The year started well. Xmas brought with it a wealth of inspiration and I produced a bunch of stories in January and February. This was followed by a couple acceptances and it looked like everything was going well. Then I don't know what happened. Throughout the whole summer I only produced one flash (the Shroud flash-fic one) and couldn't seem to finish anything. It was not so much writer's block, I mean, I was still having tons of ideas and I had no problem starting these stories out, but a page or two in I would lose all will to write the damn things. This was probably at least partly because of my overly intense summer (what with the tea shop opening and the double summer teaching schedule). But even after the summer finished my classes lessened and I stopped working so many hours on the tea shop, I still couldn't produce. What I think happened was somewhere along the line I got excessively critical of my work. Because I wasn't producing what I considered the perfect story or if a story wasn't going in that direction or if I felt a character wasn't developed enough I could absolutely not find the will to write it. Well, I'm glad to say this phase is over. While I do believe being citical of your own work is part of improving as a writer I also must say that there are limits. If you're not producing anything at all it's definitely time to change your frame of mind. So anyway I don't know where it was hiding, but my willpower is back. Just goes to show most funks are mostly a result of being in the wrong frame of mind. The last few days I've even been waking up earlier to get more writing in, submitted two new stories in the last couple days and *gasp* I'm even on a diet. One more thing I might add for you writers, being on a diet and going to bed starving makes you really look forward to breakfast which in turn can lead to much writing! Two birds with one stone!
(Okay this post went from sounding like an AA meeting to promoting anorexia I think I'm gonna stop now. )
- Mood:
optimistic
In writing news, I'm pretty sure somewhere along the line I swallowed about a ton of writer kryptonite. Over the last few months I've written about a gazillion half stories. I just can't seem to finish anything. I hope this passes pretty soon, because it's seriously getting lame. I also hope those half stories don't sit collecting dust in my ideas folder forever, because that would be a serious waste and some of them are pretty decent I think. Anyway, I actually had an SF idea the other day and I don't get those very often, so I'm gonna go see if I can finish it off. Hope ya'll are having an easier time writing than me.
- Mood: happy
- Mood: hopeful
Happy halloween, all! Remember not to lose your head.
..........
Nevermind I've been spending too much time on
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jasonfischer 's blog. His puns are viral.In writing news, earlier in the week I got an encouraging rejection with what sounded like a pretty sincere invitation to send more. So once I get better I'm looking to put the finishing touches on a story that I started earlier in the week. I've also tried applying new techniques to my writing. I've been trying to make my narrative a little more complex, as well as further character development, so I hope that works in my favor.
And yeah, why has LJ been so quiet? Did I miss the Facebook exodus memo?
- Mood:
sick
- Mood: optimistic
Looks like I'm a runner-up in the Shroud Flash Fiction Contest (#7), sweet! Runner-ups also get published, so looks like my story "The Skin Off the Back of the Cheshire Cat" will be slipping into the beautiful fantabulous issue #7. Don't know if it's cool for me to post the cover up here yet so I'll put it up closer to the release date, but I do believe it is one of the best looking ones yet. What's even sweeter is that Shroud has distribution through Ingram and is available in numerous Barnes and Noble stores across the US. (Wonder if my sis will be able to pick one up in Anchorage?) Anyway, very cool indeed! Also there's a story by LJ buddy
joelasutherland. Always fun to share a TOC with friends. [Unknown LJ tag]- Mood: chipper
- Mood: happy
Well, sent off my Writers of the Future submission in typical Pilon-style with a mad dash to the print shop followed by a mad dash to the post office. Luckily for me the city's main post office closes at 8:00 PM. How sweet is that? If I didn't live in Taiwan I probably wouldn't be a writer at all since I'd be missing all my deadlines (the half a day ahead thing doesn't hurt either).So my advice: ya'll should all move to Taiwan. We could have a Clarion-FAR--FAR-east or something like that.
Anyway, this submission to WOTF is one of my few science fiction stories, and I really like the concept, but I fear it might be a bit slow on the front end. I tried to trim it down a bit, so I hope the results came out okay. But if not, no fear, I have several more stories nearing completion. I have big goals for October. I'm looking to regain that drive I had last year, I remember having 16 or 17 stories out at one point. I'm getting lazy. LAZY! LAZY I tell you!
My sights are set on Tesseracts 14 and Clockwork Phoenix 3 next. Many new stories in the works. Things are looking good on the writing front! And yes I'll ignore the recent rejections 'cuz I'm a hopeless optimist at heart.
