I'm a fantasy and horror writer, with publications in Brutarian Quarterly, Cicada, ChiZine, Escape Pod, Lone Star Stories, Mythic Delirium, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, and elsewhere. I'm also the editor of KidVisions, a Sam's Dot Publication; a freelance copyeditor; a friend to animals; and a mommy.
| Yay Cicada headdresses!
As a data point, Theo neeeeeeeeds pirates. S |
| My first un-sale of 2007: Dragonfly Spirit has ceased publication as of Jan 2, meaning my fantasy ku slated for the June issue must now find another home. le sigh. |
| Robert, just walking through the children's section of most bookstores, I've see a number of pirate-themed books, obviously piggybacking on the success of Pirates of the Caribbean. I've also heard of museum exhibits hopping on board. I wonder about saturation points. But then I remember a prof of mine suggesting that a particular market we were discussing (vampire fiction) might not be saturated, but indicative of an abiding need of the readership. So I wonder if the need for pirate books and themes will continue or if readers will grow tired of them and look for something else.
Re: pessimism in SF, I think people sometimes mistake emotional depth for emotional pits and reject happy endings as simple-minded. Thanks for the link to more optimistic points of view. |
| Sarah, are you kidding? I'm so proud I'm going to have a copy surgically grafted onto my body! Or maybe I'll just shave my head and fashion the copy into an elaborate headdress. At any rate, you'll see a copy!
Thanks, Sonya! I tried to think strategically about writing another Cicada-quality story, and I realized just how lucky I was with "Cloud One." I wrote a romance (appeals, generally, to girls) with cars in it (appeals to boys, generally). The story's a fantasy, appealing to the YA fantasy readers, but it has lots of real-world artifacts in it, so it's not as big a turn-off to non-fantasy readers. It's supposed to be humorous too, and the editor has stated in interviews just how few funny stories they get (overwhelmed by angsty stuff). I don't think I could hit as many buttons again if I tried. But I will try, believe me! |
| Lisa,
I wanted to post on the Sam's Dot board, but it wouldn't load for some reason. In one of his editorials, I think that Erwine mentioned all of the pessimistic stories he was receiving. I'd have titled my post "Cando, the Optimist" (after Voltaire) and suggested edge.org which now includes a list of people (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Esther Dyson, Jared Diamond... ), and their answers to "What are you optimistic about?" There's loads of story ideas for the otherwise depressed SF writer. Robert |
| oooooh cicada - you're a mrs. money-bags author now, eh? :-P
congrats! that's a terrific market! |
| Lisa,
In my story, the boy pretends he's a pirate as he torments his sister. Honestly, I know less about trends or what's "out there" than I do about pirates, which isn't much. Congratulations again on Cicada. I'm looking forward to reading your piece. Don't worry, I'll find my own copy. Like the infamous Savoir-Faire, they're Everywhere. Robert |
| Yayyyy!!!!!
Bring 'em with you on the 14th? Pleeeez?! SarahP |
| I just received my contributor's copies of the splendiferous Jan/Feb issue of Cicada. In fact, I still have packaging fluff in my hair. Oh, Happy Day! |
| Liberal Indoctrination
Tweetie's teacher wore a UNI shirt to school before break. The children, still non-readers, tried to guess what the print on her shirt said. "Hawkeyes" guessed some, familiar with the University of Iowa. "Iowa" guessed others. Tweetie's guess? "Iowa Public Radio!" She also went around the house making public service announcements on behalf of Iowa Public Television during the winter break. |
| Robert, it'll be interesting to see what lasting effects the Pirates of the Carribean franchise has on children's and YA pirate-themed books. You probably know more about that than I.
In the last couple of months, I've read several good pieces of YA fiction: The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, The River by Gary Paulsen, Lost in the Labyrinth by ... her name escapes me, Freaks by Annette Klause. It's been illuminating. I understand better the myriad things YA fiction can do. |
| Thanks for the links, Lisa. I wrote a children's "pirate" story, which hasn't quite decided yet whether it's a PB or early chapter book. When it does, I'll make it walk the plank... and see how long it takes for the sharks to eat it, having forgotten the combination to Davey Jones' locker.
|
| My silly kids' ku "Ninjas and Pirates" is now up at Dragonfly Spirit.
Enjoy! If you'd rather feel sober and reflective, my poem "Healing Ritual" is now up at flashquake. This poem originally appeared in Mythic Delirium and received an Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19. Brood! |
| Today I had lunch sitting across from my daughter's baby doll. Baby Doll had dinner with us last night, but then my daughter forgot about her and so there she stayed. Tweetie's daycare asked for doll clothes on their holiday wish list, but I don't know why. Tweetie only dresses her doll so she can undress her again. The doll is almost always naked, except for the bright red bow tie my daughter gave her yesterday. Now Baby Doll looks dapper and depressing at the same time, an unsettling lunch companion. |
| Thanks, Sarah. On our most recent date night, we went to Exotic India for dinner, then did some grocery shopping in preparation for the family gathering that didn't happen this weekend. Alas. But the Indian food was SO good. |
| Those were lovely! Date night sympathy.
