jaw's blog

I see 'My Account' says that I have been a member for 1 year 11 weeks. I assume this began when I entered last years contest at the end of January, 2010.

I have learned a lot in the course of this contest. It has been useful to help me hone my writing skills and I am grateful to all the sponsors.

You have all been an inspiration. Thank-you.

Here, I first learned to complete a first draft, fast, fast, fast. To pour myself into the pages, to set goals, and discovered that deadlines force me to rise to the occasion.

Hi Susan

A couple of quick questions, which I will pose on the blog, in the event others, might find your answers helpful.

Publishers are inclined to request manuscripts in serif fonts like Courier, Times New Roman, or Georgia, but serifs tend to blur on computer screens.

I have noticed, during my trek into “The Land of Submissions,” that many agents, publishers, and websites, prefer sans serif fonts like Verdana, as they are easier to read on computer screens.

If I am not mistaken, The Coffee Shop Author judges are scattered, and will receive the manuscripts via email.

This morning I spent at my Spanish conversation group. It is one of the ways I give back to the community. I help others that are learning the language. Of course, it is good practice for me too, as outside of my family, there are not many opportunities to use the language here on the West Coast of BC.

After lunch, I shot over to my coffee shop with laptop and a bleeding copy of ‘Men’s Room Memorial’ in hand. It is one of the two stories I plan to submit. It bleeds from the editing it received from my writer’s group. (Red ink of course.)

Further to the springtime theme, the buds are out on my plum trees and the grass is greening. I love the signs of spring as much as I hate the cold!

On my coffee shop days, (or is that daze?) I work on the revision of one of the two stories I plan to submit, or on the first draft of short story #18, for the 'COFFEE SHOP SHORTS' collection. This particular story, is in fact a piece of creative non-fiction, based on stories my father has told me.

Remember all, they will only want 20 pages, so make sure they are the best you can do!

Edit, edit revise, revise.

I did not intend to write any more short stories right now, rather to concentrate on the revisions of the two I have chosen to submit.

But, the Muse will have her way and I have written two more, with a third in the wings awaiting its creation.

By the by, my Muse lives in a rock. Granted, it is not any old rock, but a polished oval agate with her name inscribed upon it. It is handy to have a portable Muse, in particular when you write in a coffee shop

Here on the South Coast, it snows little. It rains, but there are seldom downpours. Rather, it mists upon us for days and days. No golf-ball hailstones, no twisters tearing off barn roofs, or ravaging Trailer Parks.

In summer, there are no droughts, no forty-degree heat waves, or thunderstorms, lighting up the sky and sparking forest fires.

Ambiguous I call it.

Today is a perfect example. The grey sky releases a few flakes of the white stuff.

Flurries.

A word we hear often this time of year, even when they do not appear as predicted.

I had the great honour of attending a reading by the award winning Canadian author, Kenneth Radu last night. He read from his latest offering of short stories, Sex in Russia.

I sat mesmerized in The Pelican Rouge coffee shop in White Rock listening to this extraordinary writer. Thank the God I do not believe in that he (or more likely she,) made sure there were copies of the book on sale.

Actually, the Literary Committee and The Semiahmoo Arts Council take care of that.

I now have a signed copy of my very own!

Hello Randal and Susan,

I am working on revision, editing and the evil synopsis for my submission. I planned on something like 20 pages as was requested last year. Will you require the same this year?

This will help me choose how many of the stories to prepare and submit.

Thanks,

jaw

I now have 15 short stories. They add up to a little over 28,000 words. Enough I think, as they will accept partial manuscripts. I would say this book of shorts is about half done.

Again, the premise is for the stories to be readable over coffee, or perhaps a light meal.

Not many spend as much time at the coffee shop as I do!
More likely, as we all do.

☺

I started my eleventh short story today. That does sound impressive, doesn’t it? The reality is nothing like the sound of it. In fact, I have written a little over 20,000 words. That would be 80+ pages, double-spaced in a twelve-point font.

Actually, I write using Verdana, which is larger than some fonts and I only get 225-250 words per page. (Of course, I change the font to New Times Roman when I submit anything.)

The cardinal rule... Don’t do anything to piss off the editor.