A.J. Walker

writerer

competitions

Judging Malarkey

It's been a while since I've done any judging, mind you it's been a while since I've entered a challenge where winners are chosen. Last week I entered Microcosms for the second successive week after a long hiatus and was given the win by the judge (thank you, Dana) who evidently has a similar sense of humour to me. Anyways, as a winner you get asked to judge the following weeks entries which this week I agreed to.

There were seven entries this week (week 172) which covered a wide variety of subjects based on the fun range of prompts. Judging is always an interesting process and it was as enjoyable as ever to do this time. Good to get it done and dusted by Tuesday too. Hopefully the results will be up on the website soon–once I've found out who I should be sending my review to!

If you haven't tried Microscoms before I can recommend giving it a go. It's a weekly writing challenge for Flash Fiction of up to 300 words posted on their site: microcosmsfic.com It's always a fun challenge. And maybe when you win it you'll can lay your rule over the following week's stories–and find that just as much fun (or at least interesting) as writing for it.

MiniUniverses
MicroGems
Go on. Give it a go. In the meantime have a look at the site and see how it all works.
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Winner Winner Not Chicken Dinner

Been a few months since I've won something on Twitter but this week, which has been pretty crap in other ways, has been made better by TWO wins with a book and a CD winging their way to me.

Once Upon A Time

First I won the soundtrack for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood from FACT in Liverpool. Only listened to half of it so far, but it is fab. Then today I won a brand new book; 'Bottled' about alcohol and its relationship with English football (players and teams). Looks like it'll be a good read.

Bottled

Now they say things happen in threes. So I better find another Twitter competition or two.

Yesterday I was waiting for a replacement van to be delivered (don't ask). Cleaned the van out, took photos and all that then waited. Expected them to come in the morning or maybe lunchtime–I mean who wants to be working late on a Friday? What time did it arrive? 8:30pm. FFS. I hadn't gone out, having to wait, and was starving. With all the KFC coverage yesterday I fancied some fried chicken but by the time the van arrived that mood had gone. Ended up with a beef green pepper and black-bean sauce. Wasn't the best. But no doubt better than the KFC.

Anyway, I'm of to Twitter to look for another comp.
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Not a Song Video

A couple of weeks ago I submitted my first chapter of TWO to Pulp Idol, which is part of Liverpool's 'Writing on the Wall' festival. Unfortunately due to a glitch my invite to read at one of the Pulp Idol Heats never materialised. The first I heard about the heats was from a judge on Twitter saying how good the writers had been that night. When the guys and gals at WOW realised, they were on to me and we're very apologetic. I rang them a little bit annoyed at it, but by the end of the two telephone conversations I felt so sorry for them - they sounded genuinely more gutted than me. Apparently at least one other invitee never got their email too.

After the consideration of a fight to the death between me and the other unfortunate was discounted, it was decided that, if I wanted and could do it, I should do a video of a 3-minute reading of the first chapter and the answers to a couple of questions so the judges could see it this weekend. This would be too big to email so needed to go on to YouTube. I did that on Thursday; apologies to anyone following my YouTube channel who got pinged to be told I'd uploaded a new vid and found it was not me and guitar, it was me and my Kindle.

I'm not actually sure of how the Pulp Idol thing really works. They have the whole chapter to read and then hear 3 minutes, which is a tiny proportion of it. I guess they read the chapters and listen to the answers on where the book is up to etc rather than judging on the performance. Anyway, alls I can do now is wait.

In other writing news I had submitted a story for a horror anthology, 'Don't Open the Door,' several weeks ago, and have now received my edits/questions from the editor. A wee bit of work to finish it, which involves tightening up the start (as usual) and will probably end up cutting 500-1000 words!? We'll see. Gotta get on this. Now if I can just get my damn printer to work…

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NFFD 2019

NFFD19

Submitted two flash stories today for the National Flash Fiction Day anthology competition (theme: Doors).

Closing date is... today. I mean, of course it was. Why is it people like me always but always leave it until the last day to submit?

Anyway at least I didn't have any I.T. issues this week, which meant I didn't to suffer a last minute panic.

Enjoyed writing them. One of them more than the other.

Good luck to all those that entered or (there are a few hours left) are going to enter. Tick tock.

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Mo Music

A day that should leave me feeling a bit more relaxed one way or another, but we'll see.

