Juliet Boyd

To genre or not to genre?

2012-01-28T10:40:00.000Z

Do you like to write just in one specific genre?

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I really don't like to restrict myself to working in just one genre. I like to write whatever comes into my head. I'm probably making life much more difficult for myself because different genres have different styles and readers have different expectations. But I would hate to think I always have to write something with, for example, a horror theme. Apart from anything else it would greatly restrict the number of places I could submit my work to.

So, I was wondering what other people thought. Do you only write in one genre? And if so, why?

Erm...Happy New Year?

2012-01-24T15:46:00.000Z

Well, isn't it a long time since I last blogged?

I guess that means I haven't really had anything to say, or I've been too busy. Anyway, how are you all? All refreshed and raring to go now that 2012 is well underway? I have to say that I have been feeling quite inspired recently and it's partly to do with the 100K words in 100 days challenge that Sally Quilford has been running. It really focusses the mind trying to write 1,000 words every day. And I'm not doing too badly with it. At this precise moment I'm about 700 words behind and it's only 3.30 pm here, so plenty of writing time left.

There have been a few days where I've got quite a bit behind and that's not because I didn't want to write. It was because I didn't want to delay in sending out some of the stories I'd written during this period. Of course, in order to do that I've had to spend some of my time editing, which doesn't usually add many words to your total.

And then there's the odd day when you just don't feel like writing at all. I'm not someone who feels that you're not a writer if you don't write every day. We all need a break every now and then, even if it's just to catch up on all the chores!

I hope I do manage to successfully get to the end of the challenge (some time in April) and I might even extend it if I find it's working for me. Just think of how many short stories you could write in a year if you wrote 366K's worth!

How have you spent the first few weeks of this year?

I've Been Kindled

2011-12-02T12:43:00.001Z

Time for a bit of promotion just before Christmas!

I have now published two short collections of flash fiction direct to Kindle. You can find the links below (to the UK shop versions - they are available in all the other shops, including the new shops for Spain and Italy). Some of the stories you may have seen on e-zines and links I've posted in the past. Others are seeing the light for the very first time.

I've split them into darker stories (Negative Effect) and less dark (Crescendo) - I won't say light, because that would make you think Crescendo was all fluffy and happy and that's not really true!

Have you published anything on Kindle recently?

Revisiting Old Friends

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000Z

I have set myself a task for the coming week - to go through all the rejected/unsuccessful stories from the past few months and see if I can revise them to send somewhere else.

I have quite a pile of them as I've been submitting a fair number of stories to women's magazines. Some of them I'll try submitting to another magazine and I might have a look around for a few competitions for the others.

And I'm sure there will be one or two that will never see the light of day again!

Let's face it - we're all different

2011-11-18T15:42:00.001Z

And that's a good thing. If we were all the same life would be very boring. For one thing, we'd all write identical stories!

I think that's what's good about writing, we can all come up with completely different stories, even if we're using the same prompt. Yay for difference!

That's why I think we need to be careful when commenting on the stories that others have written. A story may not be to our particular taste, but that doesn't mean it isn't any good. Writers like Dan Brown have come in for a lot of criticism, but he, in particular, has sold a LOT of books. He must be doing something right!

I believe that sometimes as writers we become so immersed in 'the craft' that we become over critical of other works. The majority of people who read stories are not writers and they don't look at things in the same way as we do. They don't care about adverbs and the comma splice. They may not even know what they are. What they're looking for is entertainment - and that's what we should be aiming to provide.

What do you think? Are we over critical of other writers?

Fancy getting spooked for Halloween?

2011-10-31T14:38:00.000Z

"They stretched out towards me from between thebranches; they peered round the gnarled trunks. There was nothing gentle abouttheir spiky forms. I could feel them beckoning to me, but I wasn’t scared."

Negative Effect

If you feel like getting a little spooked for Halloween, I have a new collection of Flash Fiction available on the Ether App (from the iTunes store). The above is just a snippet from one of the stories. It can be downloaded for 69p from here.

Hmm, that picture looks a tad garish on this background. Oh well, it is Halloween!

No idea is ever wasted

2011-10-30T15:20:00.000Z

I'll bet you've heard that said a lot by writing colleagues. I know I have. But until this week I had never used an abandoned idea in another piece.

It wasn't a big thing I reused. Just a very simple element of the story, but in a completely different context. And I'm really quite happy with the way the new story has turned out. It just needs a final read through before sending it off (for a competition).

Do you recycle your story ideas if they don't work out first time round?

Streamlining

2011-10-25T16:35:00.003+01:00

Along with the spring clean on the blog, I've been having a bit of a tidy up of my blog reader.

I found that I was wasting quite a bit of time going over posts that I'd already read elsewhere (eg I'd seen them on my Facebook feed or Twitter and read them from there). So, I've deleted them from my list on reader.

I've also subscribed to some of the recommended group feeds on Google, more as inspiration than anything else. I found that by scrolling through some of the posts, just the titles were giving me ideas for stories. A lot of them are science-based (and probably the full post would be a little above my level of understanding of scientific matters!) which lend themself quite well to the type of things I like writing.

I've also been very organised and put everything into folders, so if I only want to read the writing posts, I can.

Yay for organising!

Have you been doing any organising lately?

Do you dream monsters?

2011-10-21T14:00:00.000+01:00

Image courtesy of Dreamstime

I've often heard writers saying that they have had an idea for a story in the middle of the night and they just have to write it down or they'll forget about it by the morning. This isn't a problem I've had as yet, but it seems like these people are in good company as detailed in this article in Scientific American. Apparently, Mary Shelley dreamt of Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson had his nightmares about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

But is it just monsters that come into our heads in a dreamlike state - or can we dream less threatening stories? I don't know the answer to that. How about you? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with a story trying to get out of your brain? And if you have, was it a monstrous tale?

Time for a change

2011-10-20T13:11:00.002+01:00

As you can see, I've had a bit of a redesign. Nothing like clearing out the cobwebs. But not only that, I've created another blog. It is called Proofreading for Writers and it's live now and the first post is up. I hope anyone who is interested in this topic will participate so that we can help each other to get better at proofreading our work.

You can find it here.

Does your platform wobble?

2011-10-19T10:28:00.002+01:00

I know. I haven't posted for several weeks and I feel guilty. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind and blogging hasn't been one of my highest priorities, but that's no excuse.

I've just been reading this post by Rachelle Gardner on writers moaning about having to have a platform in order to promote their work. It's an interesting perspective that it wasn't publishers who came up with blogging or Twitter or Facebook. But they exist. Therefore, in order to keep up with the way people communicate, writers must use them to their advantage.

The trouble is, how do you get noticed in amongst all the 'noise' out there? It's all very well communicating with lots of other writers and they may well purchase some of the writing you put out there, but it's readers in general you need to communicate with. The people who have nothing to do with the writing world. I'm not sure how you do that - I guess talking about writing all the time isn't the way, but what is?

I think I might do some experimenting over the next few weeks and see what happens. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on getting word out beyond the writing circle?

No - you can't enter!

2011-09-20T14:00:00.006+01:00

One of my writing contacts was asking for thoughts on restrictions on who can enter writing competitions a few weeks back for an article she was writing. I didn't make any comment at the time, but I've been thinking about this topic since and these are my thoughts.

There are a whole variety of restrictions on entrants that I have seen:

Age restrictions - usually under 25s or under 30s
Location - usually centred around large towns or cities
Ethnic group only competitions
Female only competitions.

In general, I have to say that I am opposed to any such restrictions. We are not allowed to discriminate against people applying for jobs or actually in the workplace, so why should these restrictions be allowable in competitions? But, at the moment, they are and I don't feel that I can afford to not enter a competition I think I might do well in and could give me valuable exposure, just because of the entry restrictions imposed.

Having said that, very few competitions with such restrictions actually favour me. For example, have you ever seen a competition that allows entries from over 40s only? Or one that says white people only? (Can you imagine the outrage that one would cause! And rightly so.) And I don't live that close to any of the major conurbations in the UK. The only one that does favour me is female only, but I can only remember ever having seen one with just that single restriction. And yes, I did enter it.

I guess some of these restrictions are because the organisers want to limit the number of entries, or because they want a certain point of view (which would imply that you cannot write about anything you have not experienced yourself), but I think in this day and age we should be working towards making all writing competitions open to everyone. Don't you?

PS Of course, I don't include children's writing competitions in this. That is a perfectly valid restriction in my view.

