Monday, December 18, 2006

Phoenix Prize Result

Final Judging (blind) by John Ravenscroft






WINNER

Irrigation T Williams, Brighton



Second

Dave Eggers Stole My Suitcase David Prescott, Hereford


Third

A Good Day For Trumpet Fish David Prescott Hereford


Fourth

The Power of One Hazera Forth, Befordshire


Fifth

The Big Enigma Mel Fawcett, Cumbria

Boot Camp 254 Hits in 2006

We have just announced our latest prize winners.

Here is the latest round up of "hits" for 2006

We currently lie on 254 hits for 2006.

Virtually 5 Hits per week for the whole of the year.

Next year our target is 52 First Prizes, 150 Prizes-Places, 365 Hits

24th Boot Camp First Prize, 90 Prizes-Places in 2006

2005 saw Boot Campers win 26 Firsts
2006 saw Boot Campers win 24 Firsts

A nice round total of FIFTY first prizes in two years





2006

Total Winnings $9,100

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB
18 Lexie wins Women Writers Network $490
19 Lexie wins $200 First at Earlyworks
20 Lexie wins $400 First Place at H E Bates
21 Cally wins Helen Mullin Award $200
22 Cedric wins CIN Marathon First Prize $200
23 rvjones wins Southport Writer $300
24 Cedric Popa wins Eclectica-CIN Prize (TBC)




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60
13 Rob Howe gets $300 Second Place at H E Bates
14 Fleur Second in CIN marathon $100
15 DavePR Second in Phoenix Prize
16 Cedric Popa 2nd in CIN-Eclectica (TBC)

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)
08 Lexie 3rd in Jo Cowell $100
09 Dave PR Third in Phoenix Prize
10 Michael J Hulme Third in CIN-Eclectica (TBC)

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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!
33 Lexie Short-Listed at Fish (Results TBA)
34 Fleur Short-listed at Fish (Results TBA)
35 Jason Jackson Highly Commended in Jo Cowell
36 Lexie HR'd at Southport
37 TomC shortlisted in Cadenza Comp
38 Dave PR longlisted Cadenza
39 Hazera 4th in Poenix Prize
40 Michael J Hulme 4th in CIN-Ecectica (TBC)





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

Eclectica- CIN Prize-Winners Announced

Eclectica Magazine have chosen the following five stories, four by Boot Campers and one by a Guest as their top five Children in Need Stories for 2006, to appear in a forthcoming "Eclectica"


Killing Bulls
The Year of the Card Player
Geoff Says Farewell
The Undressing of Ursula
Ramirez

These are by

Cedric Popa
Cedric Popa
Michael J Hulme
Michael J Hulme
Kenneth Shand


I believe this to also be the winning order, but await confirmation of that for the award of prizes.



The CIN Night, to date has produced 46 Hits, one paying $100.



alx

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Doing Well But the Boss Can't Count!

My recent Prize-Totals post had Boot Camp with 87 Prizes-Places.

That should have been 86.

A second, a third, and a fourth place announced today takes us to here:

2006 86 Prizes 23 Firsts, 15 Seconds, 9 Thirds, 39 Finals $9,000

Total Winnings $9,000

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB
18 Lexie wins Women Writers Network $490
19 Lexie wins $200 First at Earlyworks
20 Lexie wins $400 First Place at H E Bates
21 Cally wins Helen Mullin Award $200
22 Cedric wins CIN Marathon First Prize $200
23 rvjones wins Southport Writer $300




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60
13 Rob Howe gets $300 Second Place at H E Bates
14 Fleur Second in CIN marathon $100
15 DavePR Second in Phoenix Prize

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)
08 Lexie 3rd in Jo Cowell $100
09 Dave PR Third in Phoenix 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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!
33 Lexie Short-Listed at Fish (Results TBA)
34 Fleur Short-listed at Fish (Results TBA)
35 Jason Jackson Highly Commended in Jo Cowell
36 Lexie HR'd at Southport
37 TomC shortlisted in Cadenza Comp
38 Dave PR longlisted Cadenza
39 Hazera 4th in Phoenix Prize





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

Friday, December 15, 2006

We Demand a Recount!

We've been underestimating our prizes/places.

two stories make the finals of Cadenza and takes us to THIS!


2006

87 Prizes

23 Firsts

14 Second

08 Thirds

42 Finals

Total Winnings $9,000

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB
18 Lexie wins Women Writers Network $490
19 Lexie wins $200 First at Earlyworks
20 Lexie wins $400 First Place at H E Bates
21 Cally wins Helen Mullin Award $200
22 Cedric wins CIN Marathon First Prize $200
23 rvjones wins Southport Writer $300




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60
13 Rob Howe gets $300 Second Place at H E Bates
14 Fleur Second in CIN marathon $100

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)
08 Lexie 3rd in Jo Cowell $100

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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!
33 Lexie Short-Listed at Fish (Results TBA)
34 Fleur Short-listed at Fish (Results TBA)
35 Jason Jackson Highly Commended in Jo Cowell
36 Lexie HR'd at Southport
37 TomC shortlisted in Cadenza Comp
38 Dave PR longlisted Cadenza

39
40
41 3 BC stories in last 5 of Phoenix




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

Thursday, December 14, 2006

More Hits! Closing in on 250 in 2006

Lexie was HRd at Southport to go with our win there; we have three stories on a shortlist, results TBA, Colin was HRd in another comp (Ormskirk), TomC gets one in Peccary Magazine... all taking us to 246 hits for the year, 80 Prizes/Places earnming $9,000

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Phoenix Prize Latest

Sorry to say that entries didn't cover the main prize
but 7Q has decided to carry the loss (£35)


The shortlisted stories (below) have gone out to the judge

Results expected in a few days




Dave Eggers Stole My Suitcase
Irrigation
A Good Day For Trumpet Fish
The Power of One
The Big Enigma

Monday, December 11, 2006

Boot Campers Win $9,000 in Prizes!

2006 = 76 Prizes 23 Firsts 13 Second 8 Third, 36 HRs/Named Finals $9,000


We have just had our 23rd First Place of 2006

rvjones wins Southport $300

Jason Jackson HR'd in Jo Cowell

If we can squeeze in two more before the year-end we'' have averaged 1.5 prizes a week




Total Winnings $9,000

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB
18 Lexie wins Women Writers Network $490
19 Lexie wins $200 First at Earlyworks
20 Lexie wins $400 First Place at H E Bates
21 Cally wins Helen Mullin Award $200
22 Cedric wins CIN Marathon First Prize $200
23 rvjones wins Southport Writer $300




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60
13 Rob Howe gets $300 Second Place at H E Bates
14 Fleur Second in CIN marathon $100

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)
08 Lexie 3rd in Jo Cowell $100

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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!
33 Lexie Short-Listed at Fish (Results TBA)
34 Fleur Short-listed at Fish (Results TBA)
35 Jason Jackson Highly Commended in Jo Cowell




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

More Internet Problems

I have had horrendous problems with BT Broadband.

They "fixed it" Friday and oit dropped out again the following morning.


Just back on, so behind (again) with emails and web updates



alex

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

2007 Face-to-Face Courses in Newbury

In January 2007 I'm holding two courses at Kingfisher Barn, Newbury, Berkshire.

They are scheduled Thursday-Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon 11th-15th and 18th-22nd but either/both courses can be run one day later (Friday-Tuesday) if the majority prefer that.

Each day is self-contained and individuals can attend for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days.

There WILL be courses later in the year but we try to hit the New Year running.

Kingfisher Barn is a converted oak-beamed barn in a lovely secluded spot yet one mile from the nearest station.

For further details email me

alex.keegan

(at)

btinternet.com

Day 1: Thursday
The Over-Riding Importance of Voice & Character

Voice & Character, Setting Tone.
Voice & Dialogue

09:00 Talk: How Voice Shapes Reader & Writer 01
09:30 Exercise Voice 1
10:00 Talk: How Voice Shapes Reader & Writer 02
10:30 Exercise Voice 2
11:00 Talk: Why Character ALWAYS Comes First 01
11:30 Exercise Character 1
12:00 Talk: Why Character ALWAYS Comes First 02
12:30 Exercise Character 2
13:00 Discussion & Lunch
14:00 Thirty Minutes Free Time
14:30 Talk: Dialogue Errors
15:15 Exercise Dialogue Critiquing
15:30 Talk: Improving Dialogue. Do's & Don'ts
15:30 Exercise Dialogue 1
16:00 Summary
16:30 WRITING: Assisted Writing Time (Story)
19:00 Dinner
20:00 Feature Film: Looking at Deleted Scenes & Theme

Day 2: Friday
Bigger Little Stories
Avoiding Me-Too
Ambition
Honesty.

