Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion
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Jay
(last edited Jan 29, 2014 08:09AM)
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Jan 01, 2014 06:53AM
Decades of writing and so few non-rejected stories to show for it... but pursuing the art of the short is so rewarding. There's something very satisfying about weighing the value of each and every word. Is it the right word in the right place for the effect I'm trying to create? It's also the ideal medium for those thoughts that float through my head as I walk into work, the random situations that present themselves as peeks into the life of the characters who inhabit my mind with me.
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Here's a link to the anthology of my own writing - free to download, but if you feel so inclined a donation to Saluki Welfare Fund is always welcome:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
If you have a short and don't know what to do with it, perhaps you'd like to donate it to a good cause?Of Words and Water – 2013 has been doing well since publication in July. We’re on course for 1,000 downloads in its first year, and £100s of donations to WaterAid.
If you’ve still got those feel-good, charitable inclinations after all the recent festivities, I'm now accepting submissions for the 2014 anthology. The (very loose) theme is 'many nations, one world', which should be treated as an idea prompt for stories rather than a rigid instruction. Final decision on which stories make it into the anthology is mine, but I do take advice from a small circle of people whose opinions I trust. No min/max word limits and I'd also like to see some poetry submitted.
What is it?
Of Words and Water is an annual anthology of short stories, flash fiction and poetry, non-fiction too if it’s good and thought-provoking, from the members of GR. It is published by Words and Water Group on Smashwords (who distribute to Apple, Baker and Taylor Blio, Baker-Taylor Axis, Barnes & Noble, Diesel, Flipkart, Kobo, Library Direct, Oyster, Page Foundry and Sony ) and on Amazon.
Here is the Smashwords link for the 2013 anthology:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
It’s free so pick up a copy. Judge for yourself the quality of this book, see what can be achieved when like-minded authors work towards a common goal. Our cover designer, James, at humblenations.com also gives his time and skill to the cause, and folk music legend Peggy Seeger gave us a song and original poem for 2013.
What is its purpose?
To raise awareness of the work done by the international charity WaterAid. Here are the UK and USA links:
http://www.wateraid.org/uk
http://www.wateraid.org/us/
They can tell you far better than I can about what they do, how they do it, and just how vital their work is.
We’re also hoping to attract some donations. Here’s the link to our JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/Of-Words-A...
Why was WaterAid chosen as the charity to support?
Can you even imagine living without water, life’s most basic necessity? I have a vivid imagination and I can’t. How would you feel seeing your child die of diarrhoea because you gave them dirty water? How much would you weep when you buried your parents who had just died of cholera or dysentery because there was not even basic sanitation available? How would you face each day when you knew each and every day was going to be a struggle to find enough to drink?
Do we get paid for it?
Only in kudos from your peers, and that nice warm feeling of having done something worthwhile to benefit others ;) All submissions are donated although the author retains copyright of their own entry.
Who makes the decisions, chooses the submissions that get in and which get rejected?
That’ll be me, but I do ask for second opinions for any I’m not sure about. I do my best to put personal genre preference aside but freely admit I need fresh eyes on occasion. I will act as your editor and proof reader: it will be the author’s decision about my editorial suggestions, but I insist on a well-proofed copy being published. If you won’t work with me on that then I will reject your submission.
Take a look at the 2013 anthology and judge for yourself if my approach has worked. So far we have eleven 5* reviews and one 4* on Smashwords.
Who does the compiling, formatting, publishing?
Er… that’ll be me too.
How is it marketed?
That relies on all group members plugging it wherever and whenever they can. I have support from work (the Environment Agency) and through the EA directly with WaterAid.
A big boost came when Neel Kay created a website for us, plus a Facebook and Twitter account:
http://ofwordsandwater.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OfWordsandWater
https://twitter.com/ofwordsandwater
Renowned folk musician and activist, Peggy Seeger, was brought on board by Kerry Dwyer. The video of The River, the poem Peggy donated to the group, can be seen on the website and on YouTube. This was arranged by another group member, Mark Bell, with his friend and professional film director, Richard Clabaugh.
http://www.crimsonwolfproductions.com/
That eye-catching cover was donated by professional cover designer James of HumbleNations:
http://humblenations.com/
When should I submit my story?
Any time between now and end of May 2014 will be fine, but I may not get to read it/them until December.
How do I submit my story?
Send a DOC or TXT file to:
OWAW2014submissions@gmail.com
Can I submit more than one?
You certainly can. Some of the 2013 authors have more than one entry in the anthology and I don’t see any problem with doing that again.
If I change my mind can I withdraw my story?
Yes you can, but if it is post-publication there’s obviously nothing we can do about the copies that have already been downloaded.
It was great having a deadline to meet for the weekly short, really focused my concentration. I have a bad habit of getting distracted and haring off onto a new idea before I've finished the last one.So now I'm stuck - do I do the extra work that The Inheritance needs now, or do I let myself be tempted to write for this week's story about a ghost town? The idea for a story is bubbling away...
Jay, I read your Whiteout, it made me cold. A simply tragic story beautifully told. :)
Thank you, Lauri, such support means a great deal to me :)
