Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Another Meetup
Attended another New York Science Fiction Writers Meetup. Still not sure exactly what to think about it. I got some valid constructive criticism, some was ill-informed, the venue and format of the meeting was not optimal. Maybe future meeting will go smoother. It would help if people brought examples of their work to review and critique (other than me). Otherwise it's just a meeting to talk about writing, which isn't very helpful. I remain doubtful but open to possibility. Might be some good contacts there, after all.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Twitter, the Social Network of Record
I didn't know that all my tweets would be publicly available for perpetuity when I wrote them. I guess I should be careful with what I say. It seems that the Library of Congress will be archiving all tweets since Twitter began in 2006. So, your tweets may be read by your great, great, great, great grandchildren in 2210. I hope you didn't say something stupid. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/apr/14/twitter-library-of-congress
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Simian D
I'm going to give Simian D another pass. I've gotten some good feedback on it and it has been generally well received. I have to thank George Galuschak for some helpful advice. Still trying to figure out where to send it off to next. Strange Horizons?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
First Rejection Letter
Well, my story wasn't accepted into Clarkesworld, which isn't too surprising seeing as how they only have 12 unsolicited stories a year (1 per issue). I got the news this morning. I'm pretty impressed that they have such a quick review process; I sent the story in Wednesday night. The good thing about that is now I can send it elsewhere and I may even make some small changes to it. I have some new stories in various stages of completion that I would like to finish first.
In a strange way, this seems like the start of a professional career, as I fully except to receive many more rejections before selling a story. I am committed to continue writing and submitting, and eventually I will be successful. It is also very encouraging that my family and others are so pleased with my writing. I have never gotten this kind of encouragement for my previous endeavors. They are genuinely taken with my writing, and I feel that it is something I do well. I'm getting better at it all the time.
Now, the wait is on for the Jim Baen Memorial Contest. I may have a chance at that one and I'll know if I've won by May 5th, which is not such a long wait. I haven't heard from Writers of the Future that they received my story yet... I probably won't hear that for another week or more. So, onward and upward. I had a pretty interesting dream this morning that has the potential to become a strong story...
In a strange way, this seems like the start of a professional career, as I fully except to receive many more rejections before selling a story. I am committed to continue writing and submitting, and eventually I will be successful. It is also very encouraging that my family and others are so pleased with my writing. I have never gotten this kind of encouragement for my previous endeavors. They are genuinely taken with my writing, and I feel that it is something I do well. I'm getting better at it all the time.
Now, the wait is on for the Jim Baen Memorial Contest. I may have a chance at that one and I'll know if I've won by May 5th, which is not such a long wait. I haven't heard from Writers of the Future that they received my story yet... I probably won't hear that for another week or more. So, onward and upward. I had a pretty interesting dream this morning that has the potential to become a strong story...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
First Magazine Submission
OK, I revised my honorable mention story from Writers of the Future and I sent it in to Clarkesworld. God, I'm feeling jittery. They have a pretty quick turnaround so I should get my rejection letter within three days. On the off chance my story is accepted, I suppose it will be cause for celebration. I'm going to the opera on friday so that could work out swimmingly. Gulp.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Ta Dah!
I seemed to pull a magical feat last night when I submitted a story for the Jim Baen Memorial Contest. It was writing and editing down to the wire, of a story started a few months ago but not written in earnest, until... this week! That comes on the heels of my new Writers of the Future story that was also completed just in time to make the postmark date! Didn't think I could do it, but pushed hard for it. So tired.
This morning I read about a 16 year old sailor who is attempting to break the record for the youngest person to complete a solo circumnavigation. She is doing it in a very fast boat, an Open 40, non-stop, and just rounded Cape Horn. Now, I don't feel like I accomplished such a Herculean task this week, after all.
As a life-long sailor, I have been dreaming of doing such a thing myself. Good luck, Abby!
The best I can do for now is write some new stories about sailing... on other planets and in deep space. I've been planning on that for a while and had already started one. Damn. Got to get back out on the water.
This morning I read about a 16 year old sailor who is attempting to break the record for the youngest person to complete a solo circumnavigation. She is doing it in a very fast boat, an Open 40, non-stop, and just rounded Cape Horn. Now, I don't feel like I accomplished such a Herculean task this week, after all.
As a life-long sailor, I have been dreaming of doing such a thing myself. Good luck, Abby!
