Friday, June 30, 2006

Roling, Rolling, Rolling

Two newcomers have joined us for the JULY BLAST which seems to have started well (11 stories already)




Here are the latest prompts




Sunshine Superman

Bend Over Miss Brown, and Touch Your Toes...

Waiting For 4PM

Dee and the Kids are Watching Big Brother

Falling Plaster

Let's Not Be Evicted, let's Just Go Next Door

A Cheap White Wine

Three Reasons YOU Would Kill

Mellow Yellow

Approaching the Waterfall, Singing, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat

BLUE

Just About Started!

I sprang the July Blast on Boot Camp a coupla days early but nevertheless they responded in good style


06 Stories
10 Subs
61 prompts

4,566 words




Here are the latest set of prompts:



The Duke of Edinburgh

One Corporal

Problems With Venison

The Smell of Sundays

School-Run Blues

Zen and the Art of Washing Up

Is This Magic

Partner

How Experts Lay a Floor

Blackberries, Jam-Jars, My Father

Crushed

The First Square Pea

Thomas, a Boy

Thursday, June 29, 2006

July Blast Started at 10 AM 29th JUNE

I'm away for a week from 29 July so we are starting the July Blast NOW (as in this minute)


I will, of course, write more stories and flashes, more total words, more submissions than anyone else, and twice the average.


BCers and any associates (£15 Admin fee for the single month) will be receiving at least three sets of prompts a day, probably more, will "flash" and write stories until they bleed. Will briefly comment on flashes, crit all stories, and sub-sub-sub from their July output and work done pre-blast.

From experience we know that the average "Blaster" produces 3-4 times their normal output, and the quality RISES, not falls. There is something about the pressure, the adrenaline, the BUZZ that switches on the writer-gene.

Anyone may join, including ex BCers at any time, but the charge is the same, whether for 1 day or 31 days.



If you don't do this, just watch this space, see the accumulating flash totals, story totals, subs, publications and prizes.


Alex





First Set of Prompts Here.

Exactly Where You Are

Going Naked is the Best Disuise

How Green Was My Valley

Dr Johnson's London

Memories of My Father Watching TV

Silent Spring

Shakespeare, on the Kitchen Table

DUST!

Dying, the Great Adventure

Evidence I Have Travelled to Be Here

Sam Sung, Private Eye, Deceased

Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew

Plastic

Lights, Music, Cancer, Bob Geldorf

The Intricacies of Butter

Womag Success!

Cally Taylor sneaked a story past the guards and entered it in Woman's Own...!

Today she has heard she was runner up, gets published and wins a Brother Phone-Fax-Printer (and gets to be read by over a million women readers and a male car-park attendant from East Grinstead (he never married...)




July Blast Start TODAY!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

A Blast, a Blast, A Blast!!!

In July 2005 we ran "The July Blast" (at the now-defunct East of the Web) an intense month of writing at least a story a day, giving instant feedback, subbing etc. That was highly successful.


This July (2006) we hope to do the same at Boot Camp and can open a forum for guests/dabblers/the curious.


if you are interested (there will be a nominal charge to deter time-wasters) please contact

alex.keegan (at sign) btconnect.com


It is EXTREMELY intense, very demanding, but produces great work you can "live off" for a year or more.







PROMPTS for TODAY


But There's No Football?

The Stairs

Please send Your BIO

GPS

Boys' Toys

You Call That a Story?

A Slow Boat to China (and the Captain is Deranged)

Lunar Park

OK OK OK Allright Already, Sheesh!

The National Shirt Story Prize

Dog Eat Dog

Ticks

Reading Carefully

Three People and a Double-Glazing Salesman Killed

People Zoo

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

They All Count

Hope you have all sent in your entry for Bridport 2006!

One more hit to report, Colin makes last 20 in Frome, getes a small prize ($40) and dinner for two. Our 41st prize of the year, our 119th hit.



Prompts for Tuesday

Sneaking Goodies In

GPS

How Boring is Switzerland?

Early Morning Practise

Egg

Bridie & the Saxophone

Precision, Precision

Brave Enough to Fail

Falling to the Sky

50.6 is Not Half-Way

PC Only

Why Poems Should Rhyme

Wright's Candles, London

Monday, June 26, 2006

Couple More Hits, Prompts

A couple more hits (I don't even have anything out there) but congrats to Lexie for one going in Southern Ocean Review and also to Nightwriter for a poem in Poetry Review.





Here Are Today's Prompts



The Plumber

Breathing Thin Air

Four Red, Sixteen Yellow

Rough Plaster

Trouble in Criccieth

A Blessing on This House

Trying to Be Properly White, Whitely Proper

Behind With The Assignment

Munich

Monday, June 19, 2006

Monday, Monday

Prompts


Voices

Father's Day

24 White Plastic Tubes

Daisy

78s

Paint the Bannister, Roger

It's Just Like Watching Brazil

Archipelago

Brian of Britain

Ray Pearson's Trunk

Not Quite the 30th

10p, 5p, 1p.

11 Ways to Be Unhappy

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Fallow Times, & Some Prompts

Last November-December (and into January) Boot Camp had a push on writing and subbing.

At one point I had sixty-plus pieces out there.

The result a flurry of hits, pubs, two first prizes, two places, a number of final-placings.

Then I started doing up the house, got involved with the development of the chapel in Wales.

