Val Prozorova's Blog, page 4
June 22, 2017
Learn to Love The Bomb
...I really should watch Dr. Strangelove.
Til then, I have merely (and shamelessly) borrowed the title structure for a new article I have up on The Mighty, called How I Learned to Love Failure and Beat BPD at It's Own Game.
This is something I've covered on this blog before, and something I talk about often to people who ask me what I regularly do to keep on top of my emotions when it comes to writing: turning rejections into goals rather than failings.
Only this time, I've gone a little deeper, and made it a little more personal, by discussing how it relates to my borderline personality disorder. It's something that I never want to hide - I hate the stigma that surrounds mental health in our society - and I am proud to say that I have used some of the more annoying aspects of this affliction to my advantage.
I was also incredibly touched when the editor of the article contacted me to let me know that I had inspired him this morning. That is why I write. That is why I write anything. To just touch one person, any person, and make them feel less alone and give them courage to stand up to whatever demons stand before them.
I'm feeling great today!
June 21, 2017
Shine On, Shine On...
In 2013, Ann Friedman wrote an article called Why Powerful Women Make The Greatest Friends on The Cut. This is definitely worth the time to read, but if you haven't the time right now, then the long and the short of it is this: people should not be intimidated by friends who are more successful than them, they should be proud of them and see how well it reflects on them in turn.
To quote Friedman, "When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and professionally accomplished, befriend her. Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better."
Her article was based specifically on female friendships, but I want to stretch that out to be more general. Friendships of any age and gender with any age and gender.
When I was younger, I was always scared of having clever friends, because I was never clever enough to compete with them. I was always certain that were they to find out that I wasn't as smart, or as popular, or as beautiful as them, they would kick me out and not bother to see where I landed. It was only much later, when I had come to terms with the bullying I had faced and the pressures that had been heaped upon me by society, that I realized that the most important people in my life remained those who were smarter, more stylish, more beautiful and accomplished than I was.
And I was okay with that.
There is a very powerful feeling of love that comes from being proud of a friend for doing well. There is a very powerful feeling of pride that comes from seeing a friend achieve a goal of theirs. And there is a very powerful sense of relief when you realize that you needn't compare yourself to them in order to feel worthy.
Friends are incredible in that they don't judge you for your job, your lack thereof, your wardrobe or your choice of music for a roadtrip. Friends are people who you can complain to, laugh with, enjoy time with, and feel yourself grow stronger from the connection. Friendship is such a powerful element in our lives; it is absolutely invaluable.
A few years ago, I started a very slow and difficult process of culling people from my life who I no longer felt needed to be there. People who were either toxic to me, or manipulative. People who I was "friends" with because years and years ago we had a mutual acquaintance. People who I was "friends" with because someone told me once that I had to be, in order to look good or appear kinder. I no longer had energy for those connections, and I burned those bridges, and I can honestly say that I haven't ever regretted it. I feel free to be a more true version of myself than I was when those people were in my life.
And looking back, I realize that the people who are in my life now are people who are driven, people who are talented and who work on that talent each and every day, people who are not afraid to stand up against oppression, people who are not afraid of their own point of view.
The people I have in my life now, are more accomplished than I am. Some have the most enviable jobs. Others have the most enviable partners. A few have their own homes, now, and are starting to think about raising a family. A few of them have families already. Others still are incredible at their craft, be it art or writing or dancing or singing. They are people who I look up to because I want to be as good as they are, I want to be as dedicated, and as courageous as they are. The people in my life now are people whose praises I sing to anyone wiling to listen.
I am so proud of my friends. I am proud of every single thing they achieve and every step they take to becoming who they truly are. And I am so proud to say that I am nowhere near in their league of creative endeavor, or volunteer organization, or linguistic capability. I am proud of that. Because that means that those people, those incredible people, see something in me that they believe to be powerful and special and worthy of recognition. It means that these people, who clearly have good taste in every aspect of their lives, find me to be worthy enough to keep in theirs.
