Submissions

Submissions, submissions, submissions.

They can cause a writer to sweat, become addicted to the refresh button, and prevent them from leaving their PC station. The process of submitting can be very emotional, as I've talked about on my site before. Today, I want to look at submissions in the objective term.

What is submission, how do you decide where to submit, and how do you know you're ready to submit.

Submissions:
Basically, a submission in writer's term is the process of sending an editor your story. It is made up of a cover letter and the story either in the body of the email or as an attachment. This is very different then the querying process (what you mail to an agent and some publishers)...which I'll cover some other time.

The cover letter is a quick, professional email stating the story you want to submit and who you are. My most successful cover letters followed Strange Horizon's format. Again, this is very different than a query letter that you'd send to an agent and some publishers.

Where to Submit:
Well, that literally depends on the kind of story you have. Know your genre, word count, and theme and then try some of these sites from Science Fiction Writers of America's (SFWA) list.

My personal favorite is Duotrope. They have a great system for seeking out and tracking submissions. Another site, Ralan.com, is great too, but for me personally I use it more for the other market-specific information and links it contains.

How do you know when you're ready:
Canned response to this is, "Well, that's up to you really. Have you thoroughly edited it (just spell checking doesn't work)? Have you checked your story mechanics for clarity, consistency, and logic? And most importantly, have you let it sit a while before re-doing the previous tips? Sometimes a break will allow you to further clean up and prepare your manuscript."

The real response to this..."Have you built up enough courage to hit send?" That's the only way you know you're ready. Even then, you will have the normal symptoms of a new story submitter, see my previous post titled Submission Process From the Writer's Viewpoint.

Good writing all! (And build up that courage to submit...you'll have to face it sometime or another if you want to be published.)

Inspired to Inspire Inspiration

Heehee...I love a good wonky title. This title is truly the truth of my post today. I want to take a hot poker - er - funny bunny and help inspire you to inspire your creativity...you're inspiration.

'Kay...enough of the run around. On to the "serious business" of posting. *Sets aside water gun and clown nose.*

Generalization heading your way...Writer inspiration is, well, everywhere. Writers see ideas in everything. The angry man honking his horn at the stressed out soccer mom in front of him. The seemingly sedated check out girl and the bagger who can't seem to stop doing some weird jig.

The worst moment - another assumption here...and we know what happens with assumptions - is when the creativity well runs dry and the world seems an uninspiring dry cardboard society.

What we've done is drained our natural source of creativity, but training yourself as writers can be a lot like training yourself as any other artist of medium - we just sometimes snub our nose at these exercises.

*Pulls nose out of air*...let's get artistic people.

Okay, starting point: Cardboard land.

Pull out a blank piece of paper or blank word document. Now....write. Anything. DON'T THINK (I saw you). Just write. Whatever comes out, even if it's just a grocery list.

Alright - yes, I used it...catch me if you can - now take one element of your writing. Using the grocery list example, pick off an item or two if you're feeling crazy. I'll just choose bread and butter.

Now exand on that item(s) using at least two of your five senses. In case you forgot, here's a quick overview of the senses: Smell, sight, sound, taste, touch.

Remember, it doesn't have to have any point other than your brain popped it out. It doesn't have to be good, just words strung together.

Got it? Good. Now look around (either in real life or through a website or magazine) and pick out a person. Male, female...heck, even an animal. Visualize that person. Their tastes, personalities, characteristics, mannerisms.

Now write what that person would do with the item(s) you just wrote about using the five senses.

End point: a constructed quest for creativity.

Here's my example:

Item: Bread and butter
Person: Corporate woman sitting on park bench

Lucy used the back of her hand to dab the sweat off her neck. The navy suit was a bad choice for a July interview. Pulling out the bread, she spread herb butter and took a small bite. Crap, she thought, realizing she'd forgotton water. Crumbs stuck to the roof of her mouth. She swallowed hard, forcing the dry piece down her throat. Perfect, just perfect.

Exercises like this won't totally get you out of your block, but it'll start refilling the well. Go ahead, try it. And if you have any other good exercises, feel free to share them.

