Jody bought a leaflet home yesterday from work. He works for the library service so he often brings home all sorts, books mostly obviously but sometimes magazines and leaflets, things that we can do as a family, writing magazines that I flick through and then leave as they make me feel utterly despondent and this leaflet.
A leaflet for a short story competition. One I’d really like to enter and I’d really like to do well in it. There are prizes but more importantly, there is a prize giving dinner for the top six (I think) and I’d really like to go to that. I’d like to sit in a room and talk about writing, perhaps even tentatively suggest that I might be one too. It would be lovely to feel as if I belonged somewhere.
The problem is, and this is a fairly insurmountable one, I have never written a short story before. I can’t remember the last time I even read one. I like novels, long books that have sequels so I never have to leave the characters I like. The book I’m writing at the moment is a sequel as I can’t let my main character go. So this is going to be some challenge. But maybe a good one.
I’m thinking of submitting two, one in my usual sort of style, quite contemporary and honest, probably something about love and then one that is unlike anything ever i’ve written before. Perhaps something in the third person which I don’t usually do, maybe something autobiographical as no one I know will ever read it.
This feels like homework, which is ridiculous as no one is making me do this, no one is making me step outside of my comfort zone, but I do feel like I need to do this. After the relative failure of my book, I think I need to just try this.
However, any story ideas are welcome 🙂
Fairy Lights and Fear 