How Red Runs

I am somewhat late in sharing my most recent publication news: How Red Runs in Enchanted Conversation. I really am terrible at self-promotion! Thank you Kate for publishing it, and to the readers for the lovely comments; it's not often I get to see what people think of my work, it's exciting and also quite scary knowing I can find out what people think about my stories!

I remember incredibly clearly how How Red Runs came to be: I was on a much needed long walk through the woods with a great friend of mine and her beautiful labrador, Luna. Our walks there are like soul-therapy for me. I feel healed when I'm surrounded by nature.

I love watching Luna charging through the trees, like a pro slalom athlete, never missing a beat. It's something I'd love to be able to do, but I don't think human agility is really up to it at the speeds she travels! Being short sighted, I think I would be at an added disadvantage. The conversations my friend and I have on walks can take us anywhere, and today, before we parted ways, the conversation somehow turned to the subject of feral children.

I came home and tried to imagine myself back in the woods, this time not as an adult on a rejuvenating walk, but as a child: lost, alone, and looking for family. I imagined Luna running with her perfect dog-agility, and imagined trying to follow, unable to keep pace, stumbling, hurting...

'Romulus and Remus' by NauticalNymph on dA

In my writing, I tend to draw inspiration from fairy tales rather than re-work the stories themselves, but I have enjoyed this, and think it is something I will do more of~

Write for Rights

Today is Human Rights Day, and just 4 days after losing one of the greatest human rights activists of our time (and a hero within my family) I cannot sit back and let the day pass without taking action. The loss of Nelson Mandela has made me think about how I could do much, much more to bring about positive change in the world. 

It seems like such a long time ago that Mandela was sent to prison for championing human rights, yet today there are still so many people who are imprisoned, abducted or killed for taking the brave step to speak out against injustice. But it has never been easier to stand in solidarity with these courageous people.

My fellow writers, today I implore you to put your talents to a noble cause and join me as I write for rights; it could be an individually penned letter of hope, or an online petition you sign. However big or small the action, please, act.

Find out about Amnesty International's Write for Rights campaign and this year's Appeals for Action.

Thank you.

Losing the (NaNo) battle

Well, NaNoWriMo is over, and my not-so-valiant effort ended a couple of weeks ago in apparent failure. I concede that I lost the NaNo battle, but I do think it has given me the weaponry to win a novel writing war.

I won NaNo two years ago; I wrote a story that I knew, from the end of week 1, would not be any good. But I wrote 50,000 words none the less, and I felt a sense of achievement for about a day before realising that I had written an awful, awful story that I couldn't salvage. And I had known it for a long time. Still, I spent a year working on ways to re-write it as a novel, then exploring possibilities of pulling some short stories out the woodwork.

Nope. Wasn't happening. And I'd known it all along.

So this year I thought I'd give it another go. I had a story idea, an outline, character profiles, location descriptions all ready and waiting to be drawn upon. But by week 2 I realised that I wasn't writing a good story - I was writing a good sub-plot. But I learnt my lesson two years ago: this time I stopped, regrouped, and began thinking about how I could create a better story in the future.

I'm lucky enough to have an OH that understands the need to be alone too - but still supply coffee, which is an added bonus...

It's not been a waste: NaNo has inspired me, and reminded me that I have the ability to write a novel (and that I really don't have any excuses for not trying!) So even if I have technically lost, I like to think I'm still a winner in my own way!

Have you ever taken the NaNoWriMo challenge? Did you 'win' this year? I'm sure amongst you there are some enchanting fairy tale stories in the making ;)

The Grey Queen's Gown

I'm sure most of you have seen/read the new issue of Unsettling Wonder, and I'm very excited that my short story, The Grey Queen's Gown, is featured in this issue. 

The theme for the issue is 'fairy brides', and I find it interesting that both pieces of original fiction are about selkies - are these beautiful creatures of folklore in the midst of a popularity surge that I've somehow missed? I hope so! I'm still waiting to receive my copy but I can't wait to read the other stories and articles, the contents page has me hooked already.

