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Unexpected Writing Inspiration

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One of the main things that I love about writing is its unpredictability. You might have a set plan, and you may be productive in your routine for a while, but in the world of writing it doesn’t always work out that way.

I mainly write horror shorts when I sit down at my desk. However, this year I branched out a little and began to write a young adult fantasy novel. I was inspired by the writing community on social media, and had a few ideas about my own little bunch of budding heroes, traversing adolescence whilst dealing with their new powers. It was fun. It was exciting and, being someone who struggled through my own childhood with the X-Men permanently reminding me that it was okay to be different, it was relevant. So, 60,000 words in with only a few lingering chapter inserts, fillers, and a final edit remaining, it should be ready to roll on to the next stage. Only, it’s not happened that way. I’ve completely shelved it. I think about it often. I occasionally make an insert or an edit here and there, but I have lost that spark of inspired joy that I usually need to complete a project. This has left me with two options. One; slog on and finish it anyway. Or, two; leave it and move on to a new book. For me, these are both equally impossible without the right kind of inspiration. I didn’t know what I was going to do.

Then, this morning as I was walking to the supermarket in the sunshine, a song came on my iPod that I hadn’t heard in ages. It was Coheed and Cambria’s The Suffering, and I loved it. I stuck it on repeat, and pretty much listened to it constantly as I walked the length of St George’s Quay to town. A thought popped into my head: “The Suffering. That would be a cool title for a horror short.” As I walked the rest of the way, the story ideas began to flow. Once I had the title (thanks Coheed and Cambria!), the plot followed, and I knew that the story will be perfect to submit to the upcoming Horroraddicts.net ‘Dark Divinations’ Victorian horror submission call. And that wasn’t all, my friends! I realised that the short story would make a cool origins tale for a full-length horror story set in modern times. So, that’s what I’m going to do next. Get the Victorian short story locked down, then use it as the origins tale for a modern full length horror.

That’s not to say I’ll never return to my fantasy wip. I’ve put many hours into it after all, and I love the characters. But right now I guess it’s important to work on what feels right. Two beautiful things about writing, then. It’s ever-changing. Never set in stone. The possibilities are endless. And you can find sudden inspiration anywhere – even when you’re walking to the shops.

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The Shortlist Paradox

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After making a succession of short story anthology submissions this summer, the inevitable rejections have begun to slink into my inbox. It is a part of every writer’s world, so I am not complaining about the process. However, this last couple of weeks has had me musing over whether being notified that you have been shortlisted, only to be informed of rejection in the final cut, could be worse than not hearing anything at all until the axe falls.

Every submission comes with a ‘dare to dream’ moment or two. If it didn’t there would be no motive to submit in the first place! I usually submit with suppressed hopes, then put the publication completely out of my mind until I hear either way. Otherwise I find myself daydreaming about the possibilities. About what I would do if I got a yes. What would I post on social media? How would I tell my friends and family? Then the flutter of desire kicks in, and the potential for disappointment grows.

I had this recently with the latest SNAFU publication, Last Stand. As I mentioned in a previous blog, this publication was the anthology equivalent of the Holy Grail for me, as it will be introduced by the director Tim Miller. Marvel are a huge fixture in my household, so the potential to be linked to anything involving the Deadpool director was a huge draw. I crafted the story as best as I could. I looked back at previous hints and tips that the editors had provided, keen to tick every possible personal preference box on their list. Then, I hit ‘send’, locked the hopes and dreams in a little box in my brain marked “Do not open”, and went about my business. Then I heard the news that the story had made it through the first round of shortlisting. Wow. That was a buzz. The flame of possibility grew. I dared to dream a little bit. I was honoured that they liked my story, and repeatedly rationalised that at this stage, even if it was a ‘no’ in the end, I could be proud that it made it so far.

To my absolute shock and delight, I made it through the next round of cuts. At the beginning of that week, I had seen on the publication’s Facebook page that the next refusals were imminent, and I was convinced I would be amongst them. But I wasn’t. Double-wow. Could it possibly be? I started to get really excited. I talked about it with my friends, which is something I wouldn’t normally do unless I’d actually made it into the book. I’m cagey about my writing at the best of times, having always had a fear of the old ‘pride comes before a fall’ warnings. But this time, it couldn’t hurt to talk about it. It was a huge deal after all, and I clung to the fact that it was something of an accolade that the story had made it so far.

