Shortlisted

How lovely to be able to share some result-y type news with you - my story After the cat has made it down to the last 20 in this competition, though the final results aren't ready yet. But it's really good to be there, on that list (AT THE TOP! BECAUSE OF THE ALPHABET!). I'll know by the end of September if I get any further.

Interesting to see the 'note' at the bottom of the shortlist - out of the 209 entries 92 had to be disqualified for not sticking to the rules. They were pretty basic rules - Arial 12pt, keep yer name off of your entry, don't go over the word count. I think that was it. It was free-to-enter, so maybe a few un-seasoned writers entered, not clear on how easy it is to have your entry cast out.

But there were 117 qualifying stories so I'm feeling good about being on the shortlist. And this story is a bit of a shortlist queen. And, ironically (though it might not actually be ironic because ever since someone realised Alanis got it wrong I never feel confident about calling things 'ironic') the story made it onto a shortlist at Writers' Forum last year, and it wasn't until months later that I noticed that I, yes me - oh seasoned writer - had disobyed the rules because the story was UNDER the minimum word count they ask for. So I was lucky to get shortlisted, really.

Another interesting thing (tolerant smile, thank you) is that every so often, someone finds my blog by Googling 'Teresa Stenson After the cat' and they have an ISP address at the BBC London. I've never sent it to the Beeb, but I like to imagine there is a top talent writing executive (they exist) desperately seeking news about me and that story. So, friend at the Beeb - hello - and yes, okay, you can make it into a mini series starring Jason Isaacs or Paddy Considine or Keifer Sutherland, whichever one is available, even though the only male part is in his twenties. Sigh.

  

It's been a while, and in that while -

In no particular order, some of the things that have been happening:

- I submitted my mini-book idea about working in customer service to indie publishers MIEL Books and got a rejection 10 days later. Oh well, better than waiting months and months

- I have said the phrase 'I live in an attic' far too many times to complete strangers

- I've been working on a story that's been festering away in me for years, and when it's finished I'm sending it to the Costa Prize (closes Aug 2nd)

- I've been working various shift patterns at my bar job and trying to get some kind of routine for writing around that, with a little bit of success but also a fair bit of tiredness

- I started watching season 7 of Dexter and season 3 of The Walking Dead and both are brilliant

- I read 'Room' by Emma Donoghue and got what all the fuss is about, loved it

- I used the word 'season' twice when I should have said 'series'

- My wardrobe/closet rail collapsed and it sent me funny

- I've been enjoying my friend Anna's new blog - it's honest and funny, like she is

- I sent a short piece of memoir writing to the Lightship Awards, it's probably the most personal thing I've ever submitted

- I've watched loads of Italian horror films from the 70s

- I dreamt that Jack Bauer was coming round for tea

- I also dreamt that I had a race with Steve Coogan, and I won


So you can see I've just been busy busy busy, especially in my sleep.

A small collection of things overheard and observed

Part of my day job recently has involved sitting alone behind a table of flyers in front of a building that's being refurbished. As well as the building being a really popular place to visit, to the left and right of me are two very popular bars, and there is a church just ahead. This has made for some interesting overhearings.

Two young guys, on their way into a bar:
"... the thing about her is she's incredibly disrespectful and also really hard to penetrate..."
(please be talking about her mind)


A man approaches me. He asks "Which way is wist?"
Me: "I'm not sure, is it is a bar or a -"
Him: "No, wist, which way is it?"
(I'm baffled. He's holding a camera and squinting.)
Him: "There's a sign over there says the wist church windows are impressive."
Me: "Ah! West. Okay. Er, I don't know, where's the sun...?"
I look up and consider where the sun sets and how you should never eat shredded wheat but he's walked away.


Man in a cagoule asks, "Are you having a bit of a refurby?"
He chats for a while about films, mostly Wolverine. When another customer approaches he says: "They're closed! They open in 2 weeks!" Which is handy, though a little shouty.


A couple stop a metre away from me and start snogging. When they break away, she asks:
"Do you have any mints?"

----------


I have more but will leave it there for now. I must add there have also been some really lovely visitors to the leaflet table, people interested in what's going on in the building behind me and what kind of a day I have been having, and if I should be sitting that close to the all the building dust, and if I have some earplugs for when it gets really loud (I did).