SarahP |
| My cinquains "Ritual" and "Date Night" are now up at Amaze: The Cinquain Journal. Enjoy! |
| I'd be satisfied with finding something that I'm good at but is challenging enough to stay interesting _and_ that society values enough to make it possible to earn a living.
Though I doubt it has to be one thing so long as those three criteria are met, perhaps by a combination of profession and hobbies. In any case, I'd never quit writing SF, which gives me the opportunity to redesign society and its institutions, without anyone having to suffer the consequences. For ex., by the time any child is old enough to quit school, he or she should be well on the way towards meeting those criteria and finding a satisfying career. That satisfaction, in addition to consistently making healthy and ethical choices, with a scientific skeptism of authority and tradition, are far more important, in my opinion, than the knowledge of trivia and bureacratic skills which the powers that be today use to determine the success or the failure of students, their teachers, and their schools. I enjoy working on problems like this, but there is no way outside of creative writing that I can put it to use, without submitting myself once again to those institutions I most want to change. And the people in the best position to make those changes are the ones who seem to thrive in that sort of environment, and wouldn't want it any other way. So I'll never run out of things to compl -- write about. Robert |
| Robert,
I'm juggling a bit of cognitive dissonance here. On the one hand, I don't think one should continue doing something just because one's good at it, if one doesn't love it also. On the other hand, some of us sometimes disdain that which we're good at, because it comes easily. As if, because it's easy, it's not worth doing, and we could/should be doing something "bigger" instead of just doing what we're already doing, just doing it more deeply. It's quite possible to enjoy a task--even take pride in a task well done--and yet not allow it to contribute to a sense of one's overall worth. At least for me, it is. |
| Lisa,
on my author's topic you wrote, "I'd love to attain self-acceptance one day too," and I thought about your post here, about your work editing for the Legislative Studies Quarterly, which you seem to enjoy very much. Robert |
| It's not often I brag about editing for Legislative Studies Quarterly, but I've just finished working on a thrilling article by Donald Haider-Markel, "Political Representation and Policy Backlash." This is a very well-written paper regarding the legislative effects of GLBT representation in state legislatures. When something is well-written, in any field, it just sings. To whit, this sentence, for which I wrote in the margin, "Wow, what a great sentence!" (which was for my own recollection, not something that the writer will ever read):
"In this policy area, the debate is often peppered with moral perspectives, with political actors lobbying to gain government approval of core secular or religious values, thereby solidifying the importance of symbolism." I read this sentence aloud, several times, just to savor it. Okay, maybe I'm crazy, but I've learned that when you're jazzed about something in editing, you've got to go with it. |
| "I wonder with science fiction where the setting may be more urban or artifical if it's easier to forget the animals. You want your setting generic and animals would limit that. In fantasy the fear may be that including animals takes away that otherworldness."
I wondered about this, too, Lisa. Urban animals are easy to remember--as anyone who's lived with cockroaches or rodent infestation knows... In fantasy, of course, there's always the danger of calling a rabbit a smeerp. S |
| Cheryl, thanks for the input! If you're still about, could you say more re: "I wonder with science fiction where the setting may be more urban or artifical if it's easier to forget the animals. You want your setting generic and animals would limit that. In fantasy the fear may be that including animals takes away that otherworldness."
I was confused by your use of the word "generic". Did you mean it the way some of us use the word "antiseptic" to describe the future as presented by, say, Kubrick in "2001"? I've noticed genetically engineered/modified animals in a lot of far-future, terraforming SF, but that genre seems to be waning. Or maybe I just find less of it. As for fantasy, I think it tends to be better about presenting animals, even if they're in the guise of unicorns and basilisks and werewolves. The thing is, if we look at our world and what we're doing with treasured animals, I don't see any signs of us leaving them behind for the "future." I mean, we're putting microchips in house cats and dogs. We're developing legislation to ensure animal family members are evacuated with their humans during disasters. We're developing physical therapy and prosthetics to help injured/diseased animals. And as for "food animals," scientists are doing their darnedest to make the creatures bigger, fatter, and yummier than ever. I think there could be a whole subgenre of animal SF. I don't know if I want to write it, but I'd certainly read it. Sarah, no doubt in some SF, humans are the animals. I'm thinking of Caitlin Kiernan and her eco-Gothic stuff. |
| Ross MacDonald is one of my favorite writers. He was an environmentalist, like his fictional detective Lew Archer. If not part of the plot, the birds at his window may reveal character. The ocean can drown out the "civilized" world so the man can hear himself think.