Happy reading, and please feel free to comment with any constructive criticism; feedback is always welcome :)

Mirror Dance is up!

The Winter 2012 issue of Mirror Dance has gone up, and I'm thrilled that my short story, Goodnight, Sweet Lady, has been included in this issue! It's also fantastic to be published alongside L.C. Ricardo of Spinning Straw Into Gold, whose writing on and dedication to fairy tales I greatly admire. Make sure to have a look at all the wonderful work published, and if you like what you read then please leave a comment, however brief, as I know it will be appreciated by the authors.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, and enjoy the snow if you're lucky enough to be in the right part of the country for it!

Upcoming publication: Old Oak & The Maiden

Wow, two acceptances this month! I'm thrilled that Old Oak & The Maiden has been accepted for publication in Scheherezade's Bequest! This really is so exciting for me: when I began writing and attempting to get my stories published two years ago, one of the first submissions I made was to SB. It was, unsurprisingly, rejected. And now, to have a story accepted by them...it's something I can clearly measure my success against, you know?

I'm always disappointed that as someone who wants to use words to make a living, I never find the right ones to express myself properly when I'm overexcited!

Anyway...it will be published (in print!) in Spring 2013.

I posted an excerpt on a previous blog post, which you can read here if you're interested...

When real life has a well balanced plot

Everyone always says books and films are nothing like real life, because for one reason or another, they're not believable. Somehow my life has been the opposite: several situations I've experienced have been so unique, so random, so hilarious or so well-ordered that it just wouldn't seem credible, even in a book or a film! 

Today I had one of those moments. I went into university for the last time (in theory) to finalise details regarding my transfer, and the girl who helped me out was very familiar...she helped me with everything I needed, then said goodbye and wished me luck with the Open University. As I began cycling home, it dawned on me why I recognised her...

When I first came to visit the university 3 years ago, she was the student giving my group the tour.

When I joined the university last year, she registered me.

When I went to visit my academic advisor, she was in the queue to see him as well.

And now, I guess she graduated and stayed to work there.

She was the person to welcome me, and the person to say goodbye to me.

How strange, that the story of my time with Sussex has been balanced like a good plot by the presence of one person. If I ever doubt that I'm doing good in the world, making a difference or simply making the most of my time, it'll be worth remembering that making a mark can be a very subtle thing, something we might not even be aware of ourselves...

Upcoming publication: Goodnight, sweet lady

Remember the story I wrote that messed with my head, because I couldn't stop thinking in blank verse? Well I just found out that Goodnight, sweet lady has been accepted for publication in the upcoming issue of Mirror Dance, which is showcasing blends of poetry and prose! I'm so excited! 

And it couldn't have come at a better time - the motivational kick this kind of news provides is exactly what I need as I get to grips with all these changes in my life. I'm always amazed at how little set backs can knock you down gradually, almost without noticing, and then one piece of good news can shoot you straight back up. I wasn't even aware of how doubtful I was feeling about my writing, but now that I think about it, I was beginning to feel afraid precisely because I was committing to spend more time on it...and I was afraid of failing. 

I'm going to write as much as I can while I'm riding this wave - a surprise bout of confidence isn't something to waste!

'Nixie' by littletreesprout @ dA
(the picture is a clue to the other characters in the story...!)

Old Oak & The Maiden

After my last post, it seems an appropriate time to say that I have written a 'new' fairy tale! The driving force behind it was the question, 'what would happen if someone in need refused to accept magical help?' After discovering a piece of artwork that so brilliantly illustrated my story (which I blogged about here) I decided that I had no excuse for not finishing it!


I have no doubt that people will be able to see some of the stories that have inspired me, including older versions of Cinderella, the legends of King Arthur, The Tinder-Box...the list could go on. It's a mish-mash of traditions, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that, right?


