Something new and a list of 'to dos' (worse blog title ever?)

You'll see I've ventured towards the 'add image' button with this blog. I'm still learning.


This dog-eared A5 booklet is my 'Writing Year 2009' diary. I don't seem to manage too well with actual-bought-from-the-shop diaries, so I started making my own in 2007, with a page for each month to record short story deadlines, and a section at the back for 'submissions' made.












Here's the 'Submissions' page
from first few months of 2007:












And, not quite as many, but towards the end of 2008 I was doing okay...




















Now, the whole of 2009 (well, so far) and my submissions page looks like this:


There are a few reasons I haven't been as active with submitting work, the main one is that I don't have as much new work to submit. I mentionned my alter-ego in Blog 1. When I'm writing in that character, she can take over a bit. She's been quite prolific in the gaps, and has been published in one or two places herself.

I'm not being deliberately evasive about the alter-ego stuff, I'm not trying to conjure up a mood of expectancy, I'm still working out whether I should tie us in together - me and her, that is - I believe she's very obviously not real when you read her, but I'm not sure whether she's better standing on her own, without being tied to me.


The thing I started this blog about though, the reason part of its title is 'Something new' is because aside from the more obvious target of the Bridport Prize, I sent a story here just now: darktales and it's not at all my usual target.

But I have a few stories I've written around a theme for a specific publication/competition which were not placed, and the story I just subbed to Dark Tales is one of them.

I wrote 'Tipping Her Hips' a few years ago as an alternative/updated 'Snow White' story for Mslexia. It isn't my usual style, and it felt like a challenge to write. I researched fairy tales and the Snow White story. I read 'Snow, Glass, Apples' by Neil Gaiman and wished I could write something nearly as good.

I've been rejected by Mslexia many times and see being published in there as a big writing goal. It's an excellent magazine.

'Tipping Her Hips' wasn't right for Mslexia, but it might have a place somewhere else. Whether or not Dark Tales is that place, I'm pleased to have sent it somewhere - it's a good feeling having work out there, being considered.


Are the places you sub to wide and varying?

Do you try to always have things out there, being judged?