Making a Start

I have six stories that I plan to write this year, plus my novel’s first draft. If you read my first post, you’ll know that I’m going to try and enter eighteen writing competitions this year, in order to stimulate my writing and add some jeopardy to the process.

So, I have begun writing two stories. The first is a literary short on the theme ‘play’ (Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Short Story Competition) and the other is more speculative based on the phrase ‘The Cheat’ (HG Wells Short Story Competition). The first needs to be submitted before 13th February and the second by 7th July. So I have plenty of time.

I’ve written the first draft of story one. I planned courtesy of Sophie Agbonkhesee and The Story Writing Academy from a free handout of hers. It goes into the character and plot without going too deep. YMMV. It only took me the one sitting and came in just a touch over two thousand words. I’m making myself do a minimum of two more drafts plus reading aloud. I hate reading my own writing and avoid it where I can but I really want to do well and produce something someone else wants to read so I need to suck it up and get uncomfortable.

I already know I need to go back and work on my POV. I’ve settled on third person limited. Which, until yesterday, didn’t realise existed. It’s what I was aiming for but didn’t know how it was a ‘thing’ so to speak…Then there’s my characters’ needs and wants to be heightened. Plus the setting needs revision as I don’t think it’s smoothly entwined. But hey ho.

As for story two, I did the planning sheet again. And I’ve made a start to a first draft of about six hundred words this morning. But I’m already questioning the plot as the speculative element is more of an afterthought right now, rather than integral. So I think I need to bash that out a scrap of paper first before carrying on.

So, the plan for the next few days: sleep on draft one of story one. Read it aloud once all through. Read it again, marking comments as I go. Go back to tweaking the MC’s needs and wants to heighten them. Do that also for character 2. And sub-characters 3 & 4. Then make sure I’m working in Third Person Limited. Then look into the setting and character descriptions which are lacking. Then sleep on it for 24 hours rinse and repeat. Before I have something I’m (sort of|) happy to read aloud. I’d like to have it submitted to the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. Edinburgh and Bath competitions by the end of January.

In amongst this, I want to get a first draft of story two completed by the end of January. With editing taking place for a week or two and submitting by 14th February for the Exeter, Bridport, Bricklane and HG Wells Competitions.

That leaves me a month to work on and submit a shorter story (1250 words max) on the theme of ‘Joy’ to the Alpine Fellowship so by mid-March.

April will involve working on my entry for the Creative Future Writers’ Award where the entry is free and the top prize is a mentoring package. Which sounds amazing and probably needed more by me than any cash prize. There is a specified theme. I’ll also submit that piece to the Yeovil Literary Prize.

May will be working on the Queen Wasafiri New Writing Prize specifically.

Most of the rest of my entries for the year can then be submitted as I’ll have a near full set of stories. There will just be the Val Woods prize in August. Then it’s just waiting to hear back for the results!

I’m going to use these stories, if I’m still happy with them (plus a bit of polish), to submit to literary magazines in 2027 if they’re unsuccessful.

In the meantime, I’m meant to be working on my novel…where I’ll have time before the end of May, I don’t know. Maybe I should just focus on the short stories for now, get them finished then do the novel…yep…I think that’s the way to go.

Do, please, tell me what you’re writing at the moment, if anything. Or what you’re reading if that’s the case.