And that's something that no one can take away from me. Or from you, with your friends.
So this blog is just a shout out to my amazing friend-family, for being who you are and never backing down from that. I love you all!
V
June 12, 2017
Another Article on The Mighty
I've had another story accepted onto the awesome site that is The Mighty for Mental Health. They're little things, these articles, and almost silly, but I hope they help anyone who has the conditions I do not feel so alone.
You can find my article here, How Doodling Has Helped Me with Mindfulness and Anxiety.
And my profile for The Mighty just here.
Come say hi!
And don't forget, if you have the chance, to spread the word of my Connecticut fundraiser over on GoGetFunding! Thank you!
June 10, 2017
I'M GOING TO CONNECTICUT!!
Well... not quite yet.
I've been invited to be one of the eight people to attend the Cabins Retreat this year in Norfolk Connecticut, from August 10th through til the 14th!
It's ridiculous how excited and honored I am. I am the only one listed who is not from the States, and it will be such an incredible opportunity for me to make it somewhere so far for something so elite and exciting!
Unfortunately, because this is such short notice, I've had to set up a fundraising campaign to help me get the tickets to get there. They're just under $2,000 in my currency, which is a bit out of pocket for me right now. I would really appreciate any and all help, even just spreading the word. It would be absolutely invaluable to me!
I've also got some rewards set up to write stories for anyone who is interested in getting one, because I like to work for my keep.
Want to help me get to Connecticut?
Click the above!
I cannot wait to chronicle my journey there, and my time there with these other incredible people, and I know it will give me the most wonderful experience to take home with me and keep the inspiration flowing for months and months after!
June 7, 2017
Get my short story FOR FREE on Amazon!
I've been lucky enough to have my story used as one of the promotional pieces for the Wanderlust anthology, by Mugwump Press! Check it out on their website, or on any of the links below:
And if you do give it a read, please be sure to leave a rating for us - it does wonders for the anthology rating, and it would make me incredibly happy to know what you think!
May 15, 2017
Calls for Stories Ending End of May
Strap in, guys, this is a HUGE post. A lot is due at the end of May and the start of June, and some of these look BANGING!
Pedestal Magazine
Type of call: Poetry
Length: n/a
Paid? Yes, $40 per poem
Publisher: Pedestal Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 21st
Transcendent 2
Type of call: Pre-published transgender stories
Length: n/a
Paid? Yes, $25-$100 per story
Publisher: Lethe Press
Erotica? Yes
Ending: May 30th
Chiral Mad 4
Type of call: Horror and Spec fic stories
Length: Flash to novel length
Paid? Yes, 0.06c per word
Publisher: Written Backwards
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Brewed Awakenings
Type of call: Poetry, short stories, novellas, personal essays
Length: Flash to novel length; up to 100 lines for poetry
Paid? Yes
Publisher: Caffeinated Press
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Grain Magazine
Type of call: Poetry, short stories, literary non-fiction
Length: 3,500 words, 6 pages for poetry
Paid? Yes, up to $250
Publisher: Grain Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Positively Happy
Type of call: Literary non-fiction, poetry
Length: 1,200 words
Paid? Yes, $100
Publisher: Chicken Soup for the Soul
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Chronic Illnesses
Type of call: Literary non-fiction
Length: No limit
Paid? No, (you get copies of the book)
Publisher: Ivy Cirillo Books
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
AGNI Literary Magazine
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: No limit
Paid? Yes, up to $150
Publisher: AGNI Literary Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Working It!
