Following up on my previous post, the first thing is that I discovered that another writer had a similar experience with this publication, so it does seem to be their policy to "copy edit" without sending a writer any proofs or galleys before publication.

I received a private message in response to my blog post from an experienced writer and editor who told me that in fact I am in the wrong, that the journal once I have agreed to publication and despite the fact that I signed no contract, can do what it wants to my story. She suggested I take down my blog post, and apologize to the editors in question.

I decided that I had to look into this further. Can this be the case? And, if so, how many writers know this? If this is the case, why do so many decent and reputable literary magazines send writers proofs to approve if they don't have to? Purely out of respect, not of duty? ....


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I ask this repeatedly as Mavis and Pauline enter the conference room, more to hide my terror than anything.

They look at each other wearily, and sit down opposite me. Pauline holds her hand up, cutting me off. “Christopher, it is a possibility at this stage, but you really must stop obsessing about it. It’s not healthy.”

I watch them carefully. They don’t make any sudden moves. Mavis looks almost upset. “You’ve been saying some unkind and untruthful things about us. And while we can take a little ribbing, we are also busy people and we have other people to see today. So perhaps you could stop the fooling around and be sensible for a few minutes.”

Perhaps she is being genuine. I study them and have to admit they aren’t the demons I remember. Ugly, certainly, but not demonic. I sit up. “Something strange definitely happened last time.”

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The following is a cautionary tale for all writers, a true story that I hope, without naming names, will serve as a warning to all of us who trust editors with our words and expect them to handle our writing with the same care and attention that we do.

A new print magazine accepted two of my (250 word) flash stories for its second issue, due out in late Feb. There was no contract that I signed, only an invoice for payment. The only correspondence from them said:

I am pleased to inform you that your story xxx, has been short listed for the second issue of @&*T. Could you please send us your story with final edits in our house style (details attached) as soon as possible but no later than Friday 21st December. We also need a biography of no longer than 100 words.

What should a (perhaps naive) writer assume in all good faith? That when they have put in the paragraph breaks that the house style demands (which, in my mind, already alters the piece slightly), that this is EXACTLY how the story will appear - given the words "final edits".
.....

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My story for adults (I do write those every now and again you know), The Barge Man, is now up over at Un-Made-Up. It is a true story crossed with something similar to The Thought-Fox. Well, that's what I aimed for anyway.

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I have just added a new section to The Short Review: Author Interviews. This is turning into a very popular feature on the site, and for me personally, as a writer, these interviews with authors about how they write, how they put their collections together, what they are working on now, are fascinating and illuminating. A few excerpts:

Rusty Barnes, author of the flash fiction collection Breaking it Down, says:
"I write to be read, yes — I love to be read above all things now — but I write only to please myself. I mean, I have my obsessions, my concerns, and a good sense of what's out there in the world being written, and I think what I write has a place in that world, and it's up to me to figure out ways to get it out there, to get it to readers." .......

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I'm delighted to be making my debut in Literary Mama this morning, with my story, A Thistle Harvest. A new venue is always exciting, and this is a tough one to break into from all accounts.


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... to Lord H who is just as young and vibrant today as the day I first met him! But without the Salman Rushdie look-alike beard. My dears, it just had to go ... And what a lovely day we're having - though possibly rather bizarre. But hey that's just us, eh!

Today's favourite present is definitely the Terry Wogan book, Wogan's Twelve. It even has a picture of the delightful Fran from Sir Terry's morning show, and I think we're all now in love with her. Me included. What a babe. And she so suits her voice. Marvellous ...

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Sorry, the link to my blog is working now, for anyone who wanted to click through but couldn't.

Dear Kitty

How, precisely, does one flirt? It’s been a while and I’m back out there and I seem to have forgotten what to do. I remember there’s some gaze-holding, right? And a soupcon of hair-tossing? And isn’t there meant to be some licking-of-lips?

Say I see a good looking guy in the supermarket – it could happen, it’s a Waitrose – should I try to catch his eye? And if so, what then? Do I smile or pout or just stare at him meaningfully? Isn’t it weird to smile at a stranger? Isn’t staring at someone a bit rude? Should I be flipping my hair, or biting my lip, or batting my lashes or what?

Glassy eyed, Glasgow


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I'm feeling fairly demolished, having just received a second agent rejection of the first crime novel. Don't worry, I got the crying jag out of the way earlier on, so this isn't going to be a self-pitying post. I am trying instead to salvage something positive from the experience.

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