Category Archives: Musings

Last March (7 months ago) I purchased a hardcover copy of Blackout, Connie Willis’s new novel.  Please note – I rarely purchase hardcover books.  I don’t like holding them, and I usually have so much to read that I can wait for the paperback.  (Is this a terrible thing for an aspiring writer to say?)

Anyway.  Seven months ago, I saw the book at Potlach 19, an SF convention in Seattle, and I grabbed it.  I LOVE Connie Willis.  And, I loved the book.  I could not put it down.  When it ended in “TO BE CONTINUED” I thought I was going to have a heart attack.  What?!  What?!  I ran around the house yelling. 

So I have waited, patiently, 7 months.  The rest of the novel will be published tomorrow – and guess what.

I opened my Sony ebook store and there it was, electronic copy for sale today, tonight, right now, and it’s downloading as I type.

Oh happy day – I’m off to read.

Well, the Flash Fiction contest is over for me – I did not make the semi-finals.  So I’m cheering from the sidelines, and working on revising instead of writing.  Will definitely sign up for the Short Story contest (probably in January) when that starts up.  Might even try the Screenplay contest (just for fun!!) that starts this week.

So, was it worth it?  Absolutely.  The first contest I ever did was last year’s Short Story contest, and between that first push on the submit button and today, I see a huge leap in my understanding about fiction writing craft.  I taught grammar & non-fiction writing for many years.  I knew I needed a different skill set to write fiction, so took my share of fiction writing classes.  Yet re-creating myself as a fiction writer has been difficult and slow.  The experiences I’ve had with these contests gave me a much needed push and accelerated that re-creation process.

Between NYC Midnight and my new flash-fiction writing group, I’m actually proud of my work now and can look at it with some perspective.  I’m not afraid to show something written quickly with errors.  I’m learning to look for that hidden gem in drafts (mine and others!).  I’m learning to relax about finding some unique plot (not possible!), and focus on narrative arc, character development and setting.