Monday, January 30, 2012

Helping Hand

From the Speakers: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY by Queen
Just Read: THE WOLF TREE by John Claude Bemis--Definitely a fun steampunk novel. Sped through it during a long car ride; a very fun adventure.
Just Read: CORALINE by Neil Gaiman--Super creepy, in a great way. Loved it!
Reading Now: ONE DAY by David Nicholls

Sometimes it's annoying when magazines have themed issues. What I mean is, their January issue is only considering stories starring female protagonists with chips on their shoulders, or only stories about soccer. That kind of thing. Never once have I been searching for new magazines, seen one of these, and thought, "I have just the perfect story!" Though, often I've thought, "I have one that, if you really stretched your mind, suspended your disbelief, maybe did some LSD first, might fit your criteria."

Three weeks in, it's hard to imagine a time during my Write1Sub1 challenge where I won't have an idea for a story before it's due. But 52 stories is quite a few, and I dare say my well might not be as deep as I think.

So that said, my opinion of themed magazines has changed somewhat. Suddenly it's nice when Penumbra magazine or On the Premises gives me some direction. In fact, I believe I may try to submit to each month's themed issue--one week's story will be written for these requests. Even if they reject a story I wrote for them, I can still send it to any other magazine I think might be a good fit.

Gotta do what you gotta do to make it through this marathon challenge! Plug in the computer charger,  bring on the hard rock, and pour me a glass of Dr. Pepper. There's writing to do, and I aim to create.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Hard Work

From the Speakers: FORTUNE FADED by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Just Read: AIRMAN by Eoin Colfer--Great read! Exactly the kind of adventure story I want to write. A bit like The Count of Monte Cristo meets YA steampunk. Read it and tell me if you agree.
Reading Now: THE WOLF TREE by John Claude Bemis

Tell you what I've discovered thus far in my 2012 challenge: one week is a stunningly short amount of time to write and polish a story for submission.

Write1Sub1 is a curious title for this challenge. I'm starting to think Invent1Plan1Write1Toilover1Question1Edit1Ballup1Toss1Retrieve1Salvage1TryAgain1Sub1 would be a more appropriate title.

I knew writing one story per week would be tough and time-consuming, but I haven't quite figured out how to manage my time to get it done just right. Just "write," if you will. That pun really seems to be the key though. Just sitting down and writing, unexpected stuff comes out. I think Mark Twain said something about the best way to finish a project is to start it, or something like that.

Considering how busy I seem to find myself (I have no idea why, I really don't DO much), I should probably stop playing Words with Friends on Facebook and start using time more wisely. Still trying to work out when's the best time to write and squeeze in a blog post, but that's the fun of it.

And so far I'm loving every frantic minute of it.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Week One is Done

From the Speakers: BEST OF ME by Starting Line

Week one is done and I'm feeling good as a writer in 2012. I've been fortunate enough to have several days off in a row, so writing has consumed my focus. So far, my new 2012 Write1Sub1 log includes:

-one publication (The Lion's Den)
-two submissions
-two rejections
-one new completed story (6700 words)
-one query letter submission
-one query letter rejection (although, perhaps the nicest rejection letter I've ever received)
-am I missing anything? Oh yeah. 51 more weeks of exciting writing ahead of me!

Needless to say, it's been a busy week. I'm just hoping I can build up a bit of momentum to carry me through packed work weeks and distractions. I've got enough story ideas floating around in my head to last me about 8 weeks. But I won't let lack of ideas turn into lack of writing--that's what this challenge is about, after all: gluing your butt to the chair with your computer or a pen and paper and seeing what comes out. Lots of people say that's how they produce their best work.

I'm so excited!! This year is going to be so much fun.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Ringing in the New Year!

From the Speakers: BABY PLEASE COME HOME by Michael Buble

This bodes well for 2012!

On the first day of the new year, my story "The Lion's Den" was published in Ray Gun Revival, a great magazine for science fiction. If you're a constant reader of mine, you might recognize the magazine--it's where my last story "Good Business, With Guns" appeared.

I'm so excited to have "The Lion's Den" in RGR. The story gave me a lot of trouble during its construction. I knew I had something solid--a good story--but somewhere in the translation from idea to paper reality, it got lost. I couldn't bring myself to give up on it, though. It kept pulling itself out of temporary retirement (rather like Brett Favre). Literally years passed between the first and final drafts, with more than a little help from friends, countless editing sessions, and some enlightening advice from the Overlords at RGR. At last, though, all that work payed off.

Needless to say, if this is any indication as to the success 2012 has in store, I'm STOKED! Guess this doesn't count for Write1Sub1 Reloaded, but it's still a nice little boost into the challenge.

Here's the link to "The Lion's Den," which can also be found by clicking the link in the left-hand column: http://www.raygunrevival.com/the-lions-den-devin-miller/

If you feel so inclined, I'd love to read your comments on the story and see what you thought. And as always, thanks for reading!

Happy 2012!