Well, come the final round of cuts. And a rejection letter. Albeit a very positive, constructive rejection letter, but a rejection nontheless. Wow again. But this time, a crushing, “Wow, I really thought I might have had that, there. Damn.” This was the moment that I started thinking about shortlist emails. They are always a joy, don’t get me wrong. And there was a point in my writing career when I would have chopped a hand off just to get one (possibly a counter-productive move – don’t judge me, I was a neurotic, fledgling writer!). But that moment of daring to dream a little bigger…The moment the “Do not open” sign gets torn off the hidden box in my brain that shows me visions of what I might do if I got the news that I’d been accepted. The moment when I let my daydreams wander to potential future opportunities that a yes decision may have brought. That kicks in as soon as the shortlist email comes in my inbox.

And, you know what? In the end, they ARE a good thing. Because it is that little boost that verifies that we’re on the right path. It’s the feedback from almost making the cut and being told exactly why we didn’t in the end that makes us better writers. That makes the next story an improvement on the last. It’s the step towards the next acceptance, because we’re always learning. The shortlist email, even if it makes the rejection a little more disappointing in the end, reminds us of why we do this. The rush. The thrill of the chase. The potential for that elusive ‘yes’.

So thank you to those editors who take the time to let us know when we’re through to the next round. And to those who let us down gently with constructive words when we don’t quite make the cut. We need thick skin in this industry, and at certain times for whatever reason, it’s not easy to remain positive. The shortlist reminds us that we’re almost there. Even if it’s a harder fall.

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News of all kinds

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I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks. The day after I wrote my last post, where the dog and I had taken a trip to the orchard and it had inspired me to write a poem, Shadow collapsed and had to be put to sleep. It has been strange here ever since. If I could describe how we were with each other, I’d say that when we were together we would constantly look to each other. When we were apart, I would constantly look forward to seeing him. He was just a constant. To not have that now is the hardest thing, because there are habits that grow with love that you don’t even know are there. Each time I face a new automatic habit and then remind myself that he isn’t there it’s heartbreaking. But, looking back at our photos and videos together, I know he was happy right to the end, and that is the most reassuring thing of all. He was a rescue dog, and taking him from the shelter five years ago was the best thing I ever did. I would encourage anyone who is considering getting a pet to please go to your local rescue shelter first and foremost. We couldn’t have had a better fit in our lives, even if we’d raised him ourselves.

In terms of writing, I have never been the type of writer who thrives in dark times. In fact, my muse tends to dry up completely. It was a huge effort to complete the poem, ‘The Tree That Ate the Children’, the week after Shaddy passed, and I managed to just meet the deadline for submission. I don’t know if it’s any good, but it was finished and submitted, and that was enough that week. I’m pleased to say I managed to write yesterday. There are a number of exciting horror submission calls for the end of July/start of August, and I really hope I can come up with some good gory tales!

One word of warning that I learned myself this week – final deadline dates don’t always stay the same. I’ve known them to be pushed to a later date before, but never cut off a few weeks early due to popularity! This has happened with Dragon’s Roost’s ‘Monsters in Space’ anthology. It was such a great brief and I am happy to hear that they have had a successful submission response. But I am definitely sad that I didn’t get a shot at taking part! Still, it has taught me a new writing lesson, which I’ll try to bear in mind in future: Submit early if you can. I always tend to plan my submissions based on final date. I really need to revise that method in future!

Finally, the truly wonderful news this week. I submitted to SNAFU’s Last Stand sub call last month, after reading the brief and falling in love with the concept. The fact that Tim Miller is providing the introduction really is the icing on the cake. To appear in the anthology that features the director of Deadpool would truly be a life-affirming moment in my writing. Not to mention the fact that my hubby rocks around in a Deadpool dressing gown in the evenings, and that we used to have a hamster called D-Piddy in honour of the merc with a mouth. Tim Miller aside, the anthology itself looks to be incredibly special, not surprising since it’s coming from Cohesion Press. On Saturday I received an email saying my story had made it to final deliberations! After such a difficult couple of weeks this news was well received to say the least. I don’t know if I’ll make the final cut, obviously, but it is a huge boost to know the dream is in touching distance. Here’s to dreams coming true, even in the worst weeks!

