A long time ago, in a land not so far away, before every would-be writer owned a personal computer and word processing software, manuscript preparation followed a fairly rigid format. Because manuscript format was rigid, it was easy to calculate manuscript word counts: One page contained 250 words. The opening page of a short story, because it began halfway down the page to accomodate the title, the byline, and the author's contact information, contained 125 words. The last page varied and need to be guesstimated based on how much of the page was actually filled.
Back then I could safely estimate that my 11-page short story manuscript contained 2,500 words. Editors, who usually used the same method to estimate word count, paid based on that estimated word count. At 5-cents/word, I could expect to receive a check for $125.
Not long after I began submitting electronic manuscripts (on disk initially; via e-mail these days), I noticed that publications paying on a per-word basis were paying less. Their per-word rates had not been reduced. Instead, they were using a word processing program's wordcount function to determine pay. That 2,500-word manuscript (using the "traditional" method of counting) may only contain 2,100 words. At 5-cents/word, the pay comes to $105.
In effect, publications that did not raise their per-word pay rates after the advent of electronic manuscripts actually reduced the amount of money they paid writers.
Go figure.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Something smells in here
I'm spoiled. I've been spoiled for several years. And it isn't really a good thing.
I sell almost every short story I write, quite often to the first or second editor to whom I submit them.
When I'm feeling good, I tell myself, "I really know my markets." When I'm not feeling good, I tell myself, "I'm not stretching myself."
When I started writing again in late December--after 3.5 months of negligible effort caused, it appears, by medication I began taking following a quadruple bypass in September and ceased taking a few days before Christmas--I wrote several stories outside my usual comfort zone, including an erotic vampire story and a P.I./fantasy cross-genre story.
As the weeks pass, I find myself more and more concentrating my efforts on the same-old same-old. Oh, sure, I've been targeting Woman's World since the beginning of the year, but I'm targeting a new market, not a new genre.
Before something starts to smell around here, perhaps I need to push myself a little harder. I need to stretch my writing muscles. I need to write fiction outside my comfort zone and not settle for selling the short stories I already know I can write.
Maybe I'll even create new genres:
Instead of writing Chick Lit, I'll write Hick Lit.
I'll combine mystery subgenres and write Hardboiled Cozies or Cozy Noir.
Or maybe I'll just try to finish another novel.
I sell almost every short story I write, quite often to the first or second editor to whom I submit them.
When I'm feeling good, I tell myself, "I really know my markets." When I'm not feeling good, I tell myself, "I'm not stretching myself."
When I started writing again in late December--after 3.5 months of negligible effort caused, it appears, by medication I began taking following a quadruple bypass in September and ceased taking a few days before Christmas--I wrote several stories outside my usual comfort zone, including an erotic vampire story and a P.I./fantasy cross-genre story.
As the weeks pass, I find myself more and more concentrating my efforts on the same-old same-old. Oh, sure, I've been targeting Woman's World since the beginning of the year, but I'm targeting a new market, not a new genre.
Before something starts to smell around here, perhaps I need to push myself a little harder. I need to stretch my writing muscles. I need to write fiction outside my comfort zone and not settle for selling the short stories I already know I can write.
Maybe I'll even create new genres:
Instead of writing Chick Lit, I'll write Hick Lit.
I'll combine mystery subgenres and write Hardboiled Cozies or Cozy Noir.
Or maybe I'll just try to finish another novel.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
All quiet on the western front
I'm a member of three Yahoo groups devoted to writing short fiction--active in two groups, mostly a lurker in the third--and I've noticed a recent paucity of posts on all three group lists. Usually the lists are filled with posts from members about publications, sales, and rejections. Lately there's been next to nothing posted.
Has spring driven all of my fellow writers outside? Or is it worse than that--has spring driven all the editors outside so they're not responding to submissions?
Has spring driven all of my fellow writers outside? Or is it worse than that--has spring driven all the editors outside so they're not responding to submissions?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Day one-hundred, story twenty-four
I completed my 24th short story of the year today, another 800-word romance. I started work on the story on February 26, but wasn't able to finish it until this morning.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
"Short Fiction Is My Life," Part 2
"Short Fiction Is My Life, Part 2" has just been posted at Rafe McGregor's blog.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
I'm guest-blogging at Rafe McGregor's place
As part of his on-going discussion about "the decline in the popularity and significance of the short story as a literary form," Rafe McGregor asked me how it's possible to make a living writing short fiction. He's divided my response into two parts. The first part--"Short Fiction Is My Life, Part 1"--has just been posted; the second part will be posted later this week.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Increasing income from short fiction
There are three primary ways a short story writer can increase his income from short fiction: write and sell more to current markets, write the same amount but sell to better-paying markets, and sell reprint rights to existing stories.
Sooner or later a competent and reasonably productive short story writer will find an editor who will publish his work on a regular basis. If the writer and editor get into a rhythm of two stories a year, it's time for the writer to try for three a year, thereby increasing his income from that one market by 50%.
On the other hand, let's imagine that the two-story-a-year market pays $100/story. If the writer finds a new market that pays $200/story and he writes one story a year for each publication, he's also increased his income by 50%.
Which is the better option? From an income standpoint the options appear equal. Whether they are depends on something many short story writers don't discuss and may not even consider: income-per-hour. If it takes five hours to write a $100 story and 10 hours to write a $200 story, then it's a financial wash. The $200/story market only becomes financially worthwhile if the writer can reduce the amount of time it takes him to write a story for that market.
Two less tangible factors are important to consider as well: status and visibility. Do your peers view one market as having a higher status, and could your appearance in that publication increase your visibility among editors (especially those that might approach you with assignments), agents (especially if you desire to write books), and conference organizers (especially those that pay guest speakers).
But what if efforts to crack the higher paying market prove futile? What if the income-per-hour results in a net gain of $0? Is the effort wasted? Not for a writer who plans ahead and develops a hierarchy of submissions.
For example: For many years I wrote for several magazines that published a similar genre of fiction. The best-paying (that I sold to) paid $750/story, the next tier paid $400/story, the next tier paid $300/story, the next tier paid $100/story, and then there were a handful of publications that made only token payments. The hierarchy I developed for my submissions in that genre worked well for several years, and I sold work at all levels. (Alas, magazines change publishers, change editors, change editorial needs, or just flat go out of business and that hierarchy of submissions is now a busted chain.)
I'm currently trying to crack a new-to-me market in a genre a half-step removed from one where I'm already selling regularly. I started writing and submitting to the publication before I had established my hierarchy of submissions, and I wasn't sure what I would do with my stories if they were rejected. During the past week I've found several publications that publish similar stories and I'm in the process of developing my hierarchy of submissions for stories in that genre.
What about reprints? Selling reprints is almost like earning money for nothing. I send copies of my work to appropriate best-of-year anthologies, and I keep a watch on market reports for other reprint opportunities. Occasionally I earn more for reprint rights than I earned for the original sale.
Are there other ways for a short story writer to increase his income from short fiction? Maybe, but damned if I know what they are.
Sooner or later a competent and reasonably productive short story writer will find an editor who will publish his work on a regular basis. If the writer and editor get into a rhythm of two stories a year, it's time for the writer to try for three a year, thereby increasing his income from that one market by 50%.
On the other hand, let's imagine that the two-story-a-year market pays $100/story. If the writer finds a new market that pays $200/story and he writes one story a year for each publication, he's also increased his income by 50%.
Which is the better option? From an income standpoint the options appear equal. Whether they are depends on something many short story writers don't discuss and may not even consider: income-per-hour. If it takes five hours to write a $100 story and 10 hours to write a $200 story, then it's a financial wash. The $200/story market only becomes financially worthwhile if the writer can reduce the amount of time it takes him to write a story for that market.
Two less tangible factors are important to consider as well: status and visibility. Do your peers view one market as having a higher status, and could your appearance in that publication increase your visibility among editors (especially those that might approach you with assignments), agents (especially if you desire to write books), and conference organizers (especially those that pay guest speakers).
But what if efforts to crack the higher paying market prove futile? What if the income-per-hour results in a net gain of $0? Is the effort wasted? Not for a writer who plans ahead and develops a hierarchy of submissions.
For example: For many years I wrote for several magazines that published a similar genre of fiction. The best-paying (that I sold to) paid $750/story, the next tier paid $400/story, the next tier paid $300/story, the next tier paid $100/story, and then there were a handful of publications that made only token payments. The hierarchy I developed for my submissions in that genre worked well for several years, and I sold work at all levels. (Alas, magazines change publishers, change editors, change editorial needs, or just flat go out of business and that hierarchy of submissions is now a busted chain.)
I'm currently trying to crack a new-to-me market in a genre a half-step removed from one where I'm already selling regularly. I started writing and submitting to the publication before I had established my hierarchy of submissions, and I wasn't sure what I would do with my stories if they were rejected. During the past week I've found several publications that publish similar stories and I'm in the process of developing my hierarchy of submissions for stories in that genre.
What about reprints? Selling reprints is almost like earning money for nothing. I send copies of my work to appropriate best-of-year anthologies, and I keep a watch on market reports for other reprint opportunities. Occasionally I earn more for reprint rights than I earned for the original sale.