Updated my mate's business website. Nice to get that boxed off in quick time. In other news I managed to get around an hour or so playing the guitar which was nice. I've got a bit of a sore back at the moment - I think a trapped nerve - which has left me a bit pins and needled on my fretting hand which isn't ideal. Recorded 'Shed a Tear (for the lonesome)' using the Blue 'Snowball' microphone and iMovie. The movie is a bit dark and freckly as it was getting dark out and I was only using the computer's iSight camera. At some point I'll see if I can attach or use my Lumix instead - would be better for image quality and flexible recording.

Yesterday I received a Twitter message from
Getintothis to tell me I'd won a couple of tickets for a gig tonight at Sound on Duke Street. There's three or four bands on with the headline act being 'Allusinlove'. Looks like it may be fun. More music and on another school night. Unfortunately most the usual suspects I'd go with aren't available tonight so looks like I may be there on me lonesome - awww!

allusinlove

Suppose I better get ready for popping out for some tunes then.
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Owl Canyon Comp

Results for the Owl Canyon Hackathon came through last night and I was unsurprised not to be on the shortlist of 24.

To be fair the way in which I completed it, writing a third of it from about midnight on the day of entry, it was to be expected. Of course that is not to say I'm not disappointed. Nothing wrong with expecting rushed genius.

Next time though I am going to finish before the last hour of acceptance.

The winning three writers were:

FIRST PLACE: "The Biggest Salmon Barbecue in the Galaxy" by David Greenson
SECOND PLACE: "Half of What You See" by Lorain Urban
THIRD PLACE: "Birds of a Feather" by Julie Hall

Congratulations to the winners and all those shortlisted and thanks too to Owl Canyon for the competition.

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Owl Canyon Press Hackathon

Owl Canyon Press ran a short story competition a couple of months ago which was due to be announced in August. It was an interesting idea with the first and last paragraph of the story supplied by them the writers had to write the story in-between. To make it harder still the entire story was to be exactly 50 paragraphs AND no direct speech was allowed. Ouch!

So I thought well hey, worth a go. Not many people will wanna take that on. And I've hardly seen anybody mentioning it on Twitter which kinda supported this.

Cue email from OCP yesterday with an update. Er, seems my second guessing wasn't exactly spot on. There were over 900 entries! Results therefore around the start of September with so many to read. Bloody hell, 900+ entries - there really are a lot of writerers out there.
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Top Tweets

I love Twitter. It's just a fab community. A fast way to find out things, identify trends. Follow the right people, ignore a lot. Sift through the mire with your eyes wide open and it is a fab world in itself.

Oh, and through it I've WON a load of boss stuff on it. In the last few years: pairs of tickets to Glastonbury, to V Festival, Low, Magic Numbers, Josh Rouse and Ed Harcourt. And meals at a couple of Liverpool pubs. A £30 bar tab. And a Liverpool Cheese Club event. All through Twitter.

SaintMotel
Saint Motel at Liverpool, July 2017

And this week I won a couple of tickets to Saint Motel at Liverpool O2 Academy, through Bido Lito! Didn't know the band. Didn't have a song by them. The only song I'd heard a bit of was through the NowTV advert (and I didn't know it was them until I won the tickets); just break it down to different sizes and listen to the very catchy 'My Type'. Anyway, medium length story short... it was a lovely gig. Thanks Bido Lito. And thanks again Twitter!!!

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The Pen of Serious Decision Making

Writing Plans

Right, I'm a month and a half into 2017 and I still haven't confirmed what my
writing plans are (see blog 10.01.17) and it's not good enough. It's time to undertake some serious thinking and make some serious plans.

I'm giving myself
two weeks now, so I'm putting on my Specialest Writing Hat and holding tightly The Pen of Serious Decision Making and I'm going to get a plan together. Oh yeah, baby!

Er, that'll be two months in to the year before "
The Plan" is in place. But it is what it is, and so on 1 March 2017 come rain, come grey nothingness I will have it.

One of the considerations in this two weeks is whether to go forward at this time with
'Fergie Time' from last year's NaNoWriMo or whether to bin it (or at least hold off on it) to concentrate on other projects. We will see... hopefully.

In other matters, following the
Reflex Competition entered on the 7 Feb, I have also entered the Writers & Artists competition (now closed). On 'reflection' I should have given the piece a better title. But typically it was a finish on submission day job. Ho hum. If I get to enter it elsewhere following its failure in this comp at least I can rename it when I revisit it! There's a couple more competitions that I think I will enter over the next month or so. Unless they get in the way of THE PLAN!

Keep Writing, folks!
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