Result? Now I have NOTHING out there (despite a lot of very decent stories ready to be subbed)

MORAL?


Be consistent. Aim to have a good total of works circulating and KEEP THE TOTAL UP!

It will now take a month to get back up to speed, three to see the results.

Bad Alex


here are today's prompts

Well Church Then...

Storm

Gloves and Hat, Even For Summer Trips

Not Far From Bala

Python Pat

Two Tea Chests, a Trunk

Making Love to Jimminy Cricket

Beep!

Walking into the River, His Guitar on His Back. Hallelujah!

Big Brother

Not Required On Journey

Do You Like Pie?

Palm Springs

Bravo-Bravo

The Critical Reader

Is it Hotter in Celsius?

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

A Few More Prompts

Coming

Clouds, Thoughts, Walk

Serendipity

The Pain is Just Here, Here

Seven Basic Plots

China in a Day

A Bull in a Sweet Shop

Tear Along the Dotted Line

The Smell of Esso Blue

Perhaps, but then again...

Passably Perfect

Please Print

Two Flies in a Saucer

Coles to Newcastle

It's Just Like Watching Brazil

Saturday, June 10, 2006

a few prompts

Saturday Prompts

Three Minutes to Go

Barbie

The Later Roman Empire

Cheese and a Bomb

The Son-in-Law

CRASH!

Sixpence, a Ghost, Rice-Pudding, China

Bounce, Chicken, Black-Eyed Peas, Route 66

Petticoats

Why Underwear is Often White

Larger

Friday, June 09, 2006

How to Inspire Poetry?

I was asked yesterday how to enthuse a class of teens to read and write poetry.

Despite having published a few poems and won one first prize, poetry is a total mystery to me, unlike the writing of shorts. I can sometimes stumble into a poem but the underlying craft... pass.

If anyone out there reading this nknows a way to get kids going on this, please email me at

alexkeegan (at) bt connect.com



Cheers

World What?

Prompts

Where is Ecuador?

Why Pigeons Coo

A Month in the Wilderness

The World Pup

Black and Maybe Black

Ferrets

The Garden Shed, Hammock, North Facing

Blenkinsop's Three Rules

Sunburn and Blisters

The Accident and Other Topics

Grey and Nearly GREY

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Double Boot Camp Success

Not long after hearing of Boot Camper Colin U winning Cadenza's Short-Story Competition ($400) the fifth time on the trot this competition has been one by a Boot Camper, now we hear that Alexander Fox has placed $300 second in The Philip Good Memorial Prize, and yours truly is in $150 third place.


Total Winnings $4,410

FIRST PLACE

01 Colin $200 First Place in Slingink's Eurofiction
02 Mike Joint-Winner in 7Q FF9
03 Dave Joint-Winner in 7Q FF9
04 Lexie Wins Adult SS of the Year ($600) in "Killie"
05 Cally Wins Dark Tales ($60)
06 BCer wins 7Q FF10
07 Hazera wins Doorknobs & Bodypaint First Place
08 Alex Wins Pencil Bantry $300
09 Lexie Wins Cotswold Prize $1,000
10 Cally wins Bank Street SS Prize $140
11 Alex wins Lichfield Prize $250
12 ColinU wins Cadenza $400


SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 BCer 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 BCer 3rd in 7Q FF10
03 Tom's $25 3rd in Oz
04 Lexie $200 3rd in The New Writer
05 Alex $150 third place Philip Good Memorial Prize

4ths, HRs, NAMED FINALISTs

01 Alex Night Train Yates Comp, Last 12 "Floating"
02 Alex Poem in "Out of Love" Anthology
03 Laurie (Nartje) in "Out of Love" Anthology
04 Lexie, State of Being" HR at HISSAC (only winner is announced)
05 Lexie, second story finalist at HISAAC
06 Colin finalist in HISAAC
07 Colin HR in JBWB
08 Cally in Final of Belvedere
09 Lexie in Fish Anthology ($100)
10 Lexie last 140 of 1800, Fish
11 Haz named in Best of the web shortlist
12 Lexie Final of Writers Forum
13 Alex last 3 in Carve "Overseas Writer"
14 TomC HR'd in Bank Street SS Comp
15 TomC 4th in Twisted Tongue
16 Alex at Philip Good Memorial (plus second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (plus second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20


00 Laurie recently left but was also HR'd at Bank Street (not counted)

Lexie also recieved $25 & $10 payments


Winnings in Dollars, £ = $2, Euro = $1
for simplicity of calculation

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Two More Hits for BC!

Tom has a story accepted by Scottish Print Mag "Random Acts of Writing" and Gabs one at "Secret Attic"


115 for the year.

Friday, June 02, 2006

And ANOTHER First Prize

We mentioned Colin Upton's short-listing (result TBA)
and can now confirm Colin has WON (£200/$400)

FIRST PLACE in Cadenza's Short-Story Competition

This is Boot Camp's fortieth final-placing/prize
and its TWELFTH First prize of 2006


Well done Colin


alx

Thursday, June 01, 2006

They Keep Coming!

Two more hits to report.


TomC is a shortlisted finalist in a UK National Comp, results TBA and Cally has won a £10 HR in Lymm.

Not a BCer but took part in last year's Children-in-Need Marathon Writing Session, congrats to Henry Peplow for his win in the . S. Mitchell Memorial Prize. Nice one, HP!


Alex