My short story "Love From Above" appears in the February True Story, on newsstands now.
Yesterday I received my first rejection of the year. So far, no acceptances and no rejections today.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Seton Hill
It's official: I'll be speaking at Seton Hill University's "In Your Write Mind," June 22-24. I signed the contract earlier today.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Anthology Proposal & Etc.
I completed the anthology proposal today, thanks to help from a couple of mystery/private eye historians, an anthology editor with more experience working with large publishing houses, and some well-known writers willing to have their name attached to the project. I have high hopes for this one as my historian friends were unable to find any previous anthology with this theme!
I also found markets for an essay and a short story that had not yet found homes and prepared them for submission.
And, I added a significant chunk to a story-in-progress.
I've been working 12-plus hours a day all week, so I might just shut the computer down and veg in front of the TV all night. We'll see.
I also found markets for an essay and a short story that had not yet found homes and prepared them for submission.
And, I added a significant chunk to a story-in-progress.
I've been working 12-plus hours a day all week, so I might just shut the computer down and veg in front of the TV all night. We'll see.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Productivity
I finished a new short story yesterday and have it ready to go in the mail the next time I leave the house. I spent most of the yesterday concentrating on two projects: editing a monthly newspaper that's due today and preparing the anthology proposal. I managed to write only a few paragraphs of fiction--additions to two short stories in-progress--and made notes for a couple of more stories.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Anthology bite
I've edited eight private eye/hardboiled anthologies for a small press. During the past year I've been trying to move up the food chain and have been sending queries to New York publishing houses. I received my first bite today, and I’ve been asked to submit an outline/proposal.
So I'll spend the next day or two--in and around my other projects--putting the proposal together.
So I'll spend the next day or two--in and around my other projects--putting the proposal together.
1
My first acceptance of the year, a short article titled "Types of Community Gardens," appears in today's issue of Seeds, an e-mailed newsletter. It was originally written as a sidebar to an article published in the January/February issue of Texas Gardener, but there wasn't room for it in the magazine. After a touch of rewriting, I was able to place it in the newsletter.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Typical day
Kitty asked, "Have you ever done a post on what your typical day looks like?"
Until I read Kitty's question in a response to one of my previous posts, I didn't think I had a "typical day," but the more I think about it, the more I think I do.
Monday through Friday I rise around 8:00. I meet with one or more of my clients to determine their needs and I do whatever needs to be done for them. It may be writing a press release, advertisement, or brochure. It may be selecting and editing material for publication. It may be something else related to those projects, such as contacting a printing company.
Each of my three primary clients has work that is deadline driven. For example, I edit a weekly newsletter, a monthly newspaper, and a bi-monthly magazine. The symphony concerts occur on specific dates and require appropriate advertising/publicity to ensure that people show up at the right place at the right time.
Additionally, I occasionally pick up one-shot projects--a short story for this magazine, a magazine article for that magazine, a Web site for a company. Each of those projects has a deadline.
Then a juggle like crazy to keep all projects on schedule.
In addition to deadline-driven work for clients and deadline-driven assignments from editors, I also write a great deal of fiction on speculation ("on spec" means that I am writing without assignment and with only a hope of future income). I do that in the "down" time between everything else during the week and on weekends and holidays.
The downside of all of this work is that I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. I wind up not giving my family the time and attention they deserve, I don't have wild adventures (scuh as flying off on spur-of-the-moment vacations), and I don't socialize a great deal.
Until I read Kitty's question in a response to one of my previous posts, I didn't think I had a "typical day," but the more I think about it, the more I think I do.
Monday through Friday I rise around 8:00. I meet with one or more of my clients to determine their needs and I do whatever needs to be done for them. It may be writing a press release, advertisement, or brochure. It may be selecting and editing material for publication. It may be something else related to those projects, such as contacting a printing company.
Each of my three primary clients has work that is deadline driven. For example, I edit a weekly newsletter, a monthly newspaper, and a bi-monthly magazine. The symphony concerts occur on specific dates and require appropriate advertising/publicity to ensure that people show up at the right place at the right time.
Additionally, I occasionally pick up one-shot projects--a short story for this magazine, a magazine article for that magazine, a Web site for a company. Each of those projects has a deadline.
Then a juggle like crazy to keep all projects on schedule.
In addition to deadline-driven work for clients and deadline-driven assignments from editors, I also write a great deal of fiction on speculation ("on spec" means that I am writing without assignment and with only a hope of future income). I do that in the "down" time between everything else during the week and on weekends and holidays.
The downside of all of this work is that I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. I wind up not giving my family the time and attention they deserve, I don't have wild adventures (scuh as flying off on spur-of-the-moment vacations), and I don't socialize a great deal.
Writer's block?
Kitty wrote, "I'm pea-green with envy that you are such a prolific writer because I've been trying to break through my writer's block for months. Have you ever experienced it? If so, got any suggestions for me? So far, the 'just do it' approach isn’t working."
Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.
You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.
I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."
Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?
That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.
The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.
If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.
If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).
One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.
One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.
One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.
Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.
You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.
I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."
Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?
That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.
The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.
If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.
If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).
One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.
One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.
One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.
Writer's block?
Kitty wrote, "I'm pea-green with envy that you are such a prolific writer because I've been trying to break through my writer's block for months. Have you ever experienced it? If so, got any suggestions for me? So far, the 'just do it' approach isn’t working."
Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.
You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.
I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."
Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?
That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.
The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.
If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.
If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).
One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.
One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.
One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.
Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.
You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.
I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."
Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?
That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.
The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.
If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.
If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).
One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.
One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.
One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Three for the Road
I completed three new short stories today. I submitted two via e-mail; the third is packaged and ready to travel via USPS the next time I leave the house.
2006 in review
2006 is history. So, how'd I do?
66 acceptances. 31 rejections and/or non-acceptances. (Non-acceptances include lost ms., non-responses, etc.)
I became a full-time freelancer on April 1, 2003. My total gross income from freelancing in 2006--my third full calendar year as a full-time freelancer--exceeded my total gross income from all sources for any year since the mid-90s.
Income from
Advertising & Public Relations: up 215.82%
Consulting: down 84%
Editing: up 32.02%
Fiction (not novels): down 34.64%
Non-fiction (not books): up 48.85%
Royalties (from all books): down 38.17%
Of course, percentages don't tell the entire story.
Advertising & Public Relations generated the largest dollar increase, while Editing generated the second largest dollar increase.
Editing generated the largest revenue stream, while Advertising & Public Relations generated the second largest revenue stream.
Key developments:
An Advertising & Public Relations client I gained in September 2005 kept me busy throughout 2006 and was entirely responsible for the income increase in that category.
One editing client increased my workload mid-way through 2005, kept the workload at the new level through 2006, and was responsible for part of the income increase in that category. Another editing client launched a new publication in early 2006 and was responsible for the rest of the increase in that category.
Some of the periodicals I wrote for ceased publication, some changed editors, some cancelled or cut back the use of fiction, and some have been dragging out payments the past few months, thus leading to a decrease in both freelance fiction sales and freelance fiction income.
The bulk of the increase in non-fiction income came from two sources: an existing editing client and a periodical that's already cancelled the column to which I had become a regular contributor.
Key concerns:
The bulk of my freelance income comes from three sources. While I think all of my clients are happy with my work and intend to continue our relationships, I wish I had a little more diversity in my client base.
I completed no new fiction during much of September, October, and November. While I finished a number of new stories in December, the three-month gap in productivity will probably impact my pocketbook in mid-2007.
There's a possibilty that I'll lose medical insurance in 2007. Could a desire for medical insurance make me consider returning to full-time employment?
So, how'd I do?
66 acceptances. 31 rejections and/or non-acceptances. (Non-acceptances include lost ms., non-responses, etc.)
I became a full-time freelancer on April 1, 2003. My total gross income from freelancing in 2006--my third full calendar year as a full-time freelancer--exceeded my total gross income from all sources for any year since the mid-90s.
Income from
Advertising & Public Relations: up 215.82%
Consulting: down 84%
Editing: up 32.02%
Fiction (not novels): down 34.64%
Non-fiction (not books): up 48.85%
Royalties (from all books): down 38.17%
Of course, percentages don't tell the entire story.
Advertising & Public Relations generated the largest dollar increase, while Editing generated the second largest dollar increase.
Editing generated the largest revenue stream, while Advertising & Public Relations generated the second largest revenue stream.
Key developments:
An Advertising & Public Relations client I gained in September 2005 kept me busy throughout 2006 and was entirely responsible for the income increase in that category.
One editing client increased my workload mid-way through 2005, kept the workload at the new level through 2006, and was responsible for part of the income increase in that category. Another editing client launched a new publication in early 2006 and was responsible for the rest of the increase in that category.