The best I can do for now is write some new stories about sailing... on other planets and in deep space. I've been planning on that for a while and had already started one. Damn. Got to get back out on the water.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
One Down, One to Go... For Real
Finally, finally, finally, I finished my story for Writers of the Future. Just got it out before the post office closed. I am so spent. I still have to finish another story for the Baen Memorial Contest by tomorrow. Man, nothing like a deadline to motivate a guy. I don't think I would have self-imposed these kind of deadlines for myself.
I have to thank my writing group, Writers of the Weird, for all their support and comments. I leaned heavily on their critiques to revise my story.
These are pretty bare-boned stories. I don't know if that's good or bad, but they're concise. It seems to be the kind of writing I'm doing lately. Well, at least there's nothing superfluous in them and they leave the reader wanting more. I'm much more focused now, so I don't think the wait should be so hard this time around.
But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.
I have to thank my writing group, Writers of the Weird, for all their support and comments. I leaned heavily on their critiques to revise my story.
These are pretty bare-boned stories. I don't know if that's good or bad, but they're concise. It seems to be the kind of writing I'm doing lately. Well, at least there's nothing superfluous in them and they leave the reader wanting more. I'm much more focused now, so I don't think the wait should be so hard this time around.
But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.
ABC Ruins LOST
ABC ruins LOST with annoying V countdown
I am so angry with ABC, I could spit!
Posted using ShareThis
I am so angry with ABC, I could spit!
Posted using ShareThis
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
One Down, One to Go
I got some really good critiques of my new Writers of the Future story from the Writers of the Weird on Sunday. I had to rush out of there for a Pre-Passover dinner with my family. I didn't get back to the story until Monday afternoon. It is much shorter now, more than half as short as my honorable mention story, "Simian D." Speaking of which, I planning on revising "Simian D" and submitting it to Clarkesworld. First, I have to make sure this new WotF story is up to par before sending it in. I have another story for the Baen Memorial Contest that needs a lot of work. That isn't due until Thursday. Plenty of time ;)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Dunna, Dunna, Dunna Dunna...
Ugh, two deadlines swiftly approaching like a great white from the murky depths, dunna! Could I procrastinate more? I think not. I seem to work best with a deadline, sometimes up to the last moment, but I'd like to get some feedback so I've got to get this done... tonight. Well, maybe tomorrow morning. Time for a self-imposed deadline. Tomorrow by high noon! One of these days I'm going get that whole Hemingway thing down, and write for four hours straight every morning. Definitely gotta pick up the pace to make some mullah and get some notice. Getting a novel done would be the penultimate.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Luddite or Techno Geek
File conversion is beginning to piss me off. Whether it's Illustrator and Photoshop files to PNG and jpegs or Screenwriter files to Word and rtf. jpegs suck but are standard for the web. Word and rtf files don't preserve my formatting, PDFs do but not everybody can read or edit PDFs. I fully embrace digital technology but I'm a bit of a throwback, too. Which one am I? You be the judge.
I'm an unabashed Machead. I type, illustrate, and edit video on the computer. I don't have a typewriter. I take notes by hand with a pen. I don't dictate, digitally record, or take notes on a iPod, Palm or such computer. I use email, almost never snail mail unless required to for work, which is becoming rarer and rarer. Seems everybody prefers email, even for business. I text. I tweet on Twitter, I face-off on Facebook. I write a column for Examiner.com. I blog. I prefer reading paperbacks and hardcovers to ebooks or stories on the web. I bought Clarkesworld (Realms) to read their short stories even though they publish on the web for free. I know the Dewey Decimal System but hardly ever use it. I don't go to the library anymore. I do tons of research on the web. I get my news from NYTimes.com.
I sweep with an old straw broom and use a cheap Hoover. I'd love to have a Dyson again, though. I wash dishes by hand and use a dish washer. I like to do food prep and a lot of cooking. Don't like microwave meals. I use the microwave to heat up pizza, leftovers, and make popcorn. I prefer analog watches (the ones with hands) to digital, but prefer digital clocks to analog ones. Why, I don't know. I love sailing, don't like to flying or cruise ships. Prefer opening windows in the summer to the AC, even though it means being a bit hotter. I love hiking, walking. I don't like bikes, scooters, skateboards, skates, etc. I like to grill with charcoal rather than gas. Prefer gas stoves to electric ones. Like real fireplaces. I don't use an electric toothbrush.
