Colin, I understand the basic procedure for comps, but one or two have stated recently that because the same names came up for more than one prize that in the interests of fairness they'd decided that only one could be awarded to each competitor.

Jai, your publishing record is impressive, and I can understand your frustration at having received high praise for your longer work too, yet no offers of publication. I think you will get there in the end though, and I'm sure you're not the type to give up. Apart from the more commercial mags the short story market in the UK is an odd one that seems slightly incestuous with the mags existing mostly by subscriptions from hopeful writers. I've always advocated supporting them, but in all truth there's only so far one can go along this route.

Nell.

thanks Nell, Elspeth and Ani - I really appreciate your encouragement. seriously. and yes the ones are the persistent ones indeed.

trouble is I never do anything by halves, so I have approached publication like a ritual, a business. I get up think about what I am writing, what to send out, always looking for the next opportunity, keeping myself aware of all markets, deadlines etc, thinking I need to edit this for x,y z. it's obsessional! If i could be more laid back in my approach...

but there's always been this thing in my head that to get published one must have a good few credits to impress - as I am not on an MA course, not trendy, not mainstream, not commercial, don't have connections that will pull strings for me and sorry to say this - am not irish, or aboriginal, or indian or chinese - which i know doesn't guarantee you anything of course BUT I find that lately (probably not forever) some ethnicity can just help with marketing. hope that doesn't sound awful. but to use Andrea levy's first book - set on a north london council estate about a west indian growing up to be a graphic designer who's father was dying of cancer -if I had written it - a worcestershire white girl growing up on a council estate in Worcester who's father was dying of cancer etc - whatever the merits of the writing - I am almost certain it wouldn't have been picked up. I'm not saying this is a bad thing and I am NOT saying there's discrimination here - but marketing values. (am i being defensive here? lol) I think the publishing world is finally interested in the - to put it in a horrible way - the ethnic experience...

anyway - i'm not one of those things so all I got going for me is discipline and tenacity to build up good credits.

so i done that. and yeah what??

I'm not interested in little credits. I'd rather write few stories that have a hope of finding a good quality home than lots of ditties that I give to Eclectica or east of the web or smokelong etc. I have a different view to flash maybe and some smaller older pieces of mine that I know won't find a great home. prestige markets are only what I am interested in really.

I'm much more interested right now in pushing my own boundaries, doing what I can do without thinking I got to get it published and thus possibly compromising what I write.

Publication is still eth dream though but on my terms not theirs.

Plus my best stories remain unpublished.

so once more at the risk of sounding precious, pretentious or whatever I am trying to wean myself off this must publish roundabout. like my ego thinks it's bad if I don't get somewhere in a comp, or gets nominated for a pushcart or whatever - it's not good for a person!

and I have proved to myself that good credits and a good book isn't the thing that does it. it's something else. something I don't have.

so I intend to just send stuff out if and when I think about and find a good match. less obsessing. and sending everwhere that seems possible.

sorry for the rant!

Jai,

I can understand everything that you've said. It seeems to me not giving up on publishing, but a change in your approach to it, and perhaps that's just what you need at this stage in your writing career.

I had to laugh, though, when you mentioned Smokelong. I'm struggling to learn to create something that Smokelong will want. In fact, I'm expecting my latest rejection any moment! LOL

Ani

Jai, everything you say makes perfect sense. You've nothing to prove - been there, done that - and publication in quality journals may - if the Furies are willing - bring the people with influence to you (on their knees hopefully!) one day, and may it be sooner rather than later!

Nell.

Colin, I understand the basic procedure for comps, but one or two have stated recently that because the same names came up for more than one prize that in the interests of fairness they'd decided that only one could be awarded to each competitor.

That in itself is unfair. They don't do that with the oscars. Okay, not the same thing, but I suppose I can see both sides of the coin. Still, if you enter competitions and you are good enough to win more than once, then you should be credited with it. Maybe the only fair thing to do is to give the author credits for their other work in the published anthology.

Colin M