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| Didn't read the Cheney article.
Maybe in SF the humans are the animals... |
| Some good questions. Even when I write an outside setting I rarely include animals. This may be partly because of in nature you don't always see them, or because I'm a plant person and look at the greenery first to begin with. Although, you see a pretty animal and you would note it more than such and such green things. In horror I like to reference plants from an area to get a proper setting. Just because I write about ohio and the reader lives in virginia doesn't mean they can't relate.
I wonder with science fiction where the setting may be more urban or artifical if it's easier to forget the animals. You want your setting generic and animals would limit that. In fantasy the fear may be that including animals takes away that otherworldness. |
| Hey, Terry. Thanks for commenting. I kind of assumed the author's sweeping generalizations were coming from an emotional place rather than a logical one. If I were writing about my MIA cat, then let myself veer into a discussion of vegetarianism, I think I'd be pretty loose with the generalizations too. But they certainly made me think.
I'm not sure how vital to the plot references to animals must be in fiction. Certainly I don't mind if, in passing, a character who's having a bad days observes that a red Buick is holding up traffic, even if the red Buick doesn't move the plot forward or contribute to characterization. So I don't see why more characters don't observe animals, even in passing. Animals can also be useful for establishing setting, and from a craft standpoint, it doesn't really take any more work to insert a description of a chipmunk than one of an oak. Actually, the chipmunk description would probably include the oak reference, so it would do double duty. Is it because we writers are writing inside, not outside? Is it because our settings are internal, not external? Is it because we're afraid to reference plants and animals that are regional, lest we alienate some readers? Is it because we are loathe to write what we know? Is it because our culture prefers the urban to rural? I'm still mulling it over, this absence of animals. |
| I followed your link, Lisa, and read the article. It's disturbing probably because much of it is quite true. I disagree with him in his sweeping generalizations about people and their motives, but it is true that with humans around, the animals on this planet have to look out.
In writing fiction, especially genre fiction, the experts would probably say that including pets or other animals would be okay but they need to have *something* to do with the plot moving forward, or revealing character of the humans, or somesuch. Can't say I disagree about that. It begs the question: what are we as writers missing when we conceive stories that don't include animals? Might there be a whole motherlode of ideas we're simply not seeing? Good article, thanks for bringing it to our attention! |
| Matt Cheney has an interesting article up at Strange Horizons--The Absence of Animals. I've often wondered where all the animals are in SF futures. And I don't mean the cyber-rottweilers in the horror SF. One of the reasons I loved "Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?" is precisely because Philip K. Dick speculated as to what humans would lose, if they lost animals. I'm trying to remedy the absence of animals in my own fiction. |
| I thought you were kidding, Sarah, about the tell-tale twitches, but I came downstairs to my office this morning, and I swear this plant has noticeably grown since yesterday. It's putting out feelers, reaching for me. This is especially sinister, as I've been upstairs in the kitchen most of the day. I can just imagine tendrils unfurling from the lines in the kitchen linoleum, like grass creeping out of sidewalk cracks.
Hmm, Sonya, maybe your post worked! Thanks much! |
| Yike!
Actually, when I'm here early in the morning, the philodendrons twitch. They're thinking about it... SarahP |
| Egad, I'm going to have to keep coming back here to see what happens! |
| ...twilight zone overture...
Imagine the philodendron staring at you balefully, fully aware that you have stolen him away from his plant family, fully capable of plotting shenanigans in the mode of tipping his vase over onto your computer, lulling you to sleep at your desk by sending soothing 'nature vibes' at you telepathically and then curling his wispy feelers around your chair and arms and legs, imprisoning you while you sleep... all this so that he can let you know his demands of being reunited with his plant family once again. meanwhile... Sara too has fallen asleep at her desk, lulled to sleep by an even more insidious and powerful 'nature vibe', sent out by the Mother of All Philodendrons! She is angry! She will get revenge upon the unsuspecting Sara for taking away her babies! If Lisa cannot conquer the young philo that she has uprooted from his home so callously, she and Sara will both die... Because as everyone knows, the sorcerous abilities of the Mother of All Philodendrons are just too powerful for Sara to escape from. The clock is ticking... two young writer's lives hang in the balance. ...fade to black... hee hee. :-) Sonya (I know, totally random, but may it juice up your muse :-P ) |
| I've been crazy-busy with nonwriting stuff for so long now, I'm reminded of a Dr. Phil episode where he told a whiny woman, "Of course you haven't met a man. You're so busy he'd have to throw himself in front of your car to get your attention." That's the kind of muse I need right now: a semi-suicidal, melodramatic muse who's willing to risk both our lives to get the story going. Because I am "otherwise occupied." ;)
Now get outta here, Terry. You're supposed to be NaNoWriMo'ing...and on paper, no less! |
| You don't *await* the magic, silly! You reach out and GRAB it! Especially when you have a brand-new philodendron to help you!