09:00 Talk: The Dangers of Certain Voices Limiting Scope.
09:30 Exercise: Laddish & Girlie versus Godlike. Dangers of First Person
10:00 Talk: How to Make Little Stories Bigger
10:30 Discussion: Writer-Generated Story Weighting
11:00 Talk: Truth, Pain (Napalm), Avoiding the Closed, The Lingering Ache
11:30 Short IDEA Workshop. Expand or Contract?
12:00 Talk: Why Setting Up the Reader is Important
13:00 Discussion & Lunch
14:00 Thirty Minutes Free Time
14:30 Talk: PLOT is a Four-Letter Word -1
15:00 Exercise: Plotting 1
15:30 Talk: More on Character v Plotting
16:00 Summary
16:30 WRITING: Assisted Writing Time (Story)
19:00 Dinner
20:00 Feature Film: Looking at Deleted Scenes & Theme

Day 3: Saturday
Let's Talk About YOU.
Getting Your WHY into Stories
Removing YOU

09:00 Talk: Why I Write. What Matters. What is My Ache?
09:30 Exercise: Where Am I Going? What Am I Saying? Commercialism.
10:00 Talk: Being Interesting. Seducing Readers. Under the Ribs
10:30 Discussion: Danger Zone. Who is Hiding? Who is a Cheat?
11:00 Talk: USING Truth, Pain. TMAWIA. Learning to Bleed. Lit v Genre
12:00 Discussion: Mixing Genres. Can I be serious, and Tell Stories?
13:00 REVIEW
13:30 Lunch Followed by Free Time
14:30 Talk: How Voice, Tone, Language Finds ME
15:00 Exercise: Using Voice, Tone, Language to Find My Ache
15:30 Discussion of Work
16:00 Summary
16:30 WRITING: Assisted Writing Time (Story)
19:00 Dinner
20:00 Feature Film: Looking at Deleted Scenes & Theme



Day 4: Sunday
THEME MUSIC
Poetry, Metaphor, Reference, Allusion
Fuzzy & Spiky. Using the Reader's Memory

09:00 Talk: TONE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT.
09:30 Exercise: I Feel Uncomfortable. This Isn't Me.
10:00 Talk: How Rich is Too Rich?
10:30 Exercise. One Story, Two Soundtracks. Voice-POV
11:00 Talk: USING Truth, Pain. TMAWIA. Learning to Bleed. Lit v Genre
12:00 Discussion: I Don't Like Literary Bollox. In Genre?
13:00 REVIEW & Discuss
13:30 Lunch Followed by Free Time
14:30 Talk: How Allusion, Reference, & Subtle Borrowing Enriches Feeling
15:00 Exercise: Rich Even When Writing Carver. Cliché v Resonant Reference.
15:30 Discussion of Work
16:00 Summary
16:30 WRITING: Assisted Writing Time (Story)
19:00 Dinner
20:00 Feature Film: Looking at Deleted Scenes & Theme



Day 5: Monday
Self-Gridding & Self-Editing.
Re-writing and Re-Living. Fine Toothcomb



09:00 Talk: How the Grid is Used Badly.
09:30 Exercise: Gridding Two Stories.
10:00 Talk: One Story, Two Critiques, One of Which is Honest
10:30 Exercise. A NON-Grid Review of a Story for Editing
11:00 Talk: How Elemental Polishes Dramatically Improve a Story
12:00 Exercise & Discussion: Gridding to Rewrite
13:00 REVIEW & Discuss
13:30 Lunch Followed by Free Time
14:30 Talk: Gridding Towards the Truth
15:30 Individual Gridding of Course Stories. Blue Pen
15:30 Group Discussion of Work
16:30 Summary
17:00 Afternoon Tea


The following elements will probably be covered within the above but for those not wanting to write in the two-hour slots, these talks/discussions will be available at those times

Making Stories Layered
Obtuse versus Oblique
Why Tone Can Be an Ally
How Allusions Can Bolster the Theme
How Word-Choices Can Subtly "Weight" Meaning
Having Real Plots Not Incident Chains
Voice + POV + Character + Situation = PLOT with Resonance


Aesthetics v Utility v Propaganda.

Why Some Stories Get Under the Skin When Others Just Have "Look at Me" Written All Over Them. Avoiding (Obvious) Showboating.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Phoenix Prize Problems

The response to The Phoenix Prize (and to the previous Frantc Flash) was very poor.

Seventh Quark (meaning ME) lost money on the Frantic Flash.

As entries stand we will lose money on the Phoenix, also.

This is a fantastic opportuntiy for any half-decent writers to win a first prize. Get your entries in NOW!

We need 13 more entries just to break even (a £200 first prize and no place prizes) but I am not prepared to lose on two consecutive competitions.

I'm thus keeping the comp open a little while longer in the hope that the various promised stories arrive.

The following is a FIRST PASS (meaning it's rough and positions could change) which gives an APPROXIMATE standing (in bands) of the stories. The list is to show you ROUGHLY where your story stands but please note that within a band, just because you are first doesn't nmean you are top of that band.

IRRIGATION
A Good Day For Trumpet Fish
The Big Enigma
Mechanical Animals
Saviour of Mons

The I in the Sky
The Truth Game
Soul Kill
Final Knockings
Not Los Angeles

Cold Bones
Elixir of Youth
Taking Care
Sea Songs & Bladderwrack
The Leg or Oliver's Lamp

Strangers
Glass Jars
Rough Justice
Poor Daisy
Growing Pains
Crossing the Bridge
The Visitor
The Good Deed
Clouds
Perpetual Paradise
The Assessment

Unmarked

The Power of One
The End of the World is Done

Lost Web Access

(Monday)

I've had no web access Thursday-Sunday so am now behind.


Hope to catch up tomorrow



Alex

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

A First, a Second, Nine Hits

A whole glut of winners to report

Cedric Popa wins Children in Need $200
Cedric Popa fourth in CIN

Fleur Chapman second in Children in Need $100

Seven BCers make last 12 of CIN Comp

Tom C (two in the above 7) acceptance at "Heavy Glow"
Tom C acceptance at Litbits
Tom C acceptance at American Drivel

Missy acceptance at Cadenza

BCer acceptance at "Clever"

A large number of BCers made the named long-list for CIN
and they all had at least one story in the anthology but
these are NOT being counted as HITS, merely as "Notes"

A First, a Second, Nine Hits

A whole glut of winners to report

Cedric Popa wins Children in Need $200
Cedric Popa fourth in CIN

Fleur Chapman second in Children in Need $100

Seven BCers make last 12 of CIN Comp

Tom C (two in the above 7) acceptance at "Heavy Glow"
Tom C acceptance at Litbits
Tom C acceptance at American Drivel

Missy acceptance at Cadenza

BCer acceptance at "Clever"

A large number of BCers made the named long-list for CIN
and they all had at least one story in the anthology but
these are NOT being counted as HITS, merely as "Notes"

CIN Finalist

The 12 stories in the CIN Anthology Final

A Muse Lost
Claude Romarin
Falling In
Geoff Says Farewell
Imaginary Things
Not Killing Lembit
Pavel's Grey Painting
Six Uses For a Hedgehog
The Nest
The Undressing of Ursula Nelmes
The Year of the Card Player
When the Colours Exploded

Congratulation to

Vanessa Gebbie (2)
Tom Conoboy (2)
Cedric Popa (2)
Cally Taylor (2)
Colin Upton
Laurie Porter
Fleur Chapman
Michael J Hulme

These were the best 12 stories from 345 and the winners
(chosen by competitor votes)

were

Cedric Popa
Fleur Chapman
Vanessa Gebbie

who win £100-£0-£25 respectively

Friday, November 24, 2006

Third First Prize in a Week!

Boot Camper Cally Taylor wins $200 Hellen Mullin Award


Our 21st First Prize of the year

CIN Anthology

For some reason Blogger is changing the colour of the latest CIN Anthology


No idea why Blogger doesn't want to show the GREAT cover
to our BC-CIN Anthology but you can see the real thing at


http://www.7thquarkmagazine.com

Fast Work if You Can Get It!

Feeling good after last night's H E Bates 1-2 for Boot Camp but even better knowing that last Thursday-Friday's Childen-in-Need marathon produced 346 stories, that every one has had 5 critiques, some as many as 10, that I critted the whole damn lot of them, and, and, and, at 01:15 Thursday Night into Friday I printed off the first copy of the Anthology!

I deliver the PDF this morning and the anthologies will be in my sticky paws by close of business.


How's that? A week earlier than the pros did it last year.

