Monday, October 31, 2011

Waiting.

Firstly, Happy Halloween, y'all!  Don't eat too much candy/possessed by a demon or something.


A couple of stories I had subbed came back to me because of unfortunate circumstances, so I had to submit them to other places.  After I did that, of course, came the waiting.  Waiting is horrible.  You want to know if your story has a home right away.


The best thing to do while you wait is to stay busy.  I do that by writing.  I haven't been able to do that much writing in the past week because I've been "busy."  (And by "busy," I mean finding other things to do other than finish a story that's almost done.)  Writing helps get your mind off things, and it gives you more to submit later.


I have six things out right now.  (I totally didn't realize that before I counted, though.)  In the back of my head, Super-Neurotic Kristina is going a little bonkers, but Slightly-More-Rational Kristina is writing to try to get her to shut up.  It's mostly working.


So, if submission anxiety gets you down, write!


(This is unrelated, but if you like books, and I assume you do, go check out the Twisted Library Press.  They do good stuff, and they've published me twice, so they're not dumb.)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Changing My Miiiiiind (sung to the tune of "Wasting My Time" by Default)

Remember last time when I posted my project list for the next eight months or so?  Well, there have been some changes to that list.  First, the market I was to send "The Persistence of Memory" to pushed up its deadline to October 14.  I knew that I couldn't get the story done in time, so I pushed it aside and finished "Inheritance."  It is with my critique partner now.  "Revelations" is still good to go if I can finish it in time, so that leaves me with "Love and War," "The Hunger," and "Blood is Thicker."


My...goals, I guess, changed when I saw that the market to which I was going to send "Blood is Thicker" changed from paying to exposure only.  I then became doubtful about the market for "The Hunger" because, if I could finish the story, I'd only get, like, six bucks tops.  Thursday night, I revisited the website for "Love and War" 's market.  The covers for their other publications were terribly unprofessional.  I understand that costs can be high, especially for a press that is just starting, but no one will take them seriously with covers like that.  (Plus, I wouldn't be paid very much for my story, either.)


I don't mean to sound entirely superficial or mercenary, but I do hope to become a professional writer.  When I started submitting things after college, I aimed high, sending stories to professionally-paying markets.  My writing wasn't up to snuff.  I developed the attitude that I just wanted to be published, so I sent my stories to markets that would have me.  That lucked out for me a few times, but ended poorly in others.  (Two of the markets are now currently dead.)  My writing is better now, and I'm going to be more discerning.


So, I'm going to submit to markets that are semi-pro and up now.  That's not to say that I won't send some flash fiction to a token or non-paying market or send a story to a charity anthology if I'm feeling altruistic.  I'm just going to have the attitude of someone who wants to make her living from writing, not a hobbyist.


Wish me luck.

Friday, October 7, 2011

I'm a masochist, apparently.

When I submitted "Fire in the Blood" last week, I thought that I didn't have anymore deadlines for the rest of the year.

I was a filthy liar.

About an hour or so after I submitted the story, I found a new sub call for an anthology dealing with body enhancements gone wrong.  I decided to write up the brain transplant idea I've had since I was around fourteen.  The deadline's November 30, which was bad until I saw "or until filled."  The editor is only accepting twenty stories for the anthology, and it already has sixteen. D:

Then, a few days after that, I saw a sub call for a Valentine's Day-themed anthology.  I started a story years ago, like, before junior year of college, that would fit.  I just had to finish it.  The deadline's December 1, which isn't horrible.  My main problem is that the story has to be rated PG, which isn't an easy task for Lil Miss Violence and Swears.  (I should have a t-shirt made.)

Before I could go to bed...last night?  Thursday morning?  Anyway, I had to make a project list for the next several months.  I figured if I wrote something up and tape it to my wall, I'd be less likely to shirk my responsibilities.  (By the way, "Inheritance" is the story I describe as, "necromancer doesn't know she's a necromancer, featuring Paco the Skeleton".)




I decided to add the picture because it accurately represents my feelings.  The next few months should be fun.  (Of course, if I get a real job, this will all pretty much go out the window...)

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Wherein I'm attached to things

I had a thought today.  As much as I want to get "Lessons," the vampire hunter story, published, I think I'll wait a bit.  I'm having some issues finding a good market for it.  One, it's a vampire story that's not exactly horror.  That's an issue because a lot of markets are all vampired out.  Two, it's 5,745 words long.  The cutoff for many markets is 5,000 words.  I'd cut 745 words out of it, but there's no way I can.

Sure, there are some markets that'd publish it, but, to be honest, they don't pay much.  I know in the past I've been just trying to get stuff published, but I put too much time, too much effort, too many emotions into it to sell it for five dollars.  I deserve way more than that.

So, it's just going to sit on my hard drive for a bit, waiting for the right man publication to come along.  Until then, I'll work on something else.