Are there other ways for a short story writer to increase his income from short fiction? Maybe, but damned if I know what they are.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Reprinted
My story "The April Fool," which was first published in the April 2009 issue of True Romance, was posted on the magazine's blog yesterday.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Buck me
Rafe McGregor makes my name part of the title of his blog post earlier today, "The Short Story: Michael Bracken," and discusses the "decline in the popularity and significance of the short story as a literary form" and some writers who are bucking the trend.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Quoted
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen reviews Andrew McAleer's The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists at The Adventurous Writer.com and plucks out a few quotes to create "8 Habits of Highly Effective Writers." Habit #7:
Get used to disappointment. “A writing career is nothing more than a long series of disappointments punctuated by occasional moments of success,” writes Michael Bracken in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Maintaining a long writing career involves a little bit of talent, a little bit of luck, and a great deal of determination.”
When do suggestions become collaboration?
Over the years I've collaborated on a handful of articles and short stories--the most recent being "Snowbird," written with Tom Sweeney and published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine back in December 2007. In each case my co-author and I entered into the collaboration knowingly and with clear intent.
Joe, my best friend in high school, and I alternated time at the keyboard. I would write a sentence or two and then he would write a sentence or two. We wrote faan fiction (fiction about science fiction fans) and some of what we wrote was published in science fiction fanzines. These were usually published under a pseudonym because Joe and I were characters in the stories.
In college, Walter and I collaborated on articles for the college paper. We played to our strengths. He did most of the research and I did most of the writing. We shared the bylines and split the money.
My second wife, Pamela, made a game of it. She would write an opening scene and then challenge me to write the rest of the story. A few of these stories were published under my name, but most appeared under pseudonyms. (And a few unfinished stories linger in files many years after her death.)
Tom and I collaborated in a more "intimate" fashion. We discussed everything and we revised each other mercilessly. When I look at the final, published draft of "Snowbird," I can identify only half a sentence as "mine," and the finished story represents the first sale either of us made to Ellery Queen.
Rebecca--whom I have referred to as "Plot Monkey" or as "my plot monkey" in previous posts--seem to be stumbling toward collaboration. A few years ago I referred to the old adage that if you put enough monkeys with enough typewriters into a room together, sooner or later they'll write the complete works of Shakespeare. At the time I said I didn't need all of the monkeys, just the plot monkey. I thought if I had someone to help plot I could increase my productivity.
Enter Rebecca, a voracious reader but non-writer. Over dinner one evening I mentioned two stories that I had half written and hadn't finished because I couldn't figure out the rest of the plots. By the time we left the restaurant, we had roughed out the plots for the last half of each story.
I finished writing and sold those stories.
We've had dicussions about other stalled stories since then, and one day earlier this year I saw a note from an editor looking for stories to fit a particular holiday theme. I had nothing finished, nothing in progress, and no ideas for a story that fit the theme. I mentioned this to Rebecca. The next day she emailed me a rough plot and the backstory that propelled the plot.
I wrote and sold that story.
The story I wrote Sunday came from a plot Rebecca and I devised after riding the Texas State Railroad on Saturday. This time she did more than just help plot. She also helped with characterization and suggested ways to revise parts of what I'd written. I even included a sentence she wrote in the final draft.
I submitted the story under my byline, but I'm left wondering: When do suggestions become collaboration? At what point does the help someone gives you justify sharing the byline, the income, and whatever fame and glory might follow?
I don't have an answer. Do you?
Joe, my best friend in high school, and I alternated time at the keyboard. I would write a sentence or two and then he would write a sentence or two. We wrote faan fiction (fiction about science fiction fans) and some of what we wrote was published in science fiction fanzines. These were usually published under a pseudonym because Joe and I were characters in the stories.
In college, Walter and I collaborated on articles for the college paper. We played to our strengths. He did most of the research and I did most of the writing. We shared the bylines and split the money.
My second wife, Pamela, made a game of it. She would write an opening scene and then challenge me to write the rest of the story. A few of these stories were published under my name, but most appeared under pseudonyms. (And a few unfinished stories linger in files many years after her death.)
Tom and I collaborated in a more "intimate" fashion. We discussed everything and we revised each other mercilessly. When I look at the final, published draft of "Snowbird," I can identify only half a sentence as "mine," and the finished story represents the first sale either of us made to Ellery Queen.
Rebecca--whom I have referred to as "Plot Monkey" or as "my plot monkey" in previous posts--seem to be stumbling toward collaboration. A few years ago I referred to the old adage that if you put enough monkeys with enough typewriters into a room together, sooner or later they'll write the complete works of Shakespeare. At the time I said I didn't need all of the monkeys, just the plot monkey. I thought if I had someone to help plot I could increase my productivity.
Enter Rebecca, a voracious reader but non-writer. Over dinner one evening I mentioned two stories that I had half written and hadn't finished because I couldn't figure out the rest of the plots. By the time we left the restaurant, we had roughed out the plots for the last half of each story.
I finished writing and sold those stories.
We've had dicussions about other stalled stories since then, and one day earlier this year I saw a note from an editor looking for stories to fit a particular holiday theme. I had nothing finished, nothing in progress, and no ideas for a story that fit the theme. I mentioned this to Rebecca. The next day she emailed me a rough plot and the backstory that propelled the plot.
I wrote and sold that story.
The story I wrote Sunday came from a plot Rebecca and I devised after riding the Texas State Railroad on Saturday. This time she did more than just help plot. She also helped with characterization and suggested ways to revise parts of what I'd written. I even included a sentence she wrote in the final draft.
I submitted the story under my byline, but I'm left wondering: When do suggestions become collaboration? At what point does the help someone gives you justify sharing the byline, the income, and whatever fame and glory might follow?
I don't have an answer. Do you?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Day eighty-eight, story twenty-three
Plot Monkey and I spent yesterday riding on the Texas State Railroad, and by the time the trip ended we had ideas for several stories. We roughed out plots for a couple of them on the ride home, and I scratched out notes while she drove, all the while wishing I'd taken my laptop with me so I could actually write. Today I wrote an 800-word romance based on one of those ideas, and while we were swapping thoughts about the romance, she provided me with an idea for yet another story based on our train trip.
Anyhow, the 800-word romance will go into the mail tomorrow.
Anyhow, the 800-word romance will go into the mail tomorrow.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
10
I received my tenth acceptance earlier today, for a 1,400-word short story I wrote in January 2002. The story straddles the line between horror and crime fiction, and so might best be described as non-supernatural horror fiction.
The story was accepted by the first two publications to which I submitted it, and both publications went belly-up without publishing the story. The manuscript has bounced around a bit since then, and actually was just accepted by an editor who had seen it before. It didn't fit his needs when I first submitted it, but he mentioned the story when he contacted me about submitting to a themed issue he was working on. And guess what? The story fit the theme.
The story was accepted by the first two publications to which I submitted it, and both publications went belly-up without publishing the story. The manuscript has bounced around a bit since then, and actually was just accepted by an editor who had seen it before. It didn't fit his needs when I first submitted it, but he mentioned the story when he contacted me about submitting to a themed issue he was working on. And guess what? The story fit the theme.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What Michael Eisner and I have in common
On page 122 of the April Esquire, Michael Eisner is quoted as saying, "Quadruple-bypass surgery teaches you that you have extra veins in your legs."
Who knew?
Who knew?
Revisions without end
As a response to a post earlier today on Patrick Shawn Bagley's Bitter Water Blog, Sandra Seamans asked, "[D]oes there come a point where you can revise a story to death? [...] I'm not against revisions, just wondering how you know when to stop, how you know that you've gotten the story right."
I'm not certain it's possible to ever get a story "right." I revise until I've created a story that's "publishable." There's a point somewhere between "publishable" and "perfect" where the amount of effort necessary to achieve perfection becomes counter-productive financially. Even if you put in the extra effort, the story won't be any more publishable, the story won't earn any more money, and only a handful of readers will ever notice the difference.
Which, perhaps, leads to a discussion of the difference between an "artist" and a "craftsman." An artist might spend the extra time to achieve perfection, but only produce a new story every 19.3 months, while a craftsman might produce several stories in the same amount of time and never achieve perfection.
I'm not certain it's possible to ever get a story "right." I revise until I've created a story that's "publishable." There's a point somewhere between "publishable" and "perfect" where the amount of effort necessary to achieve perfection becomes counter-productive financially. Even if you put in the extra effort, the story won't be any more publishable, the story won't earn any more money, and only a handful of readers will ever notice the difference.
Which, perhaps, leads to a discussion of the difference between an "artist" and a "craftsman." An artist might spend the extra time to achieve perfection, but only produce a new story every 19.3 months, while a craftsman might produce several stories in the same amount of time and never achieve perfection.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Spring cleaning
Editors across the country must be engaging in a bit of spring cleaning. In addition to the recent spate of acceptances, I've also received quite a few rejections recently (seven over the past eleven days).
Monday, March 23, 2009
9
My ninth acceptance of the year arrived via e-mail a few minutes ago, this time for a bit of hardboiled crime fiction I wrote last summer. The editor mentioned wanting some minor revisions, but I don't expect them to be a problem.