The Marathoneers


Adam Warren
Alex Keegan
Alex Wire
Antony Davies
Barbara Godwin
Bonzo Browne
Cally Taylor
Caroline Davies
Cedric Popa
Christine Tothill
Colin Upton
Dan Malach
Fleur Chapman
Joel Willans
Kenneth Shand
Laurie Porter
Louise Graves
Michael J Hulme
Nancy Saunders
Nigel Allison
Ralph Hockley
Tom Conoby
Toni Peers
Vanessa Gebbie

Burco Con
Dave Prescott
Kirsty Davies
Jacob Andelin

Alexander Fox
(Secretary)

Special thanks to Lexie Fox for staying up the whole thirty hours to send out the prompts by email.
Thanks to Kirsty & Jacob who were unable to take part but nevertheless raised sponsorship monies.
Thanks also to “Burco” who was taken ill early in the night, and to Dave who was “distracted”.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Boot Camp Wins 1-2 in H E Bates

Lexie Fox wins this year's H E Bates ($400) and recently-returned Rob Howe is $300 Second.


Our 20th First Prize in 2006

N-N-N-Nineteen

2006 74 Prizes 19 Firsts 11 Second 8 Third, 36 Finals $7,500


An update, Lexie shortlist turns into a $200 First at Earthworks

Our 19th First Prize in 2006

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Children in Need

We have 350 stories to plough through (250 done) to get a longlist, then shortlist

(I now HATE flashes)

Money raised is over £5,700 closing on £6K

Another First Prize and a String of Hits

Lexie wins a First Prize worth $490 from Women Writers Network

Cally places in an anthology

TomC gets a story on Rutland Radio

lex has a story in an EarlyWorks Press Anthology

Lee has an acceptance for Southern Ocean Review (or did I already mention that one?)

Nightwriter gets two poems into Southern Ocean Review (one hit)

Tom and MJH get into Cautionary Tales "Best of 2006" Anthology


That takes us to 18 First Prizes in 2006

Total Winnings $7,300

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB
18 Lexie wins Women Writers Network $490




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)
08 Lexie 3rd in Jo Cowell $100

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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!
33 Lexie Short-Listed at Fish (Results TBA)
34 Fleur Short-listed at Fish (Results TBA)
35 BCer in last 4 of H E Bates (TBA)
36 BCer in last 4 of H E Bates (TBA)




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

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Here We Go!

So far the official pledges (2/3 of participants) for the Children in Need Marathon are up to 3,600 UK Pounds so we are still in the running to collect £5,000

There are 28 people paid up and raring to go.

You could help the cause by ordering an anthology £5 plus UK postage or by sonosring either the group of Alex K (I need the sponsors!

With the practice stories we expect to go well past 500 stories/poems and over 250,000 words


Think of us in the wee small hours. When you get up for work tomorrow we will have been writing for 12-13 hours and have 17-18 to go


Alex

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Another Fine Placing

We were disappointed this year not to get a BC story or two in the final for Bridport, or at least in the last 50.

Good news, our own "MJ" has just received a letter, forwarded from his old address

He made the last fifty from 4,793 entries

That is a seriously good hit. Our 72nd Prize/Place.




alx

More Prizes, More Hits

Chrissie has an acceptance at Bright Lights Cafe

Caroline has a poem accepted for December's Poetry Monthly

Lee has an acceptance for Southern Ocean Review

Lexie wins $100 Third Place in Jo Cowell

and a BCer is in the final four of H E Bates (results TBA)

That takes us to 210 Hits for the year and 71 Prizes/Places, at least $6,810


Meanwhile the Children in Need Practice Sessions have produced 130 Flashes/Poems!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

More Hits, More Prompts

A double hit for Nightriter (counted as one) and a hit for CLT takes us to 204 for the year


PROMPTS

Who Will You Believe?

Playing Bridge in a Morgue

I Can Count to Ten

Nature v Nurture

Trailer Park Boys

The Borderlands of Sience

CRASH

Deep Simplicity

Blood

Almost Like a Whale

Get a Load of This

Storm Warning

Five Days That Shook the World

England Made Me

The Letter From Miss Powell

Dead Rock Stars

Surviving the Sword

Lord Gnome's Literary Companion

Al Quiet on the Western Front

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Phoenix Prize Deadline Extended

Please note the deadline for the Phoenix Prize (short stories under 4K) hs been extended to the end of November

£6/£200

See http://www.7thquarkmagazine.com for details


BC Prompts, Tuesday

Breakfast With Androids

Mesopotamia, Bicycles

Brodie's Owl

Fever

Three Days' Growth of Beard

Don't Look Now

After the First Rise of Green Light

Touring Brian

Goodbye to All That, Hello to This

The Truth (With Jokes)

Sex Slave Apprenticeship

On Being a Cow

Howling at the Moon

The Town and the City

Another of His Thrilling Tales

Boiled Beef, Carrots & Gravy

Florence Nightingale HEART Stanley Livingstone

Sunday, November 05, 2006

More Success & Bonfire Day Prompts

Lexie and Fleur are shortlisted at Fish for the Story in a Page Comp (results TBA), ClaireLT has a hit at "Mama" taking us to 69 Prizes/Places for the year, 202 Hits



Here Are Today's Prompts


I Have Never Travelled, I Have Never Been Here

iPod, Mobile, Headband, Belt

It was late, late in the evening

Learning German

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, the shop on the corner, the girl next door

National Euthanasia Day

On the darkening wind a pale face floated

Sometimes a man aims high and things go well

The Importance of Not being Caught

The Smell of Roasting Hedgehog

Timothy Winters Comes to School, Eyes as Wide as a Football Pool

Who Wants to Be a Milionaire?

Yes, yours, my love, is the right human face

You Walking Away from me towards the school

A Guy Called Guy

An Inconvenient Truth

An Old Man Playing Football v 13 Indian Waiters

And the whispers of wind in the evening sky

Catherine's Wheals

Ears Like Bombs and Teeth Like Splinters

Everyone's pain has a different smell

Fire!

Got a Rocket in Your Pocket

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Great Production. New Story Machine?

Good month for me so far, three stories, two flashes, six poems, 8,179 words.

I'd like to rest, but I'm grabbig this while it's here!

I can worry about redrafting, edits, and reewriting when I'm old.



PROMPT BLOCK


Take 1-2-3-all of these


The more of these you use the more you will find an amazing story in you


but read the whle thing a few times first and let the phrases sing to you, get into your consciousness.

Yesterday from the same set of prompts I read two 120+ stories that used ALL the prompts. One turned out to be a dark murder story, the othr was about a Falklands veteran walking on a beach1

But on my walk I find three : I employ more people than Henry Ford : The poor little children vomited and wept : Rabbits. Deer. Because of a principle. : She is behind : I would have heard them : Red than Dead. Because the Ruskies : Women marched. Held Hands : Via Aldermaston : Twelve thousand men : Trucks, concrete. Frighted away : Travel steerage by air : To slip back into France. Because of an Austrian : To rest. Because they walk : To my right : To less effect, obviously : Though I loved Cairo : They marched so close to my house : I've been to paralysed to write : It was really terrifying : Then returning I found that my house was not ready : The trip back was something : Who got away : The trickling sun, the sprinkle : The sun was like a spirit : The sun slits through leaves : When I turn away, my shadow : Were footsteps, horseshoes : The root was not quite right. : The path was old. Through the trees : The path is well-trod : The missiles went, the concrete : The chaps are drilling again : Talking on her mobile. : Strategic Air Command, the skies : Soldiers drilled. Left-Right : Snorting. : Reclaimed, relaid and fox and stoat : Polythene bags of shit : The little tea-house, and scones; : The key to all our futures, better : Plover rush. Because of Sarajevo. : Past the cruise-missile silos : November. Glorious : Morning run : Missiles came. Because they could. : Left, a crow sits quietly : Is in front of me. : In little bags : I know they pick up shit : I knew that : I imagined my own death : I hear dogs. : I came to take a photograph : He's pullovered, green : He doesn't look : Hanging from saplings : Had buried many. Thrown down wells : grilling on the chain-link fence : Got ten cartons of cigarettes in Karachi : Glorious again : Four hundred years deep : Faintly pleasant, it was : Eyes front. Missed the Golden : Essex ran for London. His men : Early morning light through trees. : Dear Brother : Cut Ties, Cut Fences. But still : Chopped in bits. Because times changed : Catch the sun, pause, it's pleasant : But she is halting : But I was disappointed : But graffiti too. Because he is bored. : Beneath my feet : As though he is alone : As I pass, my shadow : Approaching : And turn inside out : And talked to themselves and never, never stopped : And rabbit, cow, deer alive, mosses : And on my return : And making planes that glide : And laughed and ran up and down and sang : Americans, steam-rollers, giant : All horrible. Because of a King. : A treaty signed, not here, away

Friday, November 03, 2006

More Good Competition News

The Fish One-Page Historical Short Competition announced its final 16 today

On that list two Boot Campers and a former Boot Camper!

