Review of July 2008

July went ok writing wise. My word count for the month is my second highest for the year so far, beaten only by April. My non fiction piece on Things I have learned from rejection was accepted for publication in the August edition of Tiny Lights: Searchlights and signal flares. I submitted seven stories for publication. The Invisible Ink Anthology was due for publication this month but due to delays with the printers it is still pending. Talking of delays - I finished my chapbook for International Day of Books and set it up with Valinora Troy's entry on lulu.com. I just have to check through the final proofs before they can be set for sale. I know the book launch was supposed to be the 27th July, but delays happen. It seems a common theme this month as two competitions I am waiting to hear the results of have set their response times back to later in the year. I also launched my website this month.

Review of June 2008

June was a bust. A wash out. A bump, a blip, a zilch, a zero, a stumble, a misstep, a disappointment. I submitted one story to a competition and one to a publication. My word count was the lowest of the year with an average count per day of less than 1000 words. I think I must have forgotten how to read, because I didn't finish any books. My blog was sorely neglected (among other things). About the only good thing I did this month was complete the mini marathon. I hope July won't be a similar waste of opportunities.

Review of May 2008

It is hard for me to write up my stats for May because most of them were on my laptop and it has taken its secrets with it to the grave. However, I have been able to salvage the following facts:-

While May was not a bumper month for my word count (I can remember that, but not how many words I wrote) it certainly was for my submissions. I entered 5 competitions (although, to be more correct, I entered 5 stories in 3 competitions) and submitted 7 stories to 7 different publications. I have yet to hear back on any of those fronts.

I did have good news with another acceptance in May. My story, 'All in the Family' will appear in the second Invisible Ink Anthology. Buy it, enjoy the stories and vote for mine (or vote for it anyway) on the Invisible Ink website. The stories are published anonymously, so remember the name of my story - 'All in the Family'.

My first published (although not first accepted) work should have appeared in the May issue of Apollo's Lyre (and it probably still will) except the May issue of Apollo's Lyre isn't published yet. Keep an eye on the website for June.

I finished two books in May, which is better than April but is terrible and I don't know why I am reading so little. It is something I must continue to address.

On a non writing note, May has been a month of many firsts. My first time in London (but hopefully not my last), my first time on the London Eye and cruising on the Thames. My first time in Madeira and in a swimming pool (well, the first time in 23 years). My first time in Venice (also, hopefully not the last), my first time on a Gondola and my first time doing Aqua Aerobics. A lot of travel and a lot of firsts.

Review of April 2008

April has been a month of both very sad events - Woozer's death on the ninth - and very happy events - acceptance of three stories for publication.

April has felt like a very long month for me, perhaps because I was very busy and there wasn't Easter to break it up. Writing wise I got a lot done. I wrote nearly 21,000 words, which is more than any other month so far this year. I submitted stories to three markets and entered two competitions. Perhaps the best news of all was the fact that two of those stories were accepted for publication and I had a further acceptance for a story submitted in January. I also started rating and writing at Helium once more and submitted five more stories to the site.

On a less successful note, I failed to think up something new to try in the month of April.I also only read one book, which is the least I have read in a month in over a year. I will have to work on both those things for May.

