Just heard back from John Aegard about my STEW audition--- I guess I fooled them well enough that I get to play in their sandbox. I am so stoked!
STEW is a crit group that includes Sabrina Chase, Victoria Garcia, John Aegard, and Mike Canfield, and Nisi Shawl. All of them are more accomplished than I, at least in the fiction department, so it is a great chance for me to learn a whole bunch of stuff about writing sf/f and also socialize with some like minds.
Last Sunday was my first go around with them. It was brutal, intense, brutal, informative, brutal and very valuable. And fun! The story they critted was "Night of Shadows" which was a good choice on my part, because it has been almost there for quite a while. I really liked how Victoria described my fantasy stuff--- "Castle Noir"--- everyone was pretty cool, though I must say I was on best behavior and so gave them little reason not to be :)
Sabrina had a long excerpt from a book, some very rousing space opera with a splash of soap, John brought an intriguing trial balloon chapter of a pretty ambitious fantasy, and Mike had the first chapter of a dark, smart, urban something or other that was compelling but hard to classify.
So it was a three-fer--- professional help (with my fiction, the other kind will have to wait a little longer!), fun stuff to read, and new friends. Score!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Griznaz and the Pixies
I know, horrible title--- I just posted this on the Baen/Astounding board slush. http://bar.baen.com/WB/?boardID=BarIts an interesting way to submit stories, thought I would give it a try.
Monday, October 17, 2005
This weekend was tough.
I just was tenatively invited to audition for a crit group up in Seattle with some pretty high-quality members. In order to get in I had to send them a sample of my work, unpublished, and ready for critique. I sent them "Voice of the Spoiler", which in the meantime has sold to Sword Review. While critting might have helped the story, once it is sold there is nothing you can do for it. It is like your 20 year old son who has left home. It has flown the nest and now must survive on its own merits.
So another story was needed, something not too embarrassing to submit to the critical view of other, more established writers, at least in the fiction field. I sent them "Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" both because I could bring it up to crit standards, and because it was similar in tone at least to "Voice."
So Saturday was spent in a frantic scramble to get it cleaned up in time. Also, I realized last week by selling three stories in a two week period, that I had far too little product in submission. I was down to three stories, and I am really not comfortable with less than five, if for no other reason than it becomes too much effort to focus on the long wait between sub and response when there are so many out there.
So I was able to get out another story, subbed to a magazine that has not yet bought, but held my last submission for an extra month because the editor liked it. Just not enough to buy it, I guess, but a hopeful sign. And I am most of the way done with another, humorous fantasy story that should be ready to submit tonight or tomorrow at latest. Mixed with all of my frantic scribbling was a lively e-mail conversation with Ann Scarborough about geese, science, politics, comedy, and changing markets for fiction.
It was productive, at least. We will see how well the product sells.
I just was tenatively invited to audition for a crit group up in Seattle with some pretty high-quality members. In order to get in I had to send them a sample of my work, unpublished, and ready for critique. I sent them "Voice of the Spoiler", which in the meantime has sold to Sword Review. While critting might have helped the story, once it is sold there is nothing you can do for it. It is like your 20 year old son who has left home. It has flown the nest and now must survive on its own merits.
So another story was needed, something not too embarrassing to submit to the critical view of other, more established writers, at least in the fiction field. I sent them "Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" both because I could bring it up to crit standards, and because it was similar in tone at least to "Voice."
So Saturday was spent in a frantic scramble to get it cleaned up in time. Also, I realized last week by selling three stories in a two week period, that I had far too little product in submission. I was down to three stories, and I am really not comfortable with less than five, if for no other reason than it becomes too much effort to focus on the long wait between sub and response when there are so many out there.
So I was able to get out another story, subbed to a magazine that has not yet bought, but held my last submission for an extra month because the editor liked it. Just not enough to buy it, I guess, but a hopeful sign. And I am most of the way done with another, humorous fantasy story that should be ready to submit tonight or tomorrow at latest. Mixed with all of my frantic scribbling was a lively e-mail conversation with Ann Scarborough about geese, science, politics, comedy, and changing markets for fiction.
It was productive, at least. We will see how well the product sells.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
My story "An Exorcism Straight, Hold the Elvis" got a nice plug on the website "The Mystery of the Haunted Vampire--Tales of supernatural horrors"--- check out the url for this site http://carnacki.blogspot.com/ --- and check out the great blogroll and links down the page.
I kinda had Carnaki in mind when I wrote the story, thinking that Joe Denfar might be Carnaki's great-grandson. There are some great Carnaki stories at http://alangullette.com/lit/hodgson as well as some other William Hope Hodgson links.
I kinda had Carnaki in mind when I wrote the story, thinking that Joe Denfar might be Carnaki's great-grandson. There are some great Carnaki stories at http://alangullette.com/lit/hodgson as well as some other William Hope Hodgson links.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
My story "Voice of the Spoiler" is up at http://www.theswordreview.com and my story "An Exorcism Straight, Hold the Elvis" will be up at the same 'zine Wednesday. If you get a chance, check it out, and if you are feeling kindly toward me, post a comment on their forum:)
By the way, these are my first fiction sales of this millenium.
This fiction thing is working out pretty well for me--- Byzarium will be running my story "It's a Living" in the November Issue.
By the way, these are my first fiction sales of this millenium.
This fiction thing is working out pretty well for me--- Byzarium will be running my story "It's a Living" in the November Issue.
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