Keep Going!

Still riding the whirlwind. 5,500 this month (early on the third)


Here are today's prompts:



Tree Struck By Lightning

The Wreck of the Josie B

Flowrers For Algernon's Teacher

Power of Four

The Autobiography of His Best Mate

Fishes

Goldfish are ORANGE

Pins

Stunted

The Email

Majesty, Majesty

Trampled to Death By Kisses

The Saga of Woolworths. Episode 19, Broken Biscuits

Helen, Not So Beautiful

The Thirteenth Tale

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Prompt Block

Use IN SEQUENCE,

read, read, read, and read again

allow the connections which the unconscious makes



A mountain range on a day that was twinkling bright and clear - A wedge of broken glass behind him - all I can do is tell what I know - all my life I've tried to put it from me - All my past life is mine no more - and I resumed the struggle - As if the question had been addressed to the causeless uneasiness within him - below, bacon in a skillet - blaming on his boots the faults of his feet - crossing the continental us by night - don't do anything but wait - during the night Sim was born - Eddie Willers could not distinguish the bum's face. - everything resolved and satisfactorily explained - For a long time I would go to bed early. - From the sunset far at the end of the street. - Gas smells awful - he found the corpse covered in a blanket - he grew, steadily. - he lay wailing upon the cold cave stones - he opened a door on darkness - he showed me some of his gold teeth - he was drunk outside Sardi's in a second-hand Rolls-Royce - his blood beat through him a thousand pulses each minute - His head encased in a steel sphere he could never take off - His terrier, Jack - how it ended - How much, how little, is - I can't believe my luck - I can't really say exactly what happened - I did not have time to tell myself - I have eaten the plums - I live in a well - I remember. I remember - I saw a burning tree - I think of you with nothing on - I warn you - I was much too far out all my life - I'm beginning to come round to that opinion - I'm falling asleep - I'm sorry - Imagine you are looking across a desert - In this short life - 'Indeed!" said Mr Jones, "and please - it was a day as fresh as grass growing up and clouds going over - it will not be neatly tied up at the end - it's a murder story too. - I've been right in the thick of it - live like smoke in a well - Mocking and still - Nobody heard him, the dead man - not by me it won't anyway - nothing to be done - now if you don't like that sort of story - on the campaign cot where he had always slept - or if it has ended - or why or just how it began - Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun the moon and dismantle the sun - rain beat very hard against the windows - Reflected the metal yellow of the sky - Remember me when I am gone away - reminded him of unrequited love - Right in the middle of her forehead - "Send me the half that's got my keys - Sometimes, the candle barely out, my eyes closed so quickly - Still two years old and trembling at his feet - "There's been an accident!" they said. - That only lasts an hour - That were in the icebox - the cellar was cold cement and the dead man cold stone - The chain of the hours - The eyes looked straight at Eddie Willers - the first time I ever saw Larry Bartzel - The flying hours are gone - The house where I was born - The light was ebbing - The order of the heavenly bodies - the scent of bitter almonds - The sequence of the years - Then a mile of sea-scented beach - There was a lot Larry said that was gibberish to them - there was a tall blonde with him - there's man all over for you - They may not mean to, but they do - They took my life and threw it on the skip - They were waiting for me somewhere beneath Eden Rock - this is a true story, I can't believe it's really happening - unanswered questions - vapour in a stone throat - Vladimir be reasonable, you haven't tried everything - what are days for? - what you got on me? - what you're starting to read is full of loose ends - When a man is asleep he has, in a circle around him - who had eyes you wouldn't forget - Who is John Galt? - Within our power - Yellow glints caught his eyes. - you better not read it - You might as well live - Your servant's cut in half," he's dead. -

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

TRY THIS

across the surface of things
After eating they took us to their apartment
although we never did get drunk
And as soon as one approaches your stop
and I was to come back this morning
and nobody hearing it could doubt what it sings
and she expected her husband
And the minutes, the hours, the days.
and the song sings the loudest when you pick out each note
at 12:15 am
Babies are still gurgling, bibbed, in high-chairs, cots, lobster pots,
Bloody men are like bloody buses
boy was he burned up
Brodie and I were in the lounge
but it's a song all the same
but we drank more there and pawed around a while
Chronologically, nobody is old.
clean white sheets
Flashing their indicators
how all the pain falls away.
How the country is so much more right you know,
how we’ve landed on our feet.
I am writing on my bed
I don’t know.
if you listen you can hear it
If you make a mistake
if you stand quietly, at the foot of a garden
I'm almost popping
I'm so full of food
in the middle of a street, on the roof of a house
It is Sunday,
it's a wordless song for the most
it's clearest at night
I've spent in months
Jump off and you'll stand there and gaze
Naturally we slept through Brodie's date
Offering you a ride
Only Mattie Schiff and Brad Sheen are old enough
or crawling around floors that taste (if you get close enough) like blankie and breast-milk.
Perhaps I should start at yesterday noon
so Brodie made a date with her friend for 8:00
so crisp and clear,
so we came back to the hotel, ate, abd lay down
Something about how it’s so good to be here,
sprinklers sprinkling,
that the world is like a sharp intake of breath.
The babe I had was married
the city it sings
the low soothing hum of air-conditioners
the sun up slow and easy,
There's no turning back
This has been the damndest day
This is a young street.
to a place inside you
to burst through screen doors and run out, heading for the hoop.
Two or three appear
we had already drunk until our eye-teeeth floated
we invited them to lunch
what a place this joint is
What is she saying?
when the song reaches out
when the sound cuts more sharply
when we spotted two wenches giving us the eye.
While the cars and the taxis and lorries go by
You haven't much time to decide
You look at them
You wait for about a year
You're tring to read their destinations

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

17th First Prize! 199 Hits in 2006

Congratulations to TomC.

Tom recently won Seventh Quark's Frantic Flash, but to show it was no fluke (or a fix) that's Tom's third first place in a month.

This time Tom wins JBWB and picks up $300

This year has been relative disppointing as two of our most prolific winners consciously made the choice to aim a lot higher. One big problem with the competition and publication "market" is the huge gap between those places that cater for very good beginners and intermediate writers, and then the big boys.

When 7Q was launched it aimed to bridge the gap between those places we all start subbing to, and the exalted journals. One problem the editor of 7Q discovered is that many, may writers stay in their comfort zone because they are too scared to saddle up and cross that no-pubs desert.

The 95-110 story i can pick up any time. The stories between 110 and 140 seem rarely to be written.

We can only dream of 150-200


THE LIST

Total Winnings $6,710

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11
17 TomC wins $300 First at JBWB




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)
12 Nighttwriter 2ns Aber Valley $60

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)

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 (second story placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (second story placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival
29 TomC named on Wells Shortlist
30 Lexie named on Wells shortlist
31 Lexie named on Wells Shortlist
32 TomC 2nd story shortlisted (Top 6) at JBWB as well as winning!




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

Monday, October 30, 2006

Seven already up for tonight's CIN Practice

who's in?


01 Alex
02 TW
03 Dave PR
04 MJH
05 RR?
06 CLT
07 Ralph

Children in Need Practise

Please note there is a Children in Need Practice Flash
Session TONIGHT held in Boot Camp. (Free)

(Join us even if you are not "CINNING")

if new to ezboards, go HERE http://p220.ezboard.com/bbootcampkeegan

and say hello first,


If you are already on board the CIN Forums will be

http://p220.ezboard.com/fbootcampkeeganfrm250


Please email me if your doing some!

Prompts etc

I thought I'd be away Monday-Tuesday so busted a giut over the weekend to try and hit 40K for October,

Bugger! now I'm on 41.5 K with three days left. That means I need to aim for 45K and 50K

Or maybe I'll sleep


I've been up 3 Hours 15 minutes (but finished primaries)

her y'go



PROMPTS

There is no chapel on the day, on which they hang a man

To hell with the dogwood

I forget, I forget, but I know that I was born

I saw Savold fight Billy Conn (unless I've got the names mixed)

Honey, Money

The social life here is limited but odd

Reviews are balls if you ask me and never to be trusted

That Whitsun, I was late getting away

Your letter came today, parachuted food to my jungle

Have you read Comrade Steinbeck's latest?

He was always very upset about the dead and blood and what-not.

It seems to me unbearable in every line that the man killed himself for no personal failing or despair

Picklepot, are the childies having fun?

