Household of five sleeping teenage boys (three on sleepovers), one snoring husband, two sleeping/snoring pugs and one dozy cat, all still in the land of nod at 10.02am on a Monday morning due to it being the holidays and everyone staying up till wee small hours watching th’Olympics and Usain Bolt winning the 100 metres yet again. I am awake as I have chores to do early doors and had to get up to do them then couldn’t get back to sleep. Made the mistake of logging on and started tweeting following the publishing of the results of the Flash Icon Competition at Molotov Cocktail Litzine where I got a ‘no cigar honourable mention’ for my story The Making of Legends. So pleased to see writers mentioned there who I have read and admired in the past, especially the wonderful @FEClark who has won first prize. I haven’t read the stories yet as they aren’t out for a few days but I’ll review them here when I have.

Many, many congrats to all the winners in the top ten and the many who have’no cigar’ honourable mentions and also to all those with no mentions at all. As developing writers, honing our skills, we enter competitions to develop and progress our craft and it’s so important not to lose heart when we don’t win. Hope this doesn’t sound arsey but it’s weird re-entering a comp. you’ve just won – sort of setting yourself up to fail – and if I’m honest I did vacillate about entering this time. The reasons I did were because:

• you have to learn to take the rough with the smooth if you’re going to be a writer
• I love Molotov Cocktail and the online community of talented writers of seriously weird flash fictionistas who contribute to it,
• its not all about the winning – its about progression and learning
• to sort of ‘get over myself’ and move onwards and upwards
• Not that I’m comparing myself to him, but one day even Usain Bolt will either lose or retire before he does, but until then he’s fearless and I hope that’s where I can be like him, cos if there’s one way to fail its to be too fearful not to try in the first place.

Very much looking forward to the next Molotov theme which is horror and am already hatching a creepy idea which will probably  keep me awake for several nights over the coming weeks before my MA starts. Whether it gets a win or a nothing its difficult to predict since its not yet written but I hope I learn stuff in the writing of it.

It’s now 10.31 and still no-one’s up. Might get cracking with a first draft actually since the opportunity has presented itself.

 

 

Am writing this drinking a humungus vat of excellent coffee at Granny Dot’s dining table. We’ve had a swift visit to New Arlesford that ends lunchtime today. We’ve had big chats, yummy food, probs too much good white wine and massive family dins with Nick’s cousin Ben and his family. All our kids are growing up so quickly. Three of them are now teenagers. It weird to watch how their behaviours to one another change. They saw each other once or twice a year when they were wee and fell into easy play. Now as teenagers the awkwardness is palpable especially at first and the gender gap has widened. I know its only a phase and all will reconfigure itself when they get past these trickerty years but it does make you feel for them all.

Soooo fab to see Ben and Lisa though. They don’t change. If anything they’re getting younger. Ben told us a funny, funny tale about his dad being a touch riske (can’t find an acute accent) with the middle aged, middleclass housewives of Hexham. Will write it into a flash fiction be because its really funny.

Read a chapter written by Dot in a consciousness book and its so full with potential for flashes that I’ve asked her to send me it digitally. So very many weird happenings which you (for that read I) couldn’t make up.

Right I’m off now. Sleepy teenagers to shoehorn off the sofa bed.

 

So I find myself having to stay up till 1 o clock, waiting to pick up my teenage son and his mates from a party and have decided to take this opportunity of enforced wakefulness to write a wee blog entry.

Had a lovely time last weekend with a visit from the Asplin family who stayed for three sleeps. Clarey and I have known each other since our kids were in pre-school. She left the village to live in Yorkshire a couple of years ago and now we see much more of each other than we ever did when she lived round the corner.

Finally used the pizza oven Sunday night for the first time since May and had a few friends and rellies over. The weather has been so pants at the weekends all through summer so far that its been almost impossible to use it but it was warm and clear last Sunday so we took advantage.

Stayed at Bob’s last night. We had dins in Biggleswade which was lovely. Had an espresso martini. It will not be my last.Writing wise I’ve been working on a short story which is a weird take on The Snow Queen and two flashes, one for Molotov cocktail for their Flash Icon comp which finishes tomorrow. Not sure I’ll get it finished or send it off if I do. Will look at it in the morning and see if I like it enough. Feels weird entering a comp I’ve won recently – a bit like setting yourself up for disappointment. The current story is ok but not as good as the one that won but I’m of the opinion that a story isn’t finished until its been read so it would be daft not to send it out into the world. As a writer you have to get used to rejections and blanks so I hope I do have the courage to end it off even if it is imperfect. I’m also working on a smaller flash called Mixed Messages which I’m finding difficult to edit as its very emotive and I get upset every time I try to polish it. Think its finished now though so might send that out into the world tomorrow too just so its out there.