8; War stories
I received my eighth acceptance of the year earlier today, this time for a confession about a female soldier who returns home from Iraq and discovers that her husband is missing.
When I posted a note about finishing and submitting this story back on February 12, Susanne mentioned that she had had several stories rejected that involved returning soldiers. Although she didn't specifically say so, I inferred from Susanne's comments that she wondered if confession editors were shying away from war-related stories.
Having now placed two war-related confessions, it appears to me that confession editors will accept some war-related stories. (My other war-related confession, about the impact of a soldier's death on the pregnant girlfriend he left behind, was accepted last week by a different editor.)
So, what's the difference between the war-related confessions that have been accepted and those that haven't?
When I posted a note about finishing and submitting this story back on February 12, Susanne mentioned that she had had several stories rejected that involved returning soldiers. Although she didn't specifically say so, I inferred from Susanne's comments that she wondered if confession editors were shying away from war-related stories.
Having now placed two war-related confessions, it appears to me that confession editors will accept some war-related stories. (My other war-related confession, about the impact of a soldier's death on the pregnant girlfriend he left behind, was accepted last week by a different editor.)
So, what's the difference between the war-related confessions that have been accepted and those that haven't?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6, 7
Two contracts were waiting in my mailbox when I returned home this afternoon, representing my 6th and 7th short story sales of the year. Both stories are hardboiled crime fiction, and both sold to the same editor.
Although I'm still behind schedule to meet my annual goal of a sale a week, receiving four acceptances within the past five days certainly makes me much closer than I was on Thursday of last week!
Although I'm still behind schedule to meet my annual goal of a sale a week, receiving four acceptances within the past five days certainly makes me much closer than I was on Thursday of last week!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
5
I received my 5th acceptance of the year earlier today. I received a contract for the confession I completed and submitted on January 1.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Another "student" sells!
Last summer I taught an on-line course in confession writing and I learned today that another one of the students who completed the course sold the story she wrote.
The "course" started with lessons and turned into a mentor/mentee or editor/writer relationship. After the participants wrote each scene, I edited what they had written, made suggestions for revisions, and suggested directions their stories might develop. Each participant then accepted or rejected my comments and wrote their story's subsequent scene. Then we did it all over again until they had final drafts.
The "course" started with lessons and turned into a mentor/mentee or editor/writer relationship. After the participants wrote each scene, I edited what they had written, made suggestions for revisions, and suggested directions their stories might develop. Each participant then accepted or rejected my comments and wrote their story's subsequent scene. Then we did it all over again until they had final drafts.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
All White Girls to be reprinted
My hardboiled private eye novel All White Girls will be reprinted later this year, and I spent part of the weekend reading the proofs for the new edition. I hadn't read AWG cover-to-cover since reading proofs for the first edition in 2001 and, if it wasn't egotistical to say this about my own work, I'd say it's a damn good novel.
4
My Internet access has returned and with a renewed ability to receive e-mail came word of my 4th acceptance of the year, this time for a private eye story. This is a story I revised and resubmitted at an editor's request back on February 20.
Friday, March 13, 2009
I've lost my connection to the world
When I booted up my computer first thing Thursday morning I discovered that I had lost my Internet connection, and I still have no Internet connection. I miss it. I miss it especially because in the span of one day I received pages proofs from a publisher and an invitation to submit to a magazine, messages I did not see until this morning when I checked my e-mail from a client's computer. Lack of an Internet connection has the potential play havoc with my career.
On the other hand, without an Internet connection, I actually spent all of my time at the computer last night writing--not checking the news, not playing poker, not reading Yahoo groups and message boards, and not surfing.
The only negative impact to my writing was the inability to keep www.dictionary.com handy. I actually had to resort to using a real dictionary.
I'm not sure how soon I'll get my Internet connection back, but the next few days could be both challenging and highly production.
On the other hand, without an Internet connection, I actually spent all of my time at the computer last night writing--not checking the news, not playing poker, not reading Yahoo groups and message boards, and not surfing.
The only negative impact to my writing was the inability to keep www.dictionary.com handy. I actually had to resort to using a real dictionary.
I'm not sure how soon I'll get my Internet connection back, but the next few days could be both challenging and highly production.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Six-month update
Six months ago today I had quadruple bypass surgery. Every indication is that it was a success and that I am healing appropriately. I completed cardiac rehab last week and, though I didn't lose any weight, I did gain muscle mass, strength, and stamina. I'm now able to do everything I was doing pre-surgery.
My diet has not changed significantly post-surgery, but that's because I changed my diet in early 2007, emphasizing more fruits, vegetables, and fish, and less fast food and prepackaged foods, and had already lost weight from the 2007 change in diet. I no longer add salt to my food and try to avoid prepackaged foods--such as potato chips--that contain significant amounts of salt. What I've been unable to do is break my Mountain Dew habit.
After changing my medications in late December I returned to writing and have been quite productive since then, completing a new short story approximately every three days. Pre-surgery I was averaging slightly more than one story each week. I don't know if I can maintain this pace or if the change in medications was ExLax for my brain, allowing me to push out everything that had backed up in there during the 3.5 months following surgery when I was barely writing, and that I'll slow down again when my brain is flushed out.
I find that I'm a little less patient than I was before and more irritated by little things that didn't bother me--or that I didn't let bother me--pre-surgery. I don't know if this is a permanent change or something that will disappear over time.
Otherwise, not much has changed.
My diet has not changed significantly post-surgery, but that's because I changed my diet in early 2007, emphasizing more fruits, vegetables, and fish, and less fast food and prepackaged foods, and had already lost weight from the 2007 change in diet. I no longer add salt to my food and try to avoid prepackaged foods--such as potato chips--that contain significant amounts of salt. What I've been unable to do is break my Mountain Dew habit.
After changing my medications in late December I returned to writing and have been quite productive since then, completing a new short story approximately every three days. Pre-surgery I was averaging slightly more than one story each week. I don't know if I can maintain this pace or if the change in medications was ExLax for my brain, allowing me to push out everything that had backed up in there during the 3.5 months following surgery when I was barely writing, and that I'll slow down again when my brain is flushed out.
I find that I'm a little less patient than I was before and more irritated by little things that didn't bother me--or that I didn't let bother me--pre-surgery. I don't know if this is a permanent change or something that will disappear over time.
Otherwise, not much has changed.
Day sixty-nine, story twenty-two
I just submitted my 22nd story of the year, a 6,600-word confession about a small town girl in the big city. I started work on this in August 2004 and had written 4,800 words--the first 4,000 words and 800 words of notes and partial scenes--before I picked it up Sunday evening.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Day sixty-seven, story twenty-one
I just submitted my 21st story of the year, a 6,200-word confession about a single mother who thinks she's falling for a married man that I started writing in December 2007. I've worked on the story sporadically since then and finally put the finishing touches on the manuscript this afternoon.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Patience is a dish best served quickly
"I submitted my manuscript last year/last month/last week/yesterday/ten minutes ago and I haven't received a response. How long should I wait before I call the editor/withdraw my manuscript/submit my story elsewhere?"
I see variations of this question on various Yahoo groups and message boards nearly every day. Are writers less patience today than writers were several years ago, or are we just as impatient now as then but are more obvious about it thanks to the speed with which we can share our impatience with others?
I have to admit that I share some of the impatience of new writers unfamiliar with the slow, grinding pace of traditional publishing, but my impatience isn't related to the length of time it takes for a single editor to respond to a single submission. I have too many manuscripts floating around to even remember all of them, let alone worry about any particular one. My impatience has to do with communication gaps.
If I don't receive something in the mail (surface or e-) every few days--acceptance, rejection, contract, check, contributor's copy, request for revision, etc.--I start to get nervous. If more than a week passes without contact, I start thumbing through my file of submitted manuscripts, calculating which ones should have generated responses based on my previous experiences with particular publications. If more than two weeks pass, I get jumpy, leaping up to check the mailbox every time I hear a noise outside the front door and making my e-mail refresh every few minutes rather than letting it automatically refresh every twenty minutes.
So, while I understand and share the impatience of new writers, I have the advantage of knowing the solution for both of us is the same: Produce more work.
The more manuscripts under submission, the less time we have worry about any individual manuscript and the more likely we are to have some kind of regular contact from editors.
I see variations of this question on various Yahoo groups and message boards nearly every day. Are writers less patience today than writers were several years ago, or are we just as impatient now as then but are more obvious about it thanks to the speed with which we can share our impatience with others?
I have to admit that I share some of the impatience of new writers unfamiliar with the slow, grinding pace of traditional publishing, but my impatience isn't related to the length of time it takes for a single editor to respond to a single submission. I have too many manuscripts floating around to even remember all of them, let alone worry about any particular one. My impatience has to do with communication gaps.
If I don't receive something in the mail (surface or e-) every few days--acceptance, rejection, contract, check, contributor's copy, request for revision, etc.--I start to get nervous. If more than a week passes without contact, I start thumbing through my file of submitted manuscripts, calculating which ones should have generated responses based on my previous experiences with particular publications. If more than two weeks pass, I get jumpy, leaping up to check the mailbox every time I hear a noise outside the front door and making my e-mail refresh every few minutes rather than letting it automatically refresh every twenty minutes.