Some of the periodicals I wrote for ceased publication, some changed editors, some cancelled or cut back the use of fiction, and some have been dragging out payments the past few months, thus leading to a decrease in both freelance fiction sales and freelance fiction income.
The bulk of the increase in non-fiction income came from two sources: an existing editing client and a periodical that's already cancelled the column to which I had become a regular contributor.
Key concerns:
The bulk of my freelance income comes from three sources. While I think all of my clients are happy with my work and intend to continue our relationships, I wish I had a little more diversity in my client base.
I completed no new fiction during much of September, October, and November. While I finished a number of new stories in December, the three-month gap in productivity will probably impact my pocketbook in mid-2007.
There's a possibilty that I'll lose medical insurance in 2007. Could a desire for medical insurance make me consider returning to full-time employment?
So, how'd I do?
Sunday, December 31, 2006
2007 Goals
It's the time of year when writers make resolutions and set goals. Many of my fellow writers set productivity goals--so many words per day or so many pages per day or so many hours at the keyboard per day--believing that productivity goals are easier to achieve than sales goals. They may be right. After all, how much control does a writer have over what editors buy and publish?
I take a different approach. I set sales goals. My goal for 2007 is the same as it's been for many years now: To average one
acceptance per week (that's 52 for the year).
Unless I receive an acceptance in the next few hours--and, really, how likely is that?--I'll finish 2006 with 66 acceptances (while that total primarily consists of short stories, it does include other freelance writing such as essays and articles), the fifth year in a row that I've exceeded my goal.
A secondary goal is to increase my average income from freelancing. That'll happen--if it happens--one of two ways:
1. By increasing the amount I earn from the short stories, articles, and essays I write by selling more work to my existing markets or by finding and selling to better paying markets.
2. By doing more work for my exisiting clients or finding new clients for editing and copywriting.
To achieve my goals, I have to believe I do have some control over what editors buy and publish. (Or what clients purchase from me, but that's a different subject.)
I can control what editors buy and publish by studying their publications and producing material that is similar in subject and similar in style to what they already publish. I can control what editors buy and publish by producing manuscripts that are well-written and, to the best of my ability, grammatically correct. I can control what editors buy and publish by accepting and completing assignments that are offered to me. I can control what editors buy and publish by responding appropriately when editors post want-lists or need-lists or calls for submission.
Do I have a great deal of control? Absolutely not.
But I can pretty much eliminate guesswork and chance from the equation.
I take a different approach. I set sales goals. My goal for 2007 is the same as it's been for many years now: To average one
acceptance per week (that's 52 for the year).
Unless I receive an acceptance in the next few hours--and, really, how likely is that?--I'll finish 2006 with 66 acceptances (while that total primarily consists of short stories, it does include other freelance writing such as essays and articles), the fifth year in a row that I've exceeded my goal.
A secondary goal is to increase my average income from freelancing. That'll happen--if it happens--one of two ways:
1. By increasing the amount I earn from the short stories, articles, and essays I write by selling more work to my existing markets or by finding and selling to better paying markets.
2. By doing more work for my exisiting clients or finding new clients for editing and copywriting.
To achieve my goals, I have to believe I do have some control over what editors buy and publish. (Or what clients purchase from me, but that's a different subject.)
I can control what editors buy and publish by studying their publications and producing material that is similar in subject and similar in style to what they already publish. I can control what editors buy and publish by producing manuscripts that are well-written and, to the best of my ability, grammatically correct. I can control what editors buy and publish by accepting and completing assignments that are offered to me. I can control what editors buy and publish by responding appropriately when editors post want-lists or need-lists or calls for submission.
Do I have a great deal of control? Absolutely not.
But I can pretty much eliminate guesswork and chance from the equation.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Today's Mail
I received payment for a short story today, a nice after-Christmas addition to the wallet. It's for a bit of crime fiction that, if I read the check stub correctly, will be published in April.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Two more
I finished two more short stories this morning and have them ready to go in the mail the next time I leave the house.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Will be speaking in PA
For those of you who like to plan in advance, I'm scheduled to speak at "In Your Write Mind," Seton Hill University's 6th Annual Writing Popular Fiction Reunion & Retreat, at Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA, June 22-24, 2007.
Preliminary info is available at:
http://alumni.setonhill.edu/s/279/index.aspx?sid=279&gid=1&pgid=13&cid=97&event_id=104
and additional info will be available later.
Preliminary info is available at:
http://alumni.setonhill.edu/s/279/index.aspx?sid=279&gid=1&pgid=13&cid=97&event_id=104
and additional info will be available later.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Record keeping and document handling
One of the most important things a freelance writer can do is maintain good records. Unfortunately--based on the number of posts I've seen on various writing forums--many don't.
I regularly see posts from writers who can't find a copy of a contract and want to know if any other writers have sold to the same market and might know what rights they've signed away, posts from writers who don't when or to what magazines they've sent their manuscripts, posts from writers who haven't been paid for published work and don't know who to contact, and any number of other posts that make it painfully obvious that those writers need a good lesson in record-keeping.
I admit my method isn't perfect, but it's quite effective. I know each manuscript that's out to an editor, which editor/publication I sent it to, when it left my hands, and whether it was submitted via e-mail or snail mail. I know where every manuscript has been and when it came back. I know which were rejected and which were sold. I have copies of all of my acceptance letters and/or contracts and I have contributor copies (or copies I purchased myself) of nearly everything that I know has seen print.
And, perhaps more importantly, I can lay may hands on all of it within a few minutes.
I know other writers with fancy spreadsheets and databases who handle much of this electronically, but I'm still a paper-and-folder guy. After all, most contracts still arrive on paper and most work still gets published on paper. Even if I maintained an electronic database of some kind, I'd still need file folders for the paper.
So I use file folders and file drawers. Every finished manuscript gets a file folder (which contains a copy of the ms., related research materials and, ultimately, a contract and a printed copy of the published work) and each folder moves through a series of file drawers--one for finished/not submitted; one for submitted; one for accepted; one for paid for/not published; one for published/not paid for; one for published and paid for; etc.
In this way I spend my time writing and submitting, not looking for lost documents.
Writing is a business. Maintaining records is part of doing business and developing and maintaining a good record-keeping system is especially important for a beginning writer to develop. After a few hundred sales, the task may be too daunting...
I regularly see posts from writers who can't find a copy of a contract and want to know if any other writers have sold to the same market and might know what rights they've signed away, posts from writers who don't when or to what magazines they've sent their manuscripts, posts from writers who haven't been paid for published work and don't know who to contact, and any number of other posts that make it painfully obvious that those writers need a good lesson in record-keeping.
I admit my method isn't perfect, but it's quite effective. I know each manuscript that's out to an editor, which editor/publication I sent it to, when it left my hands, and whether it was submitted via e-mail or snail mail. I know where every manuscript has been and when it came back. I know which were rejected and which were sold. I have copies of all of my acceptance letters and/or contracts and I have contributor copies (or copies I purchased myself) of nearly everything that I know has seen print.
And, perhaps more importantly, I can lay may hands on all of it within a few minutes.
I know other writers with fancy spreadsheets and databases who handle much of this electronically, but I'm still a paper-and-folder guy. After all, most contracts still arrive on paper and most work still gets published on paper. Even if I maintained an electronic database of some kind, I'd still need file folders for the paper.
So I use file folders and file drawers. Every finished manuscript gets a file folder (which contains a copy of the ms., related research materials and, ultimately, a contract and a printed copy of the published work) and each folder moves through a series of file drawers--one for finished/not submitted; one for submitted; one for accepted; one for paid for/not published; one for published/not paid for; one for published and paid for; etc.
In this way I spend my time writing and submitting, not looking for lost documents.
Writing is a business. Maintaining records is part of doing business and developing and maintaining a good record-keeping system is especially important for a beginning writer to develop. After a few hundred sales, the task may be too daunting...
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Published again and still productive
Today's mail brought a contributor copy of a magazine containing one of my short stories...and I finished a new story this morning and dropped it in the mail at lunchtime.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Published & Productive
My article "Urban Harvest: Improving Houston from the Ground Up" appears in the January/February Texas Gardener, which should hits newsstands in Texas any day now.
Yesterday I finished writing two new short stories and they went into the mail this morning.
Yesterday I finished writing two new short stories and they went into the mail this morning.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Two stories off to market
I finished and prepared two new short stories for submission earlier this evening. This wouldn't normally be news, but I've not completed--and have barely written--any new fiction in months. Most of my work recently has been non-fiction or advertising copy written on assignment.
I'm not sure if this means I'm moving into a fertile time for writing fiction or if this was just a momentary productive phase. We'll see.
