At time of going to print I was hoping to have done some performance writing but alas, I don’t know whether or not I have!!
Continue reading “Week 83 – Rejection, Rejection, Rejection…”
Tag: news
Week 81 – Holidays, Relevance And Bad Poetry
I need to thank Tom Sheehan for my inspiration this week. I don’t know if anyone noticed but we published a relevant story on the holiday of its relevance, if you see what I mean. We don’t normally do this. We published an old friend of ours near Christmas on our first year (Hope you are well Sandy) but that was more by sheer coincidence as we were trying to get established and we were very short of stories. We wanted to keep it until June but the numbers wouldn’t allow.
Continue reading “Week 81 – Holidays, Relevance And Bad Poetry”
Week 80 – Emotions, Pygmies And Paddling Pools
Yet again, our hearts go out to those effected by events in this sick world!!
***
Something strange happened this week. I laughed and was filled with an ambition. I want to visit Iceland. (Sorry Diane, Adam and all my English friends!!!) I am petty, childish but grateful that this narrow-minded thought came to me as it gave me an idea for this post. Continue reading “Week 80 – Emotions, Pygmies And Paddling Pools”
Week 78 – Polls, Slim Whitman And Sloths.
I only hope that we can go a few months without looking at the weeks events with sadness. More tragedy in Orlando with two horrific incidents. Our thoughts are with all involved.
Continue reading “Week 78 – Polls, Slim Whitman And Sloths.”
Week 77 – Legend.
There is only one subject that I could write about for this posting, the heart-breaking news this week of the death of the legend that was Muhammad Ali. Life can be cruel and ironic by reducing a giant to frailty. However, his memory and legacy are as powerful as anything that he ever achieved. His skill, bravery and humanity have all been superbly documented by the world’s press over the last few days.
Week 76 – Pen Names, Nicknames And Shame
I was wondering about protocol with pen names this week. If there is contact from an author to us regarding writing, should we refer to the person by their pen name? I’m honestly not sure. Historically most people had a pen name because their gender was getting in the way. Now-a-days you would hope that isn’t an issue. I suppose something that is politically loaded or against a hierarchy, you could understand the person wanting to be obscure. But let’s be honest, it is difficult to hide, not only your views in this day and age but you, yourself. There is a camera, a microphone or some twat on Facebook who is always willing to spill the beans.
Week 74 – Homer Or Rankin?
I’m not a hundred percent sure why I thought on my topic for this week but I wanted to have a wee look at book snobbery.
Should Ian Rankin have less status than Homer? The character of ‘Rebus’ is fascinating and he’s the star of twenty novels. (So many crackers but ‘The Falls’ was superb). And what does it say about popular culture when there are more results for Rebus than Homer in Amazon. And the icing on the comparison cake, if you type into the internet the word ‘Homer’, it is Mr Simpson who pops up before ‘The Iliad’?
Week 73 Misery And Happiness
I was at a loss on what to write this week. The sun was shinning and everything was bright and cheerful. I was miserable. I don’t like the sun. I used to suffer from migraines and light annoyed me, so I am left with a lasting hatred of it. Where I stay, if the weather is nice(?) the sun always shines. Well that isn’t true, the sun always shines in my eyes. No matter whether I sit at the front or the back of the house, the light either bounces its way around three parked cars, through the window and straight into my retinas or it just illuminates the back window. To be truthful this is normally only an issue three days a year but it is still annoying. There’s something soothing about the dark. It doesn’t violate your eyes. Life just likes to annoy me at times, that is why I am forced to work with the public.
So, with these thoughts in mind, I began thinking about personal preference. There are so many things that can be good for some and bad for others – The old saying of one man’s poison and all that. So for me, when the sun comes out, it doesn’t just have me squinting like a Shar Pei sooking a lemon, it makes me too damn warm. I can sweat for Scotland in August (The winter) not one of my most attractive traits I might add, but in warm weather I am my own paddling pool. I am never dry. It is disgusting and I actually judge my wife for staying with me. She would have been as well marrying a bloody puddle. So we now have a problem of moisture to add to the light issue. This is nothing, my biggest gripe with the sunshine is all the cheery folk that smell of coconut. They smile too much, laugh too much, enjoy themselves too much and are around me too much. I have a problem with enthusiasm, but enthusiasm when I am blind and wet doesn’t fill me with much joy.
