Daedalus

I really like this thread. It feels quite cathartic to have a place to vent about “failures” and to reflect on how we define and learn from them.

It’s amazing how easy the thought “I’m a terrible writer” can come unbidden into our minds. I had this exact thought today, just because there is an element of my book I haven’t figured out yet. What…[Read more]

Stella, I believe the Grindstone ends very soon, so suggest you hurry.
I don’t know about the Bath children’s award, but agree they have a steep entry fee. It’s also £25 for the novel award.
The novel award is highly regarded, and all the winners have ended up with a deal. (For a male writer, though, it’s worth knowing the award is…[Read more]

@Stellaolivetti Bath, Bridport, Yeovil, Blue Pencil.
There are two more with end dates coming soon: Grindstone and Caledonian.

Yes, it’s disheartening when you see newly published books by celebs (assume that’s what you mean). My local bookshop recently had on open display a ‘crime thriller’ by Ronnie O’Sullivan (the snooker player). No further…[Read more]

Nothing to add to Daed’s and Raine’s wise words except to sympathise Bella. It must have been very frightening.

Wow, Bella, that sounds awful. I’m not surprised it has rattled you! Hope you are home safe and recovering with lots of tea.

Re: what could have been done … I have a mixed record of dealing with stuff like this, but I do think it’s difficult to gauge what response will help de-escalate the situation. Would being confronted by some burly blokes…[Read more]

To be honest, Alan, that the very act of having written something complete enough to be able to send it out to comps is a success, so I’d start off by saying Congratulations on that massive success before worrying about the relatively small “failures” that followed.
That said… It’s far easier to say these things than do them/feel them. My…[Read more]

crossed with you, Alan. Is failure not trying, or not winning? I’d say the former. Because if you don’t try, you might never win. And even if you don’t win because you never enter a comp, you have still succeeded in writing something.

Not sure ‘enjoyment’ comes into my reason for writing – it’s something that can feel like a chore at times! And…[Read more]

I think with anything creative, there’s the element of personal preference. You know I arrange flowers – well, I see some designs and think ‘how the heck is that flower design?’. Especially when it’s something like a single flower head and a twig. Yet others I see are amazing feats of engineering and have flow and rhythm or colour, and I’m blown…[Read more]

@Raine Your view of semantics (and that of others) is a moot point. Is failure not trying, or not winning? I think I may be too inclined towards not winning, and some re-education is necessary.
When considering success and failure, I think it’s important not to forget why writers do write. Surely, all the various reasons can be summed-up as…[Read more]

Oh, failure is hard! And so unavoidable. It’s a bit like the ‘slushpile’ term though isn’t it? Perhaps more negative than it needs to be for some of the things we are talking about. Things like not getting short listed in major comps, or not getting a story into a popular journal … are they really failure, or are they a lack of success? Maybe…[Read more]

I’m rather good at that too. Though how would I Know? In concrete terms I haven’t actually had any writing successes.

@daedalus The law in the USA is basically the same, copyright rests with the creator as soon as the creation is in a tangible form. The difference is litigation, America’s national sport. To defend, or attack, is far less complex and expensive if you’ve registered the copyright. But, an important point, just putting the C-mark on your work,…[Read more]

You called, ma’am? Yes, no ‘c’ required for the reasons already given on this thread. It sends out a signal that you don’t really know how this stuff works, which is less-than professional.

Thanks. I didn’t realise it was a group.