Another Story On Its Way.

Way back in March, I submitted a story to a magazine - my first in a year or more.

And on the weekend it sold. The Leviathan Awakens will be publish in early 2023.

I'm pretty excited about this one. It's a story I really, really like, and it's going to a good home. The Martian Wave (Hiraeth Publications) is a new market for me, and I'm thrilled to have this story under their banner.

The Leviathan Awakens has its roots in a painting a friend did way back in the 80s. When he showed me the painting I had a tiny idea. I wasn't a writer then so nothing came of it. But that idea never went away, and kept niggling
and niggling. And then, a few years ago, I was at a writing workshop and I had to write an opening paragraph in a particular style. That opening paragraph became the opening to this story which started to develop in my mind.

The paragraph I wrote at that workshop was well received, but is now gone. In the context of the story, it confused things too much and so was completely rewritten. It's a shame, as that was a paragraph I really liked, and I thought worked really well. The readers, not so much.

And so, of course, I need to dive back in and get another story happening. Which is good, as I just had this little idea on the weekend.

Ideas From The Backburner.

I've recently written a few stories for which I had little more than an idea that had been floating around for a while.

Of course an idea alone does not equal a story. It's merely the launching point. But I thought these were pretty good ones, and I dutifully wrote them in my notebook several years ago. At the time I didn't run with them for two reasons. Firstly, because I didn't know what to do with them, how to develop them into something more. Secondly, I didn't feel I had the skill to pull off the descriptions I knew these particular ideas would require.

But a few weeks ago I knew I had to ignore both those self doubts and just start writing them. And I did write them. And I finished them. And I'm really happy with how they turned out.

I usually have a rough idea of where a story is going to go, and tend to work within that loose framework. From time to time they take me in unexpected directions. And this is what happened with both these stories. It was actually rather exciting to see where they went, because in at least one of them I had nothing beyond the original idea and the first paragraph of setting and character.

These are good stories. They will sell. You will see them.

But now they're settling, before I go back in a week or two and give them the second draft they so long for.

Here In The Future.

It's 2014, and we're well into the 21st century - something which still sounds bizarrely futuristic to me. When I was a kid I could barely imagine 1999, never mind where we are firmly sitting now.

I've spent some time this week with someone who is incredibly talented and creative, and this has done nothing but inspire me and increase my hunger to write. I've had a bunch of ideas, made lots of notes and I'm ready to put words on paper.

I missed a submission deadline I'd hoped to meet, but it was always unlikely it was going to be met. Life and stuff.

But there are a couple more coming up shortly for which I will be ready.

Wishing you all the best in this new year.

Tales Of Marrakesh.

I love waking up to acceptance emails.

Alban Lake, publisher of Outposts of Beyond, has bought another of my stories. I love this story. Not only is it a twist on the Aladdin tale, but elements of the story actually happened to me when I was in Marrakesh with my wife.

A magical city, a magical time.

I now have four stories scheduled for publication in the first four months of next year.

A pretty good start to 2014, don't you think?

Deadlining.

With barely two hours til the deadline, I subbed a story yesterday.

The writing went well, the story just seemed to flow, and the words came easily. A quick last minute crit (Thanks, David) and minor revision, and off it went. It's a story that I'm happy with, and I just hope the editors see it the same way I do.

I have a few more deadlines in the coming months. Fortunately I have stories in mind for most of these and they just need to be written. But I also need to make time to write some other story ideas that are nagging me.

And that's a good thing, right?

Another Week, Another Rejection.

Sigh.

At least it was a personal one, and I have the feeling it was close. It came from one of the Big 3, so I'm pleased my story made it as far as the Editor-In-Chief. And that makes two in a row.

This one doesn't hurt - it wasn't one of those rejections. Sure, I'm a touch disappointed, but this is a story that will sell when it hits the right market. All I have to do is discover that market.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me. It's time I had another sale. I need one right about now.

It would do me good.

Gentle Truth.

I recently read a blogpost in which an author had received a form rejection for a submitted story.

The author then stated that he could see why the story had been rejected - it was because he had opened the piece with dialogue rather than description.

While this may be the case, I believe it is extremely unlikely the story was rejected outright simply for this one particular reason. If that was the only problem with the story, wouldn't he have received either a personal rejection or a rewrite request?

Too many writers won't accept their writing is not perfect. Too much time is spent by writers patting each other on the back and telling each other that simply because a piece was rejected, there's nothing wrong with it. Time and time again I see and hear newer writers stating that "it's only one editor's taste" or "it was the wrong market for that piece." And yes, taste and matching markets do come into it. But once the same story has been kicked back a number of times, surely you have to question it. Yes, I know Robert J. Sawyer had a story kicked back 17 times before it was accepted, and it went on to win an Aurora award. J.K Rowling's first book was rejected a dozen times before it was picked up and became a phenomenon. But these are exceptions - and rare ones at that.

Guess what. Some people can't write. Some people will never improve. Most writers can't see the faults in their own work. Some stories are crap. Some stories need rewriting. And some stories should be permanently trunked.

I'm all for encouraging writers. By all means, keep subbing the piece to different markets. But when it's come back a few times, at least wonder why.

Encouragement needs to be balanced by gentle truth.

Interesting Times.

This week has been mixed.

Deck The Halls has been released by eMergent, and it looks great. My contributor copy arrived this morning. It includes my story, Softly Sing The Stars, as well as Through Wind And Weather by my fellow traveller, David McDonald.

I withdrew a story from a market after it had been sitting there for well over four months without a response to my queries. Sigh. Four months is ridiculous when Duotrope is showing responses from the same market after only two weeks.