Off to Granny Dots tomorrow lunchtime with the family. My friend is house sitting whilst we’re away for a couple of nights. She’ll look after the pugs and chickens. Dot’s been very unwell and can’t visit us here so its a drive to Winchester for me. Must google the nearest swimming pool so as not to miss my half mile swims whilst I’m there. Went to see the doc today about the pain in my shoulder. Its a rotary cuff prob and will be much improved if I keep up the swimming so intend to… keep up the swimming.

Here’s a pic of Clarey winning her first boxing match. She’s back in training now for the next bout. Really should write this into a short story. The stuff she’s done over the last couple of years is truly extraordinary.

Right signing off. It’s 12.30 and time to get the boy. Hope he remembers this when I’m an annoying, weird old lady who smells of wee who he wants to put into a home.

Feels like an age since I last wrote this blog in my girl shed up the garden on a quiet afternoon. Since I last did, I have:

Been to Cartmell races for a weekend with the Kaneen clan and lost £70 without getting a first second or third placing in any of the seven races. Pretty good going that and a shame you don’t get a prize for picking losers. My feminist strategy of betting only on pink shirts and lady owners did not pay off this year but it will one day I’m sure.

Been to the Test Match at Old Trafford – which was brill, England getting two centuries and the weather cracking the slabs. Even got a bit of colour on my pasty ‘staying inside writing,’ skin.

Saw Salford Red Devils in Salford get beaten by Hull but they played really well and it was an exciting match.

Been to Dublin on a hen night with the Bolton and Dublin ladies who could quite frankly drink both Salford Reds and Hull rugby league teams under the table.

Seen bessie mate Clarey win her first ladeez boxing match in Wakefield. She won by a county mile despite being one of nicest people you could ever meet. It was an eye opener seeing her hitherto never suspected raw aggression coming to the fore as she marmalized (is that a word) the opposition.

Had good chats with six of my seven nephews and nieces (the other one being in Oz where he now lives and works)

Had dins with me Dad who can cook a really wonderful meal

Swum half a mile each day for the last six days.

Had an interview published on Bath Flash Fiction Website. (I interviewed the editors of Molotov cocktail.) Here is a link to it in case you fancy a read. http://bathflashfictionaward.com/2016/07/the-molotov-cocktail-a-projectile-for-explosive-flash-fiction-interview-with-josh-goller-the-brain-behind-the-mayhem/

Things I haven’t done in the last three weeks include:

Writing an award winning short story or flash fiction

Writing any more of my novel.

Writing much at all

There’s a pattern there and its making me jittery all this not writing so I’ve legged it oop the garden now the shopping and swimming is done and started with this before I need to go and cook dins for the ravening hoards then will then move on to my ‘flash in progress.’

Just before I jog on, here’s the photo of me  at Chester Uni getting a copy of Patches of Light from the High Sheriff as mentioned in previous post. Have a full on night and tomorrow planned so might not get chance to write again until Monday.

 

Had a wonderful night on Wednesday at the launch of Patches of Light at Chester University. My story the Time Travellers Daughter is in it. Here’s a link in case you fancy getting a copy.

http://tinyurl.com/zd8auy3

It was fab to meet the writers and staff in such convivial surroundings. There was wine, bookish chatter, readings and photos. Here’s one of us all gathered at the end. There were individual ones too as the High Sheriff presented us each individually with a copy of the anthology. I’ll post mine when it arrives. I found the best bit of the evening to be sharing writing experiences with two of the contributors Mary and Andrew. It’s so weird putting faces and people to the tales they wrote. I’ve read half of the anthology so far and the stories are so very good I feel privileged to be included. Anyway the whole experience has filled me with enthusiasm to get cracking with my many ‘in process’ stories to get them finished and polished for sending out. Writing is such a solitary practice (in the real world not in cyberspace) so its great to see the results of the solitary making ripples in the real world.

This is a random picture of me drinking an ice cocktail. Its here for no other reason that I’m teaching myself how to insert pictures. Mission accomplished then. Anyhoo, a wee while ago Jude Higgins, the talented Flash Fictionista behind The Bath Flash Fiction Award, asked me to do an interview with Josh Goller who edits Molotov Cocktail for the newsy bit on the Bath Flash website. I did and its now finished and ready to go so will put a link to it here when its up on their site in the next two weeks or so. Josh sent a brilliant photo yesterday for inclusion with the piece (mental note to self – sort a pic out of myself too and a wee biog when I’ve finished this.) The photo from Josh is genius and so funny it made me laugh out loud. You’ll see what I mean when I put it on here after its published. Mine will be more rubbish.