Sweep Up Sunday: 18 September 2011

2011-09-18T14:21:00.000+01:00

It's Sunday again, and wetter than ought to be allowed outside. I guess we're really in to the autumn weather cycle now, but it just feels like a continuation of the summer weather this year.

In the writing world this week I have:

Submitted my Round 1 entry for the Slingink Scribbling Slam - still time to enter if you want to. Details can be found at www.slingink.com.
I took part in the Society of Authors twitter story (#soatale) on Wednesday. I didn't get any of my entries selected, but one of my Twitter writing friends did, so that was good.
I have submitted one of the articles I was talking about last week and hope to submit the other one this afternoon - then I can forget about them until submission deadlines are gone.
And I've entered one story into another competition - it wasn't a new story, but I did cut it a bit fine with the entry deadline. Truth be told I thought it was end of September - wrong!

So, all in all, a fairly productive week. Let's hope it continues. Oh and I had one rejection from an e-zine I submitted to a couple of months back.

That's all for today. Have an enjoyable writing week.

Are you joining in?

2011-09-14T09:32:00.000+01:00

For those of you who haven't yet heard, the Society of Authors are having a little story creation Tweetathon over the next five weeks (including today) on Wednesdays over on Twitter.

A famous author will write the first tweet and then throughout the day people will be invited to create the rest of the story.

The hashtag is #soatale and further information can be found here.

Sweep Up Sunday: 11 September 2011

2011-09-11T21:00:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone.

This has been a busy week. I've spent most of this weekend reorganising the spare room (and tidying stuff away) so that I can use it as an office - I'm using it now - Yippee! It is the room that has, by far, the best light in the house, so I'm hoping that over the coming months I'll be able to keep working away in the natural light for much longer during the day. It also just feels more organised and 'proper' sitting in a different room. Let's hope it makes me more productive!

This week I feel like I have achieved quite a lot even without the new office. I've sent off two women's magazine stories - one which is a re-submission after two rejections already.Third time lucky? I've also submitted an article to a competition and have worked on two other articles to submit over the next month. AND the Slingink Scribbling Slam has started for this year, so I've created my first draft of my story for the first round. I've got nearly two weeks to tweak it and that should be more than enough time. It's a bit experimental in format - hope the judge likes that kind of thing!

What are you working on at the moment?

The Rejection Game

2011-09-08T16:23:00.000+01:00

How do you feel about the constant stream of rejections you get as a writer?

I subscribe to the opinion that a rejection is not an end, but just another step on the path to acceptance. A rejection tells you one of several things:

The piece can be improved - in which case you should do an edit and send it out somewhere else.
You sent it to the wrong market - so research your markets again and send it out somewhere else.
The person you sent it to just doesn't like your writing style - not much you can do about that, send it out somewhere else.

The last one is the most difficult one to assess. Give a piece of work to a group of people and they will all find something they did or didn't like about a piece, but they will often be completely different things. You just can't please all the people all the time.

So, don't be disheartened by a rejection, assess the situation, and send it out somehwere else!

StoryBite Website is Live

2011-09-07T09:30:00.000+01:00

You may remember a while back I mentioned StoryBite Greetings Cards. Well, the website is now up and running and open for business.

The concept is greetings cards with a story inside - we have cards with poems and quotes, so why not stories! The cards are only available in the UK as postage and export considerations would make it uneconomic to send them any further.

Please take a look if you can. This is just the introductory range of cards, I'm hoping to add more in each section and to add sections for upcoming events after Christmas as well as having more general cards on offer.

There is a special offer on until the end of September - buy all 4 Christmas cards and get a copy of The Birthday Present for free.

The link is here. StoryBite Greetings Cards. I will also be updating the tab here to give more info.

Thanks.

Hurrah for Google Alerts!

2011-09-05T08:38:00.000+01:00

My story at Eschatology is now up (which I didn't realise until I got my Google alerts e-mail - it's worth doing, really, that's not the first time I've found out something useful). Anyway, back to the story. It is called The Cleansing and you can find it here.

This story is a lot darker than the last one - Eschatology is a place for apocalyptic and Lovecraftian fiction after all. As I've said before, I don't like to restrict myself to just one genre!

Please take a look if you can.

Sweep Up Sunday: 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T09:50:00.000+01:00

September already. Time is flying by.

This week, apart from my story at Every Day Fiction, I've had a microfiction story published by @SeedPodPub on Twitter.

I haven't submitted anything this week, but I have a women's magazine story just about ready to go. Just as well, I had a women's magazine story rejected this week so need to get more out there! I've also been writing a competition entry for a travel writing article - thought I'd try something a bit different. I don't suppose I stand much chance of placing as I've never done this type of article before, but if you don't try, you'll never know!

Have you tried writing anything out of your normal zone recently?

When two become one

2011-08-29T15:57:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone

Due to bank holidays and stuff, I haven't had time to post about the two stories I told you about last week.

Well, the first one, at Eschatology, isn't up yet. It should have been posted on Saturday but they are having some technical difficulties at present.

However, my story at Every Day Fiction is up today. It's called The Rescue Plan. Please take a look if you can

See you soon.

Sweep Up Sunday: 21 August 2011

2011-08-21T14:52:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone. How are you on this pleasant sunny afternoon?

This week I was hoping to have submitted another story, but I sort of just haven't got round to it. And I've had a rejection on one of my microfiction stories.

For those of you who weren't able to download my stories from the Ether App, I have now created .pdfs of these which are available from my website here.

In the week ahead, I have two stories being published online. One at Eschatology and one at Every Day Fiction. Hurrah! I will post a link on the relevant days for anyone who wishes to read them. They are really VERY different from each other.

I'll see you later this week. Keep enjoying the sun.

Friday Fun

2011-08-19T09:00:00.001+01:00

It's Friday and I just thought we could all do with having a bit of fun today. Sooooo. I would like everyone to share a funny anecdote about their pet. Here's mine.

I was taking the dog for a walk one day, not long ago, and he saw a cat run across the road. As dogs do, he obsessively watched the cat as we continued along the path. And then he decided to do his audition for a comedy sketch and walked straight into a lamppost!

Well, I found it funny at the time, until I realised he might actually have hurt himself. In truth, I don't think he even felt it! Dogs clearly have VERY thick skulls.

What silly thing has your pet done recently?

What makes a good writing day?

2011-08-15T16:49:00.000+01:00

You know some days everything just flows, doesn't it? The words come and the fingers hit the keyboard with perfect precision. And yet on other days it's just like pulling teeth.

I know there's a lot of talk about writer's block, but that's not really what I'm talking about. You can know exactly what you want to write, but some days you just can't get the words to come out in more than dribs and drabs - or is it just me?

I don't think it's the weather, or the environment as such. Or even the distractions - like blogging, for example. Maybe it's biorhythms and everything being aligned optimally- I'm not sure how much I believe that kind of thing. I think it's probably more just your mental state on that day and the stresses and strains of normal life.

What are your thoughts?

Sweep Up Sunday: 14 August 2011

2011-08-14T20:02:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, bit late today, but better late than never as they say.

This week I've been so busy working on the cards I haven't really had time for much else. I was going to launch this week, but have decided to put it back a couple of weeks, just to make sure I get everything right.

In other news. I've had rejections on a couple of my microfiction submissions from last week, but still a couple out there and waiting to hear. I haven't had any other acceptances or rejections and I haven't sent anything else out, although I have something nearly ready to go which may just be done by tomorrow.

And I really must get round to coming and visiting you all and reading your blogs tomorrow. Til then, keep enjoying your summer hols.

Sweep Up Sunday: 7 August 2011

2011-08-07T10:00:00.001+01:00

Good morning campers! How is everyone today?

I guess some of you will literally be off camping on your hols. Which means you won't be reading this, but doing something much more exciting instead.

Anyway, down to business. This week has been a little more productive. I have sent off a couple of flash fiction submissions and four microfiction submissions. So, hopefully something will come of those. I have not had any further news on previous submissions - but you know what happened last week. No sooner had I posted my Sunday round-up than I received an e-mail acceptance. Maybe lightning will strike twice! Not that we've had any of that here, unlike in the North of England, over the last couple of days.

Will probably be posting something again tomorrow. So, see you then.

Is Accuracy Important?

2011-08-02T15:00:00.008+01:00

Do you sweat over every spelling in your writing? Do you agonise over commas and semi-colons? Do you care if your headings are all the same size and font?

I used to think that I was a real stickler for accuracy. In fact, anyone I've worked with over the years would probably tell you that they thought I was over the top when it came to correct formatting for business documentation. Studying for my proofreading course taught me that I wasn't nearly as detailed as I thought I was. (By the way, I've had my results now and I passed with a Merit - yippee!) Of course, it is virtually impossible to be one hundred per cent accurate with your own work, but it has made me acutely aware of errors that I see on the Internet or in e-books.