I'm not sure if this means I'm moving into a fertile time for writing fiction or if this was just a momentary productive phase. We'll see.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
66
I had a short story accepted today. It's my 66th acceptance of the year.
I also had a short story published.
I also had a short story published.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Published Twice...and more
My story "The Greatest Gift" appears in the December True Romance and I wrote the Manspeak column--"Giving Thanks"-- in the December True Confessions.
I also had an article accepted for publication in January.
I also had an article accepted for publication in January.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Published
My story "God Bless Us, Every One" appears in the December issue of True Story, on newsstands now.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Two Sales
I received contracts for two short stories today, making them my 63rd and 64th acceptances of the year.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
The Writing Rollercoaster
2006 is turning into a rollercoaster year. While I'm earning more from freelancing than any previous year, and while this is on track to be one of my best years ever for total number of manuscripts accepted for publication, my editors have been playing musical chairs and publications I'd been selling to have either downsized or ceased publication.
As I wrap up 2006 and look forward to 2007, I find that I need to split my attention. I need to find ways to increase the amount of work I do for existing clients and editors. At the same time, I need to spend time seeking new markets to replace those I've lost or am about to lose.
It also means I need to do more writing on spec than I have the past year. I'd been feeling comfortable--too comfortable, as it turns out--with the number of assignments and opportunities that were dropping in my lap. It's time to get back to my roots, in a sense, and see if I can start flooding slush piles with new manuscripts as I explore new markets or make new attempts to break into markets that have previously kept their pages remarkably free of my work.
As I wrap up 2006 and look forward to 2007, I find that I need to split my attention. I need to find ways to increase the amount of work I do for existing clients and editors. At the same time, I need to spend time seeking new markets to replace those I've lost or am about to lose.
It also means I need to do more writing on spec than I have the past year. I'd been feeling comfortable--too comfortable, as it turns out--with the number of assignments and opportunities that were dropping in my lap. It's time to get back to my roots, in a sense, and see if I can start flooding slush piles with new manuscripts as I explore new markets or make new attempts to break into markets that have previously kept their pages remarkably free of my work.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Halloween Serial update
The Halloween serial written by five area writers, "A Waco Ghost Story," was published in full in today's edition of the Waco Tribune-Herald. It had been serialized in five parts on the newspaper's Web site, with the final installment appearing this morning, and the complete version is available on-line at:
http://www.wacotrib.com/featr/content/features/halloween_06/stories/complete.html
I wrote part 2.
http://www.wacotrib.com/featr/content/features/halloween_06/stories/complete.html
I wrote part 2.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Today's Mail
I received a contributor copy of a magazine that contains a story I wrote under a pseudonym.
Today's Mail
I received a contributor copy of a magazine that contains a story I wrote under a pseudonym.
Today's Mail
I received a contributor copy of a magazine that contains a story I wrote under a pseudonym.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Cover!
My article "Trees for Texas" is the cover story in the November/December issue of Texas Gardener, which should be at newsstands around Texas any moment now.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Halloween Serial Begins
Carl Hoover, the arts editor of my local newspaper, the Waco Tribune-Herald, wrote the first part of a five-part Halloween serial and asked four local writers to finish the story. I wrote part 2. Part 1 of the serial is now posted at http://www.wacotrib.com/featr/content/features/halloween_06/stories/part1.html and a new part will be posted each day through Sunday. On Sunday, all five parts are supposed to be printed in the newspaper.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Story Published
My short story "A Crime on Christmas" is the lead story in the Winter True Experience.
Essay Published
My essay "Where Evil Lurks" is the Manspeak column in the November True Confessions.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Organization
One of the most important things a writer can do is to establish and maintain an organized record-keeping system. While this is easy for someone who produces a single finished manuscript each year (a novelist, for example), it can be difficult for a writer that produces a large number of finished manuscripts each year (a prolific short story writer or a non-fiction writer).
There are multiple parts to organizing. At the one end of the writing process is developing a method to keep track of work-in-progress and assignments with deadlines. At the other end is developing a method to keep track of work submitted, accepted, paid for, and published.
Much of my work is written on spec, so I don't often deal with conflicting deadlines. During the past few years I've probably not had more than three deadline-driven assignments overlap. It isn't hard to stick a Post-It note to my computer monitor and jot a note in my Day Planner to remind me of these deadlines. I know writers who use spreadsheets and electronic calendars to keep track of multiple assignments.
The back end of the process is where I've put most of my organizational efforts. While some writers claim to keep all their records on a computer, I find it impossible to do that. There's just too much paperwork.
Every manuscript I finish gets its own folder. Into that folder goes a hardcopy of the ms. and copies of any research material I used; a record of where the piece has been submitted and the results (rejection, request for revision, acceptance, etc.); copies of all acceptance letters, contracts, check stubs, and etc.. That folder travels around my office through various file drawers depending on what stage the ms. is at.
Under submission? One drawer for that.
Accepted? One drawer for that.
Paid for/not published? Drawer for that.
Published/not paid for? Drawer for that.
Published and paid for? Nine drawers for that.
While not a perfect system, it's served me well since I started writing more than thirty years ago. And it would be bloody hard to change now.
There are multiple parts to organizing. At the one end of the writing process is developing a method to keep track of work-in-progress and assignments with deadlines. At the other end is developing a method to keep track of work submitted, accepted, paid for, and published.
Much of my work is written on spec, so I don't often deal with conflicting deadlines. During the past few years I've probably not had more than three deadline-driven assignments overlap. It isn't hard to stick a Post-It note to my computer monitor and jot a note in my Day Planner to remind me of these deadlines. I know writers who use spreadsheets and electronic calendars to keep track of multiple assignments.
The back end of the process is where I've put most of my organizational efforts. While some writers claim to keep all their records on a computer, I find it impossible to do that. There's just too much paperwork.
Every manuscript I finish gets its own folder. Into that folder goes a hardcopy of the ms. and copies of any research material I used; a record of where the piece has been submitted and the results (rejection, request for revision, acceptance, etc.); copies of all acceptance letters, contracts, check stubs, and etc.. That folder travels around my office through various file drawers depending on what stage the ms. is at.
Under submission? One drawer for that.
Accepted? One drawer for that.
Paid for/not published? Drawer for that.
Published/not paid for? Drawer for that.
Published and paid for? Nine drawers for that.
While not a perfect system, it's served me well since I started writing more than thirty years ago. And it would be bloody hard to change now.
The Mail
Today's mail brought a check for a short story. Friday and Saturday I received contributor copies of magazines containing my short stories.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Submit Until There Are No Markets Left
A story being published later this year was first written in early 1991 and received its first rejection March 31, 1991. It was rejected by 25 publications, finally finding a home earlier this year on its 26th submission.
That's 16 years from creation to publication...and it isn't the longest gap between creation and publication for one of my stories.
If there's a lesson here, it's that a writing career doesn't happen overnight. It takes hard work and a tenacity that most would-be writers don't have.
Oh, and a good filing system never hurts.
That's 16 years from creation to publication...and it isn't the longest gap between creation and publication for one of my stories.
If there's a lesson here, it's that a writing career doesn't happen overnight. It takes hard work and a tenacity that most would-be writers don't have.
Oh, and a good filing system never hurts.
Streak Remains Unbroken
I was beginning to sweat.
I've had one or more pieces of fiction published every month* beginning August 2003 and continuing through December 2006...except I had nothing published yet this month.
Until a few minutes ago.
I received an e-mail from the editor of a weekly publication letting me know I had a story in this week's issue.
That's 41 consecutive months. Does Ed Hoch have a rearview mirror? Can he see me in it yet?
---
*I use a publication's cover date, not its actual on-sale date to calculate this stuff.
I've had one or more pieces of fiction published every month* beginning August 2003 and continuing through December 2006...except I had nothing published yet this month.
Until a few minutes ago.
I received an e-mail from the editor of a weekly publication letting me know I had a story in this week's issue.
That's 41 consecutive months. Does Ed Hoch have a rearview mirror? Can he see me in it yet?
---
*I use a publication's cover date, not its actual on-sale date to calculate this stuff.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
Assignments galore
Although the day started poorly, around mid-day things picked up considerably. I've received three assignments--one expected and the other two out of the blue. The first is to write one installment of a five installment ghost story to be serialized by the local newspaper later this month. Other local writers will write the other four installments. The second is for an essay, and the third is for a magazine article.
Luckily, the deadlines are such that the assignments shouldn't confilict with each other.
Luckily, the deadlines are such that the assignments shouldn't confilict with each other.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Half A Sale
Tom Sweeney and I received a contract today from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine for "Snowbird," a private eye story we co-authored. It's the first sale to EQMM for either of us.
