A bundle of shortlisted entries made its way to me and I spent many a happy hour reading through the batch of stories. They were all different in style - i.e. the 'writer's voice' - and content. There's a lot to think about when judging - originality and enjoyment, of course, but also the handling of dialogue, language choice and the dreaded competence of using grammar and punctuation, which can mar a story if mistakes are too frequent or obvious. Fortunately, I was able to select several for the hotspot, first, second and third, as well as highly commended. You can read more about what I was looking for here.
In November, I made another website to showcase my published poetry. I called it Conjuring Marble into Cloud, a line taken from one of the poems.
I have left comment boxes at the foot of the pages and have had some lovely feedback.
You meet all sorts of people via Twitter. Most of those I follow and who follow me are #writers. Matt Kendrick (@MkenWrites) is one of them.
A while back, Matt contacted me to tell me he had discovered my poetry and had enjoyed it. He asked if he could feature it/me on his blog, Prattlefog and Gravelrap.
It was introduced on Twitter thus:
'Each 1st Monday of the month in 2019, I'll be doing a showcase blog of fantastic short fiction I've come across. This month's post is entitled 'Life, Death & Everything in Between' and is full of links to beautiful, experimental & thought-provoking work.'
There are some real gems featured by writers who I hadn't before come across.
There are some wonderful writers featured on it.
I was delighted, too, in January to have a piece featured in The Cabinet of Heed, a literary journal which, again, showcases lots of talent. I was honoured to be in such company. My offering was called The Artist and is in Issue Sixteen.
January saw the start of a new addiction... writing addiction, that is! I discovered a hashtag on Twitter called #vss365 (vss stands for 'very short story'). Each day a prompt word is provided and it seems that countless writers are on board. I was accumulating so many Tiny Twitter Tales that I decided to add a page to this website. It's a great way to get the creative juices flowing each day!
By the way, you can follow me @helen_laycock
And as a little addendum, I was thrilled to find myself longlisted by the prestigious Mslexia in their flash fiction competition.