Short Successes

January was a busy month as I was editing the sequel to my first novel (I'm still waiting to see if any publishers are interested in the first book). I’m currently receiving feedback on the sequel's second draft from members of my writing group, and my current plan is to work on more revisions in March.

As the sequel was taking up all my attention last month, I haven’t submitted to any short story competitions for a couple of months, but I need to get started again. In the last couple of days, I’ve received some news worth sharing: a story that I submitted in December reached second place in a competition. It’s called ‘A Book Report’ and is available to read for free (along with the other winners).

While I was researching competitions today, deciding what to enter next, I also discovered that I’ve been longlisted for another competition. It’s too early to know which story caught the judges’ attention (I entered two) or how far it might get in the competition, but it’s good to know that I’ve received some recognition. Fingers crossed!

In other news, I’ve written an opening chapter for Fiction Express. I’m going to get some feedback from my writing group this week, and then I’ll be sending that off to my agent next week. Hopefully, the organisation will like the concept. I’m not sure I’ll begin writing for them in February/March (given how soon their next batch of stories will go live), but hopefully they’ll slot me in for their April books.

Steady progress overall, but the shorter works have a much quicker turnaround!

2023 Roundup

As the year draws to a close, I can safely safe that 2023 has been my most successful year as a writer. Not only have I signed with an agent, but I’ve proven that I can earn some money from publication. I’m still far from earning enough to cover my living expenses, but this year has given me plenty of hope for next year.

Here’s a roundup of every tangible success from the year:

 

Free to Access Online Publications:

‘The Slumbering Dragon’ (first prize)

‘Enduring Love’ (first prize)

‘Lost Property’ (short list)

 

Anthologised and Available to Purchase:

‘Baby on Board’ (short list)

 

Other Competition Successes (but not published):

‘From the Ashes’ (first prize) – and will hopefully be anthologised at some point!

‘Another Man’s Treasure’ (long list)

 

To anyone who has read and engaged with any of my stories, I can only say a huge thank you. Writing is a solitary process, and it’s been an entirely new (and humbling) process to connect with readers. You are the community who really makes this occupation meaningful.

In 2023, I entered 29 competitions (which translates to a success rate of 20 per cent). I’d like to increase this number in 2024 with the hope of similar fortunes.

While I can’t control what happens with the novel, I can edit the sequel (now drafted) to make it more effective. I’m in the process of sharing it with readers to help me gauge where I need to make improvements. I hope that process will be complete by the middle of the year.

If I can’t find a publisher for my first novel (even with an agent), one thing I can try is to appeal to a very different reading market. I have a concept for a new novel (adult fiction) that I hope to write before the end of 2024.

Another exciting thing which I mentioned in the last blog for next year is the possibility of writing for Fiction Express. If I complete three or four projects with them, that should give me enough money to cover my living costs for the year. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, to earn enough to live and keep writing. Anything beyond that is a huge bonus. It seems like the destination is in sight.

Whatever you hope for 2024, I wish you a successful and fulfilling year ahead!

 

Always Check Your Junk Mail

The title says it all... I happened to check my junk inbox today and discovered that I'd come in first place in a story competition. For eight whole days, my work has been published online, and I've been none the wiser! Anyway, you can check out the story ‘The Slumbering Dragon’ here.

According to my records, there should be a £300 prize for first place in this competition. Hopefully, this should come my way now that I’ve responded to the email from the competition organisers. If it does, it will be a dream come true, as I will be in profit from my ventures into short story competitions.

Reaching a longlist was incredible, but perhaps a fluke. Reaching a shortlist and being published was amazing, but perhaps just a one-off. To win a competition and be published a second time suggests that people do actually want to read what I have to write.

It’s still early days, but I’d love to make a career from my writing. My agent is currently approaching editors at publishing houses for my YA Fantasy novel. It will be at least six weeks before we hear anything about it. Garth Nix (a fellow writer!) wrote a post comparing this stage to 16^th-century merchants setting out in their ships across the sea, uncertain whether their venture would lead to profit or shipwreck. To keep busy, I’m at work with the sequel. But if nothing comes from the novel series, I have plenty of other projects to consider in future years.

Buns for Tea

 

I have exciting news: I can finally call myself a published writer!

This month, I reached a shortlist on The Bi-monthly FreeFlash Fiction Competition, which results in publication on the website and a small prize of £20 (minus the £3.50 entry fee, of course). A real earning from my writing! The story itself is only 300 words, so it ends up at about six pence per word. But the validation is priceless.

The shortlisted story is called ‘Lost Property’ and can be read here. Warning: it is a very dark story exploring how aspects of modernity may enable predatorial behaviour.

I should also give a huge shout out to all the critters on CritiqueCircle who gave feedback on an earlier draft of this story. I made a lot of substantial changes based on their input before I entered the story into this competition.

Write, edit, submit: the strategy is beginning to work.

The results are in...

 I have a small bit of news: I can now say I’m a longlisted writer.

A short story I wrote earlier this year called ‘Another Man’s Treasure’ made it onto the Frome Short Story Competition Long List 2023. You can click here to see the list, but it’s nothing exciting - it doesn't even say my name.

However, a longlist is a glimmer of hope. It means that a judge liked the story sufficiently to recognise it. It doesn’t mean that I’m published, though it does mean that I can try the story elsewhere to see whether a different judge in another competition would like it more.

It also means I can add this to my writing CV to hopefully make me stand out a little when querying agents for my novel. I don’t know whether I will have any success with the agent who is currently reading my full manuscript. I have to be prepared to be back in the usual position, with no agent, trying to reach out to others across the cybergulf. But if that’s where I am in a few months’ time, at least I’ll be able to tell agents that I am a longlisted writer.