Expect the Unexpected
Yesterday's mail brought a check for a story for which I did not expect to be paid. It wasn't a large check, but I should be able to buy lunch at Wendy's.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
58
Today's mail brought a contract for a story story. This is my 58th acceptance this year, one more than all of last year.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Published Again
My humorous gardening essay "Why My Face Is Red But My Tomatoes Aren't" was published in today's edition of Seeds. The current issue is archived at:
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060920/default.htm
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060920/default.htm
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Charles L. Grant
Charles L. Grant--Charlie--died shortly after 10:00 p.m. Friday evening. While my recent contact with Charlie had been sporadic at best--mostly messages sent back and forth via his wife, Kathy Ptacek--Charlie was instrumental in the early part of my writing career. A young author with a handful of short stories to his credit when I "met" him, he ultimately published a bazillion novels in a variety of genres under numerous pseudonyms. He was probably best known for the quiet horror he published under his own name.
When we "met," I was a teenaged science fiction fan publishing a fanzine. We "met" after I sent Charlie a copy of my fanzine containing an article someone else had written about him. We began corresponding the old-fashioned way, sending typewritten letters via the postal service. Charlie wrote a column for my fanzine, and he once interviewed one of his pseudonyms as an inside joke.
In addition to writing, Charlie also edited many horror anthologies, and he published one of my first short stories in 1985. ("Of Memories Dying" was my 15th published short story, my first to appear in an anthology.)
More importantly, though, Charlie was one of the people who taught me how to be a writer. He treated me with professionalism and respect, he treated my fanzine as if it were a professional magazine, and he lived the life that I wanted to live.
Writers often talk about the idea of "paying forward," of helping new writers, but Charlie actually did it. He helped me. For that I am eternally grateful.
When we "met," I was a teenaged science fiction fan publishing a fanzine. We "met" after I sent Charlie a copy of my fanzine containing an article someone else had written about him. We began corresponding the old-fashioned way, sending typewritten letters via the postal service. Charlie wrote a column for my fanzine, and he once interviewed one of his pseudonyms as an inside joke.
In addition to writing, Charlie also edited many horror anthologies, and he published one of my first short stories in 1985. ("Of Memories Dying" was my 15th published short story, my first to appear in an anthology.)
More importantly, though, Charlie was one of the people who taught me how to be a writer. He treated me with professionalism and respect, he treated my fanzine as if it were a professional magazine, and he lived the life that I wanted to live.
Writers often talk about the idea of "paying forward," of helping new writers, but Charlie actually did it. He helped me. For that I am eternally grateful.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Published, again
My essay "Is That A Book In My Pocket?' is the Manspeak column in the October True Confessions, which just hit the newsstands locally.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Pay for Play
After reading yesterday's post, Steven asked, "Just out of curiosity, would you be willing to say how many of the 57 are bringing in checks? Or is it all of them?"
After a quick glance through my records, it looks like the 57 acceptances include two short stories for which I did not/will not receive pay for initial publication and two reprints (one fiction, one non-fiction) for which I did not/will not receive pay.
That means 53 of this year's acceptances have or will result in payment of some kind.
After a quick glance through my records, it looks like the 57 acceptances include two short stories for which I did not/will not receive pay for initial publication and two reprints (one fiction, one non-fiction) for which I did not/will not receive pay.
That means 53 of this year's acceptances have or will result in payment of some kind.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Accepted, again
I had a short story accepted earlier this afternoon, a hardboiled story featuring my reoccuring character, Waco, Texas-based P.I. Morris Ronald Boyette. It's my 57th acceptance this year, tying my total number of acceptances for all of last year.
Monday, September 11, 2006
This Morning's E-mail
This morning's e-mail brought two acceptances--an article I submitted last night and a short story I submitted in April.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Show Me The Money
The money's in non-fiction.
That's the mantra we're all forced to learn when we become freelance writers.
Alas, I've yet to prove that true.
Although I often earn more per-word for non-fiction, I don't seem to earn more per-hour. I've been writing and selling short stories for so many years that they often just roll off my fingers. Articles take more research and more drafts before I feel comfortable that I've produced a publishable manuscript.
Part of my dilemma is limited formal training in journalism. I've not mastered the art of the interview, and often find myself with far more material than I need. I've not mastered the art of organizing my material and developing a preliminary outline, so I often toss my outlines out the window once I start drafting copy. I've not mastered the hook and the nut graf, so I often struggle producing them.
My wife--a journalism professor at a major university--must think I'm a moron when I ask for her advice, which I often do when crafting articles, and she repeatedly pounds the same lessons into my head that she pounds into the heads of her entry-level journalism students.
It may be that I lack confidence or that I wear blinders when viewing my non-fiction. After all, a good part of my freelance income comes from editing other writers' non-fiction! I can see and correct the problems in their work that I can't seem to see and correct in my own.
Ah, well, maybe it's just a time and experience issue. If I had written as many articles as I've written short stories, they might just roll off my fingers the way short stories do.
And maybe someday, after I have written many more articles, someone will show me the money!
That's the mantra we're all forced to learn when we become freelance writers.
Alas, I've yet to prove that true.
Although I often earn more per-word for non-fiction, I don't seem to earn more per-hour. I've been writing and selling short stories for so many years that they often just roll off my fingers. Articles take more research and more drafts before I feel comfortable that I've produced a publishable manuscript.
Part of my dilemma is limited formal training in journalism. I've not mastered the art of the interview, and often find myself with far more material than I need. I've not mastered the art of organizing my material and developing a preliminary outline, so I often toss my outlines out the window once I start drafting copy. I've not mastered the hook and the nut graf, so I often struggle producing them.
My wife--a journalism professor at a major university--must think I'm a moron when I ask for her advice, which I often do when crafting articles, and she repeatedly pounds the same lessons into my head that she pounds into the heads of her entry-level journalism students.
It may be that I lack confidence or that I wear blinders when viewing my non-fiction. After all, a good part of my freelance income comes from editing other writers' non-fiction! I can see and correct the problems in their work that I can't seem to see and correct in my own.
Ah, well, maybe it's just a time and experience issue. If I had written as many articles as I've written short stories, they might just roll off my fingers the way short stories do.
And maybe someday, after I have written many more articles, someone will show me the money!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
School Daze
Homework has taken up a fair bit of my time lately--more reading than anything else--so I'm still not writing much on speculation. I have an article assigned to me last month that I hope to finish this weekened, and last night I received an essay assignment that's due on the 19th.
The window of opportunity on Christmas/holiday stories is shut now, so all the Christmas/Holiday stories I didn't finish last month will go into a virtual folder, and I'll pull them out again next summer.
Thinking of editorial calendars, what should I be working on now? Valentine's Day stories! I already have notes/roughs for six Valentine's Day stories...and almost no time to work on them. Maybe next week/weekend, after I finish the two assignments I already have in hand.
The window of opportunity on Christmas/holiday stories is shut now, so all the Christmas/Holiday stories I didn't finish last month will go into a virtual folder, and I'll pull them out again next summer.
Thinking of editorial calendars, what should I be working on now? Valentine's Day stories! I already have notes/roughs for six Valentine's Day stories...and almost no time to work on them. Maybe next week/weekend, after I finish the two assignments I already have in hand.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
From Flood to Trickle
During the past few months the volume of non-spam e-mail I receive has slowly diminished. I'm receiving fewer e-mails from editors and fellow writers, and I've pondered the reasons for the reduction in volume.
I was once quite active on a couple of Yahoo groups--including serving as president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and, thus, moderator of its Yahoo group--but have limited my participation in on-line discussions this summer.
I'm producing less work on-spec and thus seeing fewer rejections (which is the kind of editor contact I'd prefer to avoid!). At the same time, a couple of editors with whom I had good on-line working relationships have moved on (and not always by their choice), and I've not developed that kind of relationship with their replacements.
On the other hand, it could just be that good weather and summer vacation has taken everyone away from their keyboards and the volume of e-mail will increase as we move into fall.
I was once quite active on a couple of Yahoo groups--including serving as president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and, thus, moderator of its Yahoo group--but have limited my participation in on-line discussions this summer.
I'm producing less work on-spec and thus seeing fewer rejections (which is the kind of editor contact I'd prefer to avoid!). At the same time, a couple of editors with whom I had good on-line working relationships have moved on (and not always by their choice), and I've not developed that kind of relationship with their replacements.
On the other hand, it could just be that good weather and summer vacation has taken everyone away from their keyboards and the volume of e-mail will increase as we move into fall.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Return of the Damned
A week ago today I started grad school. I'm only enrolled in one course--at this pace it'll take five years to complete, so I'll need to step it up a notch later--and I'll still trying to balance my workload. As a result, I'm slightly ahead of schedule on my classwork, on schedule with all of my writing/editing assignments, but have not written anything on spec since class started.