I have glasses and don't use contacts, though I have in the past. No LASIK. I love live pets, not robots. Don't especially like electric blankets. I love IMAX and 3D movies, though they give me headaches. I love my HDTV. I use more incandescent lightbulbs than compact fluorescents. Sue me.
I prefer wood, cotton and wool to synthetics.
Hmm. Can't think of anything else right now but that seems like a
pretty exhaustive list.
I'm an unabashed Machead. I type, illustrate, and edit video on the computer. I don't have a typewriter. I take notes by hand with a pen. I don't dictate, digitally record, or take notes on a iPod, Palm or such computer. I use email, almost never snail mail unless required to for work, which is becoming rarer and rarer. Seems everybody prefers email, even for business. I text. I tweet on Twitter, I face-off on Facebook. I write a column for Examiner.com. I blog. I prefer reading paperbacks and hardcovers to ebooks or stories on the web. I bought Clarkesworld (Realms) to read their short stories even though they publish on the web for free. I know the Dewey Decimal System but hardly ever use it. I don't go to the library anymore. I do tons of research on the web. I get my news from NYTimes.com.
I sweep with an old straw broom and use a cheap Hoover. I'd love to have a Dyson again, though. I wash dishes by hand and use a dish washer. I like to do food prep and a lot of cooking. Don't like microwave meals. I use the microwave to heat up pizza, leftovers, and make popcorn. I prefer analog watches (the ones with hands) to digital, but prefer digital clocks to analog ones. Why, I don't know. I love sailing, don't like to flying or cruise ships. Prefer opening windows in the summer to the AC, even though it means being a bit hotter. I love hiking, walking. I don't like bikes, scooters, skateboards, skates, etc. I like to grill with charcoal rather than gas. Prefer gas stoves to electric ones. Like real fireplaces. I don't use an electric toothbrush.
I have glasses and don't use contacts, though I have in the past. No LASIK. I love live pets, not robots. Don't especially like electric blankets. I love IMAX and 3D movies, though they give me headaches. I love my HDTV. I use more incandescent lightbulbs than compact fluorescents. Sue me.
I prefer wood, cotton and wool to synthetics.
Hmm. Can't think of anything else right now but that seems like a
pretty exhaustive list.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
WotF New Deadline
It seems that the Writers of the Future deadline is actually March 31st, not April 1st as I had thought. One less day. Maybe they changed it. Anyway, gotta kick my butt into high gear.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Deadlines
There's two weeks and counting till the deadlines for Writers of the Future and the Baen Memorial Award contests. I have two stories selected, one further along than the other. After attending Neil Clarke's presentation last Saturday I am planning on submitting a story to Clarkesworld in April. I might even submit a poem to Asimov's if I can get a handle on it. A few more stories are in the works. The next step would be to develop a novel and I've got a couple screenplays that are ripe for adaptation. A new novel idea, (pun intended), would be a good thing, too.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Writers of the Weird
I attended my first Writers of the Weird meeting on Sunday, a very talented group, indeed. My story was critiqued, the only story that was hard sf. The comments were extremely useful and I am definitely going to incorporate many of the suggestions into the revision. I joined the parent organization, Science Fiction Association of Bergen County (SFABC).
Overall, people generally liked the story and I have been getting positive reviews so far. I'm not really used to having such approval and I'll try not to let it go to my head. Instead, I feel encouraged to make sure that I make the work better. Just one month until the deadlines for WotF and the Baen Memorial Award contests. I think I'll go over my honorable mention story again and submit it to one of the prozines.
Overall, people generally liked the story and I have been getting positive reviews so far. I'm not really used to having such approval and I'll try not to let it go to my head. Instead, I feel encouraged to make sure that I make the work better. Just one month until the deadlines for WotF and the Baen Memorial Award contests. I think I'll go over my honorable mention story again and submit it to one of the prozines.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Snow Day
Thank G*d for the snow! Fortunately, I don't have a house anymore so no shoveling. If class is cancelled tonight I won't have to go there either. Wrote last night before bed, actually stayed up late because I was writing. Will get back to it after this post. But you don't need to have time to write.