So, while I understand and share the impatience of new writers, I have the advantage of knowing the solution for both of us is the same: Produce more work.
The more manuscripts under submission, the less time we have worry about any individual manuscript and the more likely we are to have some kind of regular contact from editors.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Day sixty, story twenty
I just finished writing my 20th story of the year, an 800-word romance that I started writing in March of 2005. It's headed out in tomorrow's mail.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
3
I received my third acceptance of the year this morning, for a Mother's Day-themed confession I submitted on February 7.
Why you can't find your magazines
In mid-February, Anderson News, one of the four largest magazine distribution companies in the U.S., halted operations and has, since then, terminated about 2,500 employees.
Because of the way magazines are distributed, this means magazines that are available in one region may not be available in another. How soon will the remaining magazine distribution companies step up to fill in the holes left by the demise of Anderson News? Your guess is as good as anyone else's.
Because I feel grouchy today, here's tip for y'all: If you're going to write for magazines, you need to understand the business of magazine publishing. For example, writers constantly bitch about being the last paid by a magazine, but did you know that only a small fraction of the money you spend on a magazine at the store today even gets to the publisher...and it may be six months or more before the publisher receives that money? When a magazine distributor goes out of business, it can kill magazines.
Because of the way magazines are distributed, this means magazines that are available in one region may not be available in another. How soon will the remaining magazine distribution companies step up to fill in the holes left by the demise of Anderson News? Your guess is as good as anyone else's.
Because I feel grouchy today, here's tip for y'all: If you're going to write for magazines, you need to understand the business of magazine publishing. For example, writers constantly bitch about being the last paid by a magazine, but did you know that only a small fraction of the money you spend on a magazine at the store today even gets to the publisher...and it may be six months or more before the publisher receives that money? When a magazine distributor goes out of business, it can kill magazines.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Revisions r us
Sometimes revisions are more difficult to do than writing new material. Tuesday evening I received e-mail from an editor who wanted me to add 400 words to a story. No big deal. I can spit out 400 words in a jiffy. 400 new words. Not 400 words woven into an existing scene or story.
It took three days to add the 400 words. That's a paltry 133 words a day.
But I did it and I just e-mailed the revision to the editor.
Now my fingers are crossed. If he likes the revision, this will be my second sale to this market.
It took three days to add the 400 words. That's a paltry 133 words a day.
But I did it and I just e-mailed the revision to the editor.
Now my fingers are crossed. If he likes the revision, this will be my second sale to this market.
Writing opportunity for gardeners/essayists
I edit a weekly e-newsletter for Texas gardeners. Read back issues here: http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/index.html
I'm always looking for brief (500 words+/-) essays about gardening--serious or humorous--that I can use. Alas, there is no pay. Rights: one-time use and each issue is archived on-line after it's distributed via e-mail. Readership exceeds 2,200.
The essays must either be clearly Texas-centric or be "universal." (That is, essays about growing specific plants in Maine that clearly won't grow in Texas will be rejected.)
Reprints are welcome. Or dust off those rejected Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul and Cup of Comfort for Gardeners essays.
Send submissions (and questions) to me at Michael AT TexasGardener.com as attached Word files. Do not send submissions to my personal e-mail.
The editorship is a part-time gig so I'm only in the office for a few hours at a time a couple of days a week. Don't expect an immediate response from me, but if I haven't responded within two weeks, check with me. Sometimes submissions get caught in the spam filter and I have to go digging for them.
I'm always looking for brief (500 words+/-) essays about gardening--serious or humorous--that I can use. Alas, there is no pay. Rights: one-time use and each issue is archived on-line after it's distributed via e-mail. Readership exceeds 2,200.
The essays must either be clearly Texas-centric or be "universal." (That is, essays about growing specific plants in Maine that clearly won't grow in Texas will be rejected.)
Reprints are welcome. Or dust off those rejected Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul and Cup of Comfort for Gardeners essays.
Send submissions (and questions) to me at Michael AT TexasGardener.com as attached Word files. Do not send submissions to my personal e-mail.
The editorship is a part-time gig so I'm only in the office for a few hours at a time a couple of days a week. Don't expect an immediate response from me, but if I haven't responded within two weeks, check with me. Sometimes submissions get caught in the spam filter and I have to go digging for them.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
2
I received a contract today, for a confession I submitted January 16. This is only my second sale of the year, so I'm five sales behind schedule. Although I'm a bit dismayed that I'm behind schedule, I'm not surprised. I wrote and submitted very little between early September and Christmas, and it will probably take several months of high productivity to overcome a 3.5-month gap in productivity.
Birds of a feather
I actively participate in two Yahoo groups for writers and I regularly read, but rarely participate, in a third. I see a significant membership overlap among these three Yahoo groups and, for a time, I worried that there were only a dozen or so truely active short story writers in the world.
I know that isn't true because the three groups I'm involved with are for people who write mysteries and women's fiction. I also write in other genres, but I don't participate in any Yahoo groups or message boards for those genres.
Why not? What draws us to participate in one Yahoo group or discussion board rather than another? Is it the subjects we discuss, or is it the people participating?
I know that isn't true because the three groups I'm involved with are for people who write mysteries and women's fiction. I also write in other genres, but I don't participate in any Yahoo groups or message boards for those genres.
Why not? What draws us to participate in one Yahoo group or discussion board rather than another? Is it the subjects we discuss, or is it the people participating?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Day forty-eight, story nineteen
I finished my 19th short story of the year a few minutes ago. It's an 800-word romance about two pianists, and was written entirely today. The manuscript will go into the mail tomorrow.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Day forty-six, story eighteen
I completed my 18th short story of the year earlier today, a 6,100-word confession/romance about a woman who meets the love of her life at a garage sale where she's unloading the things her ex-husband left behind.
I started writing this story in July, 2005, and had worked on it in fits and starts ever since. I had about 3,300 words written before I picked the manuscript up again earlier this week and was finally able to put all the plot pieces together so that I could finish writing the story.
It's already on its way to an editor.
I started writing this story in July, 2005, and had worked on it in fits and starts ever since. I had about 3,300 words written before I picked the manuscript up again earlier this week and was finally able to put all the plot pieces together so that I could finish writing the story.
It's already on its way to an editor.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Day forty-three, story seventeen
I just completed and submitted my 17th story of the year, a 5,300-word love story that I began working on back on September 2, a week before my bypass surgery. I wrote the first three pages and then the partial ms. sat untouched until earlier this week when I picked it up again.
It's the story of a soldier who returns home from Iraq to discover that her husband has drained their savings account, emptied their apartment, and disappeared. And, yes, it really is a love story. Of a sort.
It's the story of a soldier who returns home from Iraq to discover that her husband has drained their savings account, emptied their apartment, and disappeared. And, yes, it really is a love story. Of a sort.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Six words
Smith magazine at http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ asked for six word memoirs and the result was Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs. Reading some of these had me thinking: Could I describe my writing career in six words? Can you?
It turns out I can:
Wrote much. Sold much. Earned little.
It turns out I can:
Wrote much. Sold much. Earned little.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Still day thirty-nine, story sixteen
I finished and submitted my 16th story of the year a few minutes ago. It's a 2,100-word Mother's Day story. I wrote the first paragraph on January 16 and wrote the rest of the story today.
Day thirty-nine, story fifteen
I finished my 15th story of the year a few minutes ago. It's a 1,600-word, Mother's Day-themed confession. My plot monkey (a non-writing friend who occasionally helps me plot stories) gave me the idea a week ago, and the story bounced around in the back of my mind while I finished other projects. I wrote the story yesterday, proofread it this morning, and e-mailed it to an editor I know is looking for Mother's Day-themed confessions.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Day thirty-eight, story fourteen
I completed my 14th story of the year earlier this morning, a 2,500-word vampire story. I started work on this January 22, wrote the first two-thirds and the last paragraph, and then stopped to work on the story I finished two days ago. I returned to work on this story yesterday and wrote the missing section last night. I proofread the ms. this morning and now it's packaged and ready to go into the mail.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Day thirty-six, story thirteen
I finished my 13th story of the year earlier this evening. I started writing it in July, 2007, when I saw a call for an anthology titled Hardboiled Horror, but I all I wrote at the time was the opening scene. I picked the unfinished manuscript up a few weeks ago when I thought I knew what I wanted to do with the story. At that point, I had no clear idea of what market I might target. I'd already roughed out a draft when, on January 27, I saw the call for submissions to the MWA's latest anthology and had an Aha! moment. I had my target market. And that's where the 4,000-word manuscript is headed as soon I finished printing all six copies.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The tease
I belong to a Yahoo group for writers of a particular sub-genre of women's fiction, and we all write for the same small group of publications. Many members post their acceptances as soon as they receive them, and there will be a little wave of posted acceptances--two, three, four, and sometimes more, acceptances posted in a two-day period.
I've noticed an odd trend: If I happen to have sold something to the same issue of the same publication, my contract arrives a couple of days after the wave of acceptances posted to the group by other writers.
So I'm left sitting on the edge of my seat. I know the contracts have been mailed. I know mine seem to arrive after everyone else's. Will I have something in this issue, or not?