Accuracy really matters to me. I see it as a mark of professionalism. But I often wonder whether it is important to everyone. Whether people just think 'someone else will sort it out for me'.

I imagine that most people who self-publish have little idea of book conventions and how their documents should be set out (although I know e-books have a number of limitations in their format). And maybe their readers don't care that there are no page breaks between chapters and text misaligned across the page. I wonder if, at some point in the future, digital platforms will start requiring a certain standard of presentation and accuracy in order to be accepted for publication? I know, it is unlikely.

What do you think? How important is accuracy to you?

Sweep Up Sunday: 31 July 2011

2011-07-31T10:59:00.001+01:00

What a lovely day it is today - and they say it's getting hotter this week.

So, what have I been doing lately. Well, if you read my last post you will probably have guessed that I have been writing stories suitable for greetings cards - it can be difficult to get yourself in the mood for Christmas in the middle of July! The stories are coming along quite well and the card designs are almost there as well. If you would like to hear more about StoryBite, then do go over and Like the Facebook page. (For some reason the number of Likes on FB pages seem to be completely screwed up today - good old Facebook.)

Other than that, I have had no rejections recently and I have only submitted one piece, which was a Twitter story, but there are still some pieces out there that I'm waiting to hear back from.

Anyway, do have a nice relaxing Sunday and I'll see you during the week some time.

UPDATE

Okay, I obviously wrote this too early in the day. Just had an acceptance for a piece of mine by Every Day Fiction for publication in August. You can see the schedule here.

A New Venture

2011-07-29T10:02:00.000+01:00

Things have been a bit quiet around here for the last few weeks. Sorry about that. One of the reasons is that I have been doing a lot of setting up stuff for a new venture. It still needs quite a bit of work, so not ready yet, but hopefully not too long now.

What is it?

A greetings card business with a difference - if you want to know what the difference is, you'll have to go over to the Facebook page, which is here, and have a look - and if you want to keep up to date with progress a Like would be much appreciated (if I can get 25 likes I can give it a proper address, which would be fab). I'm also hoping to have an online launch party, which would involve little competitions with cards as prizes.

A note to non-UK blog readers - unfortunately, the cards will only be available to UK mainland addresses.

What new ventures have you embarked upon recently?

Sweep Up Sunday: 10 July 2011

2011-07-10T12:16:00.000+01:00

Happy Sunday folks.

Well this week has all been about one thing, Ether Books. As you will no doubt have seen by now, I was this week's Writer of the Week on Ether, and as of tomorrow, I will be a former Writer of the Week. My story 'Eleven' has sold enough over the past week and a bit to have put me at No 4 in the Ether downloads for the month so far. Yay! You can now imagine me doing a happy dance (or maybe not!).

Hmm, should have cropped that picture a bit. Yoo hoo, I'm down here!

In other news, I haven't submitted anything this week and there have been no acceptances or rejections.

And finally, I'm not sure how much I'll be posting over the next week or so as I'm away for some of it. So take care and see you soon.

Ether Writer of the Week

2011-07-04T16:16:00.000+01:00

Hi all.

As I hinted yesterday, there is news to tell today as my interview as Ether Writer of the Week (also known as WOW - I like that!) is up on the website now.

If you would like to read it, please follow this link.

And if you would like to download my Ether stories 'Be Careful What You Dream' and 'Eleven' you can do so by visiting the App store here.

Sweep Up Sunday: 3 July 2011

2011-07-03T18:25:00.000+01:00

It's Sunday again and I've been rather lax on the posting front. I don't think trying to post to a schedule works for me, so I'm going to abandon that and just post as and when I have something to say - apart from Sundays. I will continue to do a round up of the week's writing news.

This week:

I did submit the two women's magazine stories I mentioned last week, but it'll be a long time before I hear about those.
My story Eleven on the Ether App became a pay download, for 59p. I know I've earned a few pence from it so far. Hopefully there will be more opportunity to increase that over the next week, but I'll let you know about that tomorrow.
I have done a little bit of writing (and drawing, but more about that soon) this week, but nothing concrete enough to send out anywhere.
No acceptances received and no rejections either.

I'll see you again tomorrow. Hope the sun keeps shining.

Sweep Up Sunday: 26 June 2011

2011-06-26T16:45:00.000+01:00

Hmm, so what have I done this week?

Well, I've written a few short stories, probably going to send a couple off this evening to women's mags and see how I get on with those.

No acceptances, no rejections.

Not a lot to report really. I promise to try and make next week's post more exciting!

This is not Wednesday, but it is about writing - honest!

2011-06-23T15:42:00.001+01:00

I know I promised that Wednesdays would be the day for writing about writing, but darn it, not everything happens on a Wednesday.

Today is the launch of the latest version of the Ether App, which is currently available on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Here's what Ether have to say about it.

Download the latest version of the FREE iPhone App from Ether Books!

Ether Books has just brought out the latest version of their popular iPhone App with fantastic new design and functionality!

New features include the option to share details of your favourite reads with friends and followers on social media and email, OTA messages for your favourite writers and genres, and new easy reading features. We have also updated the one tap for ease of navigation when reading in the App and rearranged the order of scrollling by authors surname, tweeks which make this the best Ether App ever!

You can download the latest version from this link to access 100s of contemporary short reads from both new and bestselling writers from across the world - http://bit.ly/bpvC84

Ether Books.. making reading mobile!

As you can see over on the right there, I currently have a couple of stories available on the App and, although I don't have a device to read them myself, I am becoming more and more convinced that writing is no longer about pieces of paper glued together. There are so many other wonderful ways of reading stories these days which we should all embrace and encourage. (More on my own way of doing this in a few weeks!)

So, if you're a writer, why not submit a story to Ether, and if you're a reader, why not give Ether a go? And if you read some stories and you like the App, you could always vote for Ether in the Sunday Times App Awards here.

I'm fed up now!

2011-06-20T20:21:00.000+01:00

I know we British are made fun of for always talking about the weather. But seriously! Have the seasons got themselves mixed up or something? It's wet and cold and miserable. This is supposed to be the beginning of our SUMMER!

Only a couple of months ago they were talking about us having a heatwave through until July. How could they have got it soooooo wrong? If I made such a big mistake at work I'd have been sacked by now!

Please can we have some sunshine. Just a little bit. And preferably at the weekend when we can actually enjoy it.

Thank you.

Sweep Up Sunday: 19 June 2011

2011-06-19T16:14:00.000+01:00

And in the news this week...

Watch out later this week for exciting updates on the Ether App.

And...

My Micro Horror award for the competition I won last year has just arrived. Here it is.

Isn't it fab? Now all I need is a trophy cabinet to put it in!

See you next week.

Writing Wednesday: What stops you writing?

2011-06-15T17:58:00.002+01:00

Last week I couldn't write. It wasn't that I didn't want to write. I just couldn't. It was a stressful week at work and by the time I got home I just had no brain power left.

Is there anything that stops you being able to write? Or do you just get on with it, whatever the circumstances? (If so, can you give us all some tips, please?)

Writing Wednesday: What is a writer?

2011-06-15T15:54:00.000+01:00

A couple of days ago, one of my friends on Facebook posted about the number of stories they'd had published and that they must be officially a writer now with that many stories published. But is that what defines a writer?

I've had a fair few stories published and I have to admit that until I had that first acceptance I did not feel like I was a writer. I felt a bit of a fraud calling myself a writer, because everybody can write, but not everybody can get their work published (in whatever form).

At what stage did you feel comfortable calling yourself a writer?

The postman is supposed to deliver post, isn't he?

2011-06-13T11:00:00.003+01:00

I remember the days when the postman walking down the path meant letters (yay!), cards (yay!), bills (boo!). But things have changed. These days, the most likely thing the postman will put through the letterbox is a handful of JUNK MAIL.

I hate junk mail. And I hate even more that the postman delivers it. That means we have no way of opting out. At least with mailing lists you can opt out on the Electoral Register and on the Preference Scheme (not sure of the exact name, but they can't send you post if you opt out!).

It all goes straight into the recycling bin, WITHOUT BEING READ, so it's a complete waste of time, a waste of resources. It's just a WASTE.

Please Mr Postman, stop delivering this rubbish to me.

How do you feel about all the unsolicited junk mail you receive?