Old Oak & The Maiden is currently being considered for submission, but I believe I can post an extract without it causing any harm:

     At the very heart of the forest, where no stars could be seen through the treetops, where no animals dwelled and where silence was as thick as honey, she stopped. She had arrived before an ancient oak tree, and mustering the final dregs of her energy she curtseyed in front of the thick, gnarled bark, before collapsing onto the floor and relinquishing into sobs. She had shed the last of her grace.
     Time expanded and contracted, and moved in the mysterious patterns called forth by solitude. She didn't know how long she stayed curled up amongst the dead leaves and her dirty dress, but enough time had elapsed for her to fall quiet once more. 
     The tree spoke to her at last.
     'Fair maiden, you did not come all this way to simply cry at my roots. Tell me your troubles.'

Inspiration from nature: Friston Forest, October 2011 

Oh dear, I can't stop writing in blank verse

Fantastique Unfettered is still open to submissions for its Shakespeare Unfettered issue. I wanted to submit a story I wrote, but its far too short (I have unintentionally written my first ever piece of flash fiction.)

by Schnellart @ dA

I've written a piece about Ophelia, under water. I read and re-read the scene where Gertrude tells Laertes how his sister died, and tried to use similar images, and even mention plants that Gertrude talks about. Then, when I'd written a first draft, I thought about making it a real challenge to myself...so I re-wrote it in blank verse.


Good grief, I had no idea how much it would mess with my head! I don't know how Shakespeare could have held a normal conversation after a long stint writing - my brain was translating everything, and all I could hear was the iambic pentameter rhythm pounding in my head. I've experienced this before after reading Shakespeare, but I had no idea writing in blank verse would do the same thing; I thought my head would be pleased to be shot of it! Isn't it described as the rhythm most suited to the English language? Something like that - maybe that's why my brain couldn't let go. 


I would even recommend it - it was a fun sort of challenge, after all, how often can we say we've tried to write like Shakespeare? And if anyone submits a piece I would love to hear about it, or about anything Shakespeare-related that inspires/amuses/means something to you...

Genre boundaries

I came across a new genre definition the other day - 'hysterical realism'. I was doing a bit of research into The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, and I was surprised to find this genre pop up when I had been expecting to see 'magical realism' mentioned. I had read the novel thinking about how it related to the magical realism genre, and I started to wonder, 'have I read it wrong? Should I read it again and re-evaluate?' (and then, of course, 'but I won't have time before we look at it at uni next week!')


We've been looking at genre more broadly in relation to horror films as well, and one of the questions that has arisen is whether or not genre is of any use as a tool for analysis. Boundaries are constantly being blurred; for example, horror films incorporate the gothic, thriller, murder mystery, some romance...I've even heard the word 'goreno' mentioned....


We have 'genre fiction', which isn't considered especially literary. But then works considered highly literary contain elements of genre fiction. I would argue that a great literary work like Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children is a work of magical realism, which I believe contains elements of fantasy. And the list could go on, along with the arguments.


I used to tell myself, 'I want to write a novel in X genre because it is better, and I won't touch X genre with a ten foot barge pole.' But classification is messy, and boundaries become blurred, and some of the best works aren't afraid to mix it up a bit.
We all interpret stories differently. Actually, we all interpret all sorts of things differently, so the idea of a one-size-fits-all classification system seems frankly laughable. Sure, it may help when used as guidance rather than rule, but I think if you have a story that you want to tell, just tell it without worrying about sticking to particular genre conventions. Sticking to convention means you're not offering anything new, and your story will have been heard a thousand times before. Conversely, if you end up with a story that has been heard a thousand times before, maybe then look at different genres to add a bit of spice and sparkle...


My attitude towards genre as a writer is different to when I'm considering it from the reader perspective, and I imagine that could be true more broadly. But I stand by the belief that anything can be used to your advantage if you approach it with the right attitude!

Journey or destination

Hi!


I'm back from my cycling holiday and feeling so alive and inspired! It's amazing what fresh air and beautiful sights can do for the soul...I even found myself wishing for some Wordsworth or Byron, any Romantic poems, really, because I felt they would make more sense, or speak more truth when read in context in the natural world.