Good writing all!

I'm on F.I.R.E.

Oh yeah. I'm on writing fire. Last few days saw almost 1200 words added to my Sci-fi epic novel (still unnamed---grrrrr).

It's the first novel I'm using several POV's. 5 to be exact. Not as daunting as it first looks and the characters are all tied together pretty tight. There are times though, I have to refocus my muse because she's seeing a scene in multiple POVs at the same time.

"Slow down, Little Muse Grasshopper...Breath," I keep telling her. It's working so far, but I know this one will need extra love and tender care in the editing phase.

...oh who am I kiddin'?

Editing is about carnage and blood and guts spewing everywhere. Must remember my scrubs and face mask when that time comes.

Good writing all!

Celebration of a Writing Friend

When I joined my favorite online writing group, Critique Circle, and uploaded my novel I got some great feedback. Some of the best came from Brad a.k.a "Whiplash". We started swapping critiques of each others novels, chapter by chapter.

Trust me, it was not a hardship. Brad's story, Becoming NADIA, is fantastic. The characters are three dimensional, the plot has depth, and the subplots weave through and keep you compelled.

So, it is with a lot of excitement I tell all my blogger buddies Brad's story has been accepted by a publisher.

WHOOT!!!

It is so great to see the success of a new writer and to be at the ground floor when it happened. Brad is now working and polishing the sequal to Becoming NADIA, and I know it will be just as riveting.

Good luck Brad, this is just the beginning for your writing career. For all my blogger friends, I'll keep you posted on the publication date (which is estimated for April 2010)...and of course do a book review when it's out.

Good writing all! (And remember, acceptance can and does happen.)

A Quickie: Writer's Moment

Jetta McCree opened her eyes to blackness streaked by white lights. Panic set in on the first cold-seared breath fogging the surface in front of her. She fought to control it. Tentatively touching the clear glass, she cringed at the burning cold and slid her hands to eye level. The black silhouette of them contrasted with the whir of stars in the background. Stars didn't streak. A comet yes; stars, no.

Nausea churned in her stomach with realization. The dark void of space closed in on her. I thought they were going to shoot me or something!

Instead, Jetta hurdled through space in a load capsule. Something told her Frank Donley's men hadn't bothered to press the retrieval button for any nearby Receiver vessels.

"What do you think? Plaid blue or solid blue for tomorrow?"

Plaid or solid blue?

"AR...plaid or solid?" Hubby asks again, standing by the closet and posing with both shirts.

"Oh...sorry. Solid," I suggest absently. Hubby picks plaid in the distance.

...So, Jetta thought, it was going to be a long painful death. Crap...

Good writing all!

Tick, Tock, Goes the Clock

And I've been a busy mouse.

This week so far I added another 1000 words on my Sci-Fi epic. Plus, my Muse being hyped on creativity, I did a quick few hundred words on my fantasy novella.

Have I ever said how much I love my Muse? Except when we're not communicating...then she a pain in the a-...nevermind, you get the idea.

OHHHH, and my Nazi Writer also got some time in these last few days too. I actually submitted three of my completed short stories out to a few magazines and one anthology.

Good writing all!

May Status Check

Well, another month come and gone.

I've really been excelling with my new/revised goals. As a refresher they were to: 1, finish outlining one planned fantasy/alternate reality novella and 2, complete first draft of Sci-fi epic novel. And all in a 6 month time frame.

I did veer off a little when I dreamed a great revision for the beginning of an old story. That took about 3 days out of my timeline, but with 4 more months to go I think I can still meet the goal.

I did finish the outline for my alternate reality novella and start on the Part 1 (I'm estimating about 3 parts broken into unknown # of chapters right now). I'm about 20K short of my completed first draft on Sci-fi epic (still as yet not named – grrr).

Sooooo….being the anal SF chick I am, that means within 4 months (120 days) I need to write on average 167 words on my Sci-fi epic. This is totally manageable.

Well, that's what's what folks.

Good writing all!