Type of call: Prose
Length: 3,000-8,000 words
Paid? Yes
Publisher: SinCyr Publishing
Erotica? Hell yes
Ending: May 31st
Arc Poetry Magazine
Type of call: Poetry
Length: Up to 10 pages
Paid? Yes, $50 per page
Publisher: Arc Poetry Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Horror
Type of call: Prose
Length: 5,000-10,000 words
Paid? Yes TBC
Publisher: Rice Paper Press
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Carte Blanche
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: 3,500 words for prose, open line count for poetry
Paid? Yes TBC
Publisher: Carte Blanche Literary Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Time Lost
Type of call: Prose (fiction and nonfiction)
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Paid? Yes $50 per story
Publisher: Literary e-Clectic
Erotica? No
Ending: May 31st
Paranormal
Type of call: Prose
Length: 4,000-6,000 words
Paid? Yes 50% royalties split
Publisher: Sexy Little Pages
Erotica? Heck yes
Ending: June 1st
Helen Magazine
Type of call: Prose, poetry, creative non-fiction
Length: Various
Paid? Yes TBC
Publisher: Helen Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: June 1st
Slice Magazine
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Paid? Yes $250 per story, $75 per poem
Publisher: Slice Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: June 1st
Compelling Magazine
Type of call: Prose
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Paid? Yes 0.06 per word
Publisher: Compelling Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: June 1st
Phew, how many of these are going to see your stories? I know at least half are going to get mine! Get to it, kiddos, we're halfway through May already!!
May 14, 2017
"The Unmentionables" Cover Reveal
I cannot even begin to explain my level of excitement. This is actually happening! Our novel is actually going to be published this year!!!
April 27, 2017
Calls for Stories Ending Mid-May
Not many for the middle of May, just three, but an AVALANCHE for the end of the month, so get those muses prepped!!
Arthurian Legends
Type of call: Short prose and poetry
Length: 1,500 words
Paid? Yes, $20 per story
Publisher: Timeless Tales Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 5th
Alaska Quarterly Review
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: Up to 50 pages of prose, 20 pages of poetry
Paid? Yes, $50-$200 per story; $10-$50 per poem
Publisher: Alaska Quarterly Review
Erotica? No
Ending: May 15th
LampLight
Type of call: Short and longform fiction
Length: Up to 7,000 words
Paid? Yes, up to $150 per story
Publisher: LampLight Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: May 16th
Trans and Non-Binary Writers To Watch
Remember the #Trans Anthology? And the incredible person I praised for editing and compiling it? Well, Eve has proven her brillianceonce again with not one, but TWO articles published in wonderful places.
Firstly, on TheEstablishment, you can find Eve's article on How Conventional Beauty Hurts Trans People, including beautiful photos of the human beings who inspire with everything from their talent to their bravery.
And next, over on ItEquals, Eve lists some of the amazing people who contributed to the #Transthology. My goal, now, is to make another of Eve's lists. Maybe next year!
Definitely give both a look, and visit Eve over on evedeshane.wordpress.com , and @evelyndeshane on Twitter!
April 18, 2017
Calls for Stories Ending End of April - Start of May
How are we already so far through April?? It's crazy how quickly time flies when you're in the middle of public holidays and work and attempting to have a social life. There are quite a few calls for the end of the month and the start of the next, and some look absolutely amazing, so definitely give them a go - I know I'm in for a couple for sure.
CALLS ENDING END OF APRILFrom The Depths
Type of call: Microfiction
Length: 15 word stories only
Paid? Yes, $3 per story
Publisher: Haunted Waters Press
Erotica? No
Ending: April 30th
New Letters
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: Up to 5,000 words per story; or 6 poems
Paid? Yes, $15 per poem (min), $100 per story
Publisher: New Letters Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: April 30th
Futureplant: A Gothic
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: Up to 2,000 words
Paid? Yes
Publisher: SharkPackPoetry.com
Erotica? No
Ending: April 30th
Sequestrum Magazine (reprint edition)
Type of call: Prose and poetry
Length: Anything previously published (that you own rights to)
Paid? Yes
Publisher: Sequestrum Magazine
Erotica? No
Ending: April 30th
Timeless Tales
Type of call: Prose
Length: Under 1,500 words
Paid? Yes, $20 per story
Publisher: Timeless Tales Zine
Erotica? No
Ending: April 30th
Good luck, musebugs!