Sweep Up Sunday: 12 June 2011

2011-06-12T09:00:00.001+01:00

This week has been a busy week. But not a busy writing week. Work has been a bit stressful, which has meant I haven't really had the brain power at the end of the day to do any writing. Neither have I had the inclination to send out any submissions, but I haven't had any rejections either.

Hopefully I will actually have something to report next week!

Till then.

I Don't Hate Mondays

2011-06-06T14:00:00.001+01:00

Why does everyone say they don't like Mondays? Okay, I get the 'going back to work' thing. If you hate your job, that would be bad every time, but I really don't mind Mondays.

I think the middle of the week is much worse. On Wednesdays, you've still got a couple of days to go till the weekend and it can really drag.

What do you think? Which day of the working week do you hate most?

Sweep Up Sunday: 5 June 2011

2011-06-05T11:40:00.000+01:00

And another Sunday comes around.

This week I've started submitting some more of my stories written last month. I've yet to have a response on any of them, but it is early days. I've also submitted a womag story to a magazine (one that had been rejected elsewhere) in the hope that I might have some more success in this area.

In other news, I've had a (very) short story accepted by PicFic. I sent it in back in January and it's less than 140 characters long. Not sure of publication date, but I think it will be quite soon. Will keep you posted.

I've also discovered that the Pot Luck Anthology by Static Movement, which has my flash story One Second in it, is now available over on the mighty Amazon. Hurrah!

Ooh, and I should be receiving an award in the post soon - no doubt there will be pictures when it arrives!

Until the next time.

Writing Wednesday: The quality of e-books

2011-06-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

I saw a link to this post yesterday, all about accuracy in e-books. And we're not talking about self-publishers here.

I have to say, I have noticed quite a lot of errors in the e-books I've read - but is it more than you would see in a print book? I'm not sure. I guess, as well, with doing a proofreading course, I may be more attuned to seeing errors than I was before. I also think, in some ways, it's easier to see mistakes in e-books because you can adjust the size of text and format. It's like looking at a story you've written in a different font, the mistakes tend to jump out at you.

Having said that, I do believe that publishers should be aiming to eliminate as many errors as possible in all their publications.

What do you think? Are e-books less accurate than print books?

Sweep Up Sunday: 29 May 2011

2011-05-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

As it's the Whitsun Bank Holiday this weekend, I'm preparing this post a little early. As things currently stand, I don't think I'm going to make my 31 stories in 31 days of May, unless the extra day off gives me a bit of a spurt.

However, in the good news, I've had another story, one of those submitted last week, accepted. This one is for a charity anthology where the stories are inspired by a series of photographs. If you want to have a go, you can visit the website here.

And finally, Tuesday is the release date of the CD with my Doctor Who story on it. If you would like to purchase it, you can visit the Big Finish website here. You can also download it from the site if you prefer digital.

See you next week.

Writing Wednesday: To facebook or not to facebook

2011-05-25T16:45:00.000+01:00

It seems that no-one posts to Facebook any more, they just facebook someone. The number of times lately I've heard:

As far as I know, Facebook isn't in the dictionary at all yet. And using it in this way just sounds wrong to me. How about you? Are there any new uses of words that just don't work for you?

All About Me: What is with phones?

2011-05-23T14:00:00.032+01:00

On Mondays I will be posting a series of blogs about me. Not writing me, but other completely useless, but possibly interesting, facts about my life and me.

Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who hates the idea of people being able to contact you 24 hours a day, no matter where you are or what you're doing?

Back in the dark ages, when I was a child, not everyone had a phone. I don't know exactly how old I was when we got our first phone, but it wasn't even ours. It was a party line which we had to share with another house across the road. Can you imagine? It was a bit of a pain, but we really didn't make calls that often back then.

Obviously, we eventually had our own line and that's how things continued for many years. If you were at home you used your own line, if you were out, you had to find a public phone box - which really wasn't that difficult, you just had to make sure you had enough change with you.

Then the mobile phone was born and most of us thought it was a joke. Really. All the businessmen posing with these huge phones with aerials on the train platform. No-one imagined everyone would even want one. How things have changed.

Now, you're considered weird if you don't really use a mobile. So, I'm weird. I do have a mobile, but I only ever use it for emergencies or when I'm travelling. I don't want someone calling me when I'm out walking the dog, or shopping. The majority of calls I receive are perfectly fine to be left on my home phone and me to pick them up as and when. THEY ARE NOT URGENT.

So, is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who just doesn't get the mobile revolution?

Sweep Up Sunday: 22 May 2011

2011-05-22T10:00:00.003+01:00

Another week, another dollar - well $5.00 actually. And where will that princely sum come from? From Eschatology, that's where. They have accepted one of my stories to be printed on 27 August. Yay! I know, that's a long time away, I'll remind you when it's out.

In other news, as you can see, I've decided just to date these posts, rather than thinking up a different name each week. Cop out, I know, but much easier!

I had a bit of a blip in my 31 short stories in May at the beginning of the week, but I'm just about back on track now. Some days you just can't get any new ideas to sprout.

I've made three submissions this week (one of which was the Eschatology one above) and no rejections yet, but I don't expect to hear back quickly from the other two.

Apart from that, everything's just fine and dandy! See you next week.

Writing Wednesday: Where do you submit your work?

2011-05-18T16:09:00.000+01:00

I've noticed recently that a number of competitions seem to be folding, due, I believe, to a lack of entries and it got me to thinking - do people actually want to enter competitions any more?

I know people will always enter the big short story competitions, like Bridport, Bristol, Fish, etc. But what about the smaller competitions? Are they being superseded by the e-zines that are sprouting up all over the place?

So, I have a question for you. Are you more likely to submit your stories to a competition or an e-zine? Answers in the comments please.

All About Me: (Wo)man's Best Friend

2011-05-16T14:00:00.005+01:00

On Mondays I will be posting a series of blogs about me. Not writing me, but other completely useless, but possibly interesting, facts about my life so far.

Ah, that age old question. Are you a dog person, or a cat person?

I am so not a cat person. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate cats. I just couldn't live with one. On the other hand, I couldn't live without a dog. Well, that's not strictly true. I didn't own a dog when I lived in London. Or when I was studying. But back then I counted the family dog as my dog, even though I didn't live in the same house, or even the same town/city.

Dogs are amazing. They not only keep you company, they are always happy to see you and they have this calming influence. They can take away the cares of the day with one wag of the tail.

I didn't have my own dog until I was in my mid-late thirties. That was Mickey.

There he is looking all handsome. I got him at about 2 years old from rescue - I was his second rescue owner, as his first home didn't work out. As you can probably tell he was a Staffie cross (possibly lurcher), so he was taller and less stocky than a Staffie, but no less strong. He lived a long and happy life until he was about 10 and then he developed a tumour on his paw, which I tried having removed, but it just came back. So then he had another operation.

The first picture was less than a week after the op, the second a month or two down the line. He coped so well with his altered state and we could still go on long walks. Did you know, a dog with an amputation doesn't walk slowly, because if it did it would lose its balance more easily? Unfortunately, some 8 months later Mickey became ill and was too weak to fight it. It may have been a recurrence of the tumour, we'll never know. But I don't in any way regret the operation or the money spent - he lived another 3 or 4 years in dog years, after all.

One month later there was a new addition to the family. Freddie - or as he was known at the time, Frodo.

Freddie had been in rescue for much longer, about 5 1/2 years - he was about 8 when I got him two years ago. He is apparently a Lab/Collie cross. He certainly has the lab shaped head, but he is much smaller and slimmer than a lab, which could be the Collie influence. I'm sure there's something else hiding in there though. He loses enough fur from his coat every day to stuff a cushion (this is only a slight exaggeration!), but he has the most amazing temperament. Calm, happy, obedient. What more could you want? Here he is having a slight disagreement with a stick.

So, tell me, who is your best (non-human) friend?

Sweep Up Sunday: And the Countdown Begins

2011-05-15T10:00:00.034+01:00

Another week over and I'm still managing to keep up with the one short story a day, although some of them are in a pretty rough state at the moment. Having said that, I have now submitted two of them. On the other side of the coin I've had another two rejections, one with some comments that were very useful. It's strange how you can think what you have written is very obvious, but other people just don't get it - very clearly don't get it!

But the most exciting news of the week is this!

Yes, it's my copy of the Short Trips CD with my Doctor Who story on it. Look, here's my name in sparkly silver letters.

And the official synopsis.

In case you can't read that very well it says:

The Wondrous Box by Juliet Boyd
Performed by Louise Jameson

The Doctor and Sarah Jane pay an ill-timed visit to PT Barnum and the Greatest Show on Earth.