In fact, I would say it was more than a holiday, and that for me it was more like an adventure.

And what an adventure it was....

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree

I am thrilled to announce that String her up on the Pomegranate Tree has been published in Volume magazine! I am now anxiously awaiting its arrival, with my fingers crossed that it will fit through the letter box...


Volume's launch party for issue 9 was last Thursday in east London, and I'm really annoyed that I couldn't make it, but it sounded like an amazing night and a great success. You can buy a copy of The Girls issue through their website, or wait for the PDF download to be released. 


I have posted an excerpt of the story here.

Success through self publishing

When a writer wants to publish their work, there is the question of whether to self-publish, or go traditional. There are positives and negatives on both sides, and sometimes one type of publishing will better a suit a writer, for various reasons.


It is not something I have had to personally consider yet, but something a writer-friend of mine said got me thinking about it; she said, 'I don't want to self-publish, it's not really 'making it'.'


I'm sure there are many counter-arguments that could be thrown at her view, but it got me thinking about why she, and probably many other writers, feel this way.


I think it has something to do with the access writers have these days to publication. Perhaps not with novels or drama so much, but certainly with short fiction and poetry, the Internet has opened many doors. Because we have the ability to submit our work more conveniently, and with far more places both online and offline to submit our work to, self-publication can feel like a larger scale version of the lengths we already go to in order to get our writing into the world.
I think it is validation we seek, knowing that we will be accepted into a special 'club', that makes traditional publishing seem like the ideal - it is called 'traditional' for a reason, after all. Hundreds of years of rich literary history have passed through the doors of publishing houses, and although it would be arrogant to assume it puts us on a par with, say, Shakespeare, knowing there is a tenuous connection to great writers can be a real boost to confidence, and aid in that feeling of, 'I've finally made it'. 


I'm not there yet, but I look forward to the day when I have a chunky manuscript on the desk before me, forcing me to choose a fork in the road. Perhaps I'll agonise over the journey ahead, but it will be worth remembering the journey I'll have already been on in order to reach that point. 


I wonder if Shakespeare ever wrote the final line of a play, and before looking ahead to the production at the theatre, took a moment to say, 'look what I've just done,' before he had the crowd's applause to validate it...

Upcoming publication

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree will be published in the upcoming issue of Volume magazine. 


There will be a launch party on Thursday, 15 March in London, with free entry (click the link under the picture to view the Facebook event.)


This is very exciting for me, as it is my second published short story. It was in the final round of consideration for publication in another magazine but didn't quite make the cut, so to have it accepted by Volume has reassured me that my 'never give up!' attitude can pay off! Knowing it is being distributed in the UK also feels wonderful, because it means I'm building my platform on my home turf as well as in the vast universe that is the Internet.


I will post again with download links when the issue is released, but for now here is a sneak preview...

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree - Extract

What is there in a look? What can cause an allure so strong that all carnal thoughts escape a man as he betrays his wife? Is it her mascara? Can she buy designer brands with the money she makes from her deviant escapades?

Parvaneh and Shadi consider these things as they push their trolleys through the towering aisles at Tesco. They weave between the shoppers in a dream-like state, trusting that their young children are following in their squeaky-wheeled wake.

Out of the corner of their eyes they see a flash of light. They turn to see a woman head to toe in black, bending down to observe the flour. Their stomachs knot and their eyes widen.
 
Is that her?   

©2011-2012 A.L. Loveday

Volume magazine

The stereotypical fairy tale woman

Question:  How do you write a fairy tale in a traditional style without resorting to sexist female stereotypes?

by arventur @ dA

I have been trying my hand at writing a fairy story. In truth I suppose it has more folk elements as there are no fairy tale stock characters like a soldier, witch, king or princess; but I have got a girl, and a girl who has agency. But is it possible, when writing in a traditional style, to evoke the mood or atmosphere without resorting to gender stereotypes?

