2015 WORD COUNT= 125517
I don’t like change. Never
have.
I’m the first to admit that I’m a
strange person, one who likes (or perhaps needs) things to be a certain way so
that the pressure of choice is off, and the outcome is always as expected.
·
I have five shirts that I wear to work, and each
week I pick out the same one for the same day.
·
When I go to McDonalds, I get the same meal
every time. Every. Time.
·
Every Friday I write a piece of fiction for
Flash! Friday without fail.
Except last Friday, I didn’t.
Because 566 days since I posted my first entry, THE LADY OF THE WOODS, Flash! Friday was no more.
And this made me very sad.
I’d fallen into a rut where I
assumed the contest would last forever and a dime. Certainly, right up until I
finally got my win in June of this year (a proud moment that I will always hold
dear), I thought that I had forever to chase my victory, that I should just
keep entering story after story until I became a master of the craft, until the
end of time.
And now, with Flash! Friday and
Micro Bookends folded, I found myself somewhat lost. When the announcement went
up a few weeks ago that the end was coming, it was like finding out that your
best friend was moving away to the other side of the world.
Yet once the panic had subsided, I
knew it would be okay. Sure something I’d loved doing for the last 18 months
was going, but I wasn’t about to revert to my previous state. I wasn’t walking
away empty handed. Because I’d gained so much since I first found the balls to
post a little story way back when; writing skills, method, discipline, friends,
a writing group, and best of all, actual publication.
I think what I did wrong was treat
these awesome contests like a job (one that I loved). Instead, I realise now,
Flash! Friday and Micro Bookends are more like the school experience I’d always
dreamed of, and now that it’s over, it’s time to take what I’ve learned and
head out into the big bad world as a growed up writer person man.
LOOKING BACK
Back in April/May of last year I
was just getting to work on trying to be, what my mother would call, ‘a proper
writer’. I’d had this blog going for a few months and was sticking my head out
into the world, nervously, trying to see what other people were doing. One
place I’d landed was a little weekly Flash Fiction contest called Flash!
Friday.
I’d suddenly gone from aimlessly
wandering around, to suddenly having direction. I now had somewhere to aim my
imagination, and I began to learn discipline. It was no time at all before Flash!
Friday became a regular staple in my week. First thing to do after waking on a
Friday morning? Check that prompt. Set those cogs of imagination spinning while
eating my bowl full of cereals and waiting for the kettle to boil. Carry the
basic plot points and characters with me on my way to work. Let it all grow
while spending the morning updating co-workers errors. And then, when lunch
rolled around, unleash the story upon the blank page.
That’s all my Fridays were really.
Everything else was just sorta ‘background’. I was creating, building, shaping
new things on a regular basis. Gone were the days of expanding a new idea every
month or so. I was cooking on gas with new worlds and characters popping into
existence every seven days.
Of course, it wasn’t all gold. It’s
been a mixed 81 weeks, that’s for sure. Highs and lows. Strong and weak tales.
Winners and losers. There are stories that I’ve entered that make me cringe now
that I look back on them, while others sit there begging to be expanded into
bigger adventures (though I’m worried it might ruin what they are). But I have
a folder on my hard drive (and after November’s mishaps it’s all backed up to
the N’th degree) that contains 200+ ideas to work with or just be proud of.
And there’s the Anthologies that
I’m so, so, so proud to be a part of.
I won’t go on and on. I’ve talked
about all of my experience in detail throughout the many blog posts over the
last two years, and repeating it all will just bore the few that visit this
blog.
All I can do now is thank those
that made me reach this point.
THANK YOU
Craig, a man from this continent
who went to that continent via another continent. A man who, unbeknownst to him
at the time, redirected my life into a direction I very much needed. If I ever
get my work out there, a dedication is coming your way, Mr Anderson.
Mark/David (I still hold that
these two are one almighty and powerful entity). They took me into their
writing group and in one foul swoop, gave me a confidence power boost while simultaneously
allowing me to fulfil my ambition of having work published in paperback form. Cannot
be more chuffed that my mother has a book she can hold in her hand and read her
son’s writings.
Stella said something almost
throw away, and unknowingly caused two of my creations to explode from 100 word
flash piece stars, to the main characters in (currently) three novella drafts
that I’m pushing to get released into the world in the next twelve months.
There’s a character with your name coming up in a very important role in the CHRIS AND MIKE universe. I hope that’s
okay.
David B, for letting me know that
my creations were welcome in the house of writing he had set up. Much
appreciated. I won’t forget the Executive Producer credit I owe you.
To all the other FlashDogs and
fellow Flash Fiction writers that turned up as I did, week in, week out, who
shared their stories, commented on mine, and continued to set that bar ever so
high each and every Friday. Flash! Friday was an amazing place to visit and it’s
all down to you.
Which brings us to the legendary
dragoness herself, Rebekah Postupak. The playground you set up for us goes beyond
impressive. Write your stories Friday, have the results on a Sunday. That’s all
it needed to be. That would have been fine. But no, you wanted to give more;
Flash Points, spotlight interviews, Warmup Wednesday. It became something huge,
and your love for us writers permeated throughout the whole experience. You’ve
left some pretty big boots to fill and one hell of a high bar for other
contests to aim for. You aided in where I am at the moment, and wherever I end
up in the future. Thank you.
EPILOGUE
And that’s all folks. The end of
a chapter. I’m currently on a writing break as the end of the year gets busy
and I recharge the batteries of my imagination (though I did sneak a little 71
word entry over at Paragraph Planet).
Next week will be the end of year
look back and then it’s into 2016 where I plan on (finally) getting my solo
projects out there. There’s changes coming, and I hope it’s for the best.
Have a good Christmas everyone.
See you in seven.
I can't believe I'm going to have my name in a NYT best selling novel! ;)
ReplyDeleteHope you and the family have a wonderful Xmas and NY
Craig
Same to you, Craig. And thank you, as always, for your kind support.
ReplyDelete