Terry (I've been enjoying this topic for several days now) |
| Philodendron on shelf. Lisa at the computer. Awaiting magic. |
| "Robert, a worm bin in the kitchen?!"
You can always put a lock on it, to keep the trick-or-treaters out, but it needs air holes... and requires a bit more maintenance than a philodendron, to keep the worms alive and on top of things. Mary Appelhof, who wrote the book on this, claims, "there is less odor when waste goes into the worms instead of the wastebasket." In other words, soil doesn't stink. Still, I think a worm bin belongs downstairs with the litterbox. |
| Philodendron...it's so much fun to say! I have never been to your office, Sarah, but I will definitely take you up on that offer. I can take one home with me on Sat. Tweetie is wary enough to stay away from the plants, and the cat has never shown any interest in them, so I think it's safe.
Robert, a worm bin in the kitchen?! I'd never be able to keep my daughter out of it! Halloween was a success! We finished all the outfits, and they turned out big enough for us to put on plenty of warm layers underneath. Tweetie quickly got the hang of trick-or-treating and kept asking, "Are we going to the next house?" She also wanted to know if we'd go trick-or-treating again after dinner, or in the morning, or... And she is now old enough to fight and cry when we restrict her candy intake. Happily, she is still young enough that she'd pretty much forgotten all about her loot this morning. Next year will be different, I'm sure. We made it back home in time to hand out candy. The highlight was when a three-year-old girl came to the door, asked Tweetie what her name was, how old she was, if that was her cat, if she could pet the cat, and then proceeded to charge into our house and chase the bewildered cat. A very flustered dad came running in after her, apologizing all the way. And after all that, they almost forgot their treats! On to Turkey Day! |
| Hey, Lees, you've been to my office on campus, right? It's swarming with ivy and philodendron, and I have a bamboo, a peace lily, and a china doll tree.
So the philodendron is literally growing all over the room and it has manymany babies--I have a fat vase full of its babies ready to be repotted. So you say the word, and I can provide you with a philodendron or two or three. SarahP |
| "You've bolstered my confidence that I can take steps to protect myself from the winter doldrums."
Great! It's a very common problem, with many solutions. You can find the ones that work for you. "[T]he idea of surrounding myself with plant life sounds easy and appealing." It can be as easy -- or as complicated -- as you want it to be. Some plants require almost no maintenance, you can even leave for a week or two and they'll be fine. Your toddler can help too... and learn to enjoy plants, how they grow and what they do. I wouldn't let her handle habanero seeds, though. For extra fun, consider replacing your kitchen wastebasket with a worm bin and explore the other side of the biosphere. |
| This morning, both husband and I are bleary-eyed from staying up late two nights in a row to work on our and our daughter's Halloween costumes. We sew maybe once a year, always for Halloween. This year we've gotten a little ambitious--maybe too ambitious. Tweetie is going to be a Japanese princess, and we're making her a purple and silver kimono. J and I are going to be her guards, and we're making karate-style jackets. We will finish, to some degree, in time, but it's hard when we can only work after she's gone to bed. |
| Robert, thank you so much. These practical suggestions are doing me good. You've bolstered my confidence that I can take steps to protect myself from the winter doldrums. I'm not sure if I can keep herbs going in the kitchen--it's rather small and my toddler likes to grab everything on the counters when she "helps" me cook--but the idea of surrounding myself with plant life sounds easy and appealing.
|
| Not everyone knows yet about my "greenhouse therapy" for cabin fever and seasonal depression, but you can find the buildings in unexpected places. Ask around. If it's not open to the public, say you're writing an article -- on life support systems for _KidVisions_, for ex. Or volunteer, if you're willing to get your hands dirty.
And what about houseplants? Herbs are my personal favorite. If they can grow marijuana deep underground, why can't you grow hot peppers, cilantro and basil in your kitchen during the coldest Iowan winter? |
| You know, Robert, that's not a bad idea at all. I've visited awesome conservatories in Chicago and Madison during the winter, and the trips have done me good. I'll have to see if there are any nearer to me. It will be good for my daughter to go also, as she has developed a vague distrust, nearly fear, of plants. |
| Is there a greenhouse near you, Lisa? That warm, oxygen-rich air and the sight of living plants can help us through a dreary winter -- or any prolonged venture into space. It's like a quick trip to FL, without the hassle. |
| Thanks to all for your encouraging words!
