticks' has gone up today at 3am magazine.

i make that less than three weeks from submission to publication, which is pretty good.

follow the link at the right of the page to read the story.

Open Wide Rejection

2007-08-06T17:59:00.001+02:00

after a quiet weekend, i got this brief email from the managing editor of www.openwidemagazine.co.uk...

Many thanks for your submission. Sadly, on this occasion, it has beenunsuccessful. Please do submit again in the future.

i submitted the story to them three and a half months ago, and i'd pretty much given up on hearing anything , so it was good to at least get something. i find it very depressing that some places don't reply to unsuccessfull submissions. i mean, how long does it take to put together an email like the one above?

anyway, this submission was a punt, really - openwide seems like quite a difficult market, and the story probably needs a good edit to bring it up to scratch (i'd already subbed it to 3am previously, and although they were positive about it, they gave me some sound advice on a rewrite, which i promptly ignored and just mailed it off to openwide instead. )

so that brings my totals for august to: submissions - 0. acceptances - 1. rejections - 2.

(i managed a bit of writing over the weekend - 2000ish words, one story 1st draft which needs a good edit if it's ever going to see the light of day.)

Liar's League Rejection

2007-08-02T21:32:00.000+02:00

yesterday, an acceptance; today, a rejection

here's what liar's league ( http://www.myspace.com/liarsleague ) said about my submission for their 'home and abroad' themed competition:

We loved the idea but were a little hesistant about the execution - we felt this story suffered slightly from over-writing here and there and was a little weakened by the ending, as well as the peculiar lack of specificity of the Oxford setting - we would have liked to have felt more rooted in the place, emotionally and physically.

...and fair enough

this is the second month i've entered this comp, and the second rejection.

it's nice, though, the way they do it - emailing everyone a list of the stories (without author names) and a brief comment like the one above.

seems like a good thing they've got going - the winning stories get read out by a professional actor in a pub in london.

i've already submitted a story for their next comp, theme is 'birds and beasts'.

and i will, of course, keep submitting stories to all of their comps , month after bloody month, until they accept one...

(haven't written a word today...)

3am magazine

2007-08-01T23:02:00.000+02:00

www.3ammagazine.com editor Pete Carvill emailed today to accept 'Drumsticks' , a story i sent him a week or so ago.

nice when editors get back to you.

even nicer when they say yes.

be great to have a story up at 3am.

been a fan for a long time.

if you're reading this and you haven't been there yet, have a look.

you'll like it.

trying to find the words

2007-08-01T21:06:00.000+02:00

1st august 2007.

thought i'd get a blog up and running.

just to detail how the writing's going, places i've got stuff published, moans, groans and things.

if you're reading this - stop.

you probably should be writing.