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.
But for a couple of days I feel like I'm being teased.
Maybe I should stop monitoring the postings so closely and spend more time with my fingers on the keyboard.
I've noticed an odd trend: If I happen to have sold something to the same issue of the same publication, my contract arrives a couple of days after the wave of acceptances posted to the group by other writers.
So I'm left sitting on the edge of my seat. I know the contracts have been mailed. I know mine seem to arrive after everyone else's. Will I have something in this issue, or not?
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.
But for a couple of days I feel like I'm being teased.
Maybe I should stop monitoring the postings so closely and spend more time with my fingers on the keyboard.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Screeching halt?
Having completed 12 stories in the first 22 days of the month and none in the final nine days, it appears as if my productivity came to a screeching halt. Actually, I'm wrapped up in a new short story that is requiring multiple drafts and significant (for me) research. It seems each time I write a scene I find that I'm missing some bit of knowledge to make the scene work the way I want it to. Then, once I have the necessary knowledge, I must revise what I've already written to make the factual bits fit with the fictional bits.
If this story works the way I want it to, it'll represent something new for me. If not, it'll still be a pretty good story.
If this story works the way I want it to, it'll represent something new for me. If not, it'll still be a pretty good story.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Bad blog habits
I have a bad habit of rereading my old blog posts. And not just reading, but proofreading and then correcting any errors I find. I suppose I could have worse habits, but, really, don't I have more to do than reread my own blog?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
What writers talk about
I don't know if this holds true across the entire spectrum of writers because I don't often hang out with writers in the real world, but I have noticed some similarities in what writers talk about when they get together.
Beginning writers talk about the process--where they get their ideas, how many times they revise, what time of day they write, and so on.
Established and moderately successful writers talk about the business--who's buying, what they're paying, and so on.
Well-established writers talk about everything except writing.
Beginning writers talk about the process--where they get their ideas, how many times they revise, what time of day they write, and so on.
Established and moderately successful writers talk about the business--who's buying, what they're paying, and so on.
Well-established writers talk about everything except writing.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thank you
From the date of my quadruple bypass in September until I finally recovered enough to quit bitching and moaning about it in December, fellow writers--many of whom I've never met and know only through e-mail and exchanges on various Yahoo groups--sent me a variety of good wishes, advice, and inspirational messages.
Some of you commented here while others e-mailed me directly, but no matter how you contacted me: Thank you.
Some of you commented here while others e-mailed me directly, but no matter how you contacted me: Thank you.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The downside of increased productivity
Yesterday I received three rejections--three! It's been a long time since I received three rejections in one day. It's a good thing I already had plans that would keep me away from the keyboard the rest of the day, or I might have sat at the computer, brooding and not writing.
All three rejections came from a group of magazines I've been selling to on a fairly regular basis since 1993. They've changed their editorial focus and are seeking a different type of fiction than what I've been selling to them all these years.
Bleh!
I haven't anything in progress that would fit their new requirements, and I haven't decided yet if I even want to write the type of fiction they're now seeking. That's a decision for another day.
All three rejections came from a group of magazines I've been selling to on a fairly regular basis since 1993. They've changed their editorial focus and are seeking a different type of fiction than what I've been selling to them all these years.
Bleh!
I haven't anything in progress that would fit their new requirements, and I haven't decided yet if I even want to write the type of fiction they're now seeking. That's a decision for another day.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Day twenty-two, story twelve
I just finished printing a new bit of crime fiction, the story of a burglar, an amorous couple who unknowingly trap him in a closet, and what happens next. I started work on this story in August of 2007 and finished the 3,600-word final draft earlier this evening. It'll go into the mail tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Seeking an attention span
One of the problems I had pre-surgery, and one that's returned now that I'm no longer taking Metoprolol, is an inability to concentrate on writing one story at a time. I'll start working on a story, get an idea for another story and stop to work on it, and then stop work on that to work on a third story. Having so many stories in progress means never having to say I have nothing to work on, but it does get frustrating sometimes to realize how many completed manuscripts I might have if I wrote each story start-to-finish.
Today's amusing copyediting error
From page 314 of Fifty-to-One by Charles Ardai: In the midst of a gunfight aboard a ship, "[b]oth fell to the ground moaning."
To the deck? Sure. To the floor? Maybe? To the ground? No.
Interesting note: "Ground," in nautical terms, means "the bottom of a body of water." So, if these two fell to the "ground," they most likely were drowning. Moaning and drowning.
To the deck? Sure. To the floor? Maybe? To the ground? No.
Interesting note: "Ground," in nautical terms, means "the bottom of a body of water." So, if these two fell to the "ground," they most likely were drowning. Moaning and drowning.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Rejected
I don't plan to note every rejection I receive this year, but thought I would mention the first, from Ellery Queen, which arrived in today's mail.
So that's one sale and one rejection so far this year, putting me two acceptances behind my goal of a one-per-week average.
So that's one sale and one rejection so far this year, putting me two acceptances behind my goal of a one-per-week average.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Still day seventeen, story eleven
I just submitted a new 4,600-word confession. I had the idea for this story mid-day Thursday when the opening line of dialog popped into my head, followed shortly by the next two lines of dialog and a tentative story-line. I worked on it Thursday evening and Friday evening, alternating with work on two other stories, and finished it late this afternoon.
Day seventeen, story ten
I completed a short--800 word--romance this morning, one that I actually started working on in April of 2008. I had, maybe, 600 words written. I finished writing it yesterday when I realized how the story should end* and proofread it this morning before preparing it for the mail.
*It's a romance, so it ends with an H.E.A. Of course. But with an 800-word story, those last few lines have to be just right.
*It's a romance, so it ends with an H.E.A. Of course. But with an 800-word story, those last few lines have to be just right.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Day sixteen, story nine
The problem with setting a goal--even facetiously--of writing a publishable short story every day for a year is that it's damn near impossible to catch up if you fall behind.
Earlier this evening I finished and submitted my ninth story of the year, a 6,200-word confession that I began writing in April of 2008. I've worked on it sporadically since then and had about half of it written before I picked it up again a few days ago.
Earlier this evening I finished and submitted my ninth story of the year, a 6,200-word confession that I began writing in April of 2008. I've worked on it sporadically since then and had about half of it written before I picked it up again a few days ago.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
1
I received my first acceptance of the year today, for an April Fool's Day-themed confession I submitted on January 7. Not only is it my first acceptance of the year, it's my first acceptance of something written (mostly) this year.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Day thirteen, story eight
I don't know why Christmas stories are pouring out of me, but this morning while walking the dogs I had an idea for a short-short Christmas mystery. I made a few notes at the time and this evening wrote the story. It clocks in at a mere 700 words, which is what the target market wants, and will go into the mail tomorrow.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Here's my damn epiphany
On September 17, seven days after my quadruple bypass, I posted this under the heading "Where's my damn epiphany?":
"If I were writing a story based on the recent events in my life, this would be the point where my protagonist has an epiphany--that character-altering moment when he vows to be a better person and save the world from injustice. So where's my damn epiphany?"
Here's my damn epiphany:
I used to take writing for granted. I never had writers block (which is a lazy writer's excuse for not writing) and I could write almost anywhere under almost any conditions. Then I spent 3.5 months essentially NOT writing. My head was empty. Now I'm writing again and I don't take it for granted. I'm overflowing with story ideas and things I want to write about. I'm even having trouble sleeping because I have so many stories zipping through my head. But take it for granted when I've learned how easily it can disappear? Not now.
"If I were writing a story based on the recent events in my life, this would be the point where my protagonist has an epiphany--that character-altering moment when he vows to be a better person and save the world from injustice. So where's my damn epiphany?"
Here's my damn epiphany:
I used to take writing for granted. I never had writers block (which is a lazy writer's excuse for not writing) and I could write almost anywhere under almost any conditions. Then I spent 3.5 months essentially NOT writing. My head was empty. Now I'm writing again and I don't take it for granted. I'm overflowing with story ideas and things I want to write about. I'm even having trouble sleeping because I have so many stories zipping through my head. But take it for granted when I've learned how easily it can disappear? Not now.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Day ten, story seven
I finished writing my seventh short story of the year a few minutes ago, a bit of crime fiction that takes place during the Christmas season. I began work on this a few years ago when I was having a particularly bad Christmas, and the first few hundred words describe an apparent suicide. That's all I had until yesterday, when I picked up the story and figured out what the story was really about. I worked on it yesterday evening and this morning, and the final draft, which clocks in at 2,500 words, will hit the mail the next time I leave the house.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Day nine, story six
Yesterday I woke early with three lines of dialog in my head. I immediately booted up my computer and those three lines of dialog became three of the first four sentences of a new story. I spent much of the day away from home, but I had access to e-mail and every so often I e-mailed myself a snippet of dialog, a sentence of description, or a note about what a scene should contain. When I returned home yesterday evening I copied everything into my Word file, put all the pieces in the correct order, and wrote the connective tissue that tied all the pieces together. By the time I went to bed I had a new 2,100-word story.
I proofread/edited it this morning. After correcting a few typos and adding a few words, it'll be ready to submit.