I had a personal rejection from a market that continues to elude me. The comments were encouraging though. Still, a rejection is a rejection is a rejection.

I'm over it now and feel better. It took about two minutes.

And the other stories are still out in the wildwoods awaiting their fates.

I wish I had midi-chlorians when I say stuff like: Get on with it, editors. You know you want these!

At The End Of The Week.

The last few weeks have been hectic.

Exam marking, writing reports, finishing university assignments, making sure the semester comes to a clean end. But that's all done now, and I'm free to get some writing done. For the next couple of weeks at least.

I finished the Jack Dann workshop yesterday. I tweaked the story they critiqued last time and re-subbed it. It had a generally favourable reception, and some more excellent comments and advice. The five month program has been excellent.  I'd like to thank Jack and my fellow attendees.

I also wrote a story that I am very, very pleased with. It poured out of me easily in a single three hour session and needed little work afterwards. I commenced a second story, but have now put it on the back burner. It was for an anthology that closes this weekend. Unfortunately I was going to run out of time, and - more importantly - I realised the aspects I'd tried to incorporate (in order to match the anthology's theme) were not central to the story and so would probably not be suitable anyway.

And so, the results of this week.

One new story written.
One other new story half-completed.
One story re-written and subbed to the workshop.
Two other stories re-written.
Three submissions.

A successful week.  Now we wait!

A Mixed Bag.

After a week of waiting followed by a week of good news, this week's news has been mixed. Some good, some not so good.

I reported last week that one of my stories had been sold - which was great, and I'm still very excited about that. It was a market I'd long hoped to crack (more news when I can) and a story that I had high hopes for.

The following day, however, a different story at another market I've long hoped to crack (with a story that I was almost certain they would take) was rejected. And with it my self confidence plummeted for a day or so. It's funny how it affects you like that. Don't worry. It's already subbed out elsewhere, and I know it's a good story that will find a good home.

So I was surprised when yet another market that I've long hoped to crack (Yeah, I have a list of about 5 semi-pro markets I'm aiming to 'infiltrate') placed a hold on a story that I thought had absolutely no chance there.

Now all they have to do is love it enough to buy it.

By the middle of the week things had definitely taken a downward turn, when I read that Paul Haines, my mentor and friend, had announced that he had reached the end of his writing career. Paul's cancer seems to have stepped up its attack on his body. And like so many others, I send my love and positive vibes to Paul, Jules and Isla and wish him well.

By the weekend a feeling of dread overtook me, as I realised I had to finish writing my students' reports by Monday. Slightly ahead of marking, it's the one thing I hate about teaching. But everything in life is a compromise, and if I want to teach, then I have to assess and report. Sigh.

But yesterday my wife and I put up our Christmas tree, and spent a few hours making pickled onions. And last night, as I sat in the darkened living room watching a DVD with my wife and two dogs, glancing over occasionally at the twinkling lights in the corner, smelling strangely of onions and pine, I realised how little I have to unhappy about.

And despite the rejections from markets that I considered a 'sure thing', my writing and publishing is moving up.

Words, Words, Words.

What a fantastic week it's been.

I completed two rewrites, submitted two stories, and completed another that I started a while ago but wasn't sure where to head with it. This week it all came together and the words just poured out. Not only is it the longest story I've ever written, but it's the most complex. And I'm really happy with it.

I've really enjoyed spending most of the week writing. I enjoyed the proofreading and editing, the search for just the right word, the challenge to describe situations and places, and the time spent reading my own work and seeing how it flowed. Of course I'll put this work aside for a few days and have another read with fresh eyes.

When I originally re-read the bits of the story I started writing six months ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the words I'd written. They were better than I'd imagined, and I found at one point I even recognised the influence of one of my favourite authors poking its way through my own style.

Cool. Especially since it was unmistakably my own style.

But I was thrilled how it all came together so quickly - all the ideas I'd had, thrown around, mashed up just poured out onto the paper. (or technically the screen, I suppose)

And hopefully, one day soon, you'll be able to read these words too.

The Long, Dark Twilight Of The Submission.

I've had two rejection slips in the past three days. And I'm feeling good about them. Both were quite positive about my writing. One of them even included fairly long and detailed notes from the slush reader. Of the comments made, I was able to agree with some of them and I've already started re-editing my story before I send it off again. The story will definitely be better for it.

There were, however, a few points made that I strongly disagreed with. Every person has a different opinion and different tastes, but I felt that perhaps a couple of these criticisms of plot showed a lack of life experience on behalf of the reader.

But that's valid too. If those aspects of the story didn't resonate with this reader, then they need to be looked at again.

The shorter rejection was also quite encouraging.

What I found most frustrating was the waiting. One of the submissions was gone for seven months. If every publication took that long before rejection, I could only submit a story three times in two years. And in future, why would any writer wish to submit a second time to a publication with a wait like that?

My other rejection came after only 35 days or so. That was much cooler.

From what I've seen so far, an acknowledgement of receipt from magazines seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It would be nice to know rather than just presume that your story was received.

But that's the way it is, and we writers have to live and work with it. Yes, I know these magazines get mountains of submissions. And I know most of the editors do it in their spare time for little reward. And I know the market is shrinking. And I know...

I do think, however, that an automated acknowledgement is easily possible, and I definitely think that if responses take a lot longer than submission guidelines state, then those guidelines need to be changed.

It's all positive, though. At least I'm getting rejections. Both those stories will be back out in the marketplace by this evening.

And thanks to the editors for their encouraging words and efforts. I truly appreciate it.