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...

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.

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 ;)

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.

Neil Clarke Discusses Clarkesworld

Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld magazine visited SFABC Saturday night

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