Have a good time in the army darling

I have been writing every day fiercly all day

My cats are very good to me but unfortunately cannot read

This afternoon mother comes

Will spoily you like goat

My typewriter is broken so I am in Max's office

Your wisdom is more apparent to me every day

Now the colour is terrible

What year at Bryn Mawr

No letters in 1947

i dug this grave with my teeth

Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese

November Frantic Flash Cancelled

We are up to our ears with the Children in Need Marathon
and demand for the FF is not that high (most are in CIN)
so we wl not hold the Frantic Flash on November 4-5

The next Frantic Flash will be held 3-4 December

Sunday, October 29, 2006

DUNNIT! 41,520 words

I wrote a few days ago saying I hoped to crack 40,000 words this month but it seemed unlikely.

Well a purple weekend and I am on 41,520 (in 24 Days)

That 50K Novel-in-a-Month thing sounds like a doddle

10 Flashes
08 Poems
05 Shorts
08 Stories
01 Articles (SOLD)
01 Unfinished Piece (320 words)

28 SUBS
02 Rejections
01 Hits

Quantity before Quality?

I have always found that the more I write, the faster I write, the better it gets. I expect to place 90% of this month's work. One piece is my entry into The National Short Story Prize. At least two others will do very well in comps.

I won't post the list now, but will kep updating it once the stuff starts to place (or not!)

Success Update

Not sure which of these have been posted, but if I'm repeating myself, well does it hurt to mention a success twice?

190 Tom C has an acceptance for Aussie print Journal, Staples

191 Roberta gets into Lyrica

192 Lexie placed third in Mere ($150)

193 Cally is a runner-up and gets $30

194 Lexie on Wells Shortlist I

195 Lexie on Wells Shortlist II

195 Tom C on Wells shortlist (BCers 3/20 Finalists)

196 Caroline Second Place in Aber Valley Poetry Comp

197 AK places a new article at Internet Writers Journal

Sunday Prompts and a Success

Sorry these are late. I was up at 0700 but forgot to post

PS had an email from an ex Boot Camper who said that a story sparked by a prompt from this blog made the last 50 (of 4,000 or so stories) in The Bridport Prize!


PROMPTS


I read about it in the paper, on the subway, on my way to work.

CHINCH

and brings the sailor home for tea

CHINE

In the Oakland Greyhound all the people were dwarfs

CHINK

Hi there, streets, hi there, squares, hello [i]la foule![/i]

CHINOIDINE

His story begins in New York on the corner of Broadway and Battery Place

CHINOOK

I too awaited the expected guests

CHINTZ

I read it and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again.

CHIPPENDALE

Squalid doubtful figures, family men vaguely happy

CHIPPER

Whe he appears every hat is raised

CHI-RHO

Cutting in ahead of two nuns who were there first

CHIRM

Savitsky, Commander of the Division, rose when he saw me.

CHIROGRAPH

The marvellous beauty of political corruptions

CHIRR

1906 Gun-Boat Diplomacy 2006 Gravy Boat Diplomacy

CHITTER

I meat you in an evil time

CHITTY-FACED

All afternoon is someone's attic

CHIVVY

You who love England, have an ear for her music

CHLAMYDATE

Down the long concourse they came unsteadily

CHLORIC

Then perhaps I just stared at it.

CHLORITE

She thought it was the flaming head of a man whipping like a comet through the sleeping darkness.

CHLOROUS

Oh, what can you do with a man like that?

CHLOROFORM

I buttoned up my coat, balanced myself; advance slowly towards him, touched his shoulder and said:

CHOCKTAW

The cat had begun to clean its whiskers

CHOENIX

We slept, all six of us, beneath a wooden roof that let in the stars

CHOIL

Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirro and a razor lay crossed.

CHOKY

The things they carried were largely determined by necessity.

CHONDRE

That evening at Bud and Olla's was special.

CHOPLOGICAL

When it came to concealing his troubles, Tommy Wilhelm was not less capable than the other fellow.

CHORAGIUM

and a bit of her petticoat hanging like a caricature

CHORDEE!

We were always loyal to lost causes

CHOREA

The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward

CHORION (for everyone except Lexie)

Saturday, October 28, 2006

FOUR DAYS LEFT

I'm on 32.5K so I think I should strike out for 40K.

Unlikely as I have to travel Monday-Tuesday, but I may get out of that yet.

Today I've posted a mass of prompts, but here's the deal. You need to CHANT the whole lists, sing it, at least 4-5 times and then when you think you are almost ready to write, sing it again, take notice of the italics/plain/bold/caps, then, when you write your story try to include at least one actual prompt (or its inspiration/feel) from each type.


DEAR LOVE

All my adult life

THERE IS FOUR INCHES OF SNOW

Sometimes he turned to smile

JOKE

In Santiago

I'VE RE-WRITTEN THE FIRST CHAPTER

I have been a guest in other people's houses

WITH WHAT PAIN

that toothed, long-jawed, lip-less smile

AND I'LL NEVER BE CONTENT WITH THAT CHAPTER

the capital of the kingdom of Chile

THE MOST RE-DONE OF THE LOT

following the sun and seasons like a migratory bird

IT MOVES SLOWLY

when he was called something particularly insulting

SETTING NO KEY-NOTE

at the very moment of the great earthquake of 1647

AND I JUST CAN'T MAKE IT JELL

an instinct in me, the rich man's cunning feel for ripeness

I'LL HAVE THE SECOND DONE BEFORE I GO TO BED

and always the pain that at any movement produced

I SEE THE BOOK PRETTY CLEARLY

in which many thousands of lives were lost

UP UNTIL THE END

some oyster-in-an-r-month notion working there

AND THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO

grew stronger and stronger

OF COURSE IT'S ALL GOING TO BE MUCH MORE BANAL

a young Spaniard by the name of Jeronimo Rugera

WHEN I'M DONE WITH IT

which knows without reference to anything outside itself

LOTS OF FIRE HAS FLICKERED OUT

until finally his yellow face was parchment color

I WALKED FIVE MILES IN THE WIND TODAY

who had been locked up on a criminal charge

AND MY HEAD HURT FROM THE COLD

when to pack the tennis racket

I'M LOSING MY APPETITE

and after his second bull was dead

WHICH IS A GOOD THING

was standing against a prison pillar

WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME

when to bring the field glasses

I WAS PLAIN FAT THESE DAYS

and the throwing of bread and cushions was over

I SHALL COME BACK TO YOU AS USUAL

about to hang himself

THINNER AND WITH GOBS OF DISCIPLINE

to look at a friend's birds

WHICH I'LL LOSE THE MOMENT I LAY HANDS ON YOU

after he had saluted the president

I MEANT LAY EYES ON YOU,

the telescope to stare at his stars

BUT THERE YOU ARE

the wet suit to swim in beneath his waters

THE SUBCONSCIOUS COMING OUT

with the same wolf-jaw and contemptuous eyes

I LISTEN FOR THE TELEPHONE

when the exotic fish are running

HOPING IT WILL BE YOU

it's not in the Times

AND THEN I'M GLAD IT'S NOT

and handed his sword over to the barrera to be wiped

BECAUSE IF YOU PHONED I'D BE TEMPTED

when the black dinner jacket comes off and the white one goes on

TO COME HOME AT ONCE

it's something surer, subtler

AND I MUST STAY

and put back in its case

UNTIL I FINISH

the delicate guidance system of the privileged

THIS DAMN THING

he passed through the callejon

I LOVE YOU PASSIONATELY

my playboy astronomy

AS YOU NO DOUBT KNOW BY NOW

and leaned on the barrera below us

I'M READING TRAGIC AMERICA

his head on his arms

AND I LOVE THAT OLD GOOFER DREISER

not seeing, not hearing anything

FOR ALL HIS CHEAP JOURNALESE STYLE

only going through his pain

HE'S ANGRY AND ALIVE

Friday, October 27, 2006

Woohoo, a POYM (and Prompts)

Prompts can be amazing things.

I was just posting a random set of prompts, lines of poetry (sometimes bastardised) odd single words, whatever, when I typed TWO WORDS, instantly had a poem, wrote it (well, the first draft) and then continued with the prompts.

I'm up to 29 items for the month, 32,552 words in 21 writing days and it's all OK at least



Today's PROMPTS


A Faint Light Blinking in the Bering Strait

Small Boy, Yellow Shirt, Football

A Thousand Missiles Firing From Their Buried Silos

Other Day I'm Reading the Newspaper

Acid Rain

Ten Miles Above the Tits at St Tropez

Milk Bottles

900 Fucking Channels

Calcutta Pullulating With its Poor

At a Motel in Nanton, Alberta

They Had to Lift Her Hand From the Bedside Telephone

Those Stars We Hope to Drink Beneath Tonight

Men Armed With Nineteenth-Century Rifles

I Sing the Song of Myself

Sceptical of the Cult, Suspicious of the Nation

What Innocence? Whose Guilt? What Eyes? Whose Breast?

