Does size matter?

I would love to write a novel but at the moment I'm concentrating on short stories.

Looking at various competitions it is obvious that there is a wide variation in the definition of "short". From 500 words to about 8,000 all seem to be described as "short".

I haven't yet worked out how to create a story to a specific length. I just come up with an idea and get it down on paper. Or initially on a disk. Then I'll edit it and only then look at the word count.

Now I need to digress a little. I am currently very busy at work. I mean busy. My last day off was January 2nd and the next will be the 4th February. I'm not doing much writing. In fact I've only written one story this year so far. And it turns out that this story ended up at under 500 words.

Okay, next fact. I have booked in to the Verulam Writers Circle Get Writing conference in February. Details are here and I would suggest you seriously consider attending this Anyway, all delegates can enter a competition by submitting a story. The rules state that the story must be less than 1,500 words with no minimum.

So, I have entered my story which ended up at 427 words. Was that a waste of the £5 entry fee?

What do you think? Should you submit stories within, say, 10% of the maximum word count (as has been suggested to me by one person) or do I have a realistic chance?

Writing rubbish

Well, it's a new year so it's time to "do a Janus". Look back at the old year and forward to the new.

Last year I actually took the plunge and sent out some of my work. I entered some competitions and, as expected, some of the entries got nowhere. But two were placed and I received a total of £25 in prize money. That is real money for writing words. Whooee. Such a nice feeling.

So what about 2012? I don't do resolutions but like to set targets. So my first target is to receive more than £25, yes? Actually, no. Winning competitions is not really within my control. There is bound to be an element of subjectivity in the judging and, even if I write a cracking story, there is always the chance that someone else will write a better one - or one that appeals to the judge on that particular day. So my target is to enter more competitions so that I have a chance of increasing the income from them.

Hang on a minute. What's all this got to do with writing rubbish? Nothing, yet. Be patient.

With earnings from writing of £25 I have not yet given up the day job. Now, January is a really busy month so I'm going to leave setting my targets for the year until the beginning of February. For the next four weeks I will just try to keep writing something in the little free time I have. I should write a blog post on procrastination. Perhaps next month.

One thing I have committed to is to write something for the mini-competition in Writing Magazine each month. This is only 200 or 250 words but covers very diverse subjects that it will take me out of my comfort zone. (Perhaps one of them will be to write a piece avoiding cliches such as comfort zone)

Finally, I come to writing rubbish. The most common advice from published authors is that you need to keep writing. Even when you do not feel like it. That is when it is imperative that you put some words down on paper (or on the screen). If you are not sure how to continue your story then write something. Anything. It can always be edited later.

Recently I have followed this advice. I had just finished a scene. I knew what needed to be in the next scene. But something had to mentioned in the interval. I stared at the blank screen for about twenty minutes before deciding to write. The passage was dire. It was basically "and then I walked down the street and saw this chap and felt this way." I believe the official phrase is "total crap".

But having started on the next scene I can now see how to incorporate that moment as a flashback. And I am writing again. So, write something, even if it seems to be rubbish, because you can always edit it later.

To return to my cliches, I have had an idea for a story (well, more of a scene really) which is well outside my comfort zone. I'd best get a first draft down as soon as possible in case it can be turned into a story suitable for a competition.