Sunday, July 22, 2012

GAH!

From the Speakers: TALK OF THE TOWN by Jack Johnson
Just Read: PIRATE LATITUDES by Michael Crichton--Pretty fun adventure story, but I didn't like the twist at the end. I won't give it away, but that character was one of my favorites!
Just Read: A CLASH OF KINGS by George R.R. Martin--Really incredible. These stories are so intricate and awesome in their cultures and conspiracies . . . not to mention all the badass stuff you know is coming just around the corner. Time to watch Game of Thrones Season 2!

Some rejections mean just a little bit more than others.

Got one when I got back from the beach on Saturday--rude welcome home from vacation, I know. Worst way to return to the real world.

The thing is, most rejections give me the same feeling: a mild bummed out disappointment that I get over quickly and replace with the excitement of searching for new, more appropriate magazines for that story.

But I sent this story to Leading Edge magazine in MARCH OF 2011!! They always take a long time to reply because they give you feedback when they reject you, but SIXTEEN MONTHS?! They've taken a long time before (their website says expect 4-6 months), and when I didn't hear back for so long, I figured, "Well, they must be taking so long because they like it and are preparing it for publication."

Nope.

Pretty much everything the four pages of critique said was positive. One reader went so far as to thank me for letting him or her read it and say it was "definitely publishable." So I mean all in all it was a positive rejection . . . but after so long, and hoping fervently to get into this magazine, it really brought me down. That publication would have been a huge boost! Instead, the opposite.

Oh well. Maybe now that I've vented, the excitement of submission will return, I can tweak it, and find a potential home for it.

But gah!

GAH!

GAHHHHHH!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Fuel for the Journey

From the Speakers: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE by A Skylit Drive
Just Read: ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman--Really great. I'm growing to love Gaiman's voice and stories. I liked the Island magic feel, and I think I might try to incorporate that into a coming week's story . . .
Reading Now: PIRATE LATITUDES by Michael Crichton
Reading Now: A CLASH OF KINGS by George R.R. Martin

You know why I love reading? Not only is it entertaining, an escape from mundane everyday life, and a great way to get some sun by the pool, but as a writer, it's great fuel for future stories.

Stephen King's number one rule is to read a lot and write a lot. The two are synergistic, I'm discovering more and more. It's stunning to me how writers can experience writer's block if they follow this rule. Every story I've read this year, it seems, has planted the seed for my own story.

Maybe being a part of Write1Sub1 plays a role in this, since I'm forced to dig up deeper and deeper fossils of stories to keep the challenge going, but I swear it seems the more I read the more convinced I am that I'm going to write stories for the rest of my life.

Here's a few examples. I spent a week reading some of Poe's most popular stories, and wrote a story in their vein that's now made it to the final considerations at Penumbra magazine. I'm reading PIRATE LATITUDES by Michael Crichton, and this week's story is going to take place on an English galleon. And the more GAME OF THRONES I read (and watch), the more encouraged I am to write stories set in fantasy worlds . . . and submit them to F&SF or Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

The journey continues, halfway through the W1S1 year, being fueled along the way by greater and greater stories. Hopefully my own works in progress are likewise improving. Only time (and acceptances) will tell.

To everyone who's been reading my stuff so far along the way: my greatest and most heartfelt thanks! Hope to see you (and your friends?) the rest of the way.