I'm a worrywart, and, as Sarah can attest, I'm prone to overanalyze my writing situation. I know the day-in, day-out self-doubt is common enough. And in that situation, I think you all have it right: drown out the monkey mind with keyboard clacking. Good old butt-in-chair therapy. It helps too to know that authors like Jim (and even Roald Dahl!) have given themselves permission to start with crap, so long as they do start and then push through to the polished end. What I wonder about is this end-of-year funk. I think it's a combination of the weather and my compulsion to assess my progress at the end of the calendar year. Last year I went through a rough emotional patch that didn't end until winter did. Not strictly writing related, either. So, I'm a little leery as I venture into the cold, cold Iowan winter. A cheerful note: my poem "A Roughneck Sets the Record Straight" is now up at the new and improved, monthly, nanobison.com. |
| I had that rejection from _Paradox_ too, Lisa, and these other posts reinforce the fact that we're not alone in our self-doubts -- and persistence.
For my part, I've never had any trouble coming up with ideas, and some are pretty good, but like Jeanne-Claude says in the Nov '06 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC interview, "What is hard is to do it." I've fantasized about having a stable of writers like Dumas who'd flesh out my plots and characters so I could supervise, knowing I could keep 8-10 full-time writers busy with stories for the rest of my life. But it doesn't work out that way, except maybe in Hollywood, and I don't have those kinds of connections. As it is, I _try_ to narrow my ideas down to what I can actually do and feel compelled to do myself. Still, I get distracted, procrastinate, try to take short cuts... It's no coincidence that most of my 200 some publishing credits are short poems, and my two pro fiction credits (forthcoming) are less than 900 words -- total. It's always been a question of whether or not I can actually sit down and see the thing through to the end, to really do the story justice. And that's tough, very tough. Especially when, unlike people like Tim Pratt, Jay Lake, and Lissa Marr, my first drafts look like something scraped up off the killing room floor. So of course I'm frustrated. And about 90% of my submissions get rejected. But no one else is going to write _my_ stories, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing. Besides, some of my favorite writers, like Roald Dahl, had to write every phrase at least 5-6 times before they got it right. I'm sure they got frustrated too, but eventually they got it done -- and published -- and read. If I'm going to do the same, I'd better get to work! |
| ::Raises hand:: Pretty much since I started the current novel, I've been convinced it was garbage, and that it would never live up to the earlier two books in the series. I've used up my good ideas, I've told all the good jokes, I've run out of interesting character twists...
Of course, I felt that way on the last book, too. Mostly, I just keep telling myself it's okay to write crap. Almost anything can be fixed in the rewrite. |
| Oh yeah, I get it, too. An absolute certainty that my prose is thin, my plots derivative, my characters uninteresting, and that I will never come up with another good idea as long as I live.
This comes and goes. |
| Lisa --
I know what you're talking about. I get precisely the same feeling, which usually starts around January 1 and ends the next December 28. And since I'm usually pretty busy those last three days in December, it's hard to get much writing done. Seriously, I've struggled with the exact feelings you describe for quite a while now. I try to just start start typing. Anything is better than listening to that little voice. Because the longer you listen the louder and more eloquent it becomes. But if anybody knows the magic words, I'm all ears. |
| Today I received a painfully close rejection from Paradox. The editor, Chris Cevasco, noted that I'd made it into a small batch for final consideration, but in the end the story didn't stand out enough for him. He was, as always, courteous, professional, and encouraging. And yet...and yet...I still feel like pondscum.
Not really, but I think I'm gearing up for my annual bout of writer's angst: "What am I doing? Where am I going? Am I getting anywhere? What's the point?" I used to get hit with the writer's blues in December, but last year it came early, in late October; and looks like it's here again. Does anyone else experience such regular lapses in confidence/optimimism? What tides you over until it passes? |
| ICON went well. The SF poetry panel was better attended than I'd hoped--seven people instead of zero. The open mike was evidently not well advertised, for I had only one reader show up, and she was not the person who'd actually signed up. Nevertheless, she read to me, I read to her, and in the last few minutes, other people drifted in to see what was going on. I met novelist Tamara Siler Jones, who answered questions on "Seeking Publication." And I met up with a dear friend I hadn't seen in...over a year?
The only negative to the con weekend was the rather loose interpretation of the word "vegetarian" that prevailed at the Mexican restaurants I chose. I'm still queasy. I may have to become one of those pain in the butt vegetarians who interrogate the waitstaff: Do you use lard in the refried beans? Is there chicken stock in the rice? Do you use butter or margarine? ad infinitum |
| David and Mikal together. Don't give them ideas... ;-) |
| Which one, Jennifer? The PB or the film score?