Alas, most of my on-spec work is short fiction and short fiction is what I most enjoy writing.
On the other hand, I have made a few notes about stories in progress and have outlined a new story that could be pretty cool if I can write it the way I outlined it.
Alas, most of my on-spec work is short fiction and short fiction is what I most enjoy writing.
On the other hand, I have made a few notes about stories in progress and have outlined a new story that could be pretty cool if I can write it the way I outlined it.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Essay reprinted
My essay "Gardening Rocks" was reprinted in today's edition of Seeds, a weekly newsletter for Texas gardeners. The issue is archived at:
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060823/default.htm
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060823/default.htm
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
When Editors Attack
I received, approved, and returned edits for two of my short stories this evening.
I quibbled with a couple of minor points, but was satisfied overall. At best the edits improved my work; at worst they did no harm. What more can you ask of a copyeditor?
I quibbled with a couple of minor points, but was satisfied overall. At best the edits improved my work; at worst they did no harm. What more can you ask of a copyeditor?
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Proposal and other projects
I've been juggling a trio of projects the past two days: I've been doing prelimiary research for an assigned non-fiction article, roughing some notes for an unassigned essay I hope to submit to an anthology with a deadline only weeks away, and preparing a proposal for another anthology. I finished the anthology proposal this evening and it'll go in the mail tomorrow. I made progress on the other two projects, but am nowhere near completion on either of them.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Essay Accepted
The essay I turned in Tuesday was accepted today. The editor's comment: "I really like it."
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Today's Mail & Etc.
Last night, I emailed the essay that was due today. I've not yet heard from the editor, so I'm hoping that's good news.
Today's mail brought a contributor copy of a magazine containing one of my short stories.
And, earlier today, I started doing research on the article that's due in a couple of weeks.
Today's mail brought a contributor copy of a magazine containing one of my short stories.
And, earlier today, I started doing research on the article that's due in a couple of weeks.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Christmas makes 52
I received an e-mail earlier today telling me that another of my Christmas stories has been accepted and that a contract will follow shortly.
This is my 52nd acceptance this year, putting me 4.5 months ahead of schedule. (My goal is to average one acceptance each week. Maybe someday I'll get ambitious and set a target of TWO acceptances each week.)
This is my 52nd acceptance this year, putting me 4.5 months ahead of schedule. (My goal is to average one acceptance each week. Maybe someday I'll get ambitious and set a target of TWO acceptances each week.)
Monday, August 14, 2006
Good Day To Be A Writer
Today was a good day to be a writer. I received checks for two short stories, received author copies of a magazine containing a short story, received an assignment for a non-fiction piece, and may be helping one of my clients update a non-fiction book first published in the early '80s. My work on the book will be more production--editing, proofreading, design, and layout--than writing, but it'll be a good bit of extra work nonetheless.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Today's Contract
The decision to concentrate on writing Christmas/holiday stories for the past month and a half is paying off. Today's mail brought a contract for one of them.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Holiday Fiction
Early last month, after an extended period without writing fiction because other freelance work (editing and advertising/public relations, primarily) kept me busy, I decided to concentrate my efforts on holiday fiction. I felt I had the greatest opportunity to write and place these stories in a short period.
The window of opportunity for submitting Christmas-themed stories essentially closes at the end of this month, but I just finished my fourth Christmas-themed story and will drop it in the mail tomorrow. I have four more Christmas-themed stories in progress, two of them already past the halfway point, and I hope to finish them before the month ends.
Last week, I sat down and roughed out six Valentine's Day stories. Unless editors and clients overload me with assignments, I'll work on those stories until the window of opportunity closes around the end of October.
Then what? St. Patrick's Day? April Fool's Day? Mother's Day?
We'll see.
The window of opportunity for submitting Christmas-themed stories essentially closes at the end of this month, but I just finished my fourth Christmas-themed story and will drop it in the mail tomorrow. I have four more Christmas-themed stories in progress, two of them already past the halfway point, and I hope to finish them before the month ends.
Last week, I sat down and roughed out six Valentine's Day stories. Unless editors and clients overload me with assignments, I'll work on those stories until the window of opportunity closes around the end of October.
Then what? St. Patrick's Day? April Fool's Day? Mother's Day?
We'll see.
Today's Assignment
I received an assignment via e-mail earlier today, from an editor who wants a Halloween-themed essay with a twist I never would have thought of on my own. And it's due on the 16th.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Most Prolific?
There's an excellent profile of Edward Hoch at http://www.crimetime.co.uk/make_page.php?id=600 in which it's noted that Hoch has produced an average of 18 short stories each year since he sold his first story in 1955 and that he was working on his 909th story at the time the profile was written.
Hoch is one of the most prolific short story writers producing new material on a regular basis, but reading the profile started me thinking: Who are the most prolific short story writers working today? Do they write genre fiction, as Hoch does, or do they write literary fiction, as Joyce Carol Oates mostly does? Are they well-established names, or are they the often nameless scribes who turn out short stories for confession magazines? Should equal weight be given to writers who turn out flash fiction for non-paying, publish-almost-anything Web sites as is given to writers who are published in respected literary journals or "professional" genre magazines?
In short, how does one identify a prolific short story writer?
Hoch is one of the most prolific short story writers producing new material on a regular basis, but reading the profile started me thinking: Who are the most prolific short story writers working today? Do they write genre fiction, as Hoch does, or do they write literary fiction, as Joyce Carol Oates mostly does? Are they well-established names, or are they the often nameless scribes who turn out short stories for confession magazines? Should equal weight be given to writers who turn out flash fiction for non-paying, publish-almost-anything Web sites as is given to writers who are published in respected literary journals or "professional" genre magazines?
In short, how does one identify a prolific short story writer?
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Today's Don't
If you don't know the difference between "insure" and "ensure," don't use either word.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Before Desktop Publishing
While helping my wife clean the garage this evening, I discovered a box filled with technical documentation--some of which I wrote--that immediately took me back to the days before desktop publishing.
I entered publishing through the production department, setting type, doing paste-up, and proofreading advertising, newspapers, magazines, books, and just about anything else that could be printed. Although I initially worked on some smaller phototypsetting systems such as Compugraphic and strike-on systems such as the IBM Composer, I ultimately "mastered" the Penta System--a multiple terminal typesetting sytem running on Data General computer hardware--first as a typesetter and then as a systems manager. I wrote complex typesetting "programs" utilizing Penta's typesetting language and I wrote systems programs in Data General's RDOS language and, later, their AOS/VS language.
At one point I was so good at what I did that I was a panelist at the annual convention of the Penta Users Group, that some of the things I created were shared with Penta users other than my immediate employer, and I consulted with other companies (McDonnell-Douglas, among them). I job-hopped my way up the ladder from typesetter to systems manager to shift supervisor to department manager and so on.
Desktop publishing made most of my skills obsolete almost overnight. I was lucky that I was employed in a supervisory/managerial position with one plant of a multi-national printing company just dipping its toes into desktop publishing when it exploded, and I was there to oversee the desktop publishing department's transition from a Macintosh, a PC, and an imagesetter to a department with multiple Macs, multiple PCS, and multiple imagesetters. I traveled around the country helping the plant's clients make the transition to desktop publishing and training the plant's clients in best practices for submitting files to the printing plant.
Somewhere along the way I shot my career in the foot. After a few more job changes, I found myself managing a prepress company/service bureau at a time when prepress companies and service bureaus were disappearing at an alarming rate. Shortly after the turn of the century, all three of the prepress companies/service bureaus in the city where I live either went out of business or were absorbed into printing companies.
Seeing computer printouts of coding--dozens of pages of single-spaced coding--I wrote that made a computer do an extremely specific task still impresses me. Seeing the pages upon pages of technical documentation I wrote to explan to others what the programs did and how to use them impresses me as well.
Why?
Because I am not that person today.
I can no longer do those things...and there's no longer a need for me to.
On the other hand, the wealth of knowledge I gained on the production side of the fence has been a tremendous boon to my freelance career. While I freelance as a writer and editor, many times the opportunities presented to me require more than wordsmithing. I'm called upon to write the brochure...and then to design it and prepare it for the printer using desktop publishing programs such as Pagemaker, QuarkXPress, and InDesign.
Alas, I'm unlikely to ever attain a skill level with desktop publishing comparable to what I once had with Penta Systems, but it isn't for lack of effort.
And, after looking through the entire box of material, I pulled out a stack of paper about half an inch thick and dumped the rest in the trash bin.