How do you decide what to read next, when you don't know what to read next?

I'm just wondering, in the interest of nothing much apart from curiosity, when you get that feeling - that need - for a good book - how do you choose what you'll read next?

You might have a list, mental or otherwise, of books you're interested in. But those times when you don't, when you just want something good to read, how do decide what to buy or borrow next?

I'll tell you what I do, then you tell me what you do in the comments. Or on Twitter if you're not the commenting-on-blogs kinda gal or guy.

So, if I don't have my 'things I'd like to read' list, or it's empty, or whatever, I text a friend. I have one great friend who reads more than anyone else I know. She read English at Goldsmith's, she's one of those folks who seems to have 'read EVERYTHING!', we talk about books over wine when we meet, we text each other if we're enjoying a book, we give each other books we don't want to keep but have really liked (neither of us is precious about hanging onto books), she loves thrillers, horror, classics, 'literature'. She keeps up with what's going on in the publishing world. She reads reads reads. All kinds of books, she's no snob.

Because I see her often I usually have a few titles we might have talked about, but if not, I text her. 'What have you read lately that's good?' She tells me.

So, those occasions when I'm seeking a recommendation, that's where I go.

What about you?

Do you go with instincts, perusing the shelves (I like that too), big award lists, word of mouth, other?

Little updates

So today I got an email from The Northern Writers' Award people to say I aint getting an award. (I blogged about the application process back in January.)

So that's a shame. It would have been a great thing to be involved with and a great organisation to be supported by. The good thing is I've been working on the project I proposed to them (a novel based on my Guardian published story) since January, and it's not something I'll abandon just because I didn't get the funding. The funding was for time away from day job type work to concentrate on writing for a bit, and though that would be brilliant and exciting in many ways, it just means I'll be going on as I have - and that's fine.

- - - - - -

Lots of hits to this blog the past few weeks have come via people Googling Bridport related stuff - so good luck anyone reading who is entering. Today's the closing date so I'm sure you've all got your stories polished and sent by now. Yes?

- - - - - -

I did something totally different - well, I wrote something totally different - and sent an entry to this competition to write a story for children age 2-5 years. I really enjoyed writing it. The shortlist will be online by July 1st then it's a public vote to determine the winner.

- - - - - -

That's pretty much it, writing-wise. My work at the university dries up over the summer so my other job, the customer service-y one, gets most of my attention. So I might just have to expand my Tips For Customer Service Workers style postings. That last one went down really well - I got tweets from folks I don't know who work in cafes, bars, coffee shops etc - pretty much saying 'We hear ya!' which was nice.

Plans for the next few months - don't plan much. Just write what I feel drawn to, and be present in each task. I am well into being present at the moment. Or trying to be. And yet not trying... Tis the key.

He or she is just not that into you: the disengaged customer - rude on purpose or by accident?

In one of my day jobs, I work in customer service. Sometimes I write about it. 

From The Customer Service Worker’s Handbook

Tips for customer service workers Part 23

Scenario

You’re half way through a shift, you’re in full flow, firing on all cylinders. Full of good energy, you greet your customer with a cheery ‘Hello, what can I get you?’ They do not respond with anywhere near the same goodness of heart that you gave them. In fact, they don’t even look at you. It’s as if their eyes are happy to land on everything else around you, just not you. The bar, the drinks, the menu, the ceiling. You give them the benefit of the doubt, believing they are just orienting themselves. Perhaps they haven’t been in this bar before. Perhaps they don’t know the etiquette of returning greetings.

They state their order out loud, it is something like: ‘Cappucino’ and they project this word upwards and over your head. Still they will not look at you. You need to know which size they’d like, though for some reason you feel like you don’t want to bother them. Luckily, you recognise this as madness and disregard it.

‘Small or large?’ you ask.

‘Medium’, they answer.

‘We don’t do medium, it’s small or large,’ you say.

They wave their hand, much like The Queen might, but one from the olden days who is dismissing your existence.

Then they say they’ll have a ‘normal’ one.

How can you best deal with this customer?

