Submission

(Edited to remove title and description of story, was thinking about it later last night, with all the people I now know it's possible a few are readers or judges, and as Dr. Phil reminded me, the contest is meant to be anonymous, so posting the title was stupid of me. See, it's been so long since I've done this I've forgotten the basics.)

Submitted to Writers of the Future because 1) I still qualify (dammit), 2) They pay big and reply quickly, 3) Would like to make it past Finalist Stage (3 time finalist, 2 time honorable mention), 4) still anxious by submission process even at this age 5) easing my way back in 6) it's a nice feather in the cap.

I think that's enough reasons.

I've loved this story for 6 years now. Stopped writing and working on short stories to work on novels. The ending, I think, is wonderful. I just hope I nailed the start to get the reader to the end. First story where I think all the characters want something. The antagonist also wins by giving the protag what they want, but not really how they wanted it. Both protag and antagonist are changed at the end. I never explicitly state exactly what is really happening (the subtextual themes), but hope I left enough clues. Maybe I made it too easy? Doesn't matter, the story is about the manipulation and culmination of wishes. Language plays into my wheelhouse of Biblical/Lyrical prose. We have failure, rejection, and eventual victory. So I'm babbling. Did I mention how I subvert several tropes?

And so begins the OCD of checking on its status.

Oh great internet brain… Submission software

Any recommendations for submission software, websites, do it yourself paper versions. I'm getting close to submitting to agents and would like to do this a little more methodically that I've done before. If all else fails I might create a spreadsheet for it. So, duotrope, submissmash, story tracker, any experience with these?

Right now I think I just need to complete the query letter and compose a 1-2 page synopsis (that seems to be the majority of submission guidelines). How hard could it be?

Linkee-poo spreads the word

Southern Fried Weirdness for Tornado Relief is a project. Deadline is May 6, 2011. No pay, but a good cause. (Grokked from Dr. Phil)

I haven't been tracking my submissions and rejections lately. Basically, everything is back (well, the majority of them). So I sent off "A History of Lightning". Good luck little story. And good luck to the anthology.

Submissions

Rewrote the opener on A History of Lightning to get to the weird faster. Chopped out 300 words of world building that would work well in a novel, don't need to be in a short story (one of the lessons I learned finishing a novel - contrary to the average advice, I've learned how to write novels by writing short stories, and I've learned more about short story writing by writing a novel). And then submitted it to Tor.com. Good luck, little story.

Daddy's Little Girl is off to Strange Horizons.

Prince Wanted is off to Flash Me for their SF/F/H special issue this fall.

"Rag-a-Bag" is off to Asimovs.

Well, that's a full day of submitting. Maybe one more later on. Maybe. We'll see how the rewrites go.

Edit At a little after 11pm I got Shadows Over Raas Xaafuun mostly edited and off to High Seas Cthulhu 2. It's probably the story in the earliest phases of writing that I've sent out, but I wanted to get it in before the antho closes. I don't think I'll be getting the Steampunk Cthulhu done in time (and yes, it also take place on the Seas).

Submission Saturday

Okay, checking up on some old submissions and I find I've killed another market. Doorways seems to be down for the count. Sigh. Okay, well, then, we're going to look at things I haven't heard anything back on for a year or more and submit.

So, "Rag-a-Bag" is off to Andromeda Spaceways.

"What the Sea Sends" is off to Strange Horizons.

And finally Daddy's Little Girl is off to Clarkesworld. Why, because I like my rejection like I like my alcohol addition. Quick and painful. Or, something like that.

edit Damn, just checked and I'm already #62 at Clarkesworld. And yes, I am just that neurotic. Thank you internet for being an enabler.

Submission Friday

Damn it, missed picking up an Honorable Mention in the Geauga Parks District Nature Writers Poetry Contest. That is, I won the position, but completely forgot that tonight was the ceremony. Bad writer, no cookie.

To do penance, I did a quick rewrite (adding weirdness up front) to "A History of Lightning" and then sent it off to Apex Magazine.

And sent "Prince Wanted" off to Bard and Sages Quarterly.

And updated the bragging rights.

And now I'm wondering if I should just count the submissions I haven't heard from in over a year as dead, and resubmit elsewhere.

Submission Saturday

Trying to fill the weekend with writerly kinds of things. So I'm taking care of some works whose bit's were moldering on the hard drive, suffering from rejection. To that end, Prince Wanted is off to Electric Spec. And A History of Lightning is off to Clarkesworld. Good luck little stories.

WIPped into Submission

Chapter 37 weighs in at 1710 bringing our total to 65185 (or 89%). Unfortunately, looking at my notes I've combined what I wanted to accomplish with Chapter 38 into 37. Which I think is okay as I'm only 200 words into Chapter 38 and I think it's going in a different direction than I thought. That was part of the whole, "my writing is crap" feeling from today.

On top of that I need to find a place to send "A History of Lightning." I've let that sit for too long. So off to John Klima at Electric Velocipede. Good luck little story.

Holiday Rejection and Submission

A Clockwork Phoenix 3 Anthology seems to have been sending out rejection notices this weekend and I scored one of my own. So off to PodCastle it goes. Good luck little story.

Spent most of the day decorating and relaxing and not writing. After working in the yard all day I'm feeling a little tired and sore and might head to bed early.