Chuck Jones introduced us to a lot of cool music, through cartoons. For years now I've been haunted by a warped, futuristic Tom and Jerry episode set to eerie music Charles Mingus might have written. I think a Chuck Jones animated version of _The Martian Chronicles_ was seriously considered, but it never got off the ground. |
| Robert, that is a terrifying idea ;-). |
| Have fun at that convention, Lisa!
Speaking of poetry and children's writing... What if Mikal Trimm or David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Cathy Buburuz or Dee Rimbaud collaborated on a picture book? Both Mikal and David have a fun sense of humor -- I'm also impressed with the one's lyricism and the other's experience. For some reason, I see Cathy using an old "woodcut" style, perhaps even in b/w. One of Dee's covers for a Promart pub reminded me of the best of Paul Klee, the colorist and illustrator. Of course this is probably along the same lines as imagining Charles Mingus providing the score for a Chuck Jones animated version of _The Martian Chronicles_. |
| No problem. Lissa Maar pointed the Verla Kay board out to me. HarperCollins should be publishing her YA urban fantasy novel _Wicked Lovely_ next spring. I had a chance to read an early draft, and have always been impressed by this woman's lush poetic prose. The book involves Goths, fairies, and Catholic school girls. |
| Robert, yes, I gathered from your message that Verla Kay's board would be for children's authors and artists. I visited and saw the posts regarding KidVisions and Beyond Centauri. It's reassuring to know that the effort I put into responding to subs is appreciated by these dedicated authors. There's a lot of enthusiasm and professionalism to be seen there. Again, thanks for clue-ing me in!
I was a *bit* dismayed that KidVisions is perceived by some as so closely related to Beyond Centauri as to be virtually the same thing (strawberry versus regular fig newtons?), but that's probably my own egotism in overdrive. ;) At any rate, I'll be seeing Tyree this weekend at ICON, and I'll try to remember to mention the site and BC's profile to him. And, yes, Terry, that's Tyree Campbell of Sam's Dot Publishing. The man himself. We'll be doing an SF poetry panel together this evening at ICON. We live maybe 50 minutes away from each other and only see one another once or twice a year! |
| That woudld be the Tyree he means, yes. |
| Tyree Campbell? Of Sam's Dot Publishing? |
| If you're not familiar with it, the Verla Kay board is for children's writers. I find it by googling: "Verla Kay" board.
It's got a lot of resources and topics, including topics for Kidvisions and Beyond Centauri. Does Tyree know about this? |
| Robert, thanks! I think I lucked out and fell into a car theme for the Jan/Feb Cicada; it will be only 13 months from submission to publication for me. I will check out the Verla Kay board. Thanks for the tip! |
| Congratulations on the Cicada sale!
I signed a contract for my first story to Ladybug about three years ago, before the Cricket Group disposed of most of their editorial staff. My former editor assured me before she left that everything is still a go, but no one has said when they're publishing my stories. I get the impression from the Verla Kay board that they store up a lot of pieces, organizing those into "themed" magazines far in advance. So it's not first sold/first published. Robert |
| Wow, a great weekend indeed. You GO, girl! |
| A Very Good Weekend!
I finished my story for the Iowa SF crit group. I know there's stuff wrong with it, but it's crit-worthy (and I need a break from it), so that will go out soon. I attended an Iowa SF crit session and it was much fun. I came away with two free books and I learned a lot just from listening to others' critiques. Fresh POVs. I received my contract for "Cloud One" from CICADA. I will sign it and mail it off today. I also did laundry, ate lasagna, clambered over fossils, visited a dear friend, and watched Underworld: Evolution. The last, not so good. |
| Awesome! |
| It occurred to me that I never mentioned here that my poem "Immobility" was reprinted in NOX, an e-anthology of Dark Poets Against Abuse. Donations go to CASA. Stop by, read, and contribute if you're so inclined. Thanks!
http://www.gromagonpress.com/nox.html |
| Well, with a 2-year-old, I suppose school doesn't come into the occassion ;-). OTOH, she can't be expected to be quiet and good for hours on end (torture!) nor left basically to herself. Two weeks will be hard, but a wise man once told me that when you're old, and look back, you don't regret the things you *did*.....
Good Luck! *Keeping ear cocked for gleeful squeals* |
| Thanks, Terry and Jennifer! Even completing the application was a worthwhile endeavor. You will definitely know if I get in--you'll probably hear my gleeful squeals across the miles!
Jennifer, my daughter is 2 years old. I still haven't been away from her for a whole day, let alone two weeks. But I won't use her as my excuse for not trying. |
| Thanks, Lisa. It was a while ago :-). Now I'm just a working stiff.
