Saturday, November 30, 2013

Sooo Close...

Busy these days juggling a half-dozen part-time jobs so not a lot of new writing getting laid down. Mark me down as a Canadian edition of the US's 47% currently underemployed or struggling to make ends meet with  multiple part-time jobs. Recession? It's Here - and it's probably going to get worse.

Just learned though, that I have received an "Honorable Mention" in Polar Expressions' annual Short Story Contest for "The Middle Way". No money in the bank, but some vindication on the writing front. This story is a semiautobiographical snapshot from my distant past, back when my only dream was to escape the farm and see the world...

An early draft was one of the "Dreamories" in my first novel (Mai Shangri-La), but this version has been revised, expanded, reworked and wordsmithed until every word is almost right. (I guess if every word had been exactly right, we might have made it those last two steps to the money;0)

Another short story in the CBC "Canada Writes" contest upcoming. This one also semiautobiographical, and based on a very, very intense personal experience. It's called "Sheep Shot", and I think the title is spot on. More as the contest unfolds.

Polar Expressions Short Story Contest Results