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Category: story submissions

Sneaking Back to Writing

Do you think anyone will notice me quietly getting back at it?

I saw the date on my last post here and cringed. But s$*% happens in life, right? At first, it was ghostwriting that started to draw me away from my fiction writing – who could complain about that? But then it was the virus, followed by our decision to have the kids do virtual-schooling from home.

Before I knew it, through the whirlwind (or doldrums, depending on your perspective) that was the new paradigm, I’d completely lost my grasp on the one thing that was keeping me sane… my writing.

In an effort to re-establish a writing routine in this new world of ours, I’ve brushed off this site and my ghostwriting website, and I’ve tossed a new manuscript into the wind, to see if it produces any fruit.

I’m also going to build a standing desk that I will put in a room with a door, since my present writing area is within 10 feet of two noisy school children and their virtual classmates.

…here’s the back of the napkin sketch… next post will have the finished product!

It always looks good on paper.

Ok, keeping this post short and sweet – it’s time to build up those writing chops again!

Talk soon – stay safe!

Picking the Right Market for Your Fiction

There’s this new feeling to writing that I get nowadays.  I haven’t done anything different, but different things are happening.

No.  Agents aren’t breaking down my door to represent me (yet).  Nor are all of my short story ideas suddenly Nebula or Hugo Award-worthy (…yet?).  But I do feel more confident with my writing – I know it’s of a higher calibre than it was a year, or even six months ago.  Plus, more people are taking notice of my work.  I’m getting more personalized feedback (to go along with my rejections!), and in some cases, I’m being given specific suggestions from editors, followed by requests to re-submit with changes made.

I’m trying to be more selective of where I submit my work too.  Many of my short stories are hybrid-genres.  They aren’t just science fiction, or fantasy.  I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve spent all this time submitting to ‘traditional’ markets, when I should have been looking for some of those magazines or journals who feature alternative writing.  I believe that’s why I was successful with “Flesh” last month (having it accepted for publication in Kzine).  And so, I’m trying that again with my story “Solace for the Soul-less”…

Sci Phi Journal

I came across Sci Phi Journal the other day, an online science fiction and philosophy magazine.  In it, they publish “stories that explore questions of life, the universe and everything and articles that delve into the deep philosophical waters of science fiction universes” (from their About page).  “Solace” is set in the future, but isn’t about robots or space battles.  Rather, it raises questions about identity and immortality.  Hey!  That’s exactly what Sci Phi Journal is looking for!  So I’ve actually withdrawn “Solace” from consideration at another magazine, in order to try my chances with a venue that might generate not only some interest in my writing, but some dialogue about it too.

Next on my list of things to do: another batch of agent queries!  On this note, here’s a good bit of advice written by Kathryn Craft, of ‘Writers in the Storm’, a writing blog that I follow.

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