I don't expect a prompt response, however, because this is just about the worst time of year to submit a Christmas story...
I proofread/edited it this morning. After correcting a few typos and adding a few words, it'll be ready to submit.
I don't expect a prompt response, however, because this is just about the worst time of year to submit a Christmas story...
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Day seven, story five
When I posted yesterday about the challenge of writing a short story a day for a year, I didn't actually think it was doable. But here it is January 7 and I just finished my fifth story.
The final draft clocks in at 4,300 words. Like three of the four previous stories, this one was started pre-surgery. Unlike the other stories, all I had written was the first 200 or so words. Finishing it was a much bigger challenge than finishing any of the others.
The final draft clocks in at 4,300 words. Like three of the four previous stories, this one was started pre-surgery. Unlike the other stories, all I had written was the first 200 or so words. Finishing it was a much bigger challenge than finishing any of the others.
"Sin, Suffer, Cash the Checks"
My brief article about writing confessions--"Sin, Suffer, Cash the Checks"--was posted today at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2009/01/sin-suffer-cash-checks.html.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Every day for a year
During 2008 James Reasoner wrote more than a million words for publication (http://jamesreasoner.blogspot.com/2008/12/wrap-up.html). That's about 2,800 words a day, every day, for 365 days. In his case the result was 13 novels.
If I produced that many words for publication during any given year I would generate--give or take a few--365 short stories.
Imagine writing a short story a day, every day, for 365 days.
Now imagine finding markets for them. Real markets. Paying markets.
The markets are there. I already write for some of them. I've often had two stories in the same issue of a magazine, and have occasionally had three stories in the same issue, but to place 365 short stories in a year would mean filling some publications cover-to-cover several months in a row.
Now that's a challenge.
If I produced that many words for publication during any given year I would generate--give or take a few--365 short stories.
Imagine writing a short story a day, every day, for 365 days.
Now imagine finding markets for them. Real markets. Paying markets.
The markets are there. I already write for some of them. I've often had two stories in the same issue of a magazine, and have occasionally had three stories in the same issue, but to place 365 short stories in a year would mean filling some publications cover-to-cover several months in a row.
Now that's a challenge.
Monday, January 05, 2009
14 hours and then I drop
I've been going non-stop for 14 hours now--cardiac rehab this morning followed by a couple of hours revising a radio commercial and a newspaper ad, and then several hours of editing with brief writing interludes.
And I finished another short story. This is another I had started pre-surgery, about a missing husband. I'd written the set-up, but I didn't know why he was missing or where he'd gone. Yesterday I figured it out. I had somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 words written before I picked the manuscript up yesterday, and the final draft clocks it at 2,600 words.
I also revised three short-shorts that I had written several years ago, cutting words to make them appropriate for a different market.
I e-mailed the new story to an editor a few minutes ago; the three revised stories go in the mail tomorrow.
And I finished another short story. This is another I had started pre-surgery, about a missing husband. I'd written the set-up, but I didn't know why he was missing or where he'd gone. Yesterday I figured it out. I had somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 words written before I picked the manuscript up yesterday, and the final draft clocks it at 2,600 words.
I also revised three short-shorts that I had written several years ago, cutting words to make them appropriate for a different market.
I e-mailed the new story to an editor a few minutes ago; the three revised stories go in the mail tomorrow.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Another day, another short story
This weekend I'm ass-deep in an editing project due on the fifth (one of the monthly publications I edit) and I'm behind schedule because of the holidays and because of my own procrastination.
One cannot edit for several hours straight without going nuts so I also worked on a new short story. The final draft is printing now and will go into the mail tomorrow.
It's a bit of crime fiction that I began shortly after my surgery, about a hitman forced into retirement by a quadruple bypass who has a zipper tattooed over the ten-inch scar on his chest. I wrote the first 900 words back in September and set it aside. At that point writing was as difficult as wrestling mountain lions and I had no idea where the story was going. Yesterday I "knew" what needed to happen and the final draft clocks in at 2,700 words.
And today I have much more editing to do if I'm to meet tomorrow's deadline.
One cannot edit for several hours straight without going nuts so I also worked on a new short story. The final draft is printing now and will go into the mail tomorrow.
It's a bit of crime fiction that I began shortly after my surgery, about a hitman forced into retirement by a quadruple bypass who has a zipper tattooed over the ten-inch scar on his chest. I wrote the first 900 words back in September and set it aside. At that point writing was as difficult as wrestling mountain lions and I had no idea where the story was going. Yesterday I "knew" what needed to happen and the final draft clocks in at 2,700 words.
And today I have much more editing to do if I'm to meet tomorrow's deadline.
Friday, January 02, 2009
2008 in review
Here's what happened in 2008:
52 acceptances
28 rejections
30 ms. published
My gross income from freelancing decreased 29.17%. Much of the decrease is the result of a key client ending my independent contractor status by putting me on payroll as a part-time employee. Income from all sources was up 4.93%.*
Income from
Advertising & Public Relations: down 63.90% (see above)
Editing: up 2.18%
Fiction (not books/novels): down 11.73%
Non-fiction (not books): down 96.97%
Royalties (from all books): down 69.40%
Seminars/teaching: down 69.40%
Last January, when I summed up 2007, I had a lot to say. This year, not so much. This year was what it was, and I'm just damned lucky to be here to sum it up.
___
*Updated 1/15/09.
52 acceptances
28 rejections
30 ms. published
My gross income from freelancing decreased 29.17%. Much of the decrease is the result of a key client ending my independent contractor status by putting me on payroll as a part-time employee. Income from all sources was up 4.93%.*
Income from
Advertising & Public Relations: down 63.90% (see above)
Editing: up 2.18%
Fiction (not books/novels): down 11.73%
Non-fiction (not books): down 96.97%
Royalties (from all books): down 69.40%
Seminars/teaching: down 69.40%
Last January, when I summed up 2007, I had a lot to say. This year, not so much. This year was what it was, and I'm just damned lucky to be here to sum it up.
___
*Updated 1/15/09.
Another new story
I finished another new story a few minutes ago. This time it's a short-short of 1,100 words that I started pre-surgery. I'd written about half the story but had made no notes about what I intended--if anything--to do with the rest of it. I reread the manuscript last night, and when I woke this morning I wrote the last half before I did anything else. I let the story sit all day while I did other things, and this evening I proofread/edited the manuscript. In a few minutes I'll slip it into an envelope so it can go into the mail tomorrow.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Slow start
2009 is off to a slow start. It's almost 3:00 and I haven't sold a thing.
On the other hand, I did just finish a new short story, and it'll go into the mail tomorrow.
It's a story I started pre-surgery. I had written the first 1,800 words or so and had made notes about possible directions the story could go from there, along with a note about how it might end. I wrote the last half of the story Tuesday and Wednesday and did a final edit/proofread this afternoon. The final draft clocks in at 3,500 words and the last half only vaguely resembles the notes I'd made.
That makes two stories finished since Christmas.
On the other hand, I did just finish a new short story, and it'll go into the mail tomorrow.
It's a story I started pre-surgery. I had written the first 1,800 words or so and had made notes about possible directions the story could go from there, along with a note about how it might end. I wrote the last half of the story Tuesday and Wednesday and did a final edit/proofread this afternoon. The final draft clocks in at 3,500 words and the last half only vaguely resembles the notes I'd made.
That makes two stories finished since Christmas.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
52
I made it, with almost 26 hours to spare. My 52nd acceptance of the year. That's an average of one a week (one-a-week was my goal this year as it has been for several years).
Alas, it's a short article about writing requested and accepted by a non-paying market.
Maybe tomorrow's mail will bring that year-ending 53rd sale that'll knock me out of my socks.
Alas, it's a short article about writing requested and accepted by a non-paying market.
Maybe tomorrow's mail will bring that year-ending 53rd sale that'll knock me out of my socks.
51 and published 2x
I received my 51st acceptance of the year today. Sort of.
I picked up a copy of the February True Story because it contains my story "Valentine's Surprise" and was surprised when I discovered that it also contains my story "Forgiving My Father."
Why was I surprised? Because I never received a contract for the story and did not know it had been accepted.
I picked up a copy of the February True Story because it contains my story "Valentine's Surprise" and was surprised when I discovered that it also contains my story "Forgiving My Father."
Why was I surprised? Because I never received a contract for the story and did not know it had been accepted.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
In the beginning
Yesterday, James Reasoner noted in a blog post (http://jamesreasoner.blogspot.com/2008/12/32-and-counting.html) that he was celebrating the 32nd anniversary of his first sale, and it reminded me how long I've been doing this.
I've been writing since the 8th grade and seeing my work in print in various amateur publications (junior high and high school literary magazines, high school newspaper, science fiction fanzines, etc.) and semi-prozines (publications that paid a fraction of a cent per word) beginning in the 9th grade.
I made my first professional sale in September, 1977. The acceptance letter is dated September 2 and I received it on September 8. The story--a young adult fantasy titled "The Magic Stone"--wasn't published until November, 1978, when it appeared in Young World.
So 2008 marks the 31st anniversary of my first professional sale and the 30th anniversary of my first professional publication.
Not bad for a kid who just wanted to tell stories.