I need space in the garage for something else I'll try to save way beyond its useful life.
I entered publishing through the production department, setting type, doing paste-up, and proofreading advertising, newspapers, magazines, books, and just about anything else that could be printed. Although I initially worked on some smaller phototypsetting systems such as Compugraphic and strike-on systems such as the IBM Composer, I ultimately "mastered" the Penta System--a multiple terminal typesetting sytem running on Data General computer hardware--first as a typesetter and then as a systems manager. I wrote complex typesetting "programs" utilizing Penta's typesetting language and I wrote systems programs in Data General's RDOS language and, later, their AOS/VS language.
At one point I was so good at what I did that I was a panelist at the annual convention of the Penta Users Group, that some of the things I created were shared with Penta users other than my immediate employer, and I consulted with other companies (McDonnell-Douglas, among them). I job-hopped my way up the ladder from typesetter to systems manager to shift supervisor to department manager and so on.
Desktop publishing made most of my skills obsolete almost overnight. I was lucky that I was employed in a supervisory/managerial position with one plant of a multi-national printing company just dipping its toes into desktop publishing when it exploded, and I was there to oversee the desktop publishing department's transition from a Macintosh, a PC, and an imagesetter to a department with multiple Macs, multiple PCS, and multiple imagesetters. I traveled around the country helping the plant's clients make the transition to desktop publishing and training the plant's clients in best practices for submitting files to the printing plant.
Somewhere along the way I shot my career in the foot. After a few more job changes, I found myself managing a prepress company/service bureau at a time when prepress companies and service bureaus were disappearing at an alarming rate. Shortly after the turn of the century, all three of the prepress companies/service bureaus in the city where I live either went out of business or were absorbed into printing companies.
Seeing computer printouts of coding--dozens of pages of single-spaced coding--I wrote that made a computer do an extremely specific task still impresses me. Seeing the pages upon pages of technical documentation I wrote to explan to others what the programs did and how to use them impresses me as well.
Why?
Because I am not that person today.
I can no longer do those things...and there's no longer a need for me to.
On the other hand, the wealth of knowledge I gained on the production side of the fence has been a tremendous boon to my freelance career. While I freelance as a writer and editor, many times the opportunities presented to me require more than wordsmithing. I'm called upon to write the brochure...and then to design it and prepare it for the printer using desktop publishing programs such as Pagemaker, QuarkXPress, and InDesign.
Alas, I'm unlikely to ever attain a skill level with desktop publishing comparable to what I once had with Penta Systems, but it isn't for lack of effort.
And, after looking through the entire box of material, I pulled out a stack of paper about half an inch thick and dumped the rest in the trash bin.
I need space in the garage for something else I'll try to save way beyond its useful life.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Essay Reprinted
My humorous essay, "Fashionable gardeners say pink in the new green ," first published in Texas Gardener, was reprinted in today's edition of Seeds. Non-subscribers can read it at:
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060802/default.htm
http://www.texasgardener.com/newsletters/060802/default.htm
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Reading My Published Work
When I first started seeing my work in print, I read every word of every published piece. I even pulled out my manuscripts and placed them side-by-side with the publications. I compared everything. I studied what the editors had done, asking myself, "Why did he insert this comma? Why did she remove that comma? Why did he insert a scene break here? Why did she change the name of my secondary character?"
Later, I read my published work less for the editing lessons I might learn and more just because I received pleasure from seeing my work in print. There is a certain feeling reading a story, article, or essay in a magazine or anthology that's quite different from reading it in manuscript.
I don't read my published work much these days. Perhaps I just haven't enough time. Perhaps I'm jaded. Either way, I've been writing for some editors for so long that whever editing lessons I might learn are minimal and whatever thrill I might get from reading my own work is negligible.
When I have time to read, I read the work of others. These days, there's more to learn from studying how others write and more joy in discovering what others create.
Later, I read my published work less for the editing lessons I might learn and more just because I received pleasure from seeing my work in print. There is a certain feeling reading a story, article, or essay in a magazine or anthology that's quite different from reading it in manuscript.
I don't read my published work much these days. Perhaps I just haven't enough time. Perhaps I'm jaded. Either way, I've been writing for some editors for so long that whever editing lessons I might learn are minimal and whatever thrill I might get from reading my own work is negligible.
When I have time to read, I read the work of others. These days, there's more to learn from studying how others write and more joy in discovering what others create.
Yesterday's Mail
Yesterday's mail brought a check for a short story, just in time to pay end-of-month bills.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Today's Mail
Today's mail brought a contract for an essay to be published in True Confessions. This is my 49th acceptance of the year; three more acceptances and I'll reach my annual goal of 52.
Writing Confessions
In addition to writing crime fiction, I write confessions. I recently found two blog mentions of my work--one where I'm named, the other where I'm not--by a new reader of confessions and by a former confession editor.
First, the new reader:
http://redmolly.typepad.com/picayunedemocrat/2005/03/index.html
(Read the March 30, 2005 post.)
Second, the former editor:
http://blogs.mediapost.com/magazine_rack/?p=146
(That's my story--"New Year-New Marriage"--mentioned in the 6th paragraph.)
First, the new reader:
http://redmolly.typepad.com/picayunedemocrat/2005/03/index.html
(Read the March 30, 2005 post.)
Second, the former editor:
http://blogs.mediapost.com/magazine_rack/?p=146
(That's my story--"New Year-New Marriage"--mentioned in the 6th paragraph.)
Guerilla Marketing
Back in 2000/2001, when seven of my books were released within a two-year period, I prepared a lot of promotional/marketing material. Too much, actually, but at the time I managed a prepress company and, though connections, had access to deeply discounted printing. I made folders and posters and postcards and bookmarks. I also created a series of business card-sized promotional pieces for each of five of the books.
Alas, much of that stuff remains in my office.
My mailbox is filled nearly every day with junk mail I neither request nor desire. Much of it contains postage paid returned envelopes. Until recently, I just threw the junk mail away.
About a month ago, I started doing something different. Before discarding the junk mail, I remove the postage paid envelopes. Once each week, I stuff two business card-sized promotional pieces into each envelope and drop the envelopes in the mail.
There is an infinitesimally small chance that someone on the receiving end will do anything more than throw the cards away. On the other hand:
a) I slowly reduce the pile of otherwise unusable promotional material in my office without the heartbreak of actually throwing it away.
b) I produce a small, but steady, flow of business for the USPS, an organization that has faithfully delivered my manuscripts to editors in good times and bad.
c) I make companies that waste my time with junk mail spend a few fractions of a cent, thereby "sticking it to the man" in my own subtle way.
d) I just might sell a book, and that would be one sale I never would have had otherwise.
Alas, much of that stuff remains in my office.
My mailbox is filled nearly every day with junk mail I neither request nor desire. Much of it contains postage paid returned envelopes. Until recently, I just threw the junk mail away.
About a month ago, I started doing something different. Before discarding the junk mail, I remove the postage paid envelopes. Once each week, I stuff two business card-sized promotional pieces into each envelope and drop the envelopes in the mail.
There is an infinitesimally small chance that someone on the receiving end will do anything more than throw the cards away. On the other hand:
a) I slowly reduce the pile of otherwise unusable promotional material in my office without the heartbreak of actually throwing it away.
b) I produce a small, but steady, flow of business for the USPS, an organization that has faithfully delivered my manuscripts to editors in good times and bad.
c) I make companies that waste my time with junk mail spend a few fractions of a cent, thereby "sticking it to the man" in my own subtle way.
d) I just might sell a book, and that would be one sale I never would have had otherwise.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Pseudonym success
It's no secret that I write under a variety of pseudonyms, even though the exact pseudonyms aren't freely shared, but I've been faced with a bit of a personal challenge lately. One of my pseudonyms has had a streak of good fortune this year, placing 15 short stories and receiving an Honorable mention in a writing contest.
And I can't/won't tell anyone (other than the editors who bought the stories so they can write the checks to me!) what name I've having success under.
And I can't/won't tell anyone (other than the editors who bought the stories so they can write the checks to me!) what name I've having success under.
Web site in flux
I haven't had much time lately to do some of the things I need to do as a freelancer, but I have been reworking my Web site -- www.CrimeFictionWriter.com -- in an effort to make it easier to navigate, easier to read, and more focused on telling the "story" of what I can do for potential clients rather than the odd mishmash of personal and business information I had on my "old" site.
My work is far from complete, but I'm able to take some time every few days to add information, tweak links, and do other things. At this pace, I may have it lokking and functioning the way I want in a month or so (until then, every new page has a link to the old site).
My work is far from complete, but I'm able to take some time every few days to add information, tweak links, and do other things. At this pace, I may have it lokking and functioning the way I want in a month or so (until then, every new page has a link to the old site).