Yes, Louise Jameson, also known as Leela in Doctor Who land, is reading my story.

Only 16 days to release now!

Writing Wednesday: What is good enough?

2011-05-11T14:00:00.019+01:00

Wednesdays are all about writing - whether that be hints and tips, links to other writing sites, publishers, books or anything else that comes under the writing umbrella.

Have you ever wondered why some books have so many mistakes in them? Have you cursed the bad editing and proofreading? Well, think again.

One of the things I have learned on my proofreading course is that there is such a thing as good enough. So, what exactly does that mean?

Well, good enough comes into play when it would cost too much to correct something. Say, when a book was at final proof stage and an error was found. The good enough rule says, will the reader still understand this if we let it go through? If the answer to that is yes, then the copy is good enough.

I was quite surprised by this, but I can see why. If the one change affected a line ending, which affected a page ending, which meant repaginating, indexing, etc, etc.

As I understand it, the good enough rule is much more likely to come into play in a mass market novel than in an educational or scientific text, but it's still something to bear in mind when submitting. If you start out with a draft that is pretty much there on grammar, with no spelling mistakes, your book is much more likely to get to print without good enough mistakes.

Is what you submit more than good enough?

All About Me: Where I went to school and not-yet-famous people

2011-05-09T14:00:00.006+01:00

On Mondays I will be posting a series of blogs about me. Not writing me, but other completely useless, but possibly interesting, facts about my life so far.

Okay, I know you were enthralled to learn all about Basingstoke last week. Today's post is probably going to be somewhat shorter.

I went to secondary school at Harriet Costello School (now Costello Technology College). Here it is on good old Google Street View.

View Larger Map

It doesn't look much different from the outside, but I'm pretty sure they've built a lot more around the back.

Anyway, when I went there, they still had the final year (5th year) of the old girls grammar school pupils, so it was a very different feel to the way we were educated. Quite 'old school' in their attitudes towards schooling, even for all those years ago. The uniform even had a beret, which we all took off as soon as we were far enough along the road on the way home.

School itself was quite uneventful. I veered towards languages, rather than sciences as the years went on and I was a member of the netball team and the athletics team (high jump and later long jump). I finished with 7 'O' levels and 2 Grade 1 CSEs.

So, what you've all been waiting for. Who is the famous person I went to school with? Well, that's slightly misleading, because I didn't actually know them and they were either one or two years below me, so I probably had to make sure they were behaving at lunchtimes when I was in the fifth year, that's about all. But *drumroll* I went to school with Liz Hurley.

I can see you're impressed!

Next time, Dogs.

Sweep Up Sunday: Mixed Feelings

2011-05-08T10:00:00.060+01:00

Sunday posts are a round-up of my writing week.

This week has been a real mix of highs and lows. I've been rejected three times - oh well - but one rejection made me happy. How is that you say? Because, although the story was not quite right for publication, they liked my style of writing, felt it was compatible with the publication and encouraged me to submit again.Yay!

In other news, as I mentioned in one of my A-Z posts, my Doctor Who story will be published at the end of May. A few days back the Big Finish podcast talked about the upcoming release and had a clip from one of the stories - mine! This made me very happy. If you want to hear the first couple of lines from my story, you can listen to the podcast here. It starts at about 13.20.

In the April Shorts competition on the Slingink website, I came second with my story Moving Day (based on the prompt Moving Day). I know, that wasn't a very original title, but I only saw the prompt the day before the deadline and it was a very rapidly written story. I'm not sure it's one for submitting elsewhere, but it's always good to get recognition from your peers.

I've also decided to get rid of the submissions tab, competitions tab and the published work tab on this blog. The submissions/competitions tabs I keep forgetting to update and these posts can take the place of keeping track of submissions, etc. The published work tab was also out-of-date and all the info is now on my website. I'll still keep links to online stuff down the sidebar.

Finally, I have decided that during May I am going to try and write a short story every day (so, 31 stories in a month!). I'm not talking about final, polished and ready to send out versions. But 31 stories that hopefully I can take further after the end of the month. I'm not sure whether I'll manage it, but I'm slightly ahead at the moment, so you never know.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Juliet

Writing Wednesday: Write to be published

2011-05-04T09:30:00.002+01:00

Wednesdays are all about writing - whether that be hints and tips, links to other writing sites, publishers, books or anything else that comes under the writing umbrella.

You may remember that back at the beginning of the A-Z challenge I posted a set of links to writing sites I regularly visit and which provide lots of useful information. One of those was to Nicola Morgan's site Help! I need a Publisher!

Nicola has been providing excellent advice on her blog for quite some time and all that information has now been neatly packaged up into a book called Write to be published. You can find out all about it here. It will be published on 1 June, but in the meantime she has competitions and giveaways on her blog and the Write to be Published site in the run up to the launch.

I'm certain this is going to be an excellent book and I'll be one of the first in the queue to purchase it.

Yay!

2011-05-02T19:16:00.000+01:00

All About Me: Where did I grow up?

2011-05-02T09:00:00.060+01:00

On Mondays I will be posting a series of blogs about me. Not writing me, but other completely useless, but possibly interesting, facts about my life so far.

I'm assuming you all know by now that I'm from the UK. No? Well I am, from the UK that is. Glad that's been cleared up.

Although I was born in London, I lived most of my growing up years in a place called Basingstoke in Hampshire (Hmmm, I can hear those giggles from the back).

Basingstoke, although existing beforehand, became an overspill town for London in the 60s and that's how my family ended up there. Its biggest claim to fame at the time was the amount of roundabouts you had to negotiate to find your way around the place (look, there's even a book about them) and it always seemed to be the butt of the jokes on the TV as I remember. Admittedly, it wasn't the most exciting of places to live, although there's a lot more to do there now. In fact, there seemed to be a lot more built as soon as I moved away from the area (ice rink, bowling, to name just two). And the shopping centre never looked like this when I lived there.

It did make the news in the snow last winter though, when a freak burst of the white stuff completely stuffed up the traffic.

One of the biggest landmarks in the town is (or at least was, there may be other taller buildings now) a tall office building, Fanum House, which is the headquarters of the AA (Automobile Association) in the UK. I remember it well.

There's really not a lot more to say about the place. Really - there isn't.

Next time, where I went to school. There will be famous person name-dropping - you have been warned.

I have a plan

2011-05-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

Okay, so after yesterday's post I started thinking about how I could plan my blog out so that I make sure I post more regularly and actually have something mildly interesting to say. And here it is, my weekly blogging schedule, which I will try to keep to as closely as possible, but please don't tell me off if I miss a post one week.

Mondays will be 'All about me'. That is, things you didn't know about me, my life, my past. There is unlikely to be any reference to writing in these posts and it may well be that after six months I can no longer think of anything else about me that you don't already know - but we'll give it a go.

Writing Wednesday. On Wednesdays I will try to post something about writing. Tips and advice; links to other writing blogs/sites that might me of interest to others, etc.

Fridays will be #FridayFlash if I've written anything! No guarantees here.

And to finish off the week (or start it, depending on your preference) will be Sweep up Sunday - a round-up of any submissions, acceptances, upcoming publication. That sort of thing. A general promotion of me.

So, what do you think? Good plan or bad plan? What about you - do you have a posting schedule on your blog?

Z is for Zenith

2011-04-30T09:00:00.001+01:00

zenith: the high point or climax of something

This is, indeed, the climax of 26 blog posts. The final point of the challenge. I wonder how many of us have actually made it through all 26 posts.

But what of the future? Are you going to continue posting every day? Or will you go back to irregular and erratic posting? I fear I may be in the latter category as I've probably exhausted every single topic I can think of and I'm certain I have blog fatigue! Maybe I should try and think of two or three themes for different days of the week.

I wonder how many blogs I have actually visited. I've tended to click on the Surprise Me button rather than go down the list in order. It's a lot, anyway. But it's surprising how many times you end up on the same blog by pressing that button.

Thank you to everyone who has visited and commented. I hope you have been at least slightly amused and entertained and that you might continue to visit every now and then.

Y is for Yes

2011-04-29T10:45:00.000+01:00

Yes, we're nearly at the end.

I know, that's a bit weak, isn't it? But today is the day of the Royal Wedding, so who is actually going to be reading blogs today? Anyone?

Have a great holiday if you're in the UK and see you for the last post of the challenge tomorrow.

X is for X-Factor

2011-04-28T15:00:00.009+01:00

Yes, X was always going to one of the difficult letters, wasn't it?

Can you imagine if there was an X-Factor for writers? Everyone had to go up in front of the judges and start reading their story or novel and see how long it was before the judges gave them the thumbs down. How awful would that be! Would you enter? No, me neither.