The Name of the Product I Tested is LIFE

The Daughters of Albion Arriving by Tube

I Was Run Over By Truth One Day

I Came Upon a Child of God, Walking Down the Road

There Was a River Overhung With trees

My Alarm Clock Screams

Nothing Was Said Until the House Grew Dark

Tanks From America, Machine-Guns From France

Each Man Wears His Suffering Like a Skin

In Parliament, Not All Humbug By Any Means

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Latest Boot Camp 2006 Prize List

Total Winnings $6,350

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 Fleur 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
13 Caroline wins Kings Lynn Poetry Prize ($200)
14 Gabiotas wins FirstWriter $400
15 TomC wins at "All About Writing"
16 TomC wins $200 First at 7Qs Frantic Flash 11




SECOND

01 Lexie $150 Second Place in "Dame Throgmorton"
02 TomC gets $100 second in JBWB
03 Dave PR 2nd in 7Q FF10
04 Cally Joint second in Writers Dock Comp
05 Lexie $300 second place Philip Good Memorial Prize
06 Cally in Woman's Own (Prize Value estimate $250)
07 Colin Second in FlashFiction Comp $50
08 Lexie 2nd in City of Derby Comp $400
09 Tom gets $200 2nd in Twyford with CIN Story
10 Calvin Lord 2nd 7Q FF11
11 ColinU 2nd at New Horizonz ($20)

THIRD

01 Lexie in 7Q FF9 Third Place
02 Lexie 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
06 DavePR 3rd in 7Q FF11
07 Lexie 3rd at Mere ($150)

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
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 (also placed 3rd)
17 Lexie at Philip Good Memorial (also placed 2nd)
18 Cally HR in Lymm Festival $20
19 Colin Finalist, $40, dinner at Frome
20 Cally Finalist Flash FictionComp
21 TomC finalist, ditto
22 Britbird shortlisted in Pier Pressure
23 Colin HM in Momaya III, in Anthology
24 Fleur "too late" in FF11 but into 7Q
25 Cally runner up at Mere ($30)
26 Cally Shortlisted at Slingink TBA
27 Cally shortlisted Helen Mullen Award TBA
28 Caroline short-listed Bournemouth Literary Festival




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

Approaching 200 Hits - prompts

A recent rush of hits takes us into the mid 190's, will post when we hit the two-ton!




TODAY's PROMPTS


I shouted, turning where I thought the voice had been

CHANT

Isn't it nice that everyone has a grocery list

BOLT

These are the days of the horrible headline

SNAP

Who will sit where in the forest of tiaras?

CLASP

I'll tell yer then what really riles a bloke

CHANCE

The barman's spaniel, one damp eye a-cock

MANSION

Concerning the reinements of cruelty

TIGER

Bomb Blast Atrocity, Leak From Reactor

FEATHER

He aerosolled his name, and it was mine.

STREET

The lads, the lads, away the lads

BALL

At home, indeed, it was terribly like the world cup

HER MOOJESTY

It's all go to the sandblaster, it's all go Tutti Frutti

GRIND

President, playing the saxophone, hoping to be liked

USB UB40

Flights Everywhere

GAS!

A society wedding, the autumn hats look swell

and an earlier batch, posted at some unGodly hour

Make Me a Supermodel

Otters Use Tools Too

Friends Resurrected

The Kiwi and the Sheep

Hole Punch

Ferret-Face Fred and the Mystery of the Gas-Leak

The Night has a Thousand Eyes

Taking a Liberty

Waterloo! Waterloo!

A purpose in liquidity

Suffering From Man Flu

Georgia's Epitaph

The singing will never be done

On bended knee

Cosmic Radiation

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Two More Prizes

We previously announced to Boot Campers on the Mere Shortlist

Just heard we had a 3rd ($150) and a runner-up ($30)

Better than a slap in the face with a wet kipper


alx

CIN, and Today's Flashes

If you are a volunteer for Children in Need Marathon Writing Night
but still have not paid your £25 you are very close to being OFF the lust.

Contact the organiser, NOW!

We have held three practice flash session and received 77 Stories, s
ome not so good, many not OK and some super ones!



Here are BC's Flashes Tuesday Morning


At Seventeen I've Come to Read a Poem

Cow Pancake

I Must Retrieve Sire's Saddle

BOAT

All the boys are howling to take the girls to bed

Acorn

A Faraway War

Carbunkle

She lay beside the bridge.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.

Wilhelm Could Wrinkle His Forehead in an Amusing Way

Me Equals Empty Squared

The barbarians are due here today

Stuart Backwards

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race

Actors explode, girls go berserk

How beautiful; those rockets are which fill the dark

The Long Line in the Grey Morning

Something From the States I Think

Monday, October 23, 2006

Arsenal Sublime

My son is in America so took my daughter to see Reading v Arsenal. We are Reading Fans now we live near but have been fans of Arsenal since the McLintock Days (well I have anyway, kids weren't born).

But getting tickets is damn hard. First time I managed to get tickets with PJ was at Middlesboro when Arsenal won 0-4.

Yesterday I take his sister Bridie to Reading and Arsenal do it again, winning 0-4.

I'm "talking football" because this wasn't just a win. I can honestly say that this is the best I've ever seen any football team play "live". The Reading fans applauded at the end. Some of the Arsenal football was magical, Brazil at their best. And Bridie got a hug of the Reading mascot.



Woke Sunday AM feeling like crap, no more sleep so Boot Camp Admin, check my word-count for the month (29,950) and update the BC Publications for the year.



SUNDAY PROMPTS at 05:55

Crossing the Line

I remember, I remember, the house where I was born

Sussuruss

They kept us close till nigh on noon and then they rang the bell

The Letters of Martha Flint

The beauty of the morning, silent, bare

Albert Backwards

Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

Singing Upside Down

Stained Glass and Other Distractions

Zen and the Art of Fixing a Puncture

The Long and Winding Road

How the make ball-bearings round

The Last Thing He Did

BALLS!

The window is starless, still, the clock ticks

Three-Legged Lambs

I long for scenes where man has never stood

Turkey Soup

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Football, Bridge, CIN

Up early, Mrs working today, but me, a tough time, lunch out with my daughter and then off to see Reading v Arsenal.

Will I cope?

But I have a story to finish so was up at 0700.

Trouble is (near-fatal for me) I broke after 2500 words and now I can't FEEL the story. I strive to write all my story drafts in one sitting. When I don't the story usually sucks. The only time I can remember a real success with a two-siting story is The Card which placed 4th in The Bridport Prize.

But (and this is the REAL point). You get it done anyway. You make the story finish. Don't get into the habt of unfinished work. It gets to easy to repeat.

BRIDGE

Played Bridge yesterday (pard and I still qualified as non-experts) and going into the last round we were 11th, (second non-expert pair) on the same percentage as the guy who had the most gold points in the UK last year. (We were on oxygen). Then we blew the last round, losing 19-1 (oops) and dropped to 28th (4th N-E-P) of 136 pairs.

Question, do we think it had anything to do with the bottle of wine over dinner, or are we still out of our depth? Ended on 61% when our target at these places is to beat 50%...


CiN FLASH PRACTICE

Will take place again MONDAY NIGHT (23rd)



SUNDAY PROMPTS

A Green Diary

Just Now the Lilac is in Bloom

GARLIC

Trumpet Involuntary

Much perplexed by various feelings

TICK

Walking a Thick Line

The woods are lovely dark and deep

The Small Canyon

And I was green and carefree, famous among the barns

EIGHT

What Goes in Pizza

Greenstone Park

The sea is calm tonight

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone

When I am a very old man I shall wear yellow Lycra

And he felt in his heart their strangeness

Naked Woman and City-Scape

Where the wind is like a whetted knife

Oliver's Other Leg

I Have been so great a lover, filled my days

Going Out Two Days With Simon

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Writing, Prompts etc

MY WRITING SURGES ON... MAYBE I SHOULD BE WRITING A NOVEL?

5 Days off this month and yet approaching 30K




PROMPTS


Someone is at the gate

Popcorn

Pray gentle maiden, may I be your lover

The Drive-in Funeral

The Serendipity Club

Thomas is having a bad day

Nettle

The square footage of the average cell

Daffodils or Narcissi?

The Estrangement of the History Teacher

The Difference Between Blank and Empty

Some heart-broken woman who hopes her married lover will come back to her after a couple of months cos he can't live without her

Blast

Preferring the Child

Hammer, hammer-blow, Hammered

Vera's car was there, no others

BLUE

Friday, October 20, 2006

Prompts For Insomniacs

Night Out Tonight, came in wrote a flash to add to todays, 2.5K sstory

Here are a set of flashes for those without beds to go to.

