Another rejection

Received an email from the editors at Flash Fiction Online on Saturday. They are passing on my story. It's the second no on that story. This rejection wasn't a personal one. Just thanked me for submitting but that they have decided not to publish it.

I'm not discouraged. I'll look at the story one more time and see if anything jumps out at me then send it back out into the world. I already have another market in mind.

I can do other things

So writing isn't the only thing I do, despite what you might gather form this blog.

I play a decent third base for a 36 year old in my low-level softball league. I can cook all right, or at least I do a good job assisting Gina.

Found out that I have won an award at the day job. It's from a group called Society of News Design and it's the second time I've won an award. It's a bit of a big deal and I am excited. My name will appear with a couple of others on certificate, but it's still cool.

Congratulations, me.

Submitting again

I took what the editor at Abyss & Apex said to heart and tweaked my story that I submitted to them. I added a small section at the end and think that it is better now. It feels more complete.

It feels so complete, in fact, that I have sent it out into he big bad world of editors and slush piles one more time. This time I gave it to the folks over at Flash Fiction Online. I like the stories they publish and I like that they pay a fair rate for them.

We had a discussion at our writers' group a few weekends ago about what we wanted from our writing. I was on the side of the people who wanted to do this for a living, so I do want to be paid for my fiction. I am not expecting to make millions with my flash fiction and short stories, but I'm not going to give it away either.

So I am sending my story out again. Hoping again that I hear a yes, because I like this story even better than I did the first time. It's tighter and the bit I added at the end really gives it a sense of completion. At least I think it does.

So keep your fingers crossed. In the confirmation email I received letting me know they got my story it said that they usually reply within 2 to 3 months. Reading their web site closely the answer could come sooner. I'll let you all know something when I know something.

Eric Clapton wins the subliminal game

At my first newspaper job out of college I worked in the sports department. It was a copy desk job so it meant late nights and lots of staring at computers. To keep things light the guys there made up something they called subliminal points. This is how it worked. Someone would whistle/sing/hum a few bars of a song. If at any time later in the night someone else sang/whistled/hummed any part of the same song the original singer/whistler/hummer would get a subliminal point. No one kept a running score, but we all played. If I were still playing the game Eric Clapton would be the current champion, because every time I see the commercial below I get "Rock N Roll Heart" stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

My first rejection

Well, Abyss & Apex passed on my submission. Got a very nice personal rejection from the flash fiction editor. She called the story intriguing, said she liked the writing and the setup, but felt that this was the start of a bigger tale.

Very perceptive, because it is. It's the first section of a short story that has sort of stalled out. I thought the beginning could stand on its own. I still think it could but may need some tweaks.

I can't say I'm not disappointed. It would have been great to have my first submission accepted. But looking at the stats on Duotrope it was a long shot. According to the numbers there nearly 95 percent of submissions to Abyss & Apex are rejected.

I guess the next best thing to acceptance would be a personal rejection and I got one of those, so that's something. And the fact that the editor said she liked my writing was good to hear. Makes me think I'm not wasting my time trying to make a go of this.

snOMG

Well, how often can you say this? The weathermen and weatherwomen were wrong. We aren't getting any rain. We are getting snow. Real snow, too, not Texas snow, which is usually no more than a dusting. They are saying now that by the time this all stops some areas could have as much as seven inches on the ground. We have at least a few inches on the ground at my house now and it was still coming down when I left for work.

Right here is where I would insert a photo, but I couldn't find the cord I needed to upload them to my computer. Plus I am at the day job right now, but I'll find the cord when I get home and share the snow-covered glory that is the Dallas-Fort Worth area, at least for today.

Snowpocalypse

So it may not be the feet of snow that folks on the east coast are having to deal with, but they are saying the Dallas area could see two inches of snow on Saturday. That's significant for us. It also makes the sixth or seventh time this winter that we have had significant snowfall in our forecast.

CORRECTION: It's not Saturday. That day should be dry. Thursday is when we are supposed to have our snow. Although now it is a mix of snow and rain that's being called for. Stand down, everyone. Stand down.

Daily goals

So apparently this is going to be an occasional series.

1. Finish my outline. Want to finish the outline that I started last night. I will admit that doing this outline/synopsis has really helped me flesh out this story and it's helped me figure out how to build the suspense.

2. Write. I have done pretty well the last few days getting some words on the page. I'd like to keep that up today.

My first submission

I made my first submission this morning. It is a piece of flash fiction and I sent it to Abyss & Apex. They say their response time is roughly two months. I'll keep you posted.

Whether or not it's accepted, I don't care. Well, that's not true. I'd love for it to be accepted, but just getting to this stage is a pretty big step for me.

On outlines

Found this bit of advice over at Backspace.

... keep in mind that imagination is limitless. Do not, therefore, reduce your story to outlines and sketches, notes and 3x5 cards. You will make your story finite this way and it will suffer because it cannot grow beyond your outline. Juggle your story: by this, I mean keep eight balls in the air and only two in your hands. Let the story - the eight balls - float free, dangerously so. That's the beauty of watching a juggler: where will those balls fall? Chase your story, believe in your characters and follow them. Do not predetermine every step they take but record what they do, and do the recording breathlessly but with control, as if you just came inside to report an accident or a marvel you have just witnessed.

I loved that. Actually, I liked the whole thing. That said, I am working on an outline of one of the stories I had on my list that I wanted to finish by July. I think it's going well and am excited to see how this process works for me.