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Inspired by Nature

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I had a little giggle to myself this morning. I’ve got a list of upcoming submission calls that I’d like to try my hand at, one of which being the Forty-Two Books Putrescent Poems anthology. I woke up keen to get started, but struggling for ideas. I knew it had to be horror – that was the easy part. Horror is the one sure theme that always inspires me to give a submission call a crack! But what kind of horror? Demons? Ghosts? Mass-murderers or psycho hitch-hikers? There are sometimes too many possibilities, when it comes to giving something a shot!

I decided to get out into nature and see if the clean air and greenery would set my creative juices flowing. I grabbed the dog and off we went to the local orchard. It’s a beautiful pathway, surrounded by rolling fields and dotted with apple and damson trees. It just so happened that there were groups of school children receiving lessons on the different types of flora and fauna in the area. This meant that the pup had to stay on his lead, much to his dismay, but I had fun eavesdropping on the lesson as we passed:

Teacher: “So, tonight, when you’re having your tea, try taking off your shoes and socks, sticking your feet in your plate, and eating your tea with your feet!”

Children: (Giggles and squeals) One kid in particular: “Even tuna fish sandwiches?!!!”

Teacher: “Even tuna.”

Aside from the fact that a tuna sandwich might be the easiest thing in the world to eat with your feet (ah, to be a kid again), an idea popped into my head while I was looking up at the trees and waiting for the dog to finish his business. Kids + Trees = A tree that eats children. So that’s what I’m writing my poem about.

I don’t know if that’s quite what people have in mind when they say you should get inspired by nature. But it worked for me!

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June Goals

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June was a fun writing month for me. I took on an extra day of work in my day job, so I knew I had to shake up my writing habits if I was going to keep any kind of momentum. I think it was the unexpected jolt I needed, in all honestly. I’ve been feeling a bit stagnant recently, experiencing days where I had free hours stretching ahead of me – a perfect day for a writing spree. But I just didn’t have the motivation to create anything new. I would wake up with the best intentions, only to find that three YouTube Unexplained Mystery videos, lunch out, a movie, and a long hot bubble bath later, that it was time for bed and I hadn’t managed to write a word! Having the extra day away from my computer really made me value the time I did have with my imaginary worlds. I missed them, as I knew I would, because I didn’t have the option anymore.

It just so happened to fall that a number of open short story calls were coming to a close on 30th June. With my restricted free time and a looming deadline, I actually managed to get my butt in gear and create four new stories to suit the submission requests. I was inspired by the themes, and I was thrilled to see so many fantastic horror opportunities this month! Horror inspires me like no other genre, so I thoroughly enjoyed planning, creating, and writing my attempts.

That said, I’m pretty sure three out of the four don’t stand much of a chance. There is one that I’m keeping a quiet hope burning for, but we shall see. Even if none of them get selected this time around, that’s four new stories that might be suitable for other placements later in the year, on weeks where I really don’t feel like writing, so it still feels like an accomplished month.

July is going to be all about the second edit of my full-length work in progress. I’ve got a number of chapter insertions to make, a timeline to perfect, and I’m sure a few plot-holes to iron out! I had a fantastic night out with my girlfriends on Saturday, which absolutely blew the cobwebs off! I’m still recovering from it, I have to admit, but it was a lot of fun letting our hair down, sinking a few wines, and having a good old girly catch up. For me, the night out heralded the end of my June goals. I gave them a good solid crack, and I guess it remains to be seen how successful the month’s work will be in terms of publication. But no matter what the outcome, I gave it my best shot. That’s all we writers can do! And, as I said on Saturday night, “I’ll drink to that!”

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Rituals

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In my household when I accidentally say something that rhymes, my husband shouts out a stock-standard, “You’re a poet and you don’t know it,” at which point I yell, “But I do! And I have the proof!” This is because a) we are idiots, and b) I was fortunate enough to have a poem published earlier on this year. This poem was called The Fairie Rules, and it appeared in the fantastic Lycan Valley publications Beasts and Brews anthology. The Fairie Rules is a grim little poem about a person being taken into the faerie realm and being unable to get out again.

When it was published my family did their usually lovely ritual of talking about it/showing everyone who came within their vicinity, and my Nana was no exception. Her cleaner arrived one Tuesday, business as usual, but by ten o’clock she’d been ordered to put down the duster and “take a look at my Granddaughter’s latest”. Unbeknownst to my Nana, her cleaner is a practicing pagan, and she thought my poem would fit their night of chanting for the upcoming summer solstice. She asked for my permission to use it, jotted down a copy, and went on her merry way.