Its very weird writing biogs about yourself in the third person like you’re someone else.

You have to write something like this: Jan Kaneen is a student at the OU signed up to do their newborn MA in Creative Writing starting in October 2016. She is trying to build an online tribe of Twitter followers for when her novel’s finished.  She’s been published here and there and has, like every other aspiring author on the planet, been short-listed for this and that and won some competitions.

Yep might have to work on that a bit!

Looking forward to going to Chester tomorrow for the launch of Patches of Light which is an anthology of short stories from last year’s Cheshire High Sheriff’s Literature Award which  I was short listed for and have a story included in. My story in called The Time Travellers Daughter. Here’s a link to the flyer.

Click to access Patches_of_Light_Flyer_web.pdf

Some of the writers will be reading extracts at the event so hope this cold that I managed to develop overnight doesn’t get any worse or I’ll sound like Balcolm from the old Tunes advert.

 

 

 

Writing this dead quick before taking Harry to football to make sure I get it done. Clarey just left after a lovely morning and evening. Curled her hair for her because she’s going boxing in Wakefield which is a really weird confluence of opposites. I’ve never curled hair before but she has a genius gizmo she brought back from Canada last year that does it for you and I managed not to set fire to her though the smoke/steam – not sure which – was a bit disturbing. My idea of doing you hair is blow-drying your fringe before you put it up, wet in  a claw clip.

The Shakespeare last night was fab though Prospero kept forgetting his lines. That’s all part of the charm with local productions I reckon. Miranda was properly brill and Ariel was weirdly effective. Dins was lovely too and the rain spotted not poured. Its weird with outdoor theatre how the mood changes from light and open when in the daylight to dark and intimate as they night closes in. Lovely to see Stuart who we’ve taken to the show for two years now.  He used to go with Clare’s Uncle Podge,  for twenty years or so (they were best fiends.) Podge died two few years ago and at his funeral we arranged to take Stuart to help him grieve. Its become a ritual with the doing it again this year.

They say that next year they’re going to do Pericles which doesn’t seem like the obvious choice for a small amateur troupe in the fens but we’re definitely going to go just to see how they manage with it.  Right off now with a light heart knowing that I finally made time for my blog.

Back on the blog then after yet another hiatus caused, this time by George’s illness. This is the short version of what happened – he was admitted to hospital which was very traumatic, put on drips of antibiotics, morphine and steroids because his tonsils exploded with a secondary infection. He came home  after a couple of sleeps, got very ill again, finished another course of antibiotics but the throat infection came back, got put on another course of antibiotics then caught another virus (doc says this is common when your immune system is weakened by the glandular fever) and has just, in the last couple of days, started to feel betterish – though he’s still completely knackered.

Didn’t therefore get my poems into Molotov cocktail in time for the deadline or enter the story I’d written to Retreat West for their themed flash comp ‘Riches’ (slept though deadline.) Hey ho – will hold them until something relevant comes up because I’ve re-read them this morning and I think they’re ok.

Did get my piece ‘We’re Going to Pick Daddy Up’ into the Flash Flood for National Flash Fiction day though so that was good. Make note to enter a story next year for potential inclusion in their anthology.

Off to Shakespeare at the George for dins and The Tempest this evening, in the outside Courtyard with Clarey and Stuart. Sky looks like thunder so it should be interesting. Intending to always blog from now onwards. Hope nothing happens to scupper my plans.

Got the Ad Hoc Fiction entry off this morning,  after a sleepless night looking after poor George who’s got glandular fever and is soooo sick. The prompt is ‘slate.’ Will paste it in ‘Flash’ on here if it gets published in this week’s edition.

I’m trying to write a spooky poem for Molotov Cocktail’s first poetry competition (Molotov Cocktail is an E-zine that I absolutely love, its weird and spooky and funny and badass and I won their last flash fiction competition called Flash Felon, with a story called The London Umbrella Company which is on this site in the Flash section) but can’t really focus because Georgy keeps needing his sick bucket and iced water and medication which he never keeps down, not for the last 24 hours. If he’s no better tomorrow I’ll have to get the doctor out I think. Still at least I’ve kept to my resolution to write here.

Off to empty the sick bucket again (actually its a Pyrex bowl .)