The trouble is, you probably do need the X-Factor to really make it as a writer, but let's just stick to the traditional routes, shall we? Or maybe you would relish the opportunity to stand in front of a Cowell-like figure.

Any thoughts?

W is for Who

2011-04-27T15:00:00.012+01:00

I originally wrote a different version of this post back at the beginning of the challenge. What better way to promote something that is going to be published soon, I thought. And then, last week, Lis Sladen died and suddenly it all felt wrong.

The Who, of course, relates to Doctor Who.

Those of you who haven't been followers for long probably won't know that I had a Doctor Who story accepted for publication by Big Finish last year after entering a writing opportunity they promoted. A story about the fourth Doctor and his asssistant. You can, no doubt, guess which one.

Publication date is 31 May, so I will post something more detailed closer to the time, once the dust has settled. But suffice to say, Lis Sladen's portrayal of Sarah Jane Smith was one of the things that inspired me to have a go and write my story.

Thank you Lis. You won't be forgotten.

V is for Visual

2011-04-26T15:00:00.027+01:00

Although writing is words on a page, to my mind it is really a visual medium.

Writers are actually painting a picture for their readers, letting them imagine worlds that they have never seen before. If they pick the right words, those worlds will be vivid and memorable and the characters will seem to be alive, if they pick the wrong words it could be very different.

And that doesn't mean looking through the dictionary or the thesaurus, uncommon words can sometimes take a reader out of the story as they have to think about what they mean. Often the simplest words, but the right words, used in just the right place, are the best ones.

And if you want more convincing, here's a quote for you.

U is for Ultraviolet

2011-04-25T15:00:00.004+01:00

Ultraviolet, yes, you know, that thing called the sun that you never see while you're typing away in the garret.

We all need sunshine, we get valuable vitamins from it. As long as we're sensible and don't burn ourselves to a cinder, we should make sure we get our daily (yes, I know, difficult in the UK, although Easter is proving to be the exception to the rule!) dose of sunshine. Don't spend all your day locked away inside. It isn't good for you. Schedule some time outside and you'll be better for it.

T is for Timing

2011-04-23T15:00:00.019+01:00

Timing. It's all about being in the right place at the right time. And that's not just true of writing, it's true of anything. Fate if you will. It's something you cannot control - or can you?

How can you try and make sure you're in the right place? By getting your name out there through blogging and other social media, by entering competitions, by submitting to e-zines and print publications, by submitting to agents and publishers, by joining writing groups.

How do you try and ensure you're in the right place at the right time?

S is for Short Stories

2011-04-22T15:00:00.018+01:00

Yes, S is for Short Stories. Yay! And as today is a Friday, I thought I might combine the A-Z Blogging Challenge with the Friday Flash and post a story, but as it's Easter, I haven't got time to write something new. This piece was originally published by The Pygmy Giant.

Her Choice

The water lapped over her feet in waves, slowly gaining ground. It felt gentle, almost comforting. It reminded her of holidays on the beach when she was a child. She bent down and cupped some in her hands. She knew she ought not to drink it, but she could not stop herself. It tasted a little bitter, she thought, and she drank some more.

© Juliet Boyd 2010

And one final thing, apologies to anyone who comments over the next couple of days as I won't be at home and I'm unlikely to have time to check on the blog. But please be assured, I will check in as soon as I'm back.

R is for Reading

2011-04-21T15:00:00.002+01:00

I'm sure a lot of writers have chosen Reading as their R post. But I'm not going to talk about what I read, only how.

Are you a hard copy book reader or an e-book reader?

I never thought I'd say this, but these days I prefer reading on the screen. I don't have a Kindle, just the software uploaded on my laptop, but I find it much easier to read than an actual book. You can adjust the font size to the optimum for your eyes, you don't have to read at funny angles where the book is bound together. And you can take loads of books with you when you go away in no extra space at all.

What is your view on the book versus electronic debate?

Q is for Question

2011-04-20T15:00:00.008+01:00

I like asking questions when I'm writing. Questions such as 'What if' are always good. They can lead to endless possiblities for your characters and situations.

Do you ask questions of your story or characters when you're writing?

P is for Proofreading

2011-04-19T15:00:00.003+01:00

Well, we all need to proofread our writing, but I've gone a step further.

I'm currently doing a distance-learning proofreading course! Yes, all those printer's correction symbols and alignments, I've got to learn them all. It is difficult, I won't deny that, but I do enjoy that sort of thing. I've always been quite picky about how things are set out and spelling. That's why I find things like Blogger quite frustrating sometimes as it adds an extra line-space or some weird thing happens with alignment when you press publish.

Are you studying anything at the moment?

Updated: Just read this fab post over at Strictly Writing which seemed rather apt - the exercises on my course aren't quite this bad!

O is for Office

2011-04-18T15:00:00.003+01:00

Do you have a proper office or desk for your writing?

You lucky thing. I just write with my laptop on the sofa. Which does have some benefits - such as cushions. But it can be a bit chaotic as I don't really have anywhere proper to put stuff while I'm working on it.

Where do you do your writing?

N is for Never Giving Up

2011-04-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

Do you sometimes feel like giving up? Like you'll never get anywhere with your writing? Rejection after rejection can be soul destroying, can't it?

I think I was quite lucky with my short story writing. It only took just over a year before I started having some success, but I know for many people it can take much longer. In my mind I think the answer is you just have to submit to anything and everything until you find your niche. For example, I have submitted quite a lot of stories to women's magazines, but only had 1 success in that area so far, so maybe that isn't my forté. But if I hadn't started submitting, I would never have found that out.

And if you never submit anything, you definitely won't be successful. So, go on, get those stories out there.

M is for Meeting New People

2011-04-15T15:00:00.004+01:00

One of the many benefits of the A-Z blogging challenge is meeting all the lovely people who come and comment on your blog, but sometimes all the methods of interacting with others about your writing can be a bit overwhelming.

I have a Facebook page for my writing, a Twitter account, this Blog (obviously) and a website. It can be very time consuming keeping up with everything. I find the one that 'has to give' is generally Twitter. I use it more as a reference for finding links to competitions, interesting articles, etc. (I know that's not how you're supposed to use it!)

How do you keep up with all the demands of social media?

Friday Flash - For Posterity

2011-04-15T01:00:00.000+01:00

Something a little different for the Friday Flash this week.

FOR POSTERITY

“Well, that’s not very flattering,” said Stoober Jnr. “My nose really isn’t that big.”

John waited. His family had dealt with many generations of the Stoober family, most of whom were lined up on shelves around the room, and he knew full well that there were more comments on the way.

“And another thing, I never said I liked fishing. Why am I fishing? I hate stupid fish.”

John sighed. “My Lord, it is a traditional pose. There are certain conventions we have to follow, we did discuss—”

“I know that,” said Stoober Jnr. “But couldn’t I be, I don’t know, just standing there? I mean, I’m cute enough aren’t I? Look at those rosy cheeks.”

“Indeed,” said John, “your cheeks are rosy and very pleasing to the eye. We just don’t need another ‘standing there’ pose. And, if I may be so bold, you did sign the contract.”

“Pah! Bloomin’ contract!” Stoober Jnr knocked the figure over, letting it roll right to the edge of the table.

John had wasted enough time. He slammed his briefcase shut and headed up the spiral staircase, his too large feet getting stuck between the steps and his stooped shoulders bouncing off the ceiling. When he got to the door he sucked in his belly and wiggled his body through to the store room. Leanne held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. Fifty ‘Stoober with fishing rod’ stood in line on the shelf before him; another thousand in boxes lined the walls.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Don’t like bloody fishing,” John mumbled as he walked onto the shop floor.

© Juliet Boyd 2011

L is for Living

2011-04-14T15:00:00.004+01:00

Do you find life itself gets in the way of your writing?

It can be difficult to fit writing into a busy schedule, especially if you have a 'proper' job, kids, etc, etc. I finish work mid-afternoon so I can get all the other stuff done and be able to write in the evenings. I'm probably quite lucky in that respect.

How do you fit writing into your working day?

K is for Kaleidoscope

2011-04-13T15:00:00.011+01:00

The A-Z blogging challenge is, indeed, a kaleidoscope of ideas. Complex, colourful, with constantly shifting patterns.

I have seen other writers, beautiful pictures, stories and poems, ugly and not so ugly animals. Wonderful. If you want to see them too, click on the buttons on the sidebar below the A-Z icon. You could find a whole new world out there - there are over 1,000 blogs participating, after all.