Being a WiR sounds totally neat! My fingers are crossed for you! BTW, how old is your daughter? Sometimes schools can be talked into the idea of "educational life expereince." I had professor in college whose nephew had gotten to spend a year in a traditional Kenyan village that way (not through a regualar exchange program.) |
| Ooh! Hedgebrook! Good luck, that'd be a dream experience! I applied once, didn't get in. Life's changed since then so I couldn't now even if they accepted me. But *what* a neat place & program. Keep us posted! |
| Jennifer, hats off to you on grad school and honors! This particular writers-in-residence program (Hedgebrook) lasts anywhere from two weeks to two months. Obviously I asked to be considered for the shorter option--I'm still not sure I could leave my daughter for even that long. It's a long shot anyway.
In other writing news, I'm straining my brain to finish a story by Sunday, when I meet with my Iowa SF writers group. You know that metaphor about writing is like driving down a dark highway and you can only see as far as your headlights reach, but you still get to your destination? Well, I'm wondering what happens when your headlights go out. |
| Nope. Not a single fatality on either side.
Oog. I did apply to grad school, got in and went and finished avec high honors, never want to go through *that* again. I don't klnow if I could do a writer in residence or not. You could probably be half and half with the incredulity. I think the thing to keep in mind is that humans are incredibly adaptable. Just consider that the way we are communicating didn't exist when we (or at least I) was born. |
| Jennifer: You didn't lose any bats or any siblings?
I have just completed the grueling process of assembling an application to a writers-in-residence program. And now I remember more clearly why I never applied for grad school. I've also recently finished reading some YA fantasy, old stuff: Matilda by Roald Dahl and The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key. The refreshing thing about these books is that the characters don't waste a lot of time being incredulous about the miraculous things that happen to/around them. They briefly resist, are convinced, then get on with it. If I trimmed 90 percent of the incredulity from my novel, it might become a reasonable length. Of course, it might also read like YA, for messed up kids. |
| My mom has a problem with them, too. No matter how many times I tell her they won't collide with her...
We used to have bats in the upstairs of the house I grew up in. Actually, they lived under the slates and would come in through the skylights. Sometimes they had trouble sonaring (if that's a word) their way out. Since I can't walk on my own (crutches always) and my mother was afraid, my brothers and sister would have the task of attempting to capture the victim and set it free. We didn't lose any of them... |
| Well, I knew that bats, like mice, can squeeze in through tiny crevices. I guess I just assumed that the garage had been otherwise "secured" and Sarah closing the door was the last step.
Every time I mention bats to my mother, she squirms. I think they are neat and I'm teaching my daughter to respect and admire them too. |
| Heh. That's why i suggested a bat box -- I figured you must not mind them. I have bats, too, and I'm quite fond of them, as I also live near water and mosquitoes come with the territory. |
| Actually, I don't mind the bats in the garage or the guano on the car (which doesn't get driven much). We had no mosquitos in the yard this summer (and it was a wet summer), for which I thank the bats.
SarahP |
| It wouldn't work, Lisa -- bats can squeeze their bodies almost flat and slip through cracks you wouldn't even necessarily notice. In any case, the bats are probably getting in up under the roof, so closing the door while they were out wouldn't even confuse them.
Sorry.... I'm just wandering and I saw this. Sarah, I know someone who called an expert to remove the invading colony to a bat box. He sealed the holes while everyone was out eating mosquitoes. You don't want the box too close to the house, of course, because they might decide to move back. But if you put it too far away, they might not stay out there, and come back anyway. |
| Sarah, still? I thought you'd evicted the bats by closing the garage door after they'd left one night. Or does that not work? |
| We have bats in my garage. Next time I pick you up in my car, I'll be sure to point out the bat guano on the car roof.
SarahP |
| I will be participating in an SF poetry panel at the Iowa SF con, ICON, on Friday October 13. If any Midwesterners are lurking, you're invited!
I'll also be the MC for the Sunday morning Open Mike, and I might even get to read some of my own stuff. Come one, come all! |
| Duh, that should be "Tokyo Godfathers" in my last post.
Apparently bats aren't posing a problem only in my daughter's daycare. (Hubby had to rescue a bat from inside the old building, and the maintenance man said they had 8 bats in 8 days.) There's an article in the university paper about bats winging about sorority houses and other old student housing. Maybe the storm we had awhile back popped some new holes in people's roofs, or displaced bat colonies that are now seeking new roosting spots to wait out winter. |
| Hubby's had some time off, so we've seen a slew of movies.
