My Write-y Senses are Tingling.....

So, I just went through my submissions spreadsheet for this year's Short Story contests.... somehow, I assumed I was woefully behind and had missed dozens of deadlines because I hadn't submitted anything in the month of January.

There were about 3 contests whose deadlines passed in January that I was well aware of. Still feeling the draining effects of having survived another Christmas working retail, having prepared for a huge book sale and signing event with a local school and just getting over a mild flu, I agreed to allow the January deadlines to pass without a second thought. As much as it pains me to admit---- I really can't do EVERYTHING....

And, now February is well into its first week without a known deadline itching in the back of mind.... this is when the panic alarms started tingling in the depths of my subconscious---- if it's possible to have the Spidey-Senses version of writing 'alarm bells', then I gots 'em.....

I'm one of those people that has to have a specific date in mind to know what is coming up, and to prepare for what I might miss, and without a specific date in mind, I begin to panic, thinking that I've let dozens or hundreds of things slip by.

I knew my January deadlines---- I had known them since December. And, I should have picked up my February deadlines in January as I dutifully worked through my January dates. But, as I didn't work through any submissions in January.....

I fully expected to open my neglected submission spreadsheet and see at least 2 deadlines looming for tomorrow or today even. I also expected to see 3 deadlines for Feb. 1st that had already flown by. So, holding my breath and with one eye squeezed tight, I clicked open my submission tracker and lo..... there are NO deadlines for the month of February!!!!!!!! Whew!!!!!!!!!! I have not failed at life!!!!!!!

There are a couple mid-March and a couple more at the end of March, but that's it..... I hate when the panic bells ring a false alarm---- well, maybe I don't. At least it WAS a false alarm.

Also noticed that I currently only have 1 short story that is not otherwise occupied in previous contest deadlines....which was very surprising. I was positive that several other "winners-announced" dates had passed---freeing up my arsenal of shorts to send out---but, they have not. There are still 3 looming announcement dates that are tying up stories.

Though I know it's common practice to send out the same story, article, etc to multiple contests/journals, I really prefer not to, at least, not yet. I like the idea of the story being exclusive to wherever it currently is...that way, if it is picked up, I haven't wasted the contest money somewhere else AND I don't have to go through the effort of "removing" it from every other place that it is currently participating.

So, my Write-y Senses might have been tingling to remind me to check my submissions tracker, if for no other reason that to assure me that I still have stories floating about and that if I'd like to submit to the March deadlines, that I need to start working on new shorts as those deadlines will hit while I still have other stories out in the contest ether....

Now, if I could just get a certain superhero theme-song out of my head......

L is for Loch Ness Monster....

With Kelpie, for my 'K' entry, still fresh, I thought it'd be fun to stick to the water for a bit. So, while we're in the realm of Celtic water creatures, why not visit with the most famous and widely known of aquatic beasties---- the Loch Ness Monster. Though, Nessie, sort of skirts the line of supernatural creature as it is purported by many to be a cryptid, a creature whose existence has yet to be identified by the scientific community. Those who believe Nessie an unidentified animal, have speculated that it is from the line of Plesiosaurs, while the scientific community claims it's just a modern-day myth, or at the very worst--- a hoax. I've included the Loch Ness Monster as part of my Supernatural theme because, like Bigfoot, there's an, albeit EXTREMELY, remote chance that it's real, but, like ghosts, I won't believe it until I see it myself----- I'm a card-carrying skeptic, but, I can enjoy a smidgen of the illogical now-and-again-...

K is for Kelpie.....

Today's entry is dedicated to my wonderful social club pledge sister, who sent me off from our college sanctuary with a copy of "Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales", containing an inscription that the "magic and mischief of the Kelpie follow me".... She knew I had an affinity for water and for mischief...and for all-things Celtic--so the Kelpie seemed to suit---- though, I'm not quite as savage as many folktales paint Kelpies. Kelpies are Celtic water horses, believed to haunt the lochs and rivers of Scotland and Ireland. The Kelpie was known to appear as a "lost pony", though, its identity is given away by its constantly dripping mane. Most stories give the color of the Kelpie's coat as black, though there are a few that mention the color white. The texture of the Kelpie's skin is likened to the smoothness of a seal, but its temperature is "cold as death to the touch." Like many other tales of supernatural creatures, the Kelpie...

A to Z reflections....

Another A to Z challenge comes to an end--- another collection of posts and poetry have been written, another deep breath of relief is released. For my fellow bloggers that survived as well, it's another 'challenge-completed' notch carved into the writing desk. I've come to enjoy my yearly foray into the world of all things alphabetical. This was my third year, though it was only the second year I had a workable theme (which made the challenge substantially easier than the first year I attempted this challenge.) And, though my first year was difficult because my focus was so scattered, I found this year was more difficult because I lost the enthusiasm that came with the first year excitement----excitement which helped me plug along until the end of the challenge. Year 3 was a success in the sense that I completed the challenge, though, this was the year that almost wasn't---- Somewhere about a third of the way through the challenge, I seriously considered...

From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

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