I'm a runner up!

In the Fish Short Story comp. I am so, so pleased. I get published in the anthology + 100 euros. I'm especially pleased as I really like the story - The Job of Sex - and I'm thrilled at the thought of other people reading it. Its not quite as risque as it's title sounds, but I was a bit daunted at the thought of reading it out at the launch event in Ireland if I had made it to the final three. Now I just have the dubious honour of my name and the words 'job of sex' being googleable together. Talking of which, somone landed on my blog a couple of weeks ago having googled "karen's dog sex story" - hope they weren't too disappointed.

I had a good two hours writing this morning before the family descended for breakfast. I've been really struggling with one scene that happens quite early on and had left it fairly blank with lots of ???? and ..... Somehow this morning it all just clicked and I thought 'of course that's what she would do'. I think moving on with the rest of the story and developing the characters has really helped. That and the large mug of tea and the peanut butter and jam on toast that fuelled my scribbling.

Today is the deadline for the Fish One-Page Story comp, so I think I might just roll with it and send a story that I've been working on recently - it just happens to be the right size!

An over excited post

Got a lovely surprise in the Hags, Harlots and Heroines newsletter this month. I've been shortlisted in their summer short story competition - '21st Century Woman, Fast and Loose'. Winners to be announced this month. I'm so pleased, as the story that I submitted is one that I really enjoyed writing and its good to know that the judges enjoyed reading it. They gave some good feedback too about the importance of a good opening and following it through.

November was a great month for writing, with Your Message as an inspiration every morning and three stories sent off to the Fish Short Story comp. I'm hoping December will be just as good. I'm particularly optimistic as I am off on an Arvon Foundation residential tomorrow. The week -long course was a prize in a competition that I won way back in June. Its called Enjoying Inventiveness and is described as being 'For new or experienced writers, this course will help you discover your potential and express your individual voice.' It couldn't have come at a better time as I feel it is just what I need right now. I think I will get more out of it now than I would have done this time last year. The course tutors are Jill Dawson and Romesh Gunesekeras and the 'course guest' is Kate Pullinger.

I have packed all my favourite pens in a fluffy pencil case (the only one I could find!) and crammed my backpack with sheets of the scrap paper that is a by product of my day job and which I find particularly good for writing on. Think I'm all set. Just need an emergency bar of Green and Blacks chocolate for moments of insecurity.

I'm also taking my recently begun Dream Diary. Its something I have been meaning to start for ages. Entries are a bit sparse at the moment but I'm hoping that the more I do it the better my dream-remembering will be.

There is no web access at the Arvon centre so I'm signing off now for a week. Will report back next weekend! (Too many exclamation marks in this post I know but I really am very excited.)

An 'everything is possible' moment

This 'Your Messages' thingummy is so working for me. Its giving me a new structure to my writing day (and I do really need structure) I got my 300 words off first thing (well first thing after having coffee with friends and a trip to the market scouting for bargains). I was so fired up from having written and posted something that I then had a stonking game of Spider Solitaire and got my highest score ever. And its only 11 o'clock!

I must continue on this up beat for the next few hours - maybe I can finish that novel, write my WEA assignment for tomorrow, edit my story for the Fish Short Story Comp, set up a Ning social networking site for our writing group AND plant out the forget-me-nots that are currently languishing in the shed. Everything seems possible.

But first I'd better feed the cat