Replying, ‘But what is “normal”?’ : Should you or shouldn’t you?

Embarking on a debate like this is risky. Whether or not you go down this route will depend on how much energy you have left and also how cheeky you’re feeling.

If you do decide to follow this up, you might try one of the suggestions here to start a debate:

But what is ‘normal’?

Does ‘normality’ even exist?

Who decides what ‘normal’ is? (In this case it’s whoever ordered the cups but try to think big)

If your energy and cheekiness levels are high, by all means enter into that potential debate about societal norms, but do be prepared to be looked at blankly. See this as a success – your customer is looking at you!

So you’ve made the cappuccino

And you’ve put it on the counter, in front of the customer, but they didn’t say anything. It’s natural to feel a little deflated here, especially if you took some effort with the presentation. But do remember that you are a professional cappuccino maker and you take pride in your work regardless of your personal feelings about a customer not treating you as a human being. Feel strong.

You tell them the price of the price of the drink, most likely like this: ‘That’s [current price of a cappuccino], please,’ in a sing-songy voice because despite everything, you still feel manners are important. The sing-song is also tinged with intense irritation but no one can prove it so it’s okay.

Something harmonious happens next. It actually occurs in most customer/server transactions. It is part of the customer/server dance. You were never trained in this particular manoeuvre, it just ‘happens’. The customer sources their money, and you – you hold out your hand. 

To summarise - Them: money taken out of pocket/purse/wallet; You: hand held out. Writing the cold hard facts down in this way makes it sound like a cold, callous moment. It is not. It is a smooth and easy moment of connection.

However. The customer does not accept your offer of hand. They do not want this, this direct transferal of money from one human to another. They disregard your hand. 

They put their coins on the counter.

What do you do next?

There is only one thing you can do in this situation. And, despite the fact that you are a good person, you will do it because it has been done to you. And you will do it because there is logic in it. If the customer put the payment on the counter, they surely, surely, must want their change on the counter too. You are tending to their individual preference. This is a good quality.

And so, without great pleasure, for you are not petty – you put their money into the till and you take out their change, and – here again comes the dance of synchronicity – they know it too – they hold out their hand, and you – you place those coins on the counter.

And there is harmony again.

 

Since my last post I...

- had a birthday! I am 32. Feelin fine about this.

- didn't get longlisted for the Bath Short Story Award, but this gal did (down to the final 46 from 1127 entries - what an achievement - well done to all writers on that there list)

- have probably not been placed in the Mslexia Short Story Prize either - though their official line is 'all winners and shortlisters will be informed by the end of May'. But, seeing as the magazine is out a few days after that, I'm sure they will have informed those winners by now, to check they haven't been published elsewhere etc and to to get the issue ready for press. With this in mind... and it's not just Mslexia who do this - but I really really wish places would be more transparent about this kind of thing - to be really up front about when they've told winners. Bath have been amazing in the way they've communicated this and the respect they've shown writers.

- am experimenting with re-writing my novel-in-progress in first person instead of third. I've dabbled with this idea before but am now embracing it. Just to see where it goes. I think I held back from doing it before now for the wrong reasons. First person feels right for this story. At the moment.

- noticed how much I let my thoughts go mental when I'm writing. This happens in various unhelpful ways, for example if I have an idea I will, in the following 0-8 seconds, play out the entire life-span of the idea, seeing it grow into a story or even a book and (if it survives that far - usually I've decided around the 3 second mark that there's NO WAY I can or should write this stupid idea) then imagining all the negative reviews it'd get (if it gets that far - usually I've decided around the 6 second mark all agents and publishers will reject it) and then imagining how it'll be the end of my career and no one will respect me or think I'm any good ever so what's the stupid point doing this stupid writing thing anyway.

YES. All in 8 seconds.

But I noticed it and I'm doing less of it.


Do you have any mental thoughts you'd like to share?
(Please don't comment something like "Aren't all thoughts mental? roflol" or I won't be responsible for my actions.)

This post doesn't have a title because I don't know what it is about just now. I just wanted to write a post but didn't feel a particular sway towards a topic or a thing to tell you about so I'm just going to write and see what happens.

THIS IS FUN, RIGHT?!

