Listener's Writing Adventures

[Listener]

Have input edits of "Shell Game" chapters 14-22. 22 is a very tough chapter because I have to seriously hurt a character I've grown to love. After I did that one yesterday, I stopped for a while, but I have to finish the rest today because on Monday I go back to work.

[izzardfan]

on Monday I go back to work.

Yay!  Not that you have to work, but that you're well enough to do so.

[Listener]

Wrote 1875 words on the first "Seashell" -- a set of companion short-stories to "Shell Game".

[Listener]

* up to 25,000 words on "Any Port in a Storm", which is an adult story (okay, okay, it's erotica) that will NOT be ending the way I expected it to. But I'm having fun writing it. When it's done, I'll probably post it where post (most of) the rest of my erotica. I'll put up a link.

* edited "Greener" to incorporate suggestions from the Crit Group. It is now up to 8,000 words. If you want to read the updated version, send me a PM, Twitter DM, or e-mail.

* still waiting to hear back from a couple of beta readers on The Clockwork Russian -- it's a bit long, but I've made it downloadable, so feel free to download, read, and comment.

* my beta reader for "Shell Game" says that, of chapters 1-6, she only found one glaring error (pronoun use) and one part that needs some better pacing, so that makes me happy.

[Listener]

Submitted "Greener" to Future Fire (futurefire.net).

Submitted "The Next Time Around" to Expanded Horizons (expandedhorizons.net).

Submitted "113 Feet" to Total Quality Reading (tqrstories.com).

Gave "The Clockwork Russian" to the sports director here at work. She's a pretty big sci-fi fan (Lost, Battlestar, Heroes, Trek, etc), so she can tell me from a consumer standpoint if it sucks.

[Listener]

Fastest rejection ever (for me)... six hours, and Expanded Horizons says "no thank you" to "The Next Time Around".

[Listener]

1215 words on "Maker", a fantasy story about the misuse of magic.

[Listener]

Wrote three more pages on Kage Gray Adventure #4, but they're handwritten, so they take longer.

[Listener]

Since yesterday, I've done 6458 words for a fanfic challenge I'm part of.

Laugh if you wish, but when you can't think of anything to write for yourself, or don't have the motivation, sometimes borrowing someone else's toys is just what you need.

Today I'm going to stop at a copy shop and print some stories that I need to revise. At least, I think I am.

[Listener]

"Greener" has been rejected by The Future Fire. Oh well.

[Bdoomed]

aww

[Listener]

Submitted "Greener" to Silverthought (silverthought.com).

Still waiting to hear back on "113 Feet" from Total Quality Reading. Their editor e-mailed me yesterday to say he was in the middle of a server move and would get back to me as soon as that was done.

Performed in "Halloween in July" for The Dunesteef.

Edited a forthcoming Dunesteef story.

Am about to begin editing another podcast -- in the next couple of days or so.

Am writing a long piece of fanfic for a fanfic challenge. Up to 15,000 words, but am taking a brief break to work on other projects.

No other progress of note.

[Listener]

I just spent 2.5 hours writing the first draft of my Broken Mirror piece for the Dunesteef. It's called "27 Jennifers" -- after the Mike Doughty song that inspired me this afternoon on the way home -- and it's a sci-fi story about clones, exile, and... well, 27 Jennifers.

5,000 words.

[Listener]

I submitted "27 Jennifers" to the Dunesteef for their Broken Mirror Story event last Friday. Also: submitted "The Next Time Around" to Quantum Kiss, and queried Reflection's Edge (I think) about possibly reading a story 876 words over their limit.

[Listener]

"The Artist", which I edited for The Dunesteef, is now posted:

http://dunesteef.com/2009/04/20/page-13-osse-the-artist-by-alex-moisi/

[Listener]

"The Man Who Sank", which I helped to edit, appeared on Pseudopod:

http://pseudopod.org/2009/05/01/pseudopod-140-the-man-who-sank/

Also:

* Finished "Clear the Way", a flash story. 893 words
* Finished the Lizzie story, a piece of erotica that probably won't ever see the light of day, but was gnawing at me until I wrote it
* Submitted "113 Feet" to GUD
* Queried Piker Press about "The Clockwork Russian" as a possible serial
* Trying to decide where to submit "Belief" -- and trying to find a better title, though I'm having trouble.

Waiting:

* "Greener" is being reviewed by Silverthought
* "The Next Time Around" is being reviewed by Quantum Kiss
* "113 Feet" was rejected by Total Quality Reading due to them not running any fiction in their next issue -- the editor said he felt it wouldn't be fair to hold the story until the issue after that. It's a weird market; hard to figure out.

[Listener]

"113 Feet" was rejected by GUD.

I'm running out of places that'll print a story that's over 10,000 words. I may have to hold it until I have an anthology of my very own.

[Listener]

Hmm... not only is Piker Press open to long stories (under 25,000 words), but they responded positively to my suggestion for serializing my John Bach mysteries. Now I just have to write more of them... and edit the first. Yeah, let me edit the first tomorrow, and add a new scene or two, and trim some stuff, and then decide how I'm going to do the next one.

But still, good news is better than no news.

Speaking of no news, still waiting on Silverthought, Quantum Kiss, and Dunesteef.

[Listener]

Submitted "The Clockwork Russian" to Piker Press. I wish they said what their turnaround time is, but I'm just going to query after 90 days if I haven't heard. Apparently they've been a weekly e-zine for seven years, and they count as a legitimate e-publishing credit.

This would definitely be an impetus to write more John Bach, too.