So my wish when it’s sunny and warm, is hatred and hoping that the rain returns. Sure, I would still be wet but at least I could see the misery in everyone else’s eyes!
This segment is becoming quite structured. I don’t normally like structure, it is the sensible parents of boredom but there is no other way for me to do this and sometimes we need to use it!! So as usual, to this weeks cornucopia of topics. We have thoughts of infatuation, greed and need. We not only have deceit, this is tied in with being easily led. Rivalry instigates a bad decision and lastly, something that can be through most stories, acceptance.
As usual, initial comments are attached.
John Henry is a new writer who was published on Monday with his story, ‘Connecting The Dots’. We welcome you John.
‘The MC was a simple soul who was a sucker for a pretty face’
‘The sparse delivery made this convincing.
Tuesday, we were so happy to publish an old friend of ours, Anthony Wobbe gave us ‘Daniel’s Day’. Hopefully he will send us in many more.
‘I was really impressed.’
‘I enjoyed the patois.’
‘The suddenness of the ending worked well.’
We had been recommended to Ed Barkin and we are very pleased that he took us up with his wonderfully titled ‘Guy And The Baby Doll’ which was Wednesday’s posting.
‘This was quite menacing’
‘It was pithy’
‘I loved the lines about the wheels of destiny’
Thursday cometh and we had the absolute pleasure of another of Mr Tom Sheehan’s beautifully worded tales, ‘Catch Of The Day’
‘He really transports you into a story.’
‘A lesson so gently taught that you can only appreciate it afterwards.
The end of the week and we had something so different. Oh I am not talking about Friday, it was still the day in question. I am sure Diane who is editing this will change this bit of fact if it’s wrong. We welcome the youngest member to our site. Luna Moore has sent us something that makes you smile all the way through with ‘Gestalt Girl’.
What a fun, silly, intelligent piece this is.’
‘Layer upon layer of meaning’
‘I believe this girl can write.’
If you couldn’t find something within those wonderful stories to make you laugh or cry or ponder, you have even less emotion than me!!
Now talking about getting emotional, all the editors at Literally Stories become very emotional when we receive a submission as per our guidelines. It is as rare as a phoenix rising from the ashes of a unicorn who has strolled into the fires of the millennium in Brigadoon. We have therefore reviewed our submissions page and tried to make things a little clearer:
We need the word count as we have a limit.
We need the genre as we have restrictions.
We need notification if the story has been submitted elsewhere or if it is a simultaneous submission, this is courtesy to all sites involved.
A few sentences of introduction is also nice.
And structure as requested, that is how we set up.
Have a read of the page.
Please, please when submitting ANYWHERE, do yourself a favour and follow the guidelines, there is a reason for them all.
That’s another week in folks, so please go out in the rain and smile, that will make me miserable! And submit a story following the guidelines, that will make us happy!
Hugh
Banner Image: By charles (Own work (Screenshot)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Week 72 – Transition
This week I mentioned to my twenty-two year old gaffer something about Irvine Welsh’s book ‘Trainspotting’. She hadn’t a Scooby. I thought about it and realised that I wasn’t mentioning something ‘Hip and Happening’. There was no ‘Respect’ or ‘Bringing It On’. The only thing that was there, was me, an old git mentioning a book that I thought was ‘Street’ and bang up to date, when the actual fact was that it’s twenty-three years old! This got me thinking on the books that I have read, when I read them and the difference between them and short stories.
Week 71 – A Bit Sad.
Why do we feel a loss when it isn’t connected to us? And I don’t meant those mutants that are in tears and can’t eat just because some boy band member has decided to leave his talentless mates. It is strange when a celebrity dies. It can also give us a good laugh. There was a Conservative MP who died years ago while indulging in a solo sex game and he was dressed in a rather memorable outfit with some attachments attached and inserted. There was a bit of a hoo-hah as the details were released a bit too quickly. I have my own theory. I think whoever found him, called all and sundry and stated, ‘You’ve just got to see this!!’
literally stories 