Fast-forward to this weekend, and I am thrilled to report that on June 21st, at a secret location somewhere in the early hours of the morning, a group of Pagans chanted my poem as part of their summer solstice ritual celebrations. I absolutely love that this has happened, and I really wish I could have seen it! Writing truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Here’s to many more unusual requests in future!

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Almost, little story. Almost…

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Years ago I wrote a short story that was completely removed from my preferred genres. It is called The Altruists, and is a dark dystopian tale about an innocent man who is imprisoned in a futuristic world where prisoners are used as automatic organ donors. I can’t remember if I wrote it for a particular submission call, it was that long ago. But it didn’t make the cut. And whenever I have tried to submit it since my efforts have been met with multiple short, stark, stock-rejection emails!

When I first started taking the plunge and submitting my writing, I was terribly embarrassed to receive a rejection. I can remember feeling a sensation of shame, and saying to myself, ‘Who do you think you are, of course it’s rubbish! Why did you even send it in the first place? Just delete it, it must be crap.’ I gave up on my stories at the first sign of a struggle. It was a reaction that was born of insecurity, and I am happy to report that over the years I have built better resilience to the process! If I hadn’t, I don’t believe I would still be writing now. Or perhaps I’d still be writing, but only for myself. A private little collection of lonely stories desperate to be shared.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a submission call for Apparition Literary Magazine, asking for stories on the theme of ‘Retribution’. I didn’t have the time to write something from scratch as the deadline was nearing, so I dug out The Altruists, tweaked a few of the clunkier sounding sentences, and sent it to them. Needless to say, I didn’t expect it to get anywhere. A few days later I received a lovely email from the team, asking if they could place my story on hold for the final publication. The rush of elation I felt was indescribable. It always feels amazing when a story is shown some interest, but for The Altruists, a story that has always been biting at the heels of its flashy horror-themed friends in my writing folder, I felt like a proud mum. Finally, here was proof that the story wasn’t completely dreadful!

Yesterday, I heard back from the editors, who explained that they only had four open slots and that The Altruists hadn’t quite made it to the final cut, but that it was one of the ten stories that were scrutinised by the editors for publication. Well, I will take that! Considering the fact that a few years ago I almost hit the delete key and erased it from the map completely, I take that as a solid victory.

I’ve talked before about how numerous factors can determine whether your story is picked. Even if it is rejected twenty times, it doesn’t mean that it is terrible. It just needs to be the right fit. There are so many boxes that a story must check in order to make the selection. Being a good story is just the tip of the iceberg! So, when stories are rejected, don’t ever think they are terrible and that you shouldn’t try again. The next place you send it to could very well become its ‘forever home’. And that really is the greatest feeling in the world.  

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Summer Submissions

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I am loving the variety of submission call themes that have been released this summer! As usual, signing up to the Author’s Publish newsletter has been invaluable, and I’ve got a few publications on my list that I’m hoping to sway!

Cohesion Press/SNAFU are looking for military or mercenary stories on the theme of The Last Stand. This publication is a huge draw for me as the introduction will be written by Tim Miller, director of Deadpool, new Terminator & Love, Death & Robots. Now, I am coming from a Marvel obsessed household. As I write, there are about twenty Pop Vinyl’s staring back at me, and I have a giant X-Men print on the wall behind my head. My husband rocks around in a Deadpool dressing gown every night, so you can imagine what a huge deal it would be to make it to final selection. Needless to say, I am working hard on this submission!

I have enjoyed writing a story for Michael A. Ventrella & Randee Dawn’s Across the Universe alternative Beatles fiction compilation. They are looking for Beatles ‘What If…’ submissions, and judging by the information they have offered up already, it should be set to be an extremely fun read. I went through a mad Beatles phase when I was a child, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that my What If tale is good enough to make the final cut. I am slightly concerned that my laptop seems to despise converting to rtf. and it alters all of the layout formatting upon sending, which may hinder my efforts. But, fingers crossed! All we can do is try, sheepishly explain, and try again…(welcome to my morning).

Another upcoming submission is for the Jolly Horror Accursed object anthology. This is right up my street, and I’m just putting the finishing touches to a nasty little tale featuring a bunch of pranksters. I am a sucker for gruesome horror, so giving this one a try has made me smile this week!

I also have a new mantra, with my upcoming WIP amendments and huge edits in mind. It’s Not Everest! We’ve got this, you guys.

