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#Blogging and Writing: How have you been?

By 13/05/2016July 8th, 2016blog, blogging, Uncategorized

This year of blogging and writing has been a bit of a roller-coaster.

Blogging and WritingI moved to my own domain, drafted my novel manuscript twice, and went through about a 100 rejections of short stories.

On the other hand, the work-in-progress novel got longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, and I had flash pieces published at the Atticus review, Jet Fuel Review, Thin Air and Roar Magazine. Two short stories came out in anthologies: Make-up Man in Twenty-two New Asian Short Stories and Thorax of a Blowfly in Flesh. Three more stories accepted for publication at various venues, that I can talk about closer to the date they come out.

I finished the A to Z Challenge, and with travels and work, have been too tired for any blogging and writing.

What have you been up to, lately? Read any of the pieces linked above? Submitted to these magazines? Read them? How is summer (or winter, depending on where you are) treating you? What about blogging and writing?

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Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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50 Comments

  • cathum says:

    Some well deserved successes. I’ve just read some of your stories – nice writing. And thanks for posting a really useful list.

  • Chez Shea says:

    That is a great achievement- I can only imagine what a lot of hard work went into getting to this point.

  • Congratulations!

  • ErikSlader says:

    Hey there, I also recently transferred my blog (Epik Fails of History) to a new server off of WordPress, but in doing so I lost all my WordPress followers. Just wanted to reach out and see if I could add you to the new newsletter.

  • cheriereich says:

    It sounds like you’ve been keeping busy. I’ve been focusing on writing more, so it means I’ve been blogging less. I’m still trying to find some balance between all the things I need/want to do. LOL!

  • pjlazos says:

    I’m pretty pooped after the AtoZ but coming back around. Congrats on all your successes. You are an inspiration. I read a quote by Stephen Spielberg and its what I aspire to: “Irrational commitment leads to irrational success.” That’s what I’m going for! Happy Sunday. 🙂

  • I’m exhausted just reading this list–and on the tail end of AtoZ. Let me catch my breath and I’ll be back to comment…

  • aj vosse says:

    Busy, busy, busy!! Good on you and getting published all over! 😉

  • Congratulations! That’s amazing with the award and short stories. Here’s to an even better second half of 2016 for you! 🙂 My year’s been similar with its ups and downs, and now summer break is looming before me. Only a little time to write and blog then, but hopefully I’ll come back to it after summer refreshed and inspired.

  • bikerchick57 says:

    Damyanti, congratulations on all you have achieved in the last month or two! I am sorry to say I wasn’t able to read many of your A-Z stories, but hope to catch up as I have a long four-day weekend and some vacation coming up in the next month. It seems that I can squeeze out time to formulate blog posts, read and/or like a few blog pages, and then the time is gone. I make too many outside commitments and that’s my excuse! The spring weather here has turned beautiful this week, after too many cold and wet April/early May days. It’s time to get out the bicycle!

  • Thank you so much for posting this! I have saved the post, and re-read it a few times over the last few days. Your post came on the heels of yet another rejection for me of yet another new short story, and I found your post encouraging and uplifting in a few ways. First, it is s reminder to keep things in perspective – working with Project Why must certainly do that for you. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of some the people involved with it – and I’m sure that was just scratching the surface! What an endeavour; so full of hope in the midst of heartbreak. Second, you’ve reminded me that I have a long way to go to reach 100 submissions – let alone 100 rejections – this year. You have a wonderful perspective – HUGE congratulations on your success and your persistent spirit. Best wishes, Nadia

  • miladyronel says:

    Wow! And it’s only May… Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your achievements of 2016 in December 😉 100 rejections (or more) is the price one pays for success. Congrats on not giving up. It’s quite inspiring 🙂 I tried my hand at flash fiction on Saturday and won the competition with “Dragon Flight” (Cracked Flash Fiction Competition). Ah, moments of success really feeds the need to write 😉

  • DL Shirey says:

    Congrats on your success this year. I’ve had a handful of pieces published too. I’ve also spent a good deal of time recently compiling a list of places that specialize in publishing microfiction. Take a look at http://bit.ly/FlashFicList and if you think your readers would find it valuable, I would appreciate you sharing it with them.

  • You have been busy and congratulations on the publications. They are feathers in you cap 🙂 I hope this year is even more successful. 🙂

  • Sounds like a wonderful year so far! Many congratulations on all your successes. Long may it continue!!

  • Gargi Mehra says:

    Congratulations on the publications, Damyanti! I’ve posted a mini-update on my blog with a couple of acceptances I had so far this year.

  • Peter Nena says:

    I remember Thorax of a Bowfly.

  • hilarymb says:

    Hi Damyanti – your A- Z was wonderful .. and you have done lots – that’s brilliant … so relax a little, time will catch up …

    Project Why is an extraordinary organisation and deserves all the support it can get …

    All the best as things settle down … take care – cheers Hilary

  • Wow! What great accomplishments and all in such a short time, congratulations!

