The weekend starts here (or 12 hours ago)
Before you ask it's not like I've only just surfaced. Contrary to popular belief amongst some people I do exist before 12noon on a Saturday and Sunday. It's one of those myths I don't get. After all come the summer months and most weekends will see me wandering around a car boot sale (US = swap meet) by about 7am on the hunt for old science fiction books.
Today though there are no car boots - probably due to it being both dark at that time in the morning and sub zero. It is January after all. Anyway, writing; that's what I decided this blog should be about. So I'd better get on with it.
After yesterday's mostly lazy day (and a quick visit into Derby) to celebrate, or better put as ignore, my birthday; I am now back determined to write, or rather, revise my (hopefully) comedic bawdy science fiction novel, No Man's Land.
To that end before I'd even showered this morning (so a bit stinky) I read through chapter 8 and covered the pages in red ink; one more ready for draft three write up. In a few minutes I am going to head upstairs to do the same with chapter 9 and maybe chapter 10. I'm hoping by the end of the afternoon I will be over halfway through the revision to draft 3. I'm eager to get submitting this so need to have it done.
The only problem is I seem to have thought up another really vile thing to do to my novella victim of choice, Ben Williamson, and I want to get writing it. I have to try to be strong for many reasons. Firstly I need to complete the revision. And when that's done I still have the revision of he previous Ben Williamson novella. I should write enough of this idea down so I can come to it later and get on with the job at hand. Yes, I SHOULD. Whether I will..
Anyway, the test of my willpower is still to come but in the meantime I have a couple of bits of writing news to report on. Nothing major unfortunately.
Let's get the less pleasant bit out of the way first. My horror novel Mr. Stinky received another two rejections. The first was a submission I had given up the ghost on as it was past the period for consideration stated on their website. So you might say no worries it was already considered a no but there's something a bit final about actually receiving the email with the NO in it. The second was sent off in mid December so not a bad turn around time, well within the stated 8-10 weeks. Unfortunately neither represent science fiction or fantasy so I've nothing I can send to them now. Maybe if I ever get the conspiracy / secret society thing sorted they might consider it but it will be having a big science fiction reason behind it so maybe not.
Okay - the nicer news. I received my copy of the Literary Hatchet issue 13. This one contains my short story. It's a good feeling to hold something in your hand that contains your writing.
I know I've posted the images of the magazine before to my tumblr account but I had to do it again with photographs of the actual item in my hand. And for good measure I'm posting the images here.
Years ago when I first gave this writing thing a go I wrote mainly short stories and I did sell a few. This time around it seems all the ideas I'm getting are novella length at the minimum. So I'm writing what I have. The three stories I've sent out into the world since restarting were rewrites of ideas I had five years ago. I polished them a bit, changed a few things about the stories but essentially the stories were there.
I guess if I was having short story ideas I might have more success like this - selling novels is harder. But I am not going to try to fit my novel and series of novel length ideas in to shorter form just to try to get sales. For one thing I don't think it would. The ideas fit the length they are intended for and would feel rushed if I cut out most of the words needed to tell them. They are what they are. It was nice to hold the copy though. Now I'll go put it with the other magazines and anthologies featuring my stories I have in the library.
Then I'll get on with the revision of No Man's Land (and not the new Ben Williamson novella idea). Or at least that's the intention. Let's see if I can hold myself to it.
Today though there are no car boots - probably due to it being both dark at that time in the morning and sub zero. It is January after all. Anyway, writing; that's what I decided this blog should be about. So I'd better get on with it.
After yesterday's mostly lazy day (and a quick visit into Derby) to celebrate, or better put as ignore, my birthday; I am now back determined to write, or rather, revise my (hopefully) comedic bawdy science fiction novel, No Man's Land.
To that end before I'd even showered this morning (so a bit stinky) I read through chapter 8 and covered the pages in red ink; one more ready for draft three write up. In a few minutes I am going to head upstairs to do the same with chapter 9 and maybe chapter 10. I'm hoping by the end of the afternoon I will be over halfway through the revision to draft 3. I'm eager to get submitting this so need to have it done.
The only problem is I seem to have thought up another really vile thing to do to my novella victim of choice, Ben Williamson, and I want to get writing it. I have to try to be strong for many reasons. Firstly I need to complete the revision. And when that's done I still have the revision of he previous Ben Williamson novella. I should write enough of this idea down so I can come to it later and get on with the job at hand. Yes, I SHOULD. Whether I will..
Anyway, the test of my willpower is still to come but in the meantime I have a couple of bits of writing news to report on. Nothing major unfortunately.
Let's get the less pleasant bit out of the way first. My horror novel Mr. Stinky received another two rejections. The first was a submission I had given up the ghost on as it was past the period for consideration stated on their website. So you might say no worries it was already considered a no but there's something a bit final about actually receiving the email with the NO in it. The second was sent off in mid December so not a bad turn around time, well within the stated 8-10 weeks. Unfortunately neither represent science fiction or fantasy so I've nothing I can send to them now. Maybe if I ever get the conspiracy / secret society thing sorted they might consider it but it will be having a big science fiction reason behind it so maybe not.
Okay - the nicer news. I received my copy of the Literary Hatchet issue 13. This one contains my short story. It's a good feeling to hold something in your hand that contains your writing.
I know I've posted the images of the magazine before to my tumblr account but I had to do it again with photographs of the actual item in my hand. And for good measure I'm posting the images here.
Years ago when I first gave this writing thing a go I wrote mainly short stories and I did sell a few. This time around it seems all the ideas I'm getting are novella length at the minimum. So I'm writing what I have. The three stories I've sent out into the world since restarting were rewrites of ideas I had five years ago. I polished them a bit, changed a few things about the stories but essentially the stories were there.
I guess if I was having short story ideas I might have more success like this - selling novels is harder. But I am not going to try to fit my novel and series of novel length ideas in to shorter form just to try to get sales. For one thing I don't think it would. The ideas fit the length they are intended for and would feel rushed if I cut out most of the words needed to tell them. They are what they are. It was nice to hold the copy though. Now I'll go put it with the other magazines and anthologies featuring my stories I have in the library.
Then I'll get on with the revision of No Man's Land (and not the new Ben Williamson novella idea). Or at least that's the intention. Let's see if I can hold myself to it.
Comments