Picked up some little tidbits from L. Ron Hubbard on his thoughts about that (it's in Writers of the Future XXII):
"That is a queer mental quirk with people. If a man is a writer, he is doing something everybody thinks they can do."
I found this also to be true about teaching, which I did for five years. I knew a guy who came from the corporate world to teach... he lasted three days. Another guy lasted a couple weeks.
As a filmmaker you don't get a lot of respect either. People would say it was easy because they thought it was all fun and games, but I've worked on set twelve to sixteen hours a day with just a 15 minute lunch break. I was on set before anyone showed up and left after everything was put away, and before and after I was writing or editing videos. (I also worked with a lot of so-called "professional" crew who couldn't shoot worth a sh*t, or didn't know how to do their particular job and had to be lead around by the nose).
This is what L. Ron has to say about people saying they could write if only they had the time...
"It's their way of an apology, I guess. Nearly everyone makes that remark and, to be brutally frank, it is a source of much merriment in the professional ranks... I have a law around the house here which says that writing comes first and the hell with everything else. The lawn grows into an alfalfa field, the pipes drip merrily, the floors need paint but I turn a deaf ear to pleas and go right on writing."
He goes on to say that his writing pays for all those chores to get done and covers all the other expenses. When times are tough you just got to push yourself to write. You make the time.
Picked up some little tidbits from L. Ron Hubbard on his thoughts about that (it's in Writers of the Future XXII):
"That is a queer mental quirk with people. If a man is a writer, he is doing something everybody thinks they can do."
I found this also to be true about teaching, which I did for five years. I knew a guy who came from the corporate world to teach... he lasted three days. Another guy lasted a couple weeks.
As a filmmaker you don't get a lot of respect either. People would say it was easy because they thought it was all fun and games, but I've worked on set twelve to sixteen hours a day with just a 15 minute lunch break. I was on set before anyone showed up and left after everything was put away, and before and after I was writing or editing videos. (I also worked with a lot of so-called "professional" crew who couldn't shoot worth a sh*t, or didn't know how to do their particular job and had to be lead around by the nose).
This is what L. Ron has to say about people saying they could write if only they had the time...
"It's their way of an apology, I guess. Nearly everyone makes that remark and, to be brutally frank, it is a source of much merriment in the professional ranks... I have a law around the house here which says that writing comes first and the hell with everything else. The lawn grows into an alfalfa field, the pipes drip merrily, the floors need paint but I turn a deaf ear to pleas and go right on writing."
He goes on to say that his writing pays for all those chores to get done and covers all the other expenses. When times are tough you just got to push yourself to write. You make the time.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Writers Groups
OK, I'm jumping into the water. I'm planning to attend my first writers critique group meeting, Writers of the Weird (WOTW), on Sunday. Also going to attend the general meeting for their parent organization, Science Fiction Affiliation of Bergen County (SFABC). Looks like a good group. As they are in Bergen County, NJ, I will be crossing the river. I'm also checking out NY Science Fiction Writers Meetup. Who knew I'd find such groups (or be found by them) by going on Meetup.com?
I've been spending a bit of time working on my Science Fiction Examiner column. I'll try to keep this blog more up to date. If you are reading this please subscribe or write a comment so I know you're out there! TIA.
I've been spending a bit of time working on my Science Fiction Examiner column. I'll try to keep this blog more up to date. If you are reading this please subscribe or write a comment so I know you're out there! TIA.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
WOTF 4th Quarter Winners & Other News
The winners of the 4th quarter of the Writer of the Future contest were announced today. The judging process for the 1st quarter of the 2010 have already begun. I have one story in progress for submission to the 2nd quarter and another I plan to enter in the Jim Baen Memorial Contest. The entry deadline for both contests is April 1st. With any luck I'll have at least one other story completed by then to submit to a magazine.
I've also been toying with the idea of forming (or joining) a writing group in New York. The other option is to do that online with writers around the country or the world. Hmm, not sure if that's a good idea. While it may be helpful for support and collaboration, I'm kinda hesitant to share my ideas and I like working alone. Conundrum. Anybody want to weigh in on this?
I've also been toying with the idea of forming (or joining) a writing group in New York. The other option is to do that online with writers around the country or the world. Hmm, not sure if that's a good idea. While it may be helpful for support and collaboration, I'm kinda hesitant to share my ideas and I like working alone. Conundrum. Anybody want to weigh in on this?
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