Esme enters stage left and stands facing the (marauding as ever) crowds

Ahem.

The Cloud has an announcement!

Esme is being published this very day. The 28th of March 2017. Published no less! (No more either)

On a very small-scale.

Hahahahaha.

Nonetheless, it is a repectable online periodical, rather than a straightforward re-blog or the like. A magazine and book site that holds true to its name: ‘101 Words‘. All submissions must be . . . 101 words long! Did you guess? I really hope so. They only accept short stories, no poems, and have other rules one has to stick to. Esme did think the very tiny spot of sauce she had added may have scuppered her chances as “no erotica is allowed” hahahahaha. It really isn’t erotic though. Also, the subject is a tad dodgy morality-wise and two famous people are mentioned which they don’t always allow. In a nutshell, what the hell was I thinking? That’s easy; I wasn’t thinking about rules at all (in more ways than seven). smiles.

Once submitted and accepted, you can’t publish your stories anywhere else — on blogs, on Twatter, not even on toilet walls. So I am instead posting the link to where my publishing debut resides. WordPress folks can comment beneath as your details are filled in automatically, whilst others outside of WP have to leave a name, of sorts, and an email address. If you like it, please do comment and say why. If you don’t like it, come back here for a bunch of fives and no supper.

Here is the short story in question.

Giant Steps.  (it’s up there now folks)

I first found out about 101 Words through Prospero Dae, a mighty fine writer who has written many 101 short stories, and really is superb at it. I thought no more of the matter for some time, as Esme can’t keep her word arrangements short. She chats on, has addendums all over the show, and expands the smallest of ideas into a hot air balloon of such a scale it could hoist aloft the residents of Finland (should they wish to go on a rather hair-raising journey). I’m sure none of you have ever noticed the aforesaid eccentricity of Esme’s mind, mind you.

Here are two of Prospero’s published 101’s:

The Exorcist by Prospero Dae

Large Bills by Prospero Dae

Last month I sent the link to Museworthy Man, thinking it would be right up his wordy street, and indeed it was; he was published, and placed in the ‘Featured Authors’ category too — get him! — no less, for the February edition! Here is why:

The Sirens Sing

Good, eh? Museworthy Man also seemed to think Esme could do it too . . . might be a useful experience after all, thought she, so gave it a whirl. It’s as tricky as I suspected it would be an’ all, shaving and snipping bits off that first seemed essential, again and again, cursing lots, and most of all . . . counting bloody words. Hahahahaha.

I’ll do another later in the year because I have too many fingers in too vast a selection of pies as it is, and no energy to fill them, let alone craft extras that involve such mind-bending efforts. Still, it was a marvellous exercise and I highly recommend it.

Why not give it a go yourself? – https://www.101words.org/writing-contest/

And if you do, let me know.