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Writing and Yoga

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I am not a yoga expert by any means. For the last few years I’ve taken classes on and off. But I really fell in love with it when I began watching ‘Yoga with Adriene’ YouTube sessions at home. In my own living room I am significantly more relaxed than when I’m out in a classroom trying to keep my stomach from rumbling! It is easy to fit her sessions into my day as well, as her classes range from quick five minute stretches to full-blown hour-long routines.

For a long time it didn’t dawn on me just how beneficial these classes were in relation to my writing practice. But once I’d made the connection I can see more and more just how beneficial yoga has been to my writing day. It doesn’t always work (sometimes those writing gremlins are just too powerful to beat, am I right?!). But on the days that it does I know I owe a lot to yoga.

Take my back, for instance. After an injury a few years ago I have found it difficult to write for long periods of time due to the pressure of sitting, particularly with a chunky laptop resting on my thighs. Gradually yoga has strengthened my core, making me far more resilient to the pressures of sitting for hours on end as I add to my word count. I understand when I need to stretch it out, too, simply because I’m more aware of how my muscles feel when I begin to ‘slump’. An aching back can be extremely distracting, and easing the problem had made a significant difference to the way I write.

Adriene recently posted a great little workout for the hands that I retweeted to the writing community on Twitter because our hands are so overworked! We forget the toll that typing can have on our joints, until we wrap up a day of making notes or editing and find that our fingers are aching. Here’s the video, if you fancy giving it a try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxC4LhOrMFw By reminding me to focus on my whole body in a way I have never done before, I feel far more prepared when taking on a full day of desk-time.

Most importantly for me, the practices have done wonders for my motivation. Psychologically, it’s easy to plan a day of writing, only to discover when you get there that you really aren’t in the mood. It’s fascinating to me how taking twenty minutes to breathe and stretch can really force my mind to wake up and open itself to the possibilities of creativity. It’s like getting a virtual kick up the backside, only it feels good to receive it! If I’m feeling stressed or anxious I know already that my writing will be impacted that day. Being aware that there is a ten minute video session on YouTube that could snap me out of it and put me into a better frame of mind is a constant reassurance that those days won’t necessarily cause me to fail in my writing goals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnd5Slo02us

I recommend these classes to all my writer friends in person, so I thought I might as well do it here, as well! It really works for me, and I’m hoping it will for you, too.

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A Publication Surprise

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This week has been full of enjoyable surprises. The main surprise was the delivery of a book of poetry I had contributed to back in 2017. Not only was it an amazing feeling to finally have the book in my hands after such a long wait (a wait which, in publishing terms, was not long at all, really!). But I hadn’t cottoned on to the fact that the publication was going to be hardback.

I know that might sound a little strange, but opening the box and finding four beautiful, hefty, shiny hard backed tomes just made my day. I am proud of each of my short story anthology publications, but seeing something of mine in hardback just gave me an extra sensation of joy. A “Wow, this is something completely new!” feeling that gave me an incredible boost.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks, really. I am struggling with my job at the moment and torn about what to do next. I just had a birthday that reminded me of how the years are ticking by without that life-changing multi-novel publishing deal arriving just yet! And I suppose the news here in the UK is pretty bleak on a daily basis. Nobody is too sure how things are going to pan out come March, and financially I think we’re all a little concerned, which is adding to our daily stresses. It was a welcome bit of joy that arrived this week. I started this blog in the first week of January saying I wanted to rediscover that wonderful spark of magic I felt when I began to submit my writing way back when. And it came, thanks to Lycan Valley.

Oh, added to that, on that evening I met up with my two best friends. We went for a couple of drinks and a meal to celebrate my birthday, and they had bought me the most incredible pressies. Then we went to the cinema to see Glass, my choice (I am a total geek), but I’m thrilled to say they both loved it, too.

I think reflecting on January I’ve realised that I’m going to carry on submitting existing works and editing my WIP this month, with the idea of really overhauling it in spring. There’s something about the blue skies and sunshine of March and April that really put fire in my writing belly! Until then, I think pedalling existing stories may be the right course of action while I figure out what to do with my ‘real’ job. Sometimes real life sucks the heart and soul out of your words, and you can only give so much. I’m just starting to learn that acknowledging that is as important as your physical output and word count. As writers, we can only do so much. And we do a damn fine job, whenever we can. January was a little rocky, but February has started off bright. Let’s see what you’ve got!