Promoting the literary life for all

Nik Perring tagged me with this and although I don’t usually do these, I’m sort of interested in the question here – from a different angle, I’m always wondering why people do the various literary things they do, and this is another way of exploring that question.

So I have to list at least five things I do to support and spread a love of the written word, then tag five people. (Apparently if you list something that touches youngsters, you get a bonus letter – that isn’t going to be the case for me).

Hmmm:

1. I write in three personae: Kay, Ren and Carmel who publish in literary fiction, science fiction and erotica respectively
2. I teach at workshops
3. I blog to try to share with people some of the business side of the literary world that doesn’t get talked about as much as I think it should (see below, University of Huddersfield)
4. I set up creative writing groups in libraries: shout-outs to Comedy of Errors and The Hatchery and looking forward to meeting the literary people of Crawley at the end of the month and being stunned by their collective talent!
5. Like Nik, I am a regular and almost compulsive library user. I borrow and order books through my local library, belong to a book club there, and even meet friends there for chats
6. I try to nurture other writers whom I meet in workshops and classes
7. I overcome my shyness enough to thank good writers whose works I’ve read, most recently Mark Slouka, whose novel The Visible World, had a profound effect on me and who sent me a very nice email in reply to my effusions. I shall always regret not having written to Michael Dibden while he was alive, but I was too shy to say how much I loved his work and then it was too late. Lesson learned
9. I subscribe to literary journals
10. I read slush for contest judges and for journals.

I’m tagging Bunny Goodjohn, Charles Lambert, Annie Kerr, Lisa McMann and Ann M Amodeo

The Grist Short Story Competition

You know, sometimes you want to spit.

We all know that writers are low down the food chain. Watch the BAFTAs and be convinced (the writers are the ones in the rented tuxedos, all the actors and directors and producers have bespoke ones) of our relative insignificance. But you expect people who are:
• Academic
• Taking money from you
to demonstrate a bit more nous, don’t you?

Well not in the case of the University of Huddersfield. Yesterday I got a letter from them. It didn’t tell me that I’d been shortlisted for their short story competition, judged by Joanne Harris. It didn’t tell me that I hadn’t been shortlisted. It didn’t tell me a bloody thing.

It said “Dear Grist Entrant, the fourth Huddersfield Literature Festival is set to return this March, boasting a host of writers, poets, musicians, comedians, actors and even a cabaret act, all promising to make this a festival with a difference. Yes, this year’s festival is the biggest and best yet …” and so on for another nine paragraphs.

Essentially then, the lovely people at Huddersfield don’t give a flying Fortress that I entered a competition and might like to know how I did. No. They’ve used my entry fee to send me a promotional flyer that doesn’t even MENTION the contest I entered. Lovely, sensitive behaviour that.

So I visit the website and it says this: This Grist competitions (sic) are now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. The judges are now busy drawing up a shortlist. The winners will be announced at the launch of the 4th Huddersfield Literature Festival 2009 on Wednesday 11th March 2009 at 7.30pm. All shortlisted writers will be notified in advance of this date.

So I assume I wasn’t shortlisted. And I assume the University of Huddersfield views writers as being like goldfish, with seven second memories, who will have forgotten that the paid an entry fee and haven’t been told anything about the competition they entered. No, those dizzy little literary people will just squeal with pleasure and get on the phone to book their tickets for the Huddersfield Literature Festival (the biggest and best yet) won’t they?

Actually not.

Actually, Huddersfield, you stink.

Goldfish image courtesy of bucklava at Flickr under a creative commons license

These are better days …
Largely thanks to Montezuma’s chocolate (their dried banana and milk chocolate turtles appear to have a wonderful effect on my mood), good friends and running.

Okay, the good friends bit – thanks to everyone who emailed or posted comments. Knowing that all writers (or all creative types generally) have these wheel-spinning periods can be tremendously helpful in getting through. I’m making a list of everybody who offered to buy me a latte – you have been warned! But the best boost is when a mate gets a boost that they share with you, and so, from Publisher’s Marketplace: ‘Author of the NYT bestseller WAKE Lisa McMann's next paranormal stand-alone, again to Jennifer Klonsky at Simon Pulse, for publication in spring 2011, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).’

I’ve known Lisa McMann since I first started writing, more or less. I can attest to her talent and generosity of spirit, and her first YA – Wake – was an absolute blast. I loved it, and I’m not a natural YA reader – the series is getting better as it goes along, and Fade is hitting the bookshelves this week, so if you want to write for young adults, or enjoy young adult fiction, grab a copy and see how a truly gifted writer does it! Her tour dates are here if you’re in the USA – and she’s shipping signed copies too.

Running also helps. Like many writers I find that I write better if I exercise, but this weather can make it a bloody misery to run and leave me as a bloody misery if I don’t. The compromise position is to run at the gym, but I hate gyms. So I bought a treadmill. Not one of those electric gizmos, but just a big caterpillar track that rolls away under your feet so that you push it round yourself – it’s astonishingly hard work, but being able to run while watching Hot Fuzz or Blazing Saddles is great.

And writing is the best way to beat fannying around, of course ...

Later

Addendum - those great people I was talking about - add to their list Adam Lowe, nicest of editors and most generous of networkers. He's given me a grain of gold that I'm about to try and turn into a whole damn golden vista ... cheers, Adam!