Recently I've been keeping my head down, busy writing short stories again, and I must say I'm finding it a peaceful life. I used to say that writing a series of stories was harder than writing a novel, because once you set a novel in motion it carries you along, whereas each story requires a new effort or burst of ideas and inspiration. That's true, of course, but at present I'm loving the containment of the creative process on each story: there's the same excitement and total immersion, of course, but then the gelling and completion - and consequent sense of satisfaction - come so quickly (by comparison), and, if I want I can then rest and have a period of rejuvenation. I'm not having to put my whole life on hold the way you often have to just to get a novel done - either that, or feel torn to bits between your writing and all the other demands on you, which (for me, at any rate) usually means that the work suffers.
Anyway, I'm very pleased to say that one of the recent stories has been taken by Stand, one of the longest-running and respected literary magazines. I owe a great debt to Stand: two of the stories in Balancing on the Edge of the World, 'Star Things' and 'A Glossary of Bread', were previously published in Stand, and it's a magazine I'm most thrilled to be in. It was founded in 1952 by the poet Jon Silkin with the mission to create a platform for writing that is 'simple in expression and human in its context'. The new story won't be in the magazine until 2014, but it will be worth the wait.
11 comments:
A wonderful achievement - I'd love to get a story in Stand.
Thank you, Rachel.
Lovely to hear you are back into the short story world, I can understand, although I've never attempted a novel, that the change, the differencein pacing, must be quite invigorating. Congratulations re STAND too, reminds me that I've had a number of stories published this year but few in UK lit mags, so am off to check it out!
Hm, I really must check out the list on your blog and investigate some non-UK mags!
Congrats in all sorts of ways, Elizabeth. 2014. Wow. That is humbling.
Yes, quite humbling, Nuala!
Congratulations on your publication! As a writer, I think short stories also set the bar very high because their very brevity requires that every line carry water.
Yes, Shelley, contrary to what many may think, they are a very demanding form.
Congratulations!
There is something wonderful about the unhurried way in which Stand goes about its business.
Given the speed and rate at which many online mags publish stories, it is all too easy to lose track of the pauses and gaps in writing that are as much a part of the creative process as composition itself. You find yourself imposing arbitrary deadlines or unrealistic timescales for the completion of stories, none of which helps your writing. It's nice to be reminded that there is another way of doing things...
We at Stand are delighted to publish Elizabeth Baines' stories.
Thank you, Elizabeth for acknowledging Stand.
We have just discovered your lively and comprehensive blog thanks to Amy Ramsay, one of our two young and technologically able editorial assistants.
Elaine Glover, one of the Stand editors
Elaine, thank you for stopping by, and thank you also to Amy. I must say that being accepted by Stand is really one of the great highlights of the writing life, and thank you very much!
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