Friday, July 21, 2006
Settling Back In
After a crush of non-writing freelance work that kept me busy beginning around Easter, I finally returned to the keyboard.
I finished a new short story last week and two new essays this week. I also revised two essays and sent them to editors, and dropped a recently rejected short story back in the mail. Additionally, I've written maybe a dozen more pages of fiction, though they've been spread among a handful of stories.
I've received four acceptances within the past 48 hours--three short stories and one essay--and expect another acceptance any minute now for an essay I wrote on assignment. So, even though my production dropped for a couple of months, my sales continue.
I finished a new short story last week and two new essays this week. I also revised two essays and sent them to editors, and dropped a recently rejected short story back in the mail. Additionally, I've written maybe a dozen more pages of fiction, though they've been spread among a handful of stories.
I've received four acceptances within the past 48 hours--three short stories and one essay--and expect another acceptance any minute now for an essay I wrote on assignment. So, even though my production dropped for a couple of months, my sales continue.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Career Turns
My freelancing career took a hard left turn about a month ago, and I found myself creating Web sites for two clients. Between that work and the weekly newsletter I now edit, I've had less time to write fiction. Still, work keeps selling and getting published. Recent publications inlude:
Non-Fiction:
“Making that Time with Your Man Special,” Jive, September, 2006
Fiction:
“Young Love,” Jive, September, 2006
And a few stories under a pseudonym.
Non-Fiction:
“Making that Time with Your Man Special,” Jive, September, 2006
Fiction:
“Young Love,” Jive, September, 2006
And a few stories under a pseudonym.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Honorable Mention
I don't often enter writing contests, but I just learned that I received an "Honorable Mention" for a hardboiled crime fiction story I submitted under a pseudonym.
Published, Again
My essay "Money for Nothing and Burnt Fingers For Free" appears in the June Senior News.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
No, But...
Earlier today, I received a rejection note from an anthology editor letting me know that my submission had made the last 35 for a non-themed anthology, but did not survive the final cut as determined by another set of eyes. On the upside, the editor is putting together a themed anthology that my story seems to fit and he asked to hold it for consideration.
Apparently, I've created a story that submits itself after a rejection!
Apparently, I've created a story that submits itself after a rejection!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Published, Again
My short stories "Daddy's Girl," "My Loving Dad," and "Triple Play" appear in the August Black Confessions.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Nirvana In The Rearview Mirror
An editor who had been purchasing a steady flow of my work recently parted ways with her employer. A few thousand dollars a year may have just disappeared from my future earnings.
On the other hand, her temporary replacement is an editor who has purchased my work in the past. So, while the loss of an editor is a black cloud, perhaps there's a silver lining waiting to be revealed.
On the other hand, her temporary replacement is an editor who has purchased my work in the past. So, while the loss of an editor is a black cloud, perhaps there's a silver lining waiting to be revealed.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
I Killed My Xanga Account
After copying a few of my favorite posts to this blog, I deleted all of the posts from my Xanga blog today.
Stay Out Of My Universe
From my February 5 Xanga blog:
I obviously live in a different universe than many short story writers. I continue to stumble across blogs, Yahoo group postings, Web sites, and random conversations--usually involving mystery writers, which may say more about the small universe of writers that I hang with than about the larger universe containing all fiction writers--where writers talk about writing short stories for "marketing value" and "name recognition" and to "build a platform" for their novels and for just about every damn reason except the reasons I write short stories.
1. I write short stories to earn money. My goal is to write stories for the best-paying markets to which I might possibly sell my work. That means some of my work appears in obscure publications, some of it appears with a pseudonymous byline, and a fair portion of it will never be listed in any query letter I happen to write.
2. I write short stories to be published. I like seeing my work in print. Sometimes I'll submit work to low-paying and non-paying publications. Sometimes I'll write stories for friends who publish small press magazines and literary journals and e-zines.
3. I write short stories because I like to tell stories. And most of my stories happen to be short.
Is there a "market value" to writing short fiction? Sure. Being able to list a few key awards or publications in a cover letter or a query letter might make an editor give one of my submissions a little more attention.
Can "name recognition" be created by writing short fiction? Sure. To the extent than anyone knows anything about me, they know about my involvement with short fiction--writing it, editing it, speaking about it--than about most of the other writing I do.
Can writing short fiction "build a platform" for marketing novels? Maybe. It has certainly helped me get my novels published (though so far only by small presses). What it has done is given me the street cred to do a variety of other things related to career building: edit anthologies, obtain other writing assignments (non-fiction, marketing, etc.), and to support myself as a freelance writer while all the other writers who put "marketing value" and "name recognition" and "platform building" first are bitching about all the reasons why they can't earn a living as a freelance writer.
So, to all you short story writer-pretenders who are playing in my universe: Get out.
I obviously live in a different universe than many short story writers. I continue to stumble across blogs, Yahoo group postings, Web sites, and random conversations--usually involving mystery writers, which may say more about the small universe of writers that I hang with than about the larger universe containing all fiction writers--where writers talk about writing short stories for "marketing value" and "name recognition" and to "build a platform" for their novels and for just about every damn reason except the reasons I write short stories.
1. I write short stories to earn money. My goal is to write stories for the best-paying markets to which I might possibly sell my work. That means some of my work appears in obscure publications, some of it appears with a pseudonymous byline, and a fair portion of it will never be listed in any query letter I happen to write.
2. I write short stories to be published. I like seeing my work in print. Sometimes I'll submit work to low-paying and non-paying publications. Sometimes I'll write stories for friends who publish small press magazines and literary journals and e-zines.
3. I write short stories because I like to tell stories. And most of my stories happen to be short.
Is there a "market value" to writing short fiction? Sure. Being able to list a few key awards or publications in a cover letter or a query letter might make an editor give one of my submissions a little more attention.
Can "name recognition" be created by writing short fiction? Sure. To the extent than anyone knows anything about me, they know about my involvement with short fiction--writing it, editing it, speaking about it--than about most of the other writing I do.
Can writing short fiction "build a platform" for marketing novels? Maybe. It has certainly helped me get my novels published (though so far only by small presses). What it has done is given me the street cred to do a variety of other things related to career building: edit anthologies, obtain other writing assignments (non-fiction, marketing, etc.), and to support myself as a freelance writer while all the other writers who put "marketing value" and "name recognition" and "platform building" first are bitching about all the reasons why they can't earn a living as a freelance writer.
So, to all you short story writer-pretenders who are playing in my universe: Get out.
How Do You Earn A Living?
From my January 29 Xanga blog:
I'm in the process of updating my records and getting ready to visit our accountant. One thing I do at the end of each year--mostly because I can do it with the push of a button or two--is create a pie chart that breaks down my revenue streams.
I'm a full-time writer/editor and here's what generates income:
51.02% Editing non-fiction (primarily two publications)
26.10% Fiction (short stories and other less-than-novel-length fiction)
18.24% Advertising & Public Relations (writing press releases, print ads, TV commercials, brochures, etc.)
02.23% Non-fiction (primarily articles and essays)
01.07% Consulting (providing advice to other writers, editors, and publishers)
00.89% Royalties (primarily from novels and short story collections)
00.48% Misc.
Most years 1-3% of my income is generated by paid speaking engagements, but I had no paid speaking engagements in 2005.
While it may be possible to earn a living writing fiction, I suspect most full-time writers--even if they call themselves full-time fiction writers--earn at least some part of their income from writing other things.
I'm in the process of updating my records and getting ready to visit our accountant. One thing I do at the end of each year--mostly because I can do it with the push of a button or two--is create a pie chart that breaks down my revenue streams.
I'm a full-time writer/editor and here's what generates income:
51.02% Editing non-fiction (primarily two publications)
26.10% Fiction (short stories and other less-than-novel-length fiction)
18.24% Advertising & Public Relations (writing press releases, print ads, TV commercials, brochures, etc.)
02.23% Non-fiction (primarily articles and essays)
01.07% Consulting (providing advice to other writers, editors, and publishers)
00.89% Royalties (primarily from novels and short story collections)
00.48% Misc.
Most years 1-3% of my income is generated by paid speaking engagements, but I had no paid speaking engagements in 2005.
While it may be possible to earn a living writing fiction, I suspect most full-time writers--even if they call themselves full-time fiction writers--earn at least some part of their income from writing other things.
Story Strucure
I learned the fundamentals of story structure as a Boy Scout.
After hiking all day, we would sit around a campfire, sing songs, and tell jokes. Sooner or later, we would start singing the Salvation Army song, a ditty that's about as far from being politically correct as pre-adolescents of the late 60s would get.