Review of March 2008

March started well for me with news that I had won the Dundalk branch of Curves 30 day challenge. Apart from a not too dodgy prize of a €55 token for Boots chemist, I lost 10lbs and 18 inches, which is the real prize. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse after that high point and I suffered about three weeks of ill health which meant little to no writing, cancelled teaching days (hence loss of money) and exercising falling off the radar. I got two weeks holiday at Easter but was still picking myself up so I didn't get all the writing done that I had planned. My goal for March was to read 9 books. I completed five, which is up from last month but only half as many as January. Word wise, I wrote fractionally more than February with 11,400 compared to last month's 11,100. My aim was to enter 2 short story competitions this month and I exceeded it by two. I entered short stories into the Fish One Page Prize 2008, Tom Howard/John H Reid Short Story Contest, Aeon Award 2008 and the Invisible Ink Story Competition. I had also planned to enter a story to the Permuted Press Giant Creatures Anthology but failed to finish my story 'The Shark that ate Dublin' in time. Likewise, my entry to the Bristol Prize Short Story Competition 2008 was a non runner as I missed the post (imagine running a competition in this day and age without online entry as an option?). I had plans to submit my flash fiction 'Does Love Dogs' to AlienSkin but failed to edit it in time to submit it before March ended. There is always next month. Exercise was practically non existent this month, with no attendances to curves and only a few salsa slims and days where I played wii (highest fitness age 41, lowest 24). I did complete my achievement goal for the month in trying new things, which was climbing the Greater Sugar Loaf in Wicklow. I just scraped in at the last minute but I managed to get there in the end and it was a challenging but rewarding day. With my four submissions this month I have beaten my January curse - which is, I submit in January and then don't submit anything else all year until the January of the following year. I hope this trend keeps up. I promised to keep you updated on my stories from past months, so this is how my January entries are doing. My entry to Glimmer Train's Family Matters Competition, 'The Shadow Room' failed to be short listed and I am guessing that 'The Memory of Fat', my entry to the Maria Edgeworth Competition didn't get to the finish line either as the festival took place on Saturday and I was not invited to attend. I am still waiting to hear back on how my brave little stories are doing.

My hopes for April? To keep up submitting to competitions and publications. To increase my word count. To read more books. To think up and complete another new achievement. To have a successful Belly Dance workshop on the 19th and to have fun in Donegal with my sis's and dogs at the end of the month.

Review of Week 24th - 29th March

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO Hoofpot and

Valpot



HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO



Woozer, who reached the grand old age of 15! Way to go Woozer, I thought you wouldn't make it but you proved me wrong. You can't knock the rockie spirit.

and

Mal... er, I mean Nathan Fillion. Hope you had a good one Nathan.

WRITING

Writing was ok this week. I wrote about 3000 words, 3 short stories and submitted to one competitions.

GOALS

Tomorrow I am climbing the Sugar Loaf (a big hill in Dublin) with Valpot and Pinky. It is my goal for March (remember the fun new things I was going to do every month? January it was Badminton and February it was Bowling?) so I hope the weather stays fine and we have a good time.

Review of February 2008

3 Books Read
11 thousand words written
One Short Story Competition entered

Not a great second month to follow up January, but my writing was severely disrupted this month by teaching.

Here is to March being a more creatively balanced month (plus it is holiday month, so loads more time for writing).

Review of January 2008

The first month of the New Year slowly drags to a close and I look back over the last 30 days or so and see what they have brought me. Ok, so far my initial impressions of the year are good. As I posted earlier in the month, my aim was to submit short stories to two competitions - namely The 22nd Annual American Kennel Club Fiction Writing Contest and The Maria Edgeworth Short Story Competition. Not only did I send off two humdingers to these guys, but I threw in a third for good luck and submitted to the Glimmertrain Family Matters Competition. Keep a look out for the results on how I did in these contests later in the year.

On the non competition front, I also submitted two other stories. One, which I wrote last year, I submitted to old favourite Alienskin e-magazine, while the other went to new terroitry in Fantasy e-magazine. I hope to hear how they fare sometime in February/March.

I didn't quite make 4 hours of writing everyday, or the vaulted word count that I had hoped to reach, but I did write in excess of 14,000 words, which isn't bad.

I also started posting on Helium this month, even though I found the sight months ago, joined up and did nothing about it. I haven't earned any stars yet, but my four articles have got me the grand total of 11 cent, which I consider my first money from fiction!

In terms of reading, I had a goal for reading 9 books this month, which I exceeded by 2.

In non writing related information, I went back to teaching speech and drama this month, which so far has proven to be a success.

My plan to do something new each month started the year with Badminton, and I just managed to squeeze in a game with Hoofpot last night. As it was my first time playing, my focus was on hitting the shuttlecock, but I didn't disgrace myself and had loads of fun. Thanks Hoofpot for the great game and for going so easy on me.

Exercise wise the month has been good for me too, with lots of visits to curves, loads of walks on the beach with Janna and I started Salsa Slims class this week, which is fun, you learn salsa and you trim up all at the same time!

I notice some comments on the blog showing interest in reading the short stories I wrote in January. Because they are all out at different publications and contests, I naturally can't publish them on line, however perhaps a hardcopy viewing could be arranged for those who know where I live.

I hope all my readers had a fantastic January and are looking forward to what the next month holds.