J is for Juliet

2011-04-12T15:00:00.002+01:00

Yes, J is for my name, Juliet.

I know many people don't like their names, but I've always liked mine. It's not that common either, but not so uncommon that people think it's weird. Perfect!

Do you like your name?

I is for Inspiration

2011-04-11T15:00:00.002+01:00

Where do you get your inspiration from?

When you write short stories, you need to have lots of different ideas, and inspiration can come from many places. I quite like writing down phrases I hear on the television or see written on people's Facebook or Twitter updates. I also like competitions that have a theme, because then at least you have a starting point. The trouble with that, though, is that you may find lots of other people had the same idea as you.

Sometimes I find inspiration is just a random thought that crosses my mind (and some of them can be very random), or a picture, or maybe an incident that happened during the day.

How about you?

Friday Flash - Home

2011-04-10T09:41:00.002+01:00

Okay, so I'm late, it's not Friday any more, with the A-Z challenge there just wasn't time! Here it is anyway.

HOME

It had been there for days. Innocuous. Unnoticed. Just a small brown sphere under a heavily flowering rhododendron. The dog had sniffed it a couple of times and a colony of ants had scoured its surface for an entry point, but there was none. Not then.

Carly studied it as she sucked another layer off her ice cream. ‘Football,’ she said to no-one in particular, and no-one heard. They were all too busy with charcoal and lighter fluid.

Carly picked it up. Straight away it began to ooze a foul-smelling substance that coated her hands in seconds, the elasticity of which made it impossible to rid herself of the object, however hard she tried. And it didn’t stop there.

‘Mummy!’ she screamed. Her mother looked, shook her head, and turned back to a conversation about artichokes. A tear trickled down Carly’s cheek and she wiped her sleeve across her nose.

Arthur was concerned. He waddled over and snuffled at her hands. A glob of the substance was sucked up into his nose and he squealed as his ability to breathe was suddenly cut in half.

‘Leave that poor dog alone!’ shouted Carly’s father. ‘You know he doesn’t like you pulling at him.’ Carly tried to reply, but no words came, she could no longer pull her lips apart to let the sound out.

Small tendrils began to unwrap from the previously smooth surface of the sphere, piercing the skin where they attached, and with them an army of microscopic creatures marched into their new home.

H is for Hard Work

2011-04-09T10:00:00.000+01:00

Writing is hard work isn't it? I'm not sure that non-writers understand that fully. All the thinking, writing, editing and editing and editing until you arrive at a polished finished product. And that's just for a short story, I can't imagine the time that must take for a novel.

I'm not sure I'll ever want to write a novel. In fact, my stories have gradually got shorter and shorter over the past year (see my first Friday Flash as an example). The trouble with a very short story is that you have to pick exactly the right words, because if you pick the wrong words, it is instantly noticeable.

But it is all worth it in the end, isn't it, when you see your piece in print (whichever form that may take)?

G is for Guidance

2011-04-08T15:00:00.038+01:00

There are lots of fabulous writing blogs out there, so I thought I'd list a few here that I read regularly for you to peruse at your leisure.

Help! I Need a Publisher! - advice on all aspects of novel writing
Quiller's Place - short stories, pocket novels, womag writing
Stroppy Author's Guide to Publishing- advice on all the terminology and technicalities of publishing
Womag writer - everything you need to know about writing for women's magazines
Write here, Write now - no nonsense advice on screenwriting

Enjoy.

F is also for Flowchart

2011-04-07T18:31:00.000+01:00

Have you seen the fabulous flowchart on Kate Hart's blog on how to get published?

Then I suggest you go over there right now and have a look.

F is for Fiction

2011-04-07T15:00:00.001+01:00

Where would we be without fiction? Wouldn't life be boring without a few stories to lose ourselves in?

Today, all you writers out there, I think you should give yourselves a pat on the back for bringing a little happiness to the world.

E2

2011-04-06T17:30:00.000+01:00

This is one for all my new followers.

Do you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch? Then you may have heard of the Ether App, a way to download short stories to your mobile - bite-sized reads for people on the go. If you haven't heard of it:

You can download the app for free here.
You can read a very informative interview Rebecca Bradley has done with founder Maureen Scott for the A-Z Challenge here.
You can submit your own stories here.

Anyway, to the main point of this post, I have a story on the Ether App entitled 'Be Careful What You Dream'. It is an everyday tale of things that go 'raaarrh' in the night! And the story is free. So you can download the App FREE and read my story FREE.

Happy reading.

E is for Every Day

2011-04-06T15:00:00.010+01:00

People say that if you want your writing to improve you have to write every day. It doesn't matter how much, could be 50 words or 1,000.

If I'm honest, I don't. Sometimes I go for several days without writing (at least, not story writing). I agree you need to write regularly. If you left it for three or four weeks before writing you might well struggle. But the odd day off every now and then - or even a whole weekend - I don't think is a bad idea. In fact, it could be a good idea, refresh the batteries, provide inspiration.

What do you think? Should a writer write every day?

D is for Dog Walking

2011-04-05T15:00:00.020+01:00

Now, let's forget about those days when the rain is pouring and the wind is trying its best to knock you over and think about those beautiful Spring mornings when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Got the picture?

At these times, walking your dog is a pleasure and also a time for thinking. A time for planning. A source of inspiration. All perfect things for a writer.

So, now all you need to do is get yourself a dog! Unless you have one already, of course.

Freddie

The Following Thing

2011-04-04T20:51:00.000+01:00

As some people seem to prefer the Google Follow thing, have now added this to the sidebar.

And here's another C

2011-04-04T17:04:00.000+01:00

I know, I'm a bit blog crazy today, but Nicola Morgan has just posted a very useful document for those who write for Children and Teenagers. You can find it at her blog here.

A-Z Blog Recommendation

2011-04-04T16:17:00.000+01:00

Okay guys, if you haven't stumbled across this blog on your A-Z travels, I highly recommend that you drop by.

Renee Silvana is highlighting one weird and wonderful animal each day, their name starting with the relevant letter of course. Today you can learn about the Coconut Crab. That's some crab!

Thanks Renee for bringing this amazing world to us.

C is for Competitions

2011-04-04T15:00:00.003+01:00

Competitions. They can be a good way of getting your work out there, but they can also be frustrating for several reasons:

You don't get any feedback, so you have no idea whether your entry was any good or not.
It can take quite a long time for results to be announced, which means that the story you entered is tied up for months at a time and you can't send it anywhere else.
Deadlines, prize money and other details can sometimes be changed without prior notice.
And these days, competitions end up being cancelled because they have not had enough entries.

So, how can you avoid this frustration? There is no simple answer to this. You have to decide whether you think the publicity and acclaim you would receive from winning a competition is worth the above, and in some cases it is. Once again, the internet is your friend here. You can research previous competitions, who won, what they have done since, etc, etc and hopefully come to an informed decision.

What do you think? Are competitions worth entering?

B is for Blog Takeover Day

2011-04-02T10:50:00.000+01:00

There are some bloggers out there who help to pull us all together and interact with each other (like this very challenge). Another such event is Blog Takeover Day, run by the lovely Sally Quilford. Twice a year, for the past couple of years she has encouraged everyone to have someone else take over their blog and write a blog post. This can be anything from your pet, to someone from history, to a character in your latest WIP. In fact, whatever takes your fancy.

So, why not take up the challenge and let someone take over your blog next time.

Dates are usually 11 August and New Year's Day.

A is for Acceptance

2011-04-02T10:41:00.001+01:00

I've come to this a bit late, the A-Z blogging challenge, but it must still be 1 April somewhere in the world, it just means I have to write two posts today! So...

A is for Acceptance

When you first start writing it is quite normal to feel that maybe you shouldn't even be trying and it can take quite a while before you feel accepted into the writing community. However, these days, with the internet, there are many ways you can involve yourself with other writers:

Reading blogs and commenting (well, that's what this month is all about, isn't it?). There are a huge number of blogs out there with a wealth of information on writing-related subjects.
Registering on Twitter - follow your favourite authors and they might just follow you back.
Creating a presence on Facebook - why not create an author page so you can tell you your friends and acquaintances about your writing?
Join a writing community - I would recommend Slingink, just because I'm a member, but have a look around, there may be something else that better suits your needs.
Write a blog yourself - yes, it is difficult to believe that others might be interested in what you have to say, but it doesn't have to be solely about writing. Many writers blog about a wide variety of things.

Just doing one or two of the above will help to involve you with other writers and, you never know, they might just help you promote your successes further down the road.