We sang, "Salvation Army, Salvation Army. Put a nickel in the drum, save another drunken bum."
We repeated this catchy little number until one of the scouts shouted, "Testimonial!"
The scout who shouted "Testamonial!" would then tell us a three-part story and we would cheer and boo at appropriate places in the story. Each story would go something like this:
"Budweiser sent us a truck full of beer!"
"Yay!" we would shout.
"But the driver ran off the road and crashed the truck!"
"Boo!" we would shout.
"But we saved all the beer!"
"Yay!" we would shout.
Then we would start singing again until another scout shouted, "Testimonial!"
And that, in a nutshell, is the classic three act play or three part story:
1. Something good happens.
2. Something bad happens.
3. Something good happens.
You can write a great many stories without ever straying from this story structure.
After hiking all day, we would sit around a campfire, sing songs, and tell jokes. Sooner or later, we would start singing the Salvation Army song, a ditty that's about as far from being politically correct as pre-adolescents of the late 60s would get.
We sang, "Salvation Army, Salvation Army. Put a nickel in the drum, save another drunken bum."
We repeated this catchy little number until one of the scouts shouted, "Testimonial!"
The scout who shouted "Testamonial!" would then tell us a three-part story and we would cheer and boo at appropriate places in the story. Each story would go something like this:
"Budweiser sent us a truck full of beer!"
"Yay!" we would shout.
"But the driver ran off the road and crashed the truck!"
"Boo!" we would shout.
"But we saved all the beer!"
"Yay!" we would shout.
Then we would start singing again until another scout shouted, "Testimonial!"
And that, in a nutshell, is the classic three act play or three part story:
1. Something good happens.
2. Something bad happens.
3. Something good happens.
You can write a great many stories without ever straying from this story structure.
Baseball as a Metaphor for Writing
From my January 31, 2005 Xanga blog:
Sometime within the past two years, I began using baseball as a metaphor for my freelance writing career.
For example:
Striking out. A rejection.
A single. Any one of the following: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A double. Any two of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A triple. Any three of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A homerun. All four of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
Stealing a base. A contributor to an anthology I edited receives or is short-listed for a writing award.
A walk. An editor requesting a submission based on a query, or an editor requesting revisions to a submission. Because this does not constitute a sale, but could very well lead to one, it doesn't count as a hit. However, it does get you on base.
I don't strike out as much as I used to, and I've stolen a few bases. Hitting singles and doubles happens frequently, but triples are rare.
And I've yet to hit a homerun.
Sometime within the past two years, I began using baseball as a metaphor for my freelance writing career.
For example:
Striking out. A rejection.
A single. Any one of the following: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A double. Any two of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A triple. Any three of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
A homerun. All four of the following happening on the same day: receiving an acceptance, receiving payment, receiving a contributor's copy, receiving or being short-listed for a writing award.
Stealing a base. A contributor to an anthology I edited receives or is short-listed for a writing award.
A walk. An editor requesting a submission based on a query, or an editor requesting revisions to a submission. Because this does not constitute a sale, but could very well lead to one, it doesn't count as a hit. However, it does get you on base.
I don't strike out as much as I used to, and I've stolen a few bases. Hitting singles and doubles happens frequently, but triples are rare.
And I've yet to hit a homerun.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Another Sale
I received a contract via e-mail earlier this evening for an article I wrote on assignment.
Yesterday In Blood And Bone Reviewed
My short story collection Yesterday in Blood and Bone is reviewed by Jon L. Breen in the July issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Among other comments: "In twenty hardboiled stories, two new including a title novella with a good newspaper background, the prolific Bracken again proves a capable entertainer. "
Approaching Nirvana
During a conversation with my wife a few weeks ago, I described my life as "approaching nirvana," and I've been thinking about that conversation ever since.
Through hard work and a great deal of good luck, I've reached a point in my life where everything appears to be in balance. I have a combination of steady clients and editors who assign work or regularly purchase material submitted on spec that I'm no longer banging the keyboard 12 hours a day, and my finances are such that I'm no longer praying for money to arrive in the mail each day.
While I still accept nearly every project offered me, I'm no longer littering editorial in-boxes with queries and on-spec submissions. The queries and on-spec material I generate is increasingly work I want to do as opposed to work I'm willing to do.
What prevents me from actually reaching nirvana, however, is the sense that complacency could be a career killer. If I lost a major client or an editor who purchases a steady flow of my work were to change jobs, I would return to scramble mode, flinging stories and queries into the mail with a renewed sense of urgency.
Still, I can see nirvana from where I stand. It looks like a really nice place.
Through hard work and a great deal of good luck, I've reached a point in my life where everything appears to be in balance. I have a combination of steady clients and editors who assign work or regularly purchase material submitted on spec that I'm no longer banging the keyboard 12 hours a day, and my finances are such that I'm no longer praying for money to arrive in the mail each day.
While I still accept nearly every project offered me, I'm no longer littering editorial in-boxes with queries and on-spec submissions. The queries and on-spec material I generate is increasingly work I want to do as opposed to work I'm willing to do.
What prevents me from actually reaching nirvana, however, is the sense that complacency could be a career killer. If I lost a major client or an editor who purchases a steady flow of my work were to change jobs, I would return to scramble mode, flinging stories and queries into the mail with a renewed sense of urgency.
Still, I can see nirvana from where I stand. It looks like a really nice place.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Where's the Mail?
Today's mail has not yet arrived and I'm about to leave the house to meet with a client. The past few days the postman's been good to me, bringing a check for a short story on Saturday, another check for a short story and an essay on Monday, and a check for some editing work yesterday.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Write, Submit, Write, Submit, Write, Submit
I've not finished a new piece of fiction since Easter, but I have so many manuscripts floating around that there's still a constant stream of stuff coming in and going out.
Well...not so steady going out.
I've let things pile up for awhile, so I spent a fair bit of time this weekend trying to match existing manuscripts with potential markets. Four short stories go in the mail tomorrow.
I submitted one story to a contest. (I don't often enter contests, but this one had no entry fee and a $500 grand prize, with smaller cash prizes for placing lower in the field.)
I also sent out another anthology proposal and--surprise!--had a response a few hours later. Alas, a "No, thank you."
I also decided to hold two manuscripts back, at least for now. I think they're strong pieces and I want to wait a few months to see if any new markets or anthologies open up before sending them to any of my "fall-back" markets.
Well...not so steady going out.
I've let things pile up for awhile, so I spent a fair bit of time this weekend trying to match existing manuscripts with potential markets. Four short stories go in the mail tomorrow.
I submitted one story to a contest. (I don't often enter contests, but this one had no entry fee and a $500 grand prize, with smaller cash prizes for placing lower in the field.)
I also sent out another anthology proposal and--surprise!--had a response a few hours later. Alas, a "No, thank you."
I also decided to hold two manuscripts back, at least for now. I think they're strong pieces and I want to wait a few months to see if any new markets or anthologies open up before sending them to any of my "fall-back" markets.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
The Tornado Missed Me
A T2 tornado hit Waco early Saturday morning, missing my neighborhood by only a few miles. We were without power about 14 hours, and without Internet/cable television for more than 36 hours.
I'm safe, my family is safe, but one of our trees--like many others around town--dropped a lot of broken branches all over the yard.
I find it ironic that I recently wrote an article for The Writer about disaster preparedness for writers ("Surviving Disasters," available at http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx?c=a&id=2924 ) and realized that I had not put any of the great advice I included in the article to use in my own life.
Perhaps this was the kick in the butt I needed to prepare. After all, this was the second tornado to hit Waco in the span of a week.
I'm safe, my family is safe, but one of our trees--like many others around town--dropped a lot of broken branches all over the yard.
I find it ironic that I recently wrote an article for The Writer about disaster preparedness for writers ("Surviving Disasters," available at http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx?c=a&id=2924 ) and realized that I had not put any of the great advice I included in the article to use in my own life.
Perhaps this was the kick in the butt I needed to prepare. After all, this was the second tornado to hit Waco in the span of a week.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
36 Months
I have now had one or more pieces of short fiction published each month for 36 consecutive months. Using magazine cover dates as my guide, the streak began in August 2003 and continues through July 2006.
Contracts I already have in hand indicate that the streak could continue for a while longer.
Contracts I already have in hand indicate that the streak could continue for a while longer.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Published 3x
My short stories "M.I.A." and "Miracle Baby" and my article "Man-to-Man on Mother's Day" appear in the July issue of Jive.
Monday, May 01, 2006
The Mailman Giveth...and an Error Taketh Away
I received contracts for two short stories today. Unfortunately, one of the contracts was for a different author and sent to my address by mistake.
Bummer.
Bummer.
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