A big congrats to buddy
jasonfischer who has landed himself in 1st place for this quarter's WOTF contest! Right on, much deserved. And as for me, it has been too long since my last sub (one year). I should really bear down on that competition. My last was an honorable mention. Well I think a year's writing could improve on that. 7 days to polish a story send it off. I think I just might give it a try!- Mood: happy
- Mood: ecstatic
In teaching news I'll be starting a 5-week class teaching senior high school math and science for the ACT test, which I gather is very similar to the SAT test. A little nervous since I haven't actually done senior high school math since, you know, senior high school. But I'm sure it'll all work out. Just a little trigonometry and pythogoreum theorum, no problem, right? Actually, I'm a little worried about the science section since it often involves a lot of reading. The students have a pretty tough time limit, and they are Chinese first language students...
Anyway, wish me luck.
Nice!
Here's the link and congrats again to the winners:
http://www.heinleinsociety.org/contest.h
This is my second post today. That's an achievement in its own right. Told you I was back. ;-)
Well, I don't know about the king, haven't seen him, but I'm back at least. Summer is over and the students have gone back to school, which means my teaching hours will be greatly reduced (and by reduced I mean I won't be working like insane 12 hour days). So I guess I can return to being a writer, yay! Seems like the end of classes couldn't have come at a better time writing-wise. Seems like so many markets just opened up (a quick peak at the what's new? section in duotrope will confirm just how many). Anyway, I feel like a child in a candy shop. Where should I send my story next. Where? Where? And that's a great feeling, because a) it will allow me to get more stories out and b) make me write new ones (which is something that hasn't been happening half as much as I would have liked this year.) In particular I'm setting my sites on the following mags/anthologies that just reopened / are opening / I've been neglecting for far too long.
- Tesseracts 14 (For Canadians only - after my short list last year I'm ready to give it a second (better) shot.
- Chizine (just reopened)
- Ideomancer (just reopened)
- WOTF (It has been too long since I sent one their way)
- Clockwork Phoenix (Not open yet, but I should start getting something ready for it)
- Apex (They've been open for a while and I've been wanting to sub to them, but I've had little time to put together a dark sci-fi, though I have numerous ideas. I'm good at coming up with awesome dark sci-fi concepts and never wriiting them. I probably have like 5-10 just sitting in my ideas folder collecting dust... sigh.)
- Way of the Wizard (this will involve writing something from scratch, but I've always enjoyed where themed anthos take me.)
There are many others, too, but these are the ones popping into my head at the moment (feel free to chime in in the comments section on anything I've overlooked). Anyway, wish me luck. I think I'm gonna need it, since none of these are easy markets. I guess I'll be making up for the summer over the last few months of the year. Still aiming for that 5 acceptance year although the prospect is starting to look pretty grim (but then it was a pretty rough year all around wasn't it?) I believe I will be blogging more, too. I've been trying to drop comments here and there, but have been totally neglecting my own blog... So hoping to make a post at least once a week.
- Mood:determined
aliettedb just got a three book deal with Angry Robot. Yay!Totally deserved, as I'm sure anyone who's read her Aztec tales will agree.
Congrats, Aliette!
Now let us all follow quickly in her footsteps!
- Mood: happy
Here's what he had to say:
Moving on to those larger stories, we certainly have some interesting stuff here. I've made my stance on the glut of Zombie fiction clear often enough before, but it seems like every time I say that, then I find myself facing down something like the absurd beauty of “How to Make a Brain Souffle” by Justin Pilon, a simple recipe that oozes wit and malevolent joy like pus.
He also said some nice things about friend
catephoenix 's piece "The Scratch of an Old Record." You can check out th whole review by clicking on book reviews on the left of their page and clicking on Necrotic Tissue #7. And special thanks to Cate for posting about the review on your blog and special special thanks to Mr. R.Scott McCoy for taking a chance on this piece. Looking forward to get another one out to Necrotic Tissue, if only I had more time! More time! (If I repeat it like a mantra. Poof! I'm sure the time will appear).- Mood: ecstatic
I've become a workaholic. The first step is admitting it, my dear f-list. It all started with the tea shop and now.... and now.... *sob* sob* sob*. I just picked up another excellent teaching gig at a local high school teaching Computer Science. Add to that a few new one-to-one classes (one of which I'm teaching "Fahrenheit 451" and another where I'm teaching "Wicked", sweet!). And then just this weekend my ex-computer company boss asked me to do some documentation and support for their international market.
Holy cow! That makes me a teacher / tea shop owner / computer scientist / writer. I'm definitely not complaining though, better to have too much work than no work. I just hope I have a few minutes to write and.... well, you know, sleep.
In other great news I just received my contributor copy of Necrotic Tissue with my humor piece "How to Make a Brain Souffle". I think making a brain souffle is pretty much an essential to everyday life, so you definitely might want to pick up a copy *wink* *wink*.
(Okay I'll cut out the self-promotion).
From what I've read so far it's looking like a great issue.
Also work from talented writer buddies
catephoenix and Horace James.
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