100 Stories For Haiti (by sarah)

I found about four hours before the deadline that there was a 100 stories for Haiti book project asking for submissions to help raise money for the earthquake victims.

So I hurriedly altered one of my stories and sent it too them last night - I was first stuck with a feeling that I wouldn't have anything to give them as they didn't want anything with Death, violence etc... it was the death one that stumped me - all the stories I have with the nice happy endings are ghost stories which were obviously out.

Anyway I found something and sent it off!

I had actually already mentioned something like this project as a possible money raiser after an argument about writing stories about the crisis itself.

Now I would encourage writing about suck heavy subjects as I feel they all to often get swept aside but I also feel you have to be careful and think before you fictionalise such a thing. Why? Becuase it would be easy to trivualise it.

How can you fictionalise a crisis why it is still going on? Unless you have actually been being there helping and are fictionalising your own experience - you need to research it or you will just get it all wrong. And I feel uneasy about writing about it whilst it is still a crisis - Apparently people felt helpless and wanted to show they cared - my reaction to this was simply - make an ebook of other stories and sell it to raise money then.

I'm not sure why I had such a strong reaction to this but Alaric thinks the same way too - he thinks you can't really fictionalise something like this until a yr or so afterwards.

Anyway they have now extended the deadline so if you have a story under 1000 words you might want to donate it :)

WoPoWriMo – World Poetry Writing Month (by sarah)

I am organising and taking part in WoPoWriMo which means that I have been setting up the web-site and facebook group and newsletter sign up and what have you.

Why am I doing this? Because I was asked too! And it sounds like a fun project:)

What will I be doing and expecting others to do?

Write a poem a day for the whole of February!

There is a Pledge to sign too :)

So you going to join in? I've even go Alaric pledged and excited - yes you heard me Alaric writing poetry!

Poetry Cafe – Adam Horovitz (by sarah)

Last night at Poetry Cafe one of the main poetry thingys I have been attending we had a blinding headline poet called Adam Horovitz. During his reading I got the chill and the tingle and so actually parted with cash for a pamphlet containing a poem that made me want to cry.

The Great Unlearning.

Know if you know me - you also know that I basically don't buy poetry - unless there is a contributors copy where I don't have to pay postage and packaging I don't even have copies of my own poems - I don't buy the journals or anything. I am basically a culture thicky, the scientist ingressing and yes I don't read much poetry - this is because I will only bother reading something where I have heard some of the poems and have had the tingle.

Anyway I am digressing as I always do!

Basically I really liked this guys poems and I got to read too :) In the open mic! I read Alphabet Soup and Summer Sale - though I felt very fatigued yesturday and had trouble not shaking which sucked big time and I felt it reflected in how well I read :(

I also got to announce WoPoWriMo (World Poetry Writing Month) which I need to do a whole post about but basically - February is the month of poetry and the month of poetry is February.

It's a writing challenge - if your intrested do click through to have a butchers :)

Also next month I am going to be doing a mini showcase at Poetry Cafe of my work. I am of course excited about this and hope that some peeps might actually want to come and see me :)

The Art of Knowledge Unconference (by sarah)

This weekend 12-13 Dec 2009 in Bristol there is an Unconference part of the uncraftivism weekend and I am going to be reading some of my poems that I think appropriate! Like The Programmer's Lament and A Picture of Words.

Me and Alaric are hoping some of you will join us in Bristol :)

It looks like a really interesting event so I'm looking forward to it - lots!

BKU2009 on twitter and I think there's some online jabbery stuff occuring. There is also like a talk/culture cafe thing and a lot of free form stuff hence the Un- bit of conference!

Nano-Completion! (by sarah)

I have been sort of missing to everyone in November this is becuase I have been taking part in the NaNoWriMo challenge and today I have finished 3 days early too!

I have written over 50, 000 words on my Punk In Pink novel and I have broken my normal getting stuck with research at 30, 000 word barrier and I'm still full of enthusiasm for the story - of course I am only 1/3 of the way through the Punk In Pink which becuase I am writing it turns out to be part of some great big long and complecated series.

Also though it started as a throw away idea that was supposed to be easy and fun and all big guns and fast rides and cute outfits it has turned into something else.

It has turned into something that shows the cyclic nature of history, that extends trends I see around me, that shows how intolerance of others leads to destruction of those who are full of hatred and on and on and on and I never realised I was so full of all these ideas and concepts.

There is stuff in there about Ocean currents being upset and use of natural resources and... look you can read the raw chapters here. I haven't actually read them yet myself - the work has all its mistakes in it - the spelling, grammar, typos and continuaty errors.

I got too into the story to worry about keeping track of names and stuff and in fact half the writing stuff sees the Punk refered to only as She and the as Harry (don't as long story). There is even a dark forecast of the police and the protester being taken out by the same Corporate terrorist act.

Obviously it needs alot of work yet but there it is the first third - It is A Beginning.