Inspiration Monday #1: Falling Softly

Apologies for the double post today. My writing friend, Craig Towsley (http://cleveroldowl.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/inspiration-monday-dont-bleed/) has recently put me on to Inspiration Monday, a scheme similar to the Friday Fictioneers, with a main difference of being based on – guess? – Mondays not Fridays. It’s my first time, but don’t feel you need to be too kind – I love feedback and constructive criticism is the best type!

You can see the site (and the inspiration) at Be Kind Rewrite and my story below.

Falling Softly

There is no sound as I descend. The clouds caress my face, but the wind is stronger and gravity is stronger still, so that the result is far from pretty. I’ve seen photographs, I know how it looks: shaped into a hideous visage of g-forces and momentum.

It’s a little like falling in love, I think. Soundless, yet catastrophic. Infinitely safe, yet perilous in the end.

Nobody truly fears falling. They fear hitting the ground. Nobody is really afraid to fall in love, but they are afraid of all the things which come immediately afterwards: the sudden removal of one’s armour and opening one’s breast to the blows only a lover can lay – deliberately or otherwise.

She was beautiful. She was kind. And it was inevitable, perhaps, that I would fall in love with her. But as she caressed my face, she was shaping it too, making it an ugly visage of jealousy and fear, which would eventually show through. And then I had to choose: a parachute to stop me falling, or final surrender to my love.

My hand is on the pilot ‘chute. I could release it any time. But I hesitate, mesmerised by the ground below, and her face behind my eyes.

Share and Share Alike

Writing is notoriously a solitary pursuit, but the last couple of years have taught me that it can also be a social one, with a great community spirit. Many of my friends in Canada have some from one or other writing group, and I value the associations I’ve made further afield through the Friday Fictioneers even though we’ve never met.

When it comes to writing competitions, the best way to hear about them is through other writers. Occasionally, I’ll get an email from a writing friend saying “Have you seen this link? Might be tempting for you” and as someone trying to submit to at least one contest or magazine per month, the diversity of these suggestions is incredibly valuable to me.

Of course, there’s a temptation as an entrant to keep these things a secret, reducing the number of entries and therefore the competition for your own piece. But let’s face it, there are going to be hundreds or thousands or even hundreds of thousands of other entries, so hiding the event from one’s friends isn’t noticeably improving one’s own prospects in *this* contest, and it’s sure as hell going to reduce the number of contests they introduce you to in the future. It’s a false economy, not to mention selfish.

SOOO…

I thought we could spread the community worldwide right here on elmowrites. I’m hoping to make this a regular feature, probably on Thursdays, so check back then, or subscribe using to link on the right, to catch a series of links to magazines, publishers and contests which give writers a chance to see their work in print. If you come across a place where writers can submit their work, feel free to post a comment and share the luck, and if you succeed, do let us know so we can celebrate with you.

May the best writing win!