The Unwell Issue

Newsletter bits from a hospital bed...

I’ve had some time to read and write as I’ve been in the hospital the past few days (don’t worry, I’m fine). My husband brought my laptop to me, so I kinda couldn’t help wanting to bash out a newsletter as I have so little time recently. I’ve been reading local author (Birchington-on-sea) Chloe Timm’s The Seawomen, which is intense. I can’t wait to report back – I feel like there are some Seawomen-inspired OWC write-in sessions I could create, so stay tuned.

I also binge-watched the first season of a dark comedy called Search Party, which dropped on BBC iplayer this year, though it originally aired on TBS in the States in 2016. The story arc of that first season is so pleasing. I love something hard when I get to the end of it, and I say “I want to write something like this!” Anyway, there are four more series, so now I’ve got more commitments in life. In my Fiction Writing Group, we toy with the idea of writing a programme pilot episode, so watching good stories is almost as important to me as reading them, and it certainly is to our culture. Exploring how to write for TV is a massive benefit to any writer.

Recently, over on Jami Attenberg’s Craft Talk, one of her recent posts really caught my eye. How many times in groups and write-ins have I mentioned reading your work aloud? Like about 325903 times. It was so affirming to read about one author’s experience of reading her entire first draft of a novel out loud. You can read about her takeaways from this technique above (and you should), but I’m going reiterate my main takeaway right here: reading aloud allows you to feel your work. When you hear the way your voice shifts — the way it softens or intensifies, gets quicker or slower, breaks because of emotion — that is when you know you’ve got something worth keeping. If you don’t think you’re able to notice this, I always say the trick is to have someone else listen to you read your work (which is why I always incorporate ‘read alouds’ in my writing groups). It’s one of my favourite things to do as writing coach.

Being in the hospital this week has made me realise I need to write about all my health stuff. Just like going through it has been and is and will be, writing about it ain’t gonna be easy. I will place this here though: there is nothing quite like a hospital to be force you to see and engage with humanity - your own, your neighbour’s, and the humble nurse’s. Grateful doesn’t cut it.

Some submission/freelance/job Opps:

I have been in the poetry mood again lately. The National Poetry Library is an excellent source of competitions including this hybrid form one from The Plaza Prizes. Hurry, deadline 31 March. Speaking NPL, If you’re interested in an Online Writing Community field trip to the library itself, I’m making plans to visit. Come join me! Just reply to this if you’re keen.

The interdisciplinary vibes carrying over here: Poetry zine, wildfire words, are hosting a flash fiction competition. Deadline 30 April.

Cinnamon Press is giving a Poetry Pamphlet Award. Deadline 31 March. Fun fact: the Americans call a small collection of poetry a “chapbook.” The British call it a “pamphlet.” I’m not sure I prefer either.

Fancy the American version? Frontier Poetry has a breakthrough chapbook contest going on until 11 May.

Lastly, it’s random, but I found it interesting (probably because I’d want to be able to pitch and write investigative journalism like this) and somewhat relative to my current hospital situation, but a new outlet called The Examiner is coming, and they’d love to hear pitches related to global health issues in their budding newsroom.

Some things you didn’t know you needed:

All Along the Wall, a scary story comic

Some women can afford an adults summer camp like this.

This writing challenge: Open a work in progress right now. Now write 100 words anywhere in the document as they come. Don’t think, just flow. Put your curser in another spot in the document. Repeat. Don’t go back and read these roads until tomorrow. What happened?