A Word to the Wise, said Richard

The Highwayman

Dorky Dorky Dorky Dorky Dorky Dorky

Here I am, sweating, sick and hot

The Difference Between Loss and Grief

Call the Super

When Fishes Flew and Forests Walked

ONION

She Walks in Beauty, Like the Night

Eaten Alive

From Troubles of the World I Turn to Ducks

In a Wooded Valley

The Wind Was a Torrent of Darkness Among the Gusty Trees

Please Don't Hang Him While I'm There on Holiday

What Passing Bells For These Who Die as Cattle?

PRUNES

Whose Woods These Are, I Think I Know

Magnificent

The Wnter Evening Settles Down

Selling Pyramids

Escape From Bridgend

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Thursday Has Come Early

Not sure how tomorrow will be so here are some prompts


PROMPTS

You would know him if you saw him

Michaelmas Day

I Am From Barthe-lona

Is anybody there? said the traveller, knocking on the moonlit door

In Chicago, at the Autmun's end

Nobody heard him, the dead man

I registered under another name and paid for the room in cash

Had we but world enough and time

Dirty British Coaster With a Salt-Caked Smoke-Stack

I was shot twice.

When the Evening is spread out against the sky

Midway through October he got himself excused classes for a week

Mrs Coope lingered over her coffee

One time he and momma argued over money. he left

After the cups, the marmalade, the tea

The moon blanches the yard

The singing will never be done

Actually, Mrs Luddy didn't go down to the street either

You blubberous devil said a dark young man

Dorky Day Has Changed My Life

I am all alone in my pad, man, my piled-up-to-the-ceiling-with-junk pad

Then came the camel men, cursing and growling

Candle

The girl touches her lover's face

He did not wear his scarlet coat

Here among long-discarded cassocks

CiN Doing Well

We now have 32 on the books, just over half of those already paid entry.

So we start with (hopefully) £320 in prizes, and already £400 received or promised for Children in Neeed


£25:00 001 Alex Keegan Newbury, Berkshire
£25:00 002 Alexandra Fox Northants
£25:00 003 Dave Prescott Hay-on-Wye
£25:00 004 Kirsty Davies Birmingham
£25:00 005 Ralph Hockley
£25:00 006 Caroline Davies Befordshire
£25:00 007 Cally Taylor East Sussex
£25:00 008 Cedric Popa Romania
£25:00 009 Tom Conoboy Beverley, Yorks
£25:00 010 Antony Davies Leeds
£25:00 011 Dan M W
£25:00 012 Bonzoid Canada
£25:00 013 Colin Upton
£25:00 014 T Williams
£25:00 015 Alex Wire Nottingham
£25:00 016 Adam Warren Leicester
£25:00 017 Chrissie Majorca


£00:00 018 Nancy Saunders Bristol
£00:00 019 Michael J Hulme Norwich
£00:00 020 Barbara Godwin Southampton
£00:00 021 Joel Willans Finland
£00:00 022 Lucy Portsmouth Surrey
£00:00 023 Laurie Porter
£00:00 024 Sonam Choki BHUTAN
£00:00 025 Tarl Rivers
£00:00 026 Hazera Forth Hertfordshire
£00:00 027 John Allen Hillingdon
£00:00 028 Jan Bradshaw London
£00:00 029 Fleur Chapman London
£00:00 030 Nigel Allinson
£00:00 031 Sue Baccino
£00:00 032 Kenneth Shand

Grinding on

Despite four days out this month, steadily getting the work done.

Sick last night so failed to join the CiN Practice but managed a story and a poem yesterday (over 2K)


Some Prompts for Wednesday

From the very first coming down

RANCID

Taller today, we remember similar evenings

POLISH

Down at the mill, a hammering

TEXT

The string's excitement, the applauding drum

The Dog, Spot

The church-clock's yellow face, the green sea-light

FEAR

his black eyes hold his dreams; he has left

SHAMROCK SOUP

sunlight upon a sail, the snap of wind

No Bother

The poet and the revolutionary

WALLS

as the stained stones kissed by English dead

Hiccup

The bus comes swinging in, doors open

OK?

When I consider how my light is spent

Possible, Probable

a flame within us, something swift and tall

If you explain to me, exactly why I can't

when I was a connisseuse of slugs

he married Kate Maloney in the year of his death

I think continually of those who were great

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Not Even Six AM. Prompts

Note

Waterstones are doing 99p sampler-paperbacks and they have one which is a collection of some of the best pieces from the online mag 3 AM.. Worth checking out


Don't forget tonight's flash-blast in BC


PROMPTS


At the Post Office he found a joint communique from his worried children

Langsammer Bitte.

Not a Wet Eye in the House

PHONE!

To Boston, Very Early

SUN

Alarm! Alarm!

I hear you, Houston

Sleeping With Her Clothes On

I Hear You, Mrs Zoblovsky. I Hear You Maria

Learning to Swear in Seventeen Languages

CHOOSE

The Amish Farmer

Human Moments During the War of the Worlds

One small red shoe

The Brilliance of the Moment of Suicide

Heart of a Champion

TRIGGER or SILVER

If Harry Belten Couldn't Play

JAH!

he had not seen her or any of her children for many years

Even though his business did not need him

Training for would-be champions

Kicking it in the Head

Monday, October 16, 2006

Children in Need Flash Practice

There will be another "CIN" Prractice Session Tuesday Night 1800 thru 0100 (but join for any amount of time)

UK Times

if you have not previously signed up, join ezboards (a pain, but free) and then email Alex with your ezboard sign in ID

Use a GLOBAL, not a Local ID


the prompts will be displayed at

http://p220.ezboard.com/bbootcampkeegan



and stories (author-blind) (private) will be displayed at

http://p220.ezboard.com/fbootcampkeeganfrm250

but you will need to be granted access, hence the ID requirement.


Please let us know if you are up for this.

More Prompts, Monday Morning

The Shining House

Pastilles

Machine Gun Joe

The Incredible Neccesity for Absolute Precision

Grater

Thanks For the Ride

ZIP!

The Time of the Eye

Why Marjorie Tavistock Doesn't Any More

An Ounce of Cure

BLUE

I Have No Mouth, I Must Scream

Day of the Butterfly

The Very Last Day of a Good Woman

Red Dress 1946

The Unwashed Deformed Fat Woman With Extreme Menstrual Distress, Pelvic Floor Issues, a Weeping Pile, Halitosis and Dandruff, an Unfaithful Husband and Druggie Kids, working in an Undertakers, Sees a Foetus and Gets Upset

The Spreadsheet That Had a Nervous Breakdown

The Sky is Burning

I did not hear much about Jane's father except his head was cut off

Body Fluids

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Three-Four Shoot the Whore

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Sunday prompts, the Day After

if Daniel Gilber it Right, Then You Are All Wrong

The Day after his Birthday

I Carried the Bird By its Small Black Feet

In the Arena

A Blind, Empty, Crumbling Apartment

Special

At six-thirty, the women and girls arrive.

Clive's Cod-Piece

They Have Closed the Museums

My Life as a Refrigerator

Ping!

The family we were working for had a son

Poor Sailor!

The voice in my head said "Don't listen to me!"

My Father Called Me and We Disappeared

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Cally Has a Blast

Got up this morning to FOUR hits from Cally T in Boot Camp, two stories accepted for the excellent Espresso Fiction (and Cally earns $60 and a story each on two different competition shortlists, results TBA.

Takes us to 189 hits for the year.


Here are Saturday Morning's First Set of Prompts

(posted at 00:50 to beat Lee)

Trailer Park Boys

Bottle Bottom Glasses

Sticky Tape Sagas

Poor Sailor, Running For His Life

The Fifteen Year Lay-Off

A Little Excessive Force Here and There

No, but I'll Keep an Eye Out

An Inconvenient Truth

Has reason to believe

Got to fix these kitties

One, two (three) four and more

Electric Sheep



Lee was posting at 04:14 (bet he thought he was first in)

Dirty Blackleg Miner

The Whitby Boy

Oh to see me aged father a-trembling at the bar

My love has gone across the sea

Fisherman's Blues

On Kileder Side

Time has told me

Lads of Alnwick

Poor Kitty Lake

She moves about the fair

The Black Crow Knows

The Ballad of the Durham Gateman

Two Tall Trees

Jog Along Bess

Just another diamond

Wine for the women who made the rain come







Have a good day

Friday, October 13, 2006

Can't Stop The Hits Rolling In!