Tempting the Fates of Rejection and Submission

Well, as I said in the previous post, because I said it out loud, it would happen. Just checking email tonight before bedtime, and there's the rejection letter from John Joseph Adams (I said he was a quick reviewer).

So, it's off to Clockwork Phoenix 3, the other antho I found that it might work for. Good luck little story.

Sunday Night Rejection and Submission

Ms. Jaime Lee Moyer over at sends word they're not going to take "A History of Lightning." The rejection email was completely personal with her direct reason why she wasn't going to take it for publication. One of the major things she felt was wrong is the spec part of the story took to long to get to and there should have been more weirdness up front. Fair cop. And that was mostly intentional. I put all the clues in the front and tried to give the reader an feeling or normalcy. After all, the POV is intensely normal and grounded, but finds himself thrust into the weird. And much of what she comments about are things I tried doing with the story. It didn't work for her. Again, fair cop. She's the editor and she needs to purchase and publish stories that appeal to her readers. But personal rejection letter, it's obvious she read the whole story and gave it some good consideration. I put that in the win category.

So, before I let the story molder on the hard drive for another three weeks, I sent it off before going to bed. Back then John Joseph Adams announced his Way of the Wizard Anthology I thought that this story could work for that. Jedd is definitely a different kind of wizard. It was a hard choice between a few markets, some others which have closer deadlines. The final choice was I think the story would work for his antho, I've dealt with him before (and I believe he likes my stories), and his payment scheme was better. I also know him to be quick. So if he doesn't like it or doesn't feel it'll fit into his antho, I'll probably hear back before some of the other markets close.

Submission

Finally got my butt in gear. Prince Wanted is off to Weird Tales where Ann VanderMeer is a GoH at World Fantasy this year (and this weekend). A History of Lightning is off to Ideomancer. Good luck little stories. Make papa proud.

This weekend I should take a look at those other short stories and send out query letters.

Submission Sunday

With a quick check of Duotrope I see that Electric Velocipede is back to accepting submissions. So "Prince Wanted" is off to recent Hugo winner John Klima, cause, you know, I wants me some of that action.

Also I was happy to see many changes over at EV. First up with their partnering with Nightshade Books for publication (which I think is cool for both parties). And then there's their new nifty submission engine courtesy Clarkesworld. Very cool. Last, but certainly not least, is their Free Fiction section.

So good luck little story.

Midweek Rejection

The good people over at Abyss & Apex send word they're not going forward with A History of Lightning. It was their standard form letter.

But, hey, Weird Tales is open again. So off to Ann it goes. Good luck little story.

Which reminds me there's plenty of things out there that I haven't heard about lately. I'm going to take that as a good sign.

Rejection, the kidney stone of the soul

Heard back from the editors over at Shimmer on A History of Lightning. They felt the story opened too slowly. Fair cop. But, hey, personal rejection letter. One that told me they had read the story to the end, so score! Thanks, Shimmer, and let me say I'm glad to see you're back to accepting submissions. I know I submitted to their Pirate Issue, and I think I had submitted once before, I also met some of them at World Fantasy in Saratoga Springs and they're very nice people.

After a quick search, A History of Lightning is back out to ABYSS & APEX. I've had some good luck there with personal rejection letters. Maybe this one will be the charm. Good luck little story.

Today I restarted the novel. I worked on the next chapter (11, chapter 10 is still being put together, but I wanted to restart fresh). About 1000 words of prime suckatude came out. That's okay, I can fix suck later. I can't fix a blank page. I'm starting to get confused about places and names, so I'll need to review the notes I've been keeping. This is the chapter at the end of Act I, where you find out that someone who was thought to be out of it is really in the thick of it, and some of the big picture is figured out.

So here's to getting more out that sucks less. And then even more that sucks even less.

Submissions

Now that I'm home I was able to get my submissions back in order. The flash piece Prince Wanted is off to OSC Intergalactic Medicine Show. A History of Lightning is in the inbox at Shimmer. And the poem "Rag-a-Bag" is off to Chizine, since they're probably going to buy "Scrimshaw Man." Maybe lightning will strike twice there. Good luck little stories and poem, make Daddy proud.

Submissions and updatery

Today I decided to clean up my Submissions bar and take some things that were most likely dead and send then out again.

Here we sit hopeful for flash fiction Prince Wanted as it's off to Electric Spec, the poems "Rag-a-Bag" to Strange Horizons and "What the Sea Sends" to OG's Speculative Fiction. Good luck little story and poems.

Daddy's Little Girl has been at Doorways Magazine since Sept. 14, 2008 (7 months). They've been closed to submissions for quite a while now, and I'm hoping no news is good news. And A History of Lightning has been at Strange Horizons since March 18, 2009 (1 month, although it feels longer). Their guidelines say to wait 70 days before querying. That'll be up on May 27th.

This cat waxing exercise brought to you by Steve, who doesn't want to get ready for the new week. But now I need to go offline for a bit to allow people to use the phone and to continue the critiquing.

Laughing in the Face of Friday the 13th

So, not to be thrown out of the groove and wallow in my own self pity, I did some Duotrope-fu and submitted A History of Lighting to Cat Rambo over at Fantasy Magazine. Good luck little story. Make Daddy proud.

Submission in the later Afternoon

Because I'm playing hooky from other work, I sent off Prince Wanted to Flash Fiction Online. Good luck little story. Don't forget to write.

It's like a revolving door

Prince Wanted is back out to Ideomancer. Good luck little story.