So I'll start by telling you I've made a lot of story submissions these past 2 weeks. I was what you might call 'on fire' submissions-wise for a good few days and just kept sending stuff out. A few things I already know the fate of - I didn't win The Lascaux Flash thingy or The Writers' and Artists' one. But that's okay, isn't it, like always.

I'm awaiting news of stories at The BBC, Mslexia, Bath, The South American Short Story Prize and Short Fiction Journal and still the decision-making hasn't happened yet for the funding I applied for to write my novel (should know by June, so still a wee while yet).

The Great Submission Event of 2013 happened cos I had a good look at my 'completed_unpublished' folder and saw that it was empty because I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up to date with my file keeping and saving things in the right place. I had several 'completed_unpublished' stories still hanging out in the 'ideas_works in progress' folder and a few which were just knocking about willy-nilly in the very general 'my documents'. Oof. I had to have a good clear out. And so I did - and reader, (I watched Jane Eyre this week) it took days.

BUT. I came out the other end and now have what can only be described as a fairly tidy couple of folders. I realised I am REALLY TERRIBLE when it comes to editing a story and just saving it as another version of the story, sometimes in a different place to the original. I deleted all previous versions of stuff and I also deleted some VERY OLD (like, 7 years old) stories which were...yeah, terrible.

One such story, Hooked, (not a sequel or prequel or equal to the film Hook) I started 7 years ago and is about a woman who is being haunted (yes) by picture hooks on her walls (yes).

I am saying no more about it but I am going to ask you: look in your document folders. If, like me, you have saved stuff from years ago (or even days ago - I don't think bad ideas stop really, but the years-ago ones are easier to spot as 'bad') see if you have a story idea you started, maybe finished, but that seems so far away from you and what you'd write now that it's alien.

Have a look - and if you feel like it - share in the comments.

Oh, well look at that - I started with no particular place to go and have ended with a rallying call for your best bad ideas. Share!

little hello

Ah so it's been too long since last I posted.

I have been...
- dusting down those Scott Prize stories and sending them elsewhere (Mslexia, BBC, White Review)
- being in the Yorkshire Dales with my writing group
- starting a new job - well, same place of work, different responsibility
- watching Bob Servant, Independent
- enjoying the unfolding of my boyfriend's writing/wordlings/paintings/imaginings blog - it is here

And I entered a very short story into The Lascaux Flash competition - you can read and comment on it here - results haven't been resulted yet.

I will come back soon with more words.

I hope you are well and warm if you like being warm.

Not SALT

SALT announced their shortlist for the Scott Prize this week and my collection didn't make it.

Before the announcement I had conflicting feelings about it (and this isn't like a 'I didn't want to win it anyway' kind of sulk), more about the collection itself - which I knew, deep down, had a couple of stories in that I wouldn't have included if I'd had free reign with the word count. If it didn't have to be be 30,000 words, I would have cut one or two or three stories. And the idea of having a body of work published in which there were some weak links wasn't a good one. I've maybe moved on or outgrown some of the material already, and I can see that more objectively a few months on from finishing the process of putting it together.

I'm still, of course, happy that I did it, it generated some new stories and it proved I can get a lot more done than I think I can most of the time. I'm seeing it as a warm-up.

And, the thing now, the good thing now, is that many of the unpublished stories from the anthology, some of which are complete and ready, some which need some editing, have been unlocked. This is a really great feeling and it resulted in a good day of writing yesterday. Almost an ideal one - you know if at the start of a writing day you had to say what you'd ideally get done that day? It was pretty close for me. I edited 4 stories, subbed 1, and started something new. And left the house several times and cooked a great dinner. (Sort of like Burritos with loads of fresh onion, tomatoes and parsley.)

So -- all is good. I had found myself waiting around a little these past few weeks, knowing I had deadlines I wanted to make in March and not knowing if I could use any of the material in the anthology yet.

I will probably enter the Scott Prize again this year. It will be a different process, a longer-haul one, one in which I feel for each story in there, I'll be more ambitious in my scope, and will have to feel a proper connection to everything I include.

Seriously well done to all the shortlisters - what a great place to be. I'm looking forward to reading the winning collection, and hope the runners-up find publication too.