First was "A Scanner Darkly," which I probably liked best. The decision to use animation was quite clever; not only did it successfully mimic the disorientation the characters themselves experienced, but it resulted in Winona Ryder's best "performance" in her entire life. Also, I think the movie successfully captured the bittersweet, optimistic-against-all-odds nature of Phillip K. Dick. Next was "The Illusionist," which was quite pretty but simple. Nothing wrong with telling the story that audiences want to hear, I guess. But I'm tired of writers using the "this man hits women, so you know he's really bad" shortcut. Can't a man be just be awful and frightening but not a wifebeater? Also saw "Crank," which despite an inspired soundtrack and animated silliness, was just disappointing. I definitely prefer it when Jason Statham defeats his enemies without picking up a gun, as in "The Transporter." Much sexier when Statham *is* the weapon. Also, whenever the girlfriend showed up, the movie screeched to a halt and I had time to think about how stupid it all was. Not to mention the sex scenes being stupid and offensive. Imagine, I had less of a problem with the sex in "The Transporter," in which our antihero ends up in bed with the girl he's been driving around in the truck of his car! On DVD, we've seen Rope, Hong Kong Godfathers, and Mostly Martha. |
| Sarah, this weekend sounds good. And thanks for the tip about SONAR!
Anyone else have tracking systems they want to brag about? |
| Sarah, what is your system for keeping track of submissions?
I use SONAR, which is freeware sub tracking (get it!) software. Works just fine cos I don't submit much. And it's on the other computer, so lately I've just been submitting via email and going back and looking at my outbox, which is lame. Sorry about this weekend! Phone call on Friday with Caitlin, which led to much proposal revision work. I'll email soon--maybe for next weekend instead? SarahP |
| Thanks for the info, Jay Arr!
I think I'm ready to move up to Excel columns. It's becoming tedious to pull up multiple docs and do "finds" to figure out where a particular story has been over the years. Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit I've had stories in circulation for years. What can I say, I'm a slow learner (and submitter, until recently)! Ouchie on that second submission slip-up! Thanks to my very considerate and practical husband, I've got automatic computer backups every night, so I don't worry about losing my files. I'm much more likely to lose an index card on this pile o' mess I call a desk. ;) |
| Lisa, I use columns in Excel to track subs. When I'm ready to market I can use the SORT function to quickly see which magazines a story has been to. And if I'm wanting to hit a particular market, I can see if I've sent anything there before. I have a column for type of work (Short Story, Poem, Essay, Humor, Novelette, Flash Fiction, etc.) I find this neccessary because I sometimes rewrite a piece to greater or shorter length for a particular market and becausee I occassionally have more than one piece with the same title.
I found I had to make the RESULTS column extra wide as I wanted to include comments from the editor and so I'd have space to record those times when a story was accepted but never got published due to the magazine folding or whatever. (And that's happened to me several times.) Due to computer crash, I lost all my records some time back and ended up sending a story to an editor who'd already seen it. Very embarrassing! --Jay Arr |
| Thanks, Terry!
I have a bit of an inferiority complex regarding my poetry; I often feel guilty for working on it, as if I'm stealing time away from legitimate, ie fiction, writing time. This recognition does a lot to reassure me that yes, poetry counts too! |
| Congrats, Lisa! |
| Thanks, folks! I'm happy that poetry, especially mine, gets recognized by this anthology. :)
Sarah, what is your system for keeping track of submissions? I use a four-column table in Word, listing date sent and how, the title, the market, and the response. It's worked well for me. I hardly look at my index cards anymore. (I can't believe I was ever that low-tech!) |
| Woo hoo, congratulations!
|
| Sweet! Congratulations!
SarahP |
| Congratulations, Lisa!
--Jay Arr |
| My poem "Healing Ritual," published in Mythic Delirium 13, received an honorable mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, edited by Datlow, Link, and Grant. |
| Ruthie, you're crazy. I like that in a person. |
| No pun intended including my hard stretch on a pun. In my case with the short-short I'm chipping away with a Levoilloisian word processor at fossils and polishing Mammoth coprolites;)
~shhhh~ |
| Ruthie, ain't that the truth. It's so hard to stop editing. Sometimes I keep hacking away at something even when I know that particular piece isn't worth my time anymore, just because I don't want to give up on it. At least with the short-shorts, we can see the piece dwindling as we overhone it and maybe stop our madness! |
| Re: Message 491626
You're welcome. I'm replying late too. Month end I was busy at work. Thanks again for the work on my short short. Hopefully it will get published if I can ever finish editing it:) ~ruthie~ |
| Well, at least you've got subs out there!
I've stopped tracking mine altogether, and I've forgotten what has been sent where, and what's overdue at where, and damn, I need to write some more stories... Good luck with those two whereats! SarahP |