I've been writing since the 8th grade and seeing my work in print in various amateur publications (junior high and high school literary magazines, high school newspaper, science fiction fanzines, etc.) and semi-prozines (publications that paid a fraction of a cent per word) beginning in the 9th grade.
I made my first professional sale in September, 1977. The acceptance letter is dated September 2 and I received it on September 8. The story--a young adult fantasy titled "The Magic Stone"--wasn't published until November, 1978, when it appeared in Young World.
So 2008 marks the 31st anniversary of my first professional sale and the 30th anniversary of my first professional publication.
Not bad for a kid who just wanted to tell stories.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Crime for Christmas
Crime fiction has dominated my limited productivity this week. Last Sunday I finished revising a private eye story that had been sitting in my files ever since the anthology that originally accepted it became a dead project. Today I finished writing a new hardboiled crime story that I had started several years ago.
The private eye story went to a publication that recently purchased its first story from me and the hardboiled crime story is off to a magazine I've been selling to since the mid-90s.
The private eye story went to a publication that recently purchased its first story from me and the hardboiled crime story is off to a magazine I've been selling to since the mid-90s.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
It may be too early to know for certain whether or not I've received my Christmas present from Santa, but I awoke more clear-headed than I've been in quite some time.
Tuesday I met with my cardiologist as a follow-up to my emergency room visit on the 10th. I took advantage of the opportunity to discuss my creative drought since the surgery, and my cardiologist, who had reduced my metoprolol dose from 50mg/day to 25mg/day on the 10th, eliminated it from my drug regimen. (Metoprolol is a beta-blocker prescribed to combat high blood pressure, among other things, and, according to drugs. com, "can cause side effects that may impair [...] thinking or reactions.")
I've been too busy with the holidays to attempt much writing, but I suspect a clear mind is a step toward a creative mind.
I have hopes.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday I met with my cardiologist as a follow-up to my emergency room visit on the 10th. I took advantage of the opportunity to discuss my creative drought since the surgery, and my cardiologist, who had reduced my metoprolol dose from 50mg/day to 25mg/day on the 10th, eliminated it from my drug regimen. (Metoprolol is a beta-blocker prescribed to combat high blood pressure, among other things, and, according to drugs. com, "can cause side effects that may impair [...] thinking or reactions.")
I've been too busy with the holidays to attempt much writing, but I suspect a clear mind is a step toward a creative mind.
I have hopes.
Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Another new story...and a rejection
Writing since the quadruple bypass has been problematic, but yesterday I finally finished and submitted another new short story. Unfortunately, it's already been rejected because it was too similar to something the editor had already purchased. Because the story is tied to a particular holiday, the manuscript will have to sit in my files for six to nine months before it can go out again.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A day spent in the emergency room
Three months ago today I had a quadruple bypass. I spent today in the emergency room.
I'd been feeling a little out of sorts since the weekend, but last evening I felt particularly tired. I fell asleep while watching TV after dinner, woke up about two hours later, checked my e-mail, and then returned to the living room and lay down on the couch. I fell asleep around 7:15 and, except few a few restroom trips, slept until 7 this morning.
When I arrived at cardiac rehab this morning at 8:15, one of the nurses (or are they physical therapists?) said I looked like I didn't feel well. I walked on the treadmill--at a much slower pace than usual--and then sat on a chair to rest.
The next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the floor, with a dozen people hovering around me, checking my blood pressure, putting cold rags on my forehead, raising my legs, and doing a variety of other things to ensure my health and safety. As soon as they felt I could safety sit in a wheelchair, they wheeled me across the hospital to the emergency room, where I was subjected to a variety of tests and wasn't released until around 6.
The upshot? My blood pressure medication is being reduced by half and I'm to follow-up with my cardiologist within a week.
It was not a fun way to spend my three-month anniversary.
I'd been feeling a little out of sorts since the weekend, but last evening I felt particularly tired. I fell asleep while watching TV after dinner, woke up about two hours later, checked my e-mail, and then returned to the living room and lay down on the couch. I fell asleep around 7:15 and, except few a few restroom trips, slept until 7 this morning.
When I arrived at cardiac rehab this morning at 8:15, one of the nurses (or are they physical therapists?) said I looked like I didn't feel well. I walked on the treadmill--at a much slower pace than usual--and then sat on a chair to rest.
The next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the floor, with a dozen people hovering around me, checking my blood pressure, putting cold rags on my forehead, raising my legs, and doing a variety of other things to ensure my health and safety. As soon as they felt I could safety sit in a wheelchair, they wheeled me across the hospital to the emergency room, where I was subjected to a variety of tests and wasn't released until around 6.
The upshot? My blood pressure medication is being reduced by half and I'm to follow-up with my cardiologist within a week.
It was not a fun way to spend my three-month anniversary.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Published, again
My story "Confessions of a Fatherless Daughter" appears in the January True Confessions.
Friday, November 28, 2008
What's your 'go-to' story?
Every short story writer needs a "go-to" story, a story that she can write without hesitation any time an editor says, "I need 3,000 words by Thursday." The go-to story might arise from a basic plot, a hook, or some other device that the author favors, but it must be one that can consistently provide an infinite variety of stories.
For example, a writer of short romances might go-to the basic girl-meets-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-gets-boy-back plot.
Start by imagining a job or life situation for a female character and a male character:
She's a waitress; he's a truck driver.
She's a kindergarten teacher; he's a single father.
She plays second base for the company softball team; he's a league umpire.
Then give them a "meet cute":
While serving him at the truck stop where she works, she spills hot coffee in his lap.
It's the first day of school for his child and he arrives at her kindergarten class with his crying child in tow.
When she's at-bat, he calls a strike on a pitch that's clearly high and outside.
Although I've written a fair number of short romances, this isn't my go-to story because I only get as far as the meet cute before I fumble.
My go-to story is far more versatile because I can hang an infinite number of stories from a single hook:
A woman discovers (learns, realizes, confirms, suspects) she's pregnant.
What's your go-to story?
For example, a writer of short romances might go-to the basic girl-meets-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-gets-boy-back plot.
Start by imagining a job or life situation for a female character and a male character:
She's a waitress; he's a truck driver.
She's a kindergarten teacher; he's a single father.
She plays second base for the company softball team; he's a league umpire.
Then give them a "meet cute":
While serving him at the truck stop where she works, she spills hot coffee in his lap.
It's the first day of school for his child and he arrives at her kindergarten class with his crying child in tow.
When she's at-bat, he calls a strike on a pitch that's clearly high and outside.
Although I've written a fair number of short romances, this isn't my go-to story because I only get as far as the meet cute before I fumble.
My go-to story is far more versatile because I can hang an infinite number of stories from a single hook:
A woman discovers (learns, realizes, confirms, suspects) she's pregnant.
What's your go-to story?
The banking crisis is so bad...
...that bank robbers have to take their exploding, dye-filled money packets in monthly installments.
...that bank robbers are skipping the middle-man and going directly to Congress.
...that bank robbers are skipping the middle-man and going directly to Congress.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Today's amusing typo
From page 100 of Lethal Exposure by Lori Wilde: "She grabbed the thongs and smacked a bunch of romaine lettuce [...] onto her plate [...]"
So, did she serve herself salad using summertime footwear or using skimpy underwear?
Either way, I don't think I'd eat it...
So, did she serve herself salad using summertime footwear or using skimpy underwear?
Either way, I don't think I'd eat it...
Today's sex question
From pages 73-74 of Lethal Exposure by Lori Wilde: "He'd lost his virginity on the commune. To one of Aunt Bunnie's hippie friends. He'd been sixteen, the woman a good twenty years older. He'd gone into the barn that day a boy and walked out a man."
Does that bother you?
Would it bother you any more or any less if it read: "She'd lost her virginity on the commune. To one of Uncle Barney's hippie friends. She'd been sixteen, the man a good twenty years older. She'd gone into the barn that day a girl and walked out a woman."
Does that bother you?
Would it bother you any more or any less if it read: "She'd lost her virginity on the commune. To one of Uncle Barney's hippie friends. She'd been sixteen, the man a good twenty years older. She'd gone into the barn that day a girl and walked out a woman."
Sunday, November 23, 2008
49
"Writing Dialog," published in yesterday's edition of Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, will be reprinted at a writing Web site. The editors of the site contacted me via a message forwarded by the editor of Gila Queen, asking permission and offering payment.
This marks my 49th acceptance of the year, and the easiest one yet! I need three more acceptances to reach my annual goal of one-per-week, and I've 5.5 weeks of year left to do it in.
This marks my 49th acceptance of the year, and the easiest one yet! I need three more acceptances to reach my annual goal of one-per-week, and I've 5.5 weeks of year left to do it in.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Reprint published
"Writing Dialog," a humorous take on writing dialog I wrote for an on-line confession writing class and later posted here, has been reprinted in today's issue (#153) of Gila Queen's Guide to Markets.