The Tinder Box is a good example of a story containing female stereotypes - the two main women in this are the witch and the princess. The witch is slain at the beginning because she refuses to tell the soldier her secret. The princess is repeatedly transported, asleep, to the soldier's home. Neither has agency, and the witch's death reminds us how women were expected to stay in their place. 


My character does conform to some expectations - she wants to marry the man of her dreams, and she wants to create a happy home for her family. But she is active in bringing about the positive changes she wants in her life, showing she is able to think and make decisions for herself. Is this enough? Different people will always have different interpretations from their readings, and I've come to realise you'll never be able to please everybody.


What I do believe is that in this day and age, traditional writing style will not, for the most part, capture the attention it used to, particularly for adults. The old writing mantra, 'show, don't tell' doesn't appear to have been of as much importance in the days of Grimm or Anderson, but now readers want to hear the creak of the trees, the crunch of the snow, and the hawkers at the market. 


So if the style is changed, should the content stay the same? If the content is changed, should the style be left as it has been for hundreds of years? Do either need to be sacrificed? Does it matter? Does anyone really care?


I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this - what is important in a modern day fairy tale?

Feminism and literature

The Madonna. The Whore. The Hysterical Woman. 
Hysterical - hysterectomy: specific female madness. Where is the Penisterical Man?


In a lecture today we discussed feminism and literature. We looked at different ways women are featured in literature, as characters and as authors, and their place in the canon (or lack of.) One of the biggest issues raised was how women write women without falling into inherent patriarchal stereotypes that they have been brought up with. 


And, of course, that got me thinking about my women. I don't want to reflect on them afterwards and blame my mistakes on 'the patriarchy' - I want to train myself to think critically about how I portray women. The way I write currently is not particularly conducive to this; I tend to go into a trance and let the words come out, and I have a variety of female characters that could probably easily be categorised as some sort of stereotype. Oops? 


Is it possible to rectify this without sacrificing voice, style, characterisation? Is it possible to have the perfect, non-stereotyped female literary figure? Is it? 


Maybe not. And I don't think there is just one worldwide patriarchy, either. So maybe we just need enough women to write enough different women to allow a crisscrossing network of so-and-so's character linked to such-and-such patriarchy, so that it all becomes confusing and the critics hold up their hands and say 'enough!' Women can write women however they need and want to for their stories (and for that matter, so can men.)


This is a touchy subject, highly flammable. Any thoughts?

Snow White dreams of winning the lottery

by Littlejunko @ dA

I'm back with my second piece of writing from last week's workshop, and this is definitely edging more towards the outrageous wish side of 'resolutions and outrageous wishes.' In this piece we had to show our character's wish coming true...but I had to go and put a dark twist on that as well. Is this typical of me? 

  Snow White sat at the edge of the sofa, her eyes glued to the magic mirror, subconsciously lacing her fingers through her long, coal-black hair. The presenter of the National Lottery draw was taking his time with the preamble, allowing Snow to arrange her 100 tickets in neat rows in front of her using her toes.
  Her concentration was momentarily disrupted by a loud crash from the palace courtyard, followed by a torrent of profanities that would have made even the Big Bad Wolf blush.
  'So, my charming husband is home,' she thought to herself, and wondered which of his favourite fancy girls he'd spent the day with this time; the mile long strand of golden hair on his suit jacket had given the game away last weekend. As the years of potion and fairy dust abuse began to take their toll, her Prince was becoming careless.
  She, on the other hand, had been the picture of stealth and deception when she had borrowed Hans' golden goose for the week. It had been thanks to the many-carated egg she produced that Snow had been able to buy herself such a big chance of winning the draw tonight. Having been surrounded by Kingdom politics her whole life she was very aware at the tumbling value of gold eggs in the current economic climate, and decided that the only way she could provide for her seven saviours would be by winning the lottery.
  After all, she didn't need the money herself, but was determined the dwarves would have a secure future when they retired. She had given up asking the Prince - he refused to cough up a single copper coin for her rescuers, and Snow was forced to watch helplessly as her friends' potential pensions were drained away on cheap thrills.