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thankyou. The work behind everything takes years, though. If anything, I’m the slowest off the block.

  • macjam47 says:

    I don’t know how you find the time to blog with all the writing you are doing. I enjoyed reading your A to Z posts. What a fantastic theme!
    Congrats on all your published stories and best wishes for publication of your book.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      I did cut it particularly fine this year. Thanks for the words on Project Why: please do help when you can.

  • ccyager says:

    Sounds like a full but satisfying life this year! I’ve been too busy scrounging up paid gigs and going to my part-time job to write consistently in fiction. It’s even been tough to write my blogs consistently, and I’ve decided (major decision) to gradually change the focus of my Eyes on Life blog. I hope that once I get the financial situation settled down — I hate when money must take priority so I can buy food, pay rent, etc. — I’ll be plunging into the second novel in the Perceval series, a badly overdue revision. Cinda

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      All the best with the revisions, Cinda. I hate it too when work writing has to take precedence.

  • Sha'Tara says:

    Well, you’re certainly keeping busy. As for me, I have a demon on one shoulder, an angel on the other: life’s in balance! 🙂

  • You’re very busy, indeed, Damyanti. I haven’t read any of these stories yet, but I am going to now. Thank you for the note. I like your ethic, too: keep writing, such that the contracts and acceptances build up and eclipse the ‘rejections.’ Among others, hope you are submitting to the “Where the Stars Rise” SF/F anthology by and for Asian writers, which is listed in the most recent Duotrope newsletter (if it meets your pay scale). Here’s the Duotrope link, if you need it: https://duotrope.com/listing/17989 // In any case, best wishes. You’ve come far, and I’ve been following you only (?) a couple years.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thanks for your kind words and the suggestion, Leigh. I’m not an SF writer, but will pass it on to those of my friends who are. I’m grateful for the follow, and I do follow you right back.

  • Birgit says:

    You have so much in the works and congrats on all the areas where you are being published. That is wonderful! We are having low temps right now and this has been horrible on my joints and pain which i hate

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      So sorry to hear of the pains. I hope the temps rise son and things get better for you. Thanks for all your good wishes. So grateful to have you visit regularly.

  • ascreasey says:

    Oh, my! I am so impressed with (and a bit jealous of!) all the publication success you have experienced. Good for you! Between working full-time, blogging, and trying to finish draft three of my own novel-in-progress, I hardly have time to submit work anywhere–and when I do, as you know, the rejections are far more frequent than the acceptances. Congratulations! If I were in your shoes, I’d be feeling quite satisfied with myself and my successful endeavors.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thankyou, and I can tell you that I barely had any time either, but let my stubborn streak guide me in the matter.

      Thanks for your kind words, and I’m sure you’ll have a lot of success to report on very soon!

  • Heck with the rejections – look at all those published stories! Awesome, Damy.

  • Wow! What stunning progress on several fronts. I look forward to the novel, and I loved your Project Why posts and will try and keep sending something when I can.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thanks, Hilary. I’m so grateful that the Project Why posts made an impression. You’ll be one of the firsts to know when I have good news on my novel. Would be great to share it–after 5 long years.

  • April Parker says:

    It’s so awesome you are getting published. Progress is progress even if we wish there was more of it.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      I’m grateful for the bit I have. And yep, progress is progress 🙂

  • Dan Antion says:

    I am so happy for you on getting the move orchestrated seamlessly and getting several things published. I’ve read almost everything, and I can certainly understand why they (whoever they are) chose to include your work. I was impressed that you not only completed the A-to-Z challenge, but that you donated your effort to such a good cause. You’re the best!

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Dan, yes, it was a relief to have the move done. I had excellent help, though. Thanks for reading my work, so grateful for that– when a piece gets published, my only hope for it is to stay alive in the minds of its readers.

      I really hope you consider supporting Project Why if possible, I covered them for AZ because I could think of nothing else I’d rather talk about and share with the world. My novel addresses similar topics– social justice is huge for me, it is what I care passionately about, besides my writing. To be able to combine both is joy and contentment.

      • Dan Antion says:

        There are analogous issues here in this country. None of them get any attention during an election year, and little attention in off years. I would like to write more often about them, but I haven’t quite figured out how to work those issues in. I’ve tried a couple of times, but I need to work on it.

  • cleemckenzie says:

    I kept thinking after the AtoZ I could take a break, but I’m not even close to that. It sounds as though you’ve had some wonderful news on the book front. Congratulations.

  • Moving to your own domain or setting it up can be taxing, but yeah, you did it. It’s spring here, but winter is still fighting to say as long as possible.

  • Av8tor1988 says:

    I’ve been blogging a lot. I’ve also been watching a lot of planner videos on YouTube, I’m starting to get into planning to better my blogging schedule. I finished the A to Z challenge as well.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Congratulations on the finish!

      And great to plan your schedule in advance.