Friday Flash the First

2011-04-01T15:30:00.001+01:00

I have decided that, from time to time (excuse in advance in case I don't manage it every week!), I will post a Friday Flash. If you want to find out the rules, please go here.

So, here it is, and welcome to any new visitors to my blog who follow the Friday Flash link.

------------

PITTER-PATTER

I can hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet, and I'm thinking 'that's wrong' because I'm the only one in the house. At least, I was when I went to bed.

So, it's either burglars or something else.

I doubt it's burglars because I've got one of those 'don't mess with my dog' stickers in the window... and burglars have big feet.

But I don't like something else. Something else is like a horror movie with the lights out. Or a reindeer.

------------

Commenting... Is it dangerous?

2011-03-30T17:30:00.000+01:00

Hmm. I'm sure you all know about the current debate on a certain author's comments on a review website. And I'm not going to comment on that in particular. However, I do have a few things to say about commenting in general.

Commenting can be a very tricky thing. If you say something nice, that's all well and good. Everyone's happy and the world goes on. But say something even slightly negative, or something that can be misconstrued and you're on a slippery slope. If someone responds to your comment in a way you were not expecting, you have to defend yourself, right? And it goes on. And it can be very difficult to extract yourself in a professional manner.

Therefore, I prefer not to comment in general, unless it is something positive or quite bland. Does that make me a boring person? Maybe. But I'd rather that than get a tirade of abuse and bad publicity.

What do you think?

Time for a little update

2011-03-26T12:12:00.000Z

So, what's been happening in the world, the universe and all places beyond.

Well, for those of you who haven't yet seen it, yesterday was Anti-conning writers day over at Sally Quilford's blog. If you want to avoid all the potential scams out there, you should go and read it now. There are also a couple of supplementary posts you should read too.

Have you entered anything for the New Sun Rising charity anthology in aid of the Japanese relief effort? What? You don't know anything about it. Then I suggest you go over to their site and check it out. You can have a go at writing haiku for the first time if the mood takes you, like me.

I've also put my entry in the the Slingink Shorts competition. You only have to write 140 words (or less) and you can enter more than once if you wish. Closing date end April.

Well, that should keep you busy for the weekend. Happy writing.

Shoes, feet and competitions

2011-03-11T10:12:00.000Z

You may have seen a little while back that Nicola Morgan had a competition on her blog to write a 150 word story inspired by a picture of her feet resting comfortably on a carpet. Today the results have been announced, and although I didn't win, I was shortlisted. You can read the winners here.

In the Ether

2011-03-09T17:18:00.000Z

I've just received news that my story 'Be Careful What You Dream' will be released on the Ether App today. Hurrah! It will be free to start, but if enough people download it, that may change. Here's hoping.

If you want to download the App go here.

And this is the cover,

Damn those 'ads'

2011-03-08T12:17:00.000Z

Before I started studying how to write, I never used to notice if a novel or a short story was littered with adverbs and adjectives. Like the majority of the population, I was blissfully unaware that it was 'bad writing style'. But now, all I have to see is a badly placed 'ad' and my whole unconscious focus turns to finding more. I can't stop myself and it's maddening! It can easily take away the pleasure of reading what is otherwise a good story.

Do any of the writing 'rules' annoy you when you're just reading for pleasure?

Website Construction

2011-02-28T20:42:00.000Z

I am in the process of building myself a proper website (with proper domain name an' all), so keep your eyes peeled for announcement soon.

Professionalism - The Business Letter

2011-02-26T12:30:00.000Z

Some time back, on a previous version of my blog, I did a post about how to set out a business letter. We all have to do these from time to time, whether we are sending out a story, an invoice, or just an enquiry and setting our letters out correctly gives a more professional image to the recipient. So, I thought I'd do the same thing here.

A business letter has a number of required elements:

The date - no, don't laugh, people often forget to put a date on their letters if they're not used to writing them.
Name/Title/Address of addressee
Salutation - the Dear ...
Text of the letter, obviously.
Complimentary Close - the Yours ...
The Name/Title of the sender

There are other things which can be included, if appropriate, such as a reference or a subject and enclosures.

Setting out a letter correctly may seem like a minefield. You see so many different styles and layouts in letters you receive. The best thing to do is to keep it simple and use what is called Block Style. This means that everything sits left aligned on the page and there are no indents, etc to complicate it.

It is also much easier to use Open Punctuation. This means no puncutation in your date, address, salutation and close.

Layout

LOGO

Date                           This comes first and the easiest format is DMY, ie 26 February 2011
>                                Press return twice to leave a clear line space between date and address
Mr Addressee
Company Director
The Writing Company
1 High Street               Remember, no punctuation here at all
Haven Town
The County
TT11 7TP
>                                Press return two or three times here before salutation
>
Dear Mr Addressee
>                               Press return two times here before Subject/body of letter
Subject in Bold         This can be in caps as well, but can sometimes look clumsy
>                                Press return two times here before body of letter
Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter.
>                                Press return two times here
Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter.
>                                Press return two times
Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter. Body of letter.
>                                Press return two times before Complimentary Close
Yours sincerely
>                                Press return six/seven times before Name
>
>
>

Juliet Boyd                Putting your name in bold makes it stand out more
>                                 Press return four/five times before enclosure
>
>
Enc(s)    If you have enclosed anything with the letter this indicates
to the recipient that they should look for something else

And that's all there is to it.

Finally, a short word on the Complimentary Close as people often make mistakes here. If you have put the name of the person in the Salutation, rather than just Dear Sir/Madam, then you use Yours sincerely, otherwise you use Yours faithfully. You should never use Your truly or any other variation in a business letter. In reality, you should always be using Yours sincerely as it is much more professional to find out the name of the person you need to write to rather than sending a Dear Sir letter. Also, you can put something like Best Wishes or Regards at the end of your letter if you really want to, but you should, two lines below, put Yours sincerely/faithfully as well.

I hope that was useful. See you soon.

Are you inspired?

2011-02-19T11:37:00.000Z

Inspiration's a funny thing, isn't it? Sometimes you have so many ideas for stories that you don't have the time to write them all and other times you can sit there for ages and nothing springs to mind. And if there's no deadline to work to, apart from your self-imposed ones, it can be very difficult to get started.

At the end of last year I felt very inspired and I think this was due to entering the Slingink Scribbling Slam where you had to write a story to a prompt every two weeks. But I didn't just write the required six stories, I also wrote a couple of other stories that I sent off to other places and had accepted. So I think it had a knock on effect. And it lasted well into the first few weeks of this year.

However, I'm now in one of those down periods and struggling for ideas, which is not having a good effect on the targets I set myself. I do try to write stuff down in a notebook, but I don't carry it around with me all the time (it really wouldn't be appropriate to do so at work) and sometimes I just listen to the radio or the TV and write down a whole series of phrases, but that doesn't always provide the necessary meat for a story.

So, my question is, where do you find inspiration?

Are You Tweet-tastic?

2011-02-10T15:39:00.000Z

Twitter.

I'm not very good at Twitter. Sometimes I don't log on for days on end and when I do I just lurk. And that's not really the point, is it?

One of the problems for me is that Twitter can just be a mind-blowing stream of half heard conversations. And I don't even follow that many people. I really don't understand how you can follow hundreds of people and still get anything out of it. How can you possibly pick out the stuff that's really relevant to you unless you stay online the whole time?

So what do I do? I end up sitting on the sidelines, occasionally clicking on a writing link that looks like it might be useful and ignoring all the rest. I rarely comment in any substantial way and I only occasionally retweet because I know most of the people who follow me will already be following the person I retweeted.

But is this just a reflection of how I am in real life? Probably. For example, I would never be the life and soul of the party, the one grabbing all the attention. So maybe the way I use Twitter is just a natural extension of me.

Oh well. I'll probably be lurking around later on. See you then.

Motivation

2011-01-23T12:11:00.000Z

We all make excuses, don't we? We can't write because this, or that, gets in the way. We blame it on the many and various types of procrastination that are available to us, but what we're probably lacking is motivation.

It can be difficult to sit down with a blank piece of paper (or computer screen) in front of us and just start to write. To just pluck something out of the air and get going, or to write the next chapter when we've been plugging away at it for months already.

So what can we do to help ourselves along?

First of all, we need to work out what it is that is stopping us. Is it inspiration? Is it lack of interaction with other writers? Is there something in our daily life that is taking up all our time? Are we just too tired? Or do we just need a break? Do we have the type of personality where we need someone to tell us what to do?

There are many reasons why we might not be motivated, but we have to work out why first, then we can try and tackle the problem.