So I decided to bring Snow White up to date a bit and move away from the 'happily ever after' idea, and yes, I was definitely influenced by The ASBO Fairy Tales - I would highly recommend this book if you fancy checking out a Jeremy Kyle take on these stories!

I had a lot of fun writing these, and I think twisting fairy tales is a great way of doing a bit of writing practise - if you grew up with these stories you'll already know the plot and the characters inside out and back to front, so all that's left to do is let your imagination run wild! 

Read 'Peter Pan wants to learn the piano' here.

Peter Pan wants to learn the piano

by PhantomSeptember @ dA

Here, as promised, is my first offering of output from the creative writing workshop at Waterstones! In the first exercise we were instructed to show our character about to break/give up on their new year's resolution. Unfortunately I was pretty engrossed in setting the scene, so I never got around to Peter walking away. Still, I had a lot of fun coming up with the circumstances that lead to his desire, writing children again, and figuring out where in Neverland you find a piano in the first place!

'What's stopping you, Peter? The ship is ours, we can do whatever we like!'
Peter hovered at the edge of the cliff, chewing his lip as he stared at the dark tangle of ropes and sails silhouetted against the rapidly setting sun.
'Come on, you're not afraid of the pirates coming back are you?'
A chorus of badly-held back guffaws broke out amongst the Lost Boys, and a rogue elbow jabbed into Peter's thigh, startling him into tumbling over the precipice.
He fell several feet, then, recovering from the shock, shot back upwards with an angry roar.
'I ought to teach you all a lesson on respecting your leader! And on the correct behaviour for secret missions and stakeouts!' he bellowed, with such force behind his words he spat a shower of fairy dust over the closest boys. They were deadly silent, and stared up at their leader in a mixture of shock and fear at his sudden mood swing.
'We...we was only 'aving a laugh,' came the timid voice of Tootles from near the back. Peter scowled and turned his gaze back towards the Jolly Roger.
'Quiet, all of you; I'm thinking,' he ordered.
Inside Captain Hook's cabin stood the object of his desire, a vision of promise in ebony and ivory! Whenever the Lost Boys and Pirates had a skirmish on the ship, Peter took a second to retreat from battle and push his nose against the glass of the cabin window, just to stare in awe at the instrument.
Ever since that fateful flight to London on Christmas Eve night, when he had peeked into a house and seen a young boy playing carols for his family, he had been enamoured with the piano. He had watched the parents smile and turn the pages of the music, encouraging their son in between verses of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,' and instantly felt a stab of jealousy. And if that scrawny little somebody could do it, then the great Peter Pan would have no trouble!

Well...I think you can see where this might be going. I thought that, if I had finished it, the reason Peter would walk away from his resolution would be because he realised he had no parents to play for or to encourage him, and he would no longer see the point. It's quite sad really...

It has been a long time since I wrote children (or for children,) but as I would some day like to return to that, any feedback on the characterisation or dialogue would be very welcome!

You can read 'Snow White wins the lottery' here!

Fairy tales and outrageous wishes

Last Thursday I took part in Story Scavenger's free creative writing workshop @ Waterstone's cafe, on the topic of 'resolutions and outrageous wishes.' A lot of people turned up, and we had great fun writing down names of good and bad fairy tale characters, resolutions and crazy dreams, tossing them into the middle of the table and then selecting a combination to write about. Some of our group's included: 

• The Ugly Duckling wants to own a VW camper van,
• The Wicked Witch wants to take more time for herself and treat herself better,
• The Snow Queen wants to record music, and
• One of the three little pigs wants to run away with a travelling funfair

by themicawber @ dA

I picked out 'Peter Pan wants to learn the piano' and 'Snow White wants to win the lottery.' I really enjoyed speed-writing the scenes from my stories - it has been ages since I wrote in a big group like that and felt relaxed and happy doing it. I didn't quite build up the confidence to share my work, but that will be my challenge for next month's workshop!


I will post my unusual fairy tale creations in the next few days once I have typed them up! 


To find out about the february workshop, visit Wendy's blog here.