Not sure when the last update was but a hit for TomC at Dogmatika, andother for Caroline at Bewildering Stories, and best of all, TWO hits form very new Boot Camper DMW, one at Hiss Quarterly and the other in Print Mag "Trail of Iniscretion'


Takes us to 185 for the year, so hopefully we should at least break through the 200 mark in '06.


And what am I doing here instead of sitting at the pool reading short-stories?

The coffee machine was out. You think I can survice at 0600 without coffee?


Oh and a little aside


Today they launch a TWO-YEAR INVESTGATION into Primary Schooling


The prof leading the investigation appears on radio


30 Seconds later the interviewer says


And so The Grannie's Army (parents who can help) did that work?



jeez!





AK

Dives & Turns

Finally. late yesterday managed a story (1300 words) when an earlier one had run out of steam (a very rare event). This AM take the boy to swimming (dives and turns practice) so will READ some quality shorts for the hour.


PROMPTS


The Very Early Rising of the Sad Father

Motel

Half of a Yellow Sun

Eye

Vicky, Lacey, Ray, Sharon Corey and Derek

Promise

The Almost Futile Pursuit of Happiness

The Disappointment of Eggs

Looking For the Golden Rivet

Black, Apparently

How They Took My bOdy Apart and Made Another Me

PUNK! PINK!

The Smoothest Way is Full of Stones

Gone to China

Thursday, October 12, 2006

One in the Eye

Bugger, woke with a nasty sore red right eye, almost closed.

Not a happy bunny. I should post 25 miserable prompts.

But I WILL keep the writing run going, see if I can't get past a daily average for the month of 1,500 a day.


Here are the prompts




I Look Out For Ed Wolfe

Bloomer

His Son in His Arms, Alight, Aloft

Telephone for God? Is God Here?

Ich Bie ein Berliner

Falsetto

One day, before or after forty-two, I became a lomg-distance runner.

Blimey!

It was December, late autumn, rather than winter.

A Small Pile of Shakespeare's Shit

Flowers

Howard filled his glass again and gulped it down

Xmas in Chesepeake Bay

Blanket

The myriad of fixed stars continued

Test-Tube Parent

Nothing remains but to fight

X

Jealous Husband Returns in Form of a parrot

Reading

The Incredible Appearing Man

The Forgotten

Sing Like That for ME!

All Shall Love Me and Despair

The Memorial Held BEFORE the War

I wave when he clears the drive

Red-Eye

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Woooooo Hoooo!

Still the burning continues

Another story today (God knows where THIS voice came from) and up to 16,200 words in 9 days 1,800 a day) average


Add in the two lost days and I'm averaging 1,472 (but today is not over, 308 more words and I'll be up to 1,500 per day.


alex

A Good Night, Tired, but now a new day

YESTERDAY'S Blast in Boot Camp (for BCers and CINNERS) went very well with 37 pieces written in an evening, posted and already, some at least, critted. For my own part I found the combination of admin, (receiving, sorting, reposting anon etc) and writing almost impossible, but I managed three flashes (2 decent ones) and three poems, all placeable.

But I sagged badly after 9PM and couldn't stay awake after midnight.

Today...


SOME GOOD PROMPTS TODAY


I went to several preparatory schools, beginning at six.

Post!

The Power of the List

Sorry, Too Black.

Sometimes I feel, I'm not sure why, a touch of foretold death.

Live White Females

Who is that yellow-haired girl in the costume?

SCOOP!

We stayed at Montagne for six weeks.

Zen and the Art of the Difficult Shit

MECANNO

Every soul worthy of itself desires to live life in the extremes.

TRAMMELL

My father regards the tray of pink cupcakes

MAO

I speak in earnestness and with sadness

CRACK

Why We Should Hate Feminists

1400 Monks in Hoodies

CRUCIFIX

Saving Two Kennedys

When I Nod My Head, Hit It!

CLANG

As a proof of my readiness

Finding Tin-Tacks in the Dark

I was born at a time when the majority of youn people had lost their faith in God

Views of My Father Weeping

The Suicide Club's Quiet Annual Reunion

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

23:59 The Last Set

Negotiations With Paddington

I moved like a double agent among the big concepts

A Reluctant Tragic Hero

The Dangers of Tobacco

A shadow his father makes with joined hands

The Cherry orchard

The helmeted pump in the yard

Swan Song

Their boots crunching the gravel

Shape Without Form, Shade Without Colour

Ohio Impromptu

Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante

I was once a pirate wot sailed the 'igh seas

Words & Music

And four wax candles in a darkened room

I think the candour of the light dismayed us

New words prayed at cows

My heart displayed, bleeding, on a white linen cloth

Prompts For Flashing 2300

Make Barricades out of Butcher's Knives

Buttered Toast

Screen

He was not going to be rushed

An Indian Mutiny

I crossed over to the hut and looked inside

Where are the tommy-guns?

Smilies

The night drops swiftly down

Carrots

The bedroom hot as a bakery

Child's Frock, Lace, One

Postcard From North Africa

Listen, Whisper, Tickle, Cry

A Fat Paperback

22:00

We have already received 22 Stories with the 2100 Flashes not yet in!


PROMPTS

Green-Shadowed People

A Little Tummy Trouble

A Plum

Parking at the Rugby Club

Bikes

All the Fun of the Fair

Trick

When the dire cloak of dark stiffens the town

Porthcawl

I am a woman lying on a leaf

The governor came into her cell, middle-aged and serious

Blossom?

Briggs had always been quite uncomfortable with Carol.

Monopoly

The Desperation in the Act of Love

SFW

Tame water lanes, tall sheds, a traveller

2100

Blessings, My Children

BRASS

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?

CHINA

On the Walls of Carelton's Bedroom

Chappaquidick

My age, fallen, floats away like a soap sud

Folders

Last night I dreamt I went to Basingstoke again

Running on Empty

Boys dream of native girls and breadfruit

Where's the Looney Bin?

It's Possibly Plastic

A Place to Suck a Buck

Accidentally started avalanche while putting out fire

Anenome

The mower stalled, twice, and kneeling

This is a special way of being afraid

8PM

Monday is Soup, Friday Fish, Saturday buggery or Murder

There is an evening coming in

The View is Fine From Fifty, They say

The first thing you need to know is I'm not a detective.

Tonight I go to War. Peace is a nice quiet place; I have friends over in Armistice, but the village of War is where it all happens. It is better to wait until dark.

A smear of fresh blood has a metallic smell.

Angela came back to me in a dream, her head tilted up towards me, her bulging eyes screaming “why are you doing this?”

It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.

Frederick J Frenger, Jr, a blithe psychopath from California asked the flight attendant in first class for another glass of champagne and some writing materials.

Outside was bright, light, blue.

We are at rest, five miles behind the front.

We meet at the Butterfly Farm, Sundays, half-nine.

.

He seemed incapable of creating such chaos,

There was a little bloke in the aisle screaming his head off.

Carrying my father's lean old leather case, my mother's cardboard

PEACH

Don't Look Now

19:00 Prompts

The Ugliest Woman on TV

My Dad never took me up the mountain but I took my son there

COD C.O.D.

Blood gauze through the wound of manwax

Dai Pugh's mother believed in luck

NASAL

I know that, before I can begin, I must introduce myself, even though this story is not about me.

Man in his maggot's hollow

The man, Gabriel, needed to get to LA by Saturday.

Trim this, use an axe

I was out on the garage forecourt taking in the sun when I saw her.

National Vomit Week

A smell like incense. London darkness beyond the window; the deep breath of metal, heavy on the river far below us.

The note you hold, narrowing and rising

Tom is watching a movie with his mistress when something in the story-line touches him, and breaks through his well-constructed façade.

It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills.

18:05 Prompts

Evening of Prompts on the hour for CIN Practice

email stories to alex or lexie


ideal time for flash 30-60 minutes

maximum time for flash 75 minutes


1800


Please reply (at 1800) if you are in)

Grrrrr... I cut and pasted 15 readied prompts and manage to lose the lot!



PROMPTS

LOCK

A Border-Line Case

Each ancient, stone-necked minute of love's season

TRUMPET

The rector clenched his fists, and swore that God exists

BULB

The Breakthrough

Saturday afternoon and Dai Griffiths sits with his finger-polished roll-up tin.

A Noise Like Living

It is Winter, lightless morning, here in the shallow city, soundless and shipwreck-grey, the tarmac pavements are slept still, glistened with frost, deep and breathing, and beyond my window's sightless eye, the shuddered, huddled, common trees, stuttering towards the sea, the sadrack, greyslack trawler-slapped sea.

She Was Still Intent Upon the Menu

The proprietor spread out his hands in a gesture of regret

POLLEN

I always think, you know, that it’s like being on stage.

When Shelagh Awoke the Sun Was Streaming into her Room


or Google: woman beach 456