At first light - FridayFlash

Sick child! So I had to get a friend to open up The Writers @ Lovedean. It was a work week but luckily I had already done my planning. The activity today was based on secrets.

I was determined that this week I was going to post on Friday Flash, an open group for writers on Facebook. Since I gave myself an excuse week, I was determined today. It may not be my best piece of writing, a total of four hours sleep last night, but not all at once. So I wrote this watching my little girl sleeping. And posted it when I could.

At first light
At first light she peeled off the sick sodden quilt. With a damp flannel she mopped her brow, put a little talc on her goose-bumped sweaty skin and changed her pyjamas. She opened a window as the sun crept over the fields to lower the temperature in the room. And watched her daughter, this strange skinny woman child curl back into a thin cotton sheet, until finally, she whimpered her way back into sleep.

These days would come to an end. The posters on the wall will be gone. The toys out grown. And the room will be empty.

I know it's not fiction. But it is strange standing in a room with teddy bears, lipstick and training bras and I wanted to capture it.

I also had a go at a six word piece of fiction from The Ether Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing Facebook page. My entry is below:

'I can explain.'
'Okay, explain.'
'er...'

I told you I was ill...

It's funny that just when you think things can't get any worse, they do. This has certainly been a very trying week, car, tax man, with a delicious topping of life's little irritations. My oldest child has been suffering from what I have insisted was a cold for over two weeks, this morning after throwing up in front of me, I decided to take her to the Drs. It turns out she has a really bad chest infection, although the doc did agree with me about her fabulous rosy complexion. I allowed her the 'I told you I was ill' speech - after all she was right, and we came home so she could watch Lord of the Rings. I'm currently watching Frodo, thinking no one would have cared if he had just stayed in the Shire. We read the story for the suffering and difficulties. But in reality most people like to just bob along in their comfort zones. Frodo could have just said, 'sod this for a game of soldiers.' and gone home, instead he climbed Mount Doom and got bit by a spider. What me and my husband is trying to do is really hard. But, I don't want to quit either. If you go to any writers conference and listen to publishers and agents the odds are stacked against the writer. And I still can't walk away from my dreams...

Brilliant Rant!

A very exciting morning recording a pod cast of two of my stories at Rant Studio 1.  Paul one of the studio staff was so helpful and supportive, I desparately wanted to stay longer and do more, but alas the joys of being self employed and I had to nip off and do a job.

I've been looking forward to National Flash Fiction Day for months, but after a stressful and busy day I knew I was going to be late, I bombed it to Southampton, go there after seven but couldn't get into the City Library.  It was obviously not meant to be.

RIP Megane

Well, we took the car to the garage to be told that it was unfixable.  It is amazing how reliant we are on technology and how it throws a complete spanner in the works when something goes wrong.  Not that we have ever been good car owners, if there was a social services for car abuse we would have been locked up ages ago.  But at least we tried with this car - we had it serviced, new tryes and filled the tank and then, and only after it let us get it to the full mark did it decide to die.  Ungratefull little ........   To think they call cars 'she'!


I've only just had to replace my computer.  But I never thought for a moment about the idea of writing a full novel by hand, like some authors do, or walking my daughter six miles to her local primary school.

So the next thing on the agenda is thinking of a way to raise some cash, does anyone fancy buying a kidney?

Tell Me Why... I don't like Mondays

Monday, not my favourite day especially when it starts by taking your car to the garage with the gripping fear of expense that only a motorist can understand. But I have been productive and sent another submission to Ether Books. It is quite a mild Sci Fi story called Fields of Gold. I'm now gearing myself up to the mammoth task of preparing my writers group anthology. I accept five pieces of work which members have produced over the last twelve months. If they would all just enter the groups writing competitions they would have enough to send in, but it is always creeps up on members and they panic. You would think that a group of writers would have produced five new pieces of writing in twelve months...

A Little Positive Praise

I was pleased that Ether Books have decided to publish my story 'The Investment.'. But the real buzz came when I received the following email:

Dear Charlotte,


We have just received the following rating and feedback for your story ‘The Investment’ from one of our readers using our Ether App.


Rating = 5 stars.
Feedback:
---------------
Love the story

I hadn't emailed the link or told any friends or family except from husband about my success. It is amazing how a little positive praise can really lift your spirits.

Kate Rawling a member of The Writers @ Lovedean has recently published a short story called The Chase on Kindle:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Chase-ebook/dp/B0081ZTS1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336673566&sr=8-1

So after I bought and read her story I made sure I put a comment on.Next I sent a few pieces of flash fiction to Calum Kerr for his National Flash Fiction Day, so fingers crossed for another success!

I'm back

I've had a major hiccup in my plan to become more ... selfish, and make my writing a priority. However, like everyone else, what do you do when you need to earn money? Add to that, feeling the low ebb of depression and technology problems I haven't written anything for a month. Well I haven't written anything creative, I have produced quite a lot of marketing material. Luckily The Writers @ Lovedean had Calum Kerr, the brain behind National Flash Fiction Day, visiting our group to do a writing workshop and he providered a little inspiration.