[jrderego]

Submitted "The Clockwork Russian" to Piker Press. I wish they said what their turnaround time is, but I'm just going to query after 90 days if I haven't heard. Apparently they've been a weekly e-zine for seven years, and they count as a legitimate e-publishing credit.

This would definitely be an impetus to write more John Bach, too.

Like Bigfoot, chupacabra, underground UFO bases in Nevada, and the Loch Ness Monster, a "legitimate e-publishing credit" does not exist. A nobody editor at a nobody website posting nobody authors impresses nobody.

If you put stuff into a market that does not pay even a token amount, ever, the credit is both literally and figuratively worthless. Plus, you're giving away the first rights to your stories to these clowns. If they publish under Creative Commons (and I don't see that anywhere on their ugly website) you will reserve some rights, but the work will be out there in text already and freely available already so paying markets will most likely pass on it.

This market isn't listed at Ralan, but they are at duotrope.

http://www.duotrope.com/market_3519.aspx

For a place that's been in business for 8 years they only have 3 entries in the response times database. Look over their list of writers, do you recognize any of their names? Has their work appeared anywhere of note, or anywhere you recognize, that isn't piker press?

If you want to fast-track your way to nowhere, by all means, give your writing away to these guys, or some other "for the love" market. But, I've read your writing adventures since you started posting them here, and I think you work too hard to screw yourself over purely out of haste.

You want to be published and have the credit mean anything at all? Then you need to cash a check, and it has to come from a place that other editors of magazines of note respect. Otherwise, you might as well cut out the middle man and post your story on your own blog or personal home page because it's going to have the same clout but at least you'll be able to choose the font in which it's displayed.

You want to be published? Then improve your writing. Join a good writer's group that will be honest with you, edit your 12,000+ word stories down to 4000 words, then rewrite them, and resubmit them to paying markets, or at least better markets than this.

There, I've said my piece - That and a $1.78 will get you a small coffee at Dunkin' Donuts.

[Listener]

Submitted "The Clockwork Russian" to Piker Press. I wish they said what their turnaround time is, but I'm just going to query after 90 days if I haven't heard. Apparently they've been a weekly e-zine for seven years, and they count as a legitimate e-publishing credit.

This would definitely be an impetus to write more John Bach, too.

This market isn't listed at Ralan, but they are at duotrope.

http://www.duotrope.com/market_3519.aspx

That's where I found them. I was under the impression that Duotrope was generally reputable.

[jrderego]

Submitted "The Clockwork Russian" to Piker Press. I wish they said what their turnaround time is, but I'm just going to query after 90 days if I haven't heard. Apparently they've been a weekly e-zine for seven years, and they count as a legitimate e-publishing credit.

This would definitely be an impetus to write more John Bach, too.

This market isn't listed at Ralan, but they are at duotrope.


http://www.duotrope.com/market_3519.aspx

That's where I found them. I was under the impression that Duotrope was generally reputable.

Duotrope is like wikipedia, in that anyone can make entries. The point is though that you have to read what's in their entry... how many people report turnaround times, what are their stats for acceptance vs. rejection, does any one have comments about the editor, what do they publish, how often, in what format, do they pay?

I read the listing, and the only information there is the 3 people who reported turnaround times from 1 week to 6. For an e-zine that's been around for 8 years? 3 people? No information about rejection/acceptance, nothing, the only other information there that's important is whether or not they pay, and they do not.

Piker Press listing

Accuracy   We have received 3 reports within the past 12 months, not including pending responses or ignored reports. The more responses reported, the more accurate the info.
Days Reported   2 | 3.3 | 6 (min | avg | max)
Responses   Insufficient data
Acceptances:   Insufficient data
Rejections:   Insufficient data
Rewrite Requests:   Insufficient data
Non-Responses   Insufficient data
Assumed Rejections:   Insufficient data
Author Withdrawals:   Insufficient data

Contrast the Piker Press listing with the Escape Pod listing -

Accuracy   We have received 51 reports within the past 12 months, not including pending responses or ignored reports. 5 responses are pending (with an average wait of 125.2 days). (This only includes pending reports of users who have been active on this site within the past 30 days.) The more responses reported, the more accurate the info. Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most markets have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.

Days Reported   0 | 112 | 279 (min | avg | max)
Responses   (98.04 %)
Acceptances:1.96 % (250 avg. days per acceptance)
Rejections:   94.12 % (107.8 avg. days per rejection) | 39.58 % personal, 37.50 % form, 22.92 % unspecified
Rewrite Requests:1.96 % (194 avg. days per rewrite request)

here is the text from the Piker Press website -

We are not a paying market. We do count as a legitimate e-publishing credit on a writing resume. Items published in the Piker Press are considered officially published and may not be submitted elsewhere in the e- or print industry as a previously unpublished work. By submitting an item for publication in the Press, you are offering the Press one time electronic rights to publication. The author retains all other rights and we wholly support an author who desires to publish pieces submitted to us in other e- or print venues. It is standard for us to also ask for the rights to maintain an article in our e-database and archive. We have no problem removing items per an author's request.

So you're giving away first rights.

We do offer compensation in the form of a designated portion of advertising space, in which the author is welcome to promote works published elsewhere. This service is meant primarily for books and articles, though occasionally other products qualify, and is subject to approval.

This is BS. What good is advertising at a site that no one visits? They might as well throw in a sack of magic beans too.

[Listener]

Wrote the first 1334 words of John Bach novelette 2.

[Listener]

Sent "Bittersweet Symphony" to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

Sent "Belief" to Jetse de Vries's SHINE Anthology.

[Listener]

Sent "The Clockwork Russian" to F&SF. (Or, at least, I will after I get to the post office later today, so odds are it won't really be sent until tomorrow, when they empty the APC mailbox.)