Author Topic: Listener's Writing Adventures (Read 202973 times)

Listener · **Reply #125 on:** May 19, 2009, 12:53:26 PM

Quote from: Listener on May 17, 2009, 03:09:07 AM

Sent "Bittersweet Symphony" to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

Received correspondence today from ASIM that I have passed their first round and have moved to the second. w00t!

Listener · **Reply #126 on:** May 21, 2009, 12:23:41 PM

Wrote about three paragraphs more of "Maker".

I still want to write a story about GPS devices, but as I was thinking about it yesterday I came up with an idea for an ARG story that is something akin to Michael Marshall Smith's "More Tomorrow", but without the sex aspect. Wrote about three paragraphs. I know where I want it to go, and I know how I want it to end, but I can't think of a good way to start it without doing an infodump as the guy gets up from his desk and goes to his next location to find the next clue.

Ah well. I'll work on it.

Listener · **Reply #127 on:** May 21, 2009, 07:45:09 PM

691 words on the ARG story. I think I figured out how I'm going to do it. I'm hoping I can keep it under 6000 words.

Listener · **Reply #128 on:** May 22, 2009, 07:34:09 PM

"You Look North", an under-250-word romance drabble, written today to make me feel a little better. (Feeling kind of down.) Bet I could sell it to a romance publication. And, better, I could probably even rewrite it as a SF piece, maybe just a bit longer, and sell it that way too.

Listener · **Reply #129 on:** May 25, 2009, 11:19:29 AM

ASIM has put "Bittersweet Symphony" on their shortlist, which means I have about a 33% chance of being picked from their shortlist in the next three months. I'll keep you posted.

Listener · **Reply #130 on:** May 27, 2009, 07:11:54 PM

Up to 2524 words on "Maker". Probably going to go a little longer than I planned. Going to try and keep it under 10k.

Listener · **Reply #131 on:** May 29, 2009, 10:38:30 AM

"Belief" rejected from the SHINE anthology, but with a personal note from the editor. He called it "a really nice story", which gives me hope that I can sell it somewhere else, but not a good fit for the anthology.

Listener · **Reply #132 on:** May 30, 2009, 07:54:53 PM

"The Clockwork Russian" rejected from F&SF; form letter from the assistant editor saying "there's some good writing here but it just didn't grab my attention". I wonder, if the writing had been atrocious, would the form letter have reflected that?

Anarkey · **Reply #133 on:** May 31, 2009, 01:07:31 AM

I believe F&SF has tiered rejections, that is, the rejections reflect how far you got in the process.

I'm unwilling to sub to F&SF, so I've never paid attention to the formula, but I know there is one.

Listener · **Reply #134 on:** June 01, 2009, 06:28:52 PM

Quote from: Anarkey on May 31, 2009, 01:07:31 AM

I believe F&SF has tiered rejections, that is, the rejections reflect how far you got in the process.

I'm unwilling to sub to F&SF, so I've never paid attention to the formula, but I know there is one.

Well, it was signed by the associate editor, not the editor, so I don't know what that's worth. The last story I sent was signed by the actual editor.

Listener · **Reply #135 on:** June 01, 2009, 06:29:42 PM

Hand-wrote about three more pages on KGA#4. Should have it done in 20 hand-written pages; then on to #5, in which I think I'm going to introduce another crewmember to the ship and then get into the hunt for the Thunderbird (the main story arc alluded to in #3).

Anarkey · **Reply #136 on:** June 01, 2009, 07:06:26 PM

Quote from: Listener on June 01, 2009, 06:28:52 PM

Well, it was signed by the associate editor, not the editor, so I don't know what that's worth. The last story I sent was signed by the actual editor.

Two seconds with google gives me JJA's rejection formula: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=378&post=31361#POST31361

Listener · **Reply #137 on:** June 02, 2009, 12:16:30 PM

Quote from: Anarkey on June 01, 2009, 07:06:26 PM

Quote from: Listener on June 01, 2009, 06:28:52 PM
Well, it was signed by the associate editor, not the editor, so I don't know what that's worth. The last story I sent was signed by the actual editor.

Two seconds with google gives me JJA's rejection formula: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=378&post=31361#POST31361

Useful, but the person who signed my note was Lisa Borders.

*shrug* It was a longshot, and a really long piece. Someone'll buy it, or I'll end up turning it into a book and sell that instead.

Listener · **Reply #138 on:** June 02, 2009, 06:22:58 PM

Submissions:

"Belief" to Strange Horizons
"113 Feet" to Reflection's Edge

Listener · **Reply #139 on:** June 03, 2009, 08:22:53 PM

KGA #4 is done. Only 19 handwritten pages, so about 6500 words instead of the 8500 I usually do on these stories. Next one will get deeper into the search for the Thunderbird.

Kage's ship: http://www.flickr.com/photos/listener42/3592549617/

Deck plan: http://www.flickr.com/photos/listener42/3593356134/

Very rough sketches, and yes, I know they're derivative of a cross between Serenity and Bebop, but there are only so many ways to make a ship like that look. I've already drawn the Thunderbird and it's quite different from that.

Listener · **Reply #140 on:** June 08, 2009, 05:35:31 PM

Up to page nine (about 2700 words) of KGA #5. I really wish I'd written more last night, but I wasn't really in the mood. Should've worked more on "Maker".

I think I'm going to scrap the page or two I've done of John Bach #2 and restart it. The plot I've got it a bit too convoluted, even for me.

Listener · **Reply #141 on:** June 13, 2009, 10:53:50 AM

Wrote another four pages of KGA#5. At the size of my handwriting, that's about 1200 words.

Listener · **Reply #142 on:** June 15, 2009, 07:11:26 PM

Wrote about 2000 words of fanfic today.

"113 Feet" rejected from "Reflection's Edge" -- "not what we're looking for at this time".

Listener · **Reply #143 on:** June 24, 2009, 06:15:59 PM

It was hell to do, but I cut "113 Feet" down from 11,800 words to 9980 words -- just enough under 10,000 to get in at publications that only take 10k or shorter. I lost chunks of character development that I really miss, but oh well. I guess I'll just have to print the longer version if I ever do a short-story collection.

Listener · **Reply #144 on:** June 24, 2009, 06:42:13 PM

Submitted the shortened version of "113 Feet" to ASIM. Hope they like it as much as they liked "Bittersweet Symphony".

Listener · **Reply #145 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:00:26 PM

Considering "Greener" rejected by Silverthought -- their site says if you don't hear in 90 days, you're rejected, and it's been 90 days.

Listener · **Reply #146 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:36:30 PM

Sent "Greener" to Reflection's Edge.

Listener · **Reply #147 on:** July 04, 2009, 04:11:06 PM

"Greener" rejected by Reflection's Edge. They seem to have speeded up even more.

"113 Feet" moved to Round 2 at Andromeda Spaceways.

"Bittersweet Symphony" still in Round 3 at Andromeda Spaceways. If they haven't published it in seven weeks, I get it back.

Listener · **Reply #148 on:** July 15, 2009, 06:27:49 PM

Submitted "The Plumbers and the Princess" to New Myths.

Heard from Quantum Kiss, who said "The Next Time Around" is still under consideration.

Listener · **Reply #149 on:** July 15, 2009, 07:56:52 PM

Wrote and submitted a 100-word drabble called "My Selection For This Evening" to the Drabblecast.

It was originally going to be a longer story called "Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well", a Mike Doughty song I enjoy, but after reading the lyrics I realized the song is much more positive than the horror idea I had.