Giving It 90%.

So that 10,000 word story I swore was as lean and tight as it possibly could be?  I easily trimmed 1,000 words from it yesterday.

Now this is a story I really like. And my first readers really liked. And slushreaders seem not to really like. Of course, now it's been trimmed and tightened to within an inch of its life, I'm sure the slushers will love it. Unfortunately, it's already been rejected at the markets I really wanted to publish it, and it can't be sent back to them. So now I have to look for others that would suit this story.

It's been very productive here this week. I've rewritten three and a half stories so far. (The missing half will be done this afternoon) Two of those have already been subbed, while the third (as mentioned above) is looking for the right home. The fourth, once complete, will be sent out for a weekend deadline.

And then I have a fifth, smaller rewrite to be done. That already has a market in mind. And then all my stories will be out in the wildwoods and I'll have a clean plate again.

Don't worry, I have a list of stories ready to go.

Including one based on a dream I had last night about John Belushi. And it ties in nicely with this other idea I've had running through my brain for the past two weeks.

And then there's the one about ...

Heck, I have a couple of pages of ideas just waiting to be written. And right now I actually have some time to make a start on a couple of them.

One Of Those Weeks.

So every now and again you have a week where a rejection arrives from a market that really should have bought that story because not only is it a really good story but it's a perfect fit for them and they don't know what they're talking about when they reject it and the comments given by the slushreader shows how little they know about good writing and every bone in your body screams in pain and wants the right of reply so you can point out the error of their ways and explain to them how wrong they are and how several of their recently published stories are complete crap and nowhere near as good as yours but you don't do that because you try to behave professionally and deep down you understand that your story is a commodity and ultimately if they don't want it nothing you can say will change that so instead you have a five minute rant to yourself and ship it out again before settling into a quagmire of self doubt about your own abilities as a writer and wallowing there and wondering if anyone will ever buy anything from you again.

And then there a couple of events that lift you out of it. An unsolicited comment from a writer you respect and admire - or in my case, two comments from two writers. A nomination for an award. An email from another writing friend congratulating you and cheering you up. A comment from another friend and peer on your blog supporting you. An invitation to guest post with an introduction that simultaneously builds you up and humbles you.

That's what I love about the Spec Fic community in Australia. The support and encouragement. Thank you.

My guest post Advice on Advice can be found here on the talented David McDonald's site.

Trudging Through Slush?

I recently had a couple of people suggest I take up slushreading for a magazine. They told me how much it would help my writing by not only seeing the mistakes that other people make but by seeing how well other people write. They also told me how much it had helped their writing.

I understand what they're saying, but I don't have time to take on slushreading.

As for seeing how well other people write, I do that anyway. I read a phenomenal number of books and subscribe to three or four magazines. And as for the mistakes side of it, well hey - I teach English in high school.

I love my writing, but I'm a little concerned I can't devote enough time to it now - never mind taking on the responsibilities of slushreading. I have the greatest respect for people who are prepared to take on this task - and this is despite the completely inane, childish and unsophisticated comments I've received on stories from a couple of them. (And I must point out it was only a couple of them.)

Also bear in mind that as a writer I'm frustrated by the amount of time some of these markets take to reject a story. I've got one story now at its third market - the first two submissions took eight months each to respond. And as I currently don't have enough time to take slushreading on properly, I'd feel guilty about contributing to delays for some other writer.

Over this current two week period I have around 105 essay to marks, 50 short stories, 50 posters and two novels to read, study and be ready to teach next week. And that's on top of the normal preparation I need to do for my classes. And somewhere in between all that I'm also trying to have a life, write a couple of my own stories, edit a couple more that need it, and research markets and submit.

I think I read enough examples of both good and poor work to more than make up for it.