Gila Queen is now delivered via e-mail, but I've been reading and contributing to it for so many years that I remember when it was printed on actual paper and mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. If you're not a subscriber, you should be. For subscription information: http://gilaqueen.us/
Gila Queen is now delivered via e-mail, but I've been reading and contributing to it for so many years that I remember when it was printed on actual paper and mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. If you're not a subscriber, you should be. For subscription information: http://gilaqueen.us/
Friday, November 21, 2008
48
I received my 48th acceptance of the year in today's mail, this time for a Valentine's Day-themed story I submitted back in August. It seems that February's going to be a good month, with Valentine's Day stories in three different publications.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I did it. Finally.
For the first time since shortly before my bypass surgery two-plus months ago, I have written a new short story--completely new, from concept to final word.
Late yesterday afternoon an editor posted an "urgent call" for a story "4000-8000 words with a solid plot, realistic and gripping dialog, and a suspenseful conclusion," and she wanted it before 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
I saw the call around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. I spent the next few hours trying to imagine a story that would meet her needs and that I could draft in one non-stop block of time that evening.
At 6:30 I booted up my new laptop, started MacSpeech Dictate, and began talking. When I finally stopped at 11:10 that evening I had a complete, reasonably clean, 3,679-word draft. That's a dictation speed in the neighborhood of 13 words-per-minute, though I certainly didn't talk the entire time. I walked the dogs twice, did a load of laundry, and made repeated trips to the kitchen to refill my lemonade glass.
At 8:00 this evening I began editing and revising the story, and by 8:45 I had a final draft of 4,060 words. After reformatting the story from the default format I get when I dictate to standard manuscript format, I e-mailed the story to the editor.
If the story sells, I'll have paid for the dictation software, but I'll need to sell four or five more stories to pay for the new laptop.
What I learned:
The dictation software worked, though I had to make a few word-choice concessions--either using alternate words when the software didn't understand what I said or spelling the words I wanted--and I had to watch the screen closely while I dictated to ensure that I was getting what I wanted.
Part of the reason for this is that I'm not a write-and-revise-through-multiple-drafts writer. I'm a get-it-right-the-first-time writer and dictation software only has value to me if I can dictate my drafts as cleanly as I can type them.
Apparently, I can.
Late yesterday afternoon an editor posted an "urgent call" for a story "4000-8000 words with a solid plot, realistic and gripping dialog, and a suspenseful conclusion," and she wanted it before 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
I saw the call around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. I spent the next few hours trying to imagine a story that would meet her needs and that I could draft in one non-stop block of time that evening.
At 6:30 I booted up my new laptop, started MacSpeech Dictate, and began talking. When I finally stopped at 11:10 that evening I had a complete, reasonably clean, 3,679-word draft. That's a dictation speed in the neighborhood of 13 words-per-minute, though I certainly didn't talk the entire time. I walked the dogs twice, did a load of laundry, and made repeated trips to the kitchen to refill my lemonade glass.
At 8:00 this evening I began editing and revising the story, and by 8:45 I had a final draft of 4,060 words. After reformatting the story from the default format I get when I dictate to standard manuscript format, I e-mailed the story to the editor.
If the story sells, I'll have paid for the dictation software, but I'll need to sell four or five more stories to pay for the new laptop.
What I learned:
The dictation software worked, though I had to make a few word-choice concessions--either using alternate words when the software didn't understand what I said or spelling the words I wanted--and I had to watch the screen closely while I dictated to ensure that I was getting what I wanted.
Part of the reason for this is that I'm not a write-and-revise-through-multiple-drafts writer. I'm a get-it-right-the-first-time writer and dictation software only has value to me if I can dictate my drafts as cleanly as I can type them.
Apparently, I can.
Monday, November 17, 2008
42-46, 47
The day began with five acceptances waiting in my e-mail inbox, all reprints.
And the mail brought a contract for a Valentine's Day-themed confession.
And the mail brought a contract for a Valentine's Day-themed confession.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Speak like you write
One piece of advice often repeated to new writers is to "write like you speak." I don't know how valuable that advice actually is, but I'm in the process of learning to do the opposite, to "speak like I write."
Because I've been having trouble writing post-surgery, I've been exploring ways to change how I work. One idea I kicked around is the use of speech recognition software so that I could dictate rather than type. I sought opinions from other writers and found that, as a group, they had a vast array of experiences. The positive experiences and the negative experiences seemed to cancel each other out.
Ultimately, I purchased MacSpeech Dictate. I thought I had throughly checked the specs, but I hadn't; it won't run on my older Macintosh G5.
Another week of deep thought led to the purchase of a MacBook, one of the other ideas I had about changing the way I work. I thought not being tied to my office might inspire me.
The laptop was functional straight out of the box, I installed Microsoft Office and MacSpeech Dictate without any hitches, and I was soon able to dictate directly into a Word document.
Although I've only dictated a few things, I have learned the following about myself: 1) I don't enunciate my words as clearly as I'd thought, and 2) When I read back what I've dictated, it doesn't "sound" like material I've typed.
I've spent time "teaching" the program to understand me, and it does a reasonably good job of understanding what I'm saying; it's certainly no worse than my typing.
But will it ultimately make me more productive? Will not being tied to my office and not being tied to a keyboard make a difference? Will I regain my productivity by changing how I write?
Because I've been having trouble writing post-surgery, I've been exploring ways to change how I work. One idea I kicked around is the use of speech recognition software so that I could dictate rather than type. I sought opinions from other writers and found that, as a group, they had a vast array of experiences. The positive experiences and the negative experiences seemed to cancel each other out.
Ultimately, I purchased MacSpeech Dictate. I thought I had throughly checked the specs, but I hadn't; it won't run on my older Macintosh G5.
Another week of deep thought led to the purchase of a MacBook, one of the other ideas I had about changing the way I work. I thought not being tied to my office might inspire me.
The laptop was functional straight out of the box, I installed Microsoft Office and MacSpeech Dictate without any hitches, and I was soon able to dictate directly into a Word document.
Although I've only dictated a few things, I have learned the following about myself: 1) I don't enunciate my words as clearly as I'd thought, and 2) When I read back what I've dictated, it doesn't "sound" like material I've typed.
I've spent time "teaching" the program to understand me, and it does a reasonably good job of understanding what I'm saying; it's certainly no worse than my typing.
But will it ultimately make me more productive? Will not being tied to my office and not being tied to a keyboard make a difference? Will I regain my productivity by changing how I write?
Old publication on e-bay
A copy of Fantasy Macabre 8, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson and published in 1986, is now available on e-bay. It contains the first publication of my story "The Passenger."
Apparently, if I wait long enough, everything I've ever had published will show up on e-bay.
Apparently, if I wait long enough, everything I've ever had published will show up on e-bay.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
If you can't write, fill in the blanks
Coming up with a new story idea since my surgery has been like searching for an oasis in a desert. I know there's one out there; I'm just slowing dying of creative thirst while I search for it.
On the other hand, I've frequently mentioned the bazillion unfinished stories residing on my hard drive. A few weeks ago I looked through all of them and made a list of the stories that are nearest completion. Then I selected one and started filling in the blanks. That is, I completed the scenes that were mostly written and wrote the scenes that were nothing more than notes about what should happen.
I would compare the process to a paint-by-numbers kit because the creative work had mostly been completed. The pre-surgery me had created the template. All the post-surgery me had to do was put the right colors in the right places.
I started with 3,600 words and had slowly expanded it to 5,400+ words with only one critical scene still to write and an ending that had to be revised to fit the new material I'd added.
Friday, an editor--the same editor who purchased my 1,500-word story a few days ago--put out a call for February stories or stories with snowy backgrounds that could take place in February. She emphasized a Monday a.m. deadline.
I looked at my nearly complete story, realized that time-of-year was not critical to the basic plot, and revised the scenes I had written to include references to snow and cold and ice. Changing the season actually helped resolve two minor plot points and I was able to complete the 6,200-word story today.
I e-mailed the story to her a few minutes ago.
And it makes me think: Maybe there's a reason I've been stockpiling story ideas for all these years. Maybe there's a reason I had more ideas than I had time to write. It certainly helps now that I have more time to write than I have ideas...
On the other hand, I've frequently mentioned the bazillion unfinished stories residing on my hard drive. A few weeks ago I looked through all of them and made a list of the stories that are nearest completion. Then I selected one and started filling in the blanks. That is, I completed the scenes that were mostly written and wrote the scenes that were nothing more than notes about what should happen.
I would compare the process to a paint-by-numbers kit because the creative work had mostly been completed. The pre-surgery me had created the template. All the post-surgery me had to do was put the right colors in the right places.
I started with 3,600 words and had slowly expanded it to 5,400+ words with only one critical scene still to write and an ending that had to be revised to fit the new material I'd added.
Friday, an editor--the same editor who purchased my 1,500-word story a few days ago--put out a call for February stories or stories with snowy backgrounds that could take place in February. She emphasized a Monday a.m. deadline.
I looked at my nearly complete story, realized that time-of-year was not critical to the basic plot, and revised the scenes I had written to include references to snow and cold and ice. Changing the season actually helped resolve two minor plot points and I was able to complete the 6,200-word story today.
I e-mailed the story to her a few minutes ago.
And it makes me think: Maybe there's a reason I've been stockpiling story ideas for all these years. Maybe there's a reason I had more ideas than I had time to write. It certainly helps now that I have more time to write than I have ideas...
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