Letter to the editor Dec

They published me Letter this time.

It's political, which probably isn't surprising and about tax cuts. Which, with the discussion in the NEWS these days may not be that surprising either.

PS update Dec 22

I finished the story for onthepremises.com contest 19   More here  on that contest.

It's over 1,000 words but I want to go back over it. I added some at the end to have the MC change and I want to make sure it fits and some of it seems too long to me so I might try cutting some of it. I have a month to get it ready.


The Online workshop is going good. I'm going to miss it when it is over. The third week we had to do an outline. I hate them. But Dean had instructions on how to do one. It wasn't the A;a,b,c B; a,b, C; a,b,c,d, type so it wasn't as hard as I expected. He showed us a pic he wanted the outline from. We didn't have to do the book just come up with an idea, character, setting, problems. We shall see how well I did.


I expect to be receiving a bunch of rejections in the next few weeks. I've sent out ten plus stories in the last couple of weeks. A Great Christmas present would be a sell, at least one.

If you read this one make sure you go back and read the Why Christmas? note under this one if you haven't, even if it's way after Dec 25.


Now is the time to decide which story to do for Q2 of WotF.


The one I started and am about half way through even though I'm tempted to start it over again as I said before, or the one I just have an opening for and a vague idea of what it is about.

One is SF and the other probably is but not for sure, UF and/or paranormal.


Unless I decided to send in a pure fantasy story I am revising that is. I might be able to put in some more emotional angst and one or two more tries even though there might be enough of those. The only humans are in the background. It's longer than I set out to do--about 7,500 words--so it could work. Of course shorter stories can work too but this one seems about right.

WHY CHRISTMAS--why celebrate it?

            I’m late with this message but it’s still not Christmas yet, First let me say that it looks like I won’t be getting my PC Christmas story up this year. Kinda late to say It’s okay to say Merry Christmas and any store that doesn’t is biting the hand that feeds them because it’s Christmas that brings in so much money. The few people who read this may have red it last year. In either case:

      But the real message is about Jesus being born. God’s love was shown that day even if it wasn’t DEC 25. Jesus the Creator took a turn as a human being for two reasons. One was to be the second Adam and to do what the first one didn’t do--obey God, live a perfect life. The second reason was to later die in our places. Our sins can now be totally forgiven, not just covered but completely done away with. We can have a full relationship with God our Creator. With all the Joy-Unspeakable, Peace-Inner, and Love-unrestricted...not to mention hope and justice, that brings.

    My pastor spoke on Christmas today speaking of the need for us to be Seekers---The Bible says if we seek him with all our being He will let us find Him. In some of the books I read and mention on my blog there are seekers after other types of spiritual beings or themselves or power but in the Real Life, Actual World, we seek God. The power to live a good life comes from Him. Even though finding ourselves isn’t necessarily bad, He can help us with that too. My Pastor--Bill Chaney--mentioned how those in the US are Seekers-looking for something good. I add that yes many are but they are looking for the exotic and skip over that which has been around-staring them in the face-for a long time. In fact I think that is why some skip over Jesus because He is something they are too used to and my consider too simple. But the hard part has been done already. It is simple because it has to be.  

   The second thing My Pastor said was that we shouldn’t leave any gifts from God unopened. It’s His birthday we celebrate but Jesus gives us presents. Salvation being the best and biggest. Saved from judgement and hell but that includes wrong choices in our life and who we have become because of bad circumstances in our life. 

That is all for now even though a lot more could be said but this is why we celebrate Christmas, why it is so important. 

Update Dec 22

   Updating my writing. A rather long one this time

And some of this is venting so please excuse it.

   Quarter four of WotF was a bust. Maybe I spent too much time on the story. Even though I didn’t revise everything, I rewrote much of it. Still what I did do could have been too much.

Sent that story to F&SF Saturday. I will see if the knew guy there uses the same rejection comment each time or if the first one he sent me was for the little bit better stories. Other assistant readers at F&SF have three comments. Each one shows you got a little bit further. 

Sent in a WotF HM to Lightspeed but even though it took him a day longer than usual, nothing. I thought it could have gotten his better rejection--he does the same as the editor at F&SF-- at least but of course not even that. Looks like he’s not impressed with my latest credit. Of course it’s not a very big one but it’s still something.

I finished the story for the next quarter over at WotF. Not as many revisions even though I did rewrite some smaller parts of it. I sent it in Sunday. We shall see how it does. 

I want to send a story to onthepremises.com contest on holidays. Could be any or even a made up one but has to be a strong part of the story. I have one that could fit what they want. But I decided to rewrite one I want six years ago at least. It was an exercise but still it didn’t come out too bad. A different take on Labor Day. But I can’t find it. I did find one story I thought I had lost but not the one I wanted. However as I said I wanted to rewrite it and I believe I can recall most of it. I started it Sunday night. If I don’t get it down I will send in that other story. I do have a story about New Year’s Day 3,000 but it needs a rewrite and its a whole lot longer so I don’t think I will do that one. 

As to Dean’s Online Workshop, I did better than expected on that 300 word opening. He agreed with me. He thought it was powerful and just needed two commas. Wow, I really didn’t expect that it was as good as I thought it was. Now to write the rest of the story. I will and I think I have a basic premise for it. This week’s lessons dealt with attitude,  learn and accept failure, protect your story by not letting anyone read it ‘till it’s done, do not be critical of other writers--your tastes may not agree with their writing but that does not make it bad--,do not read critics of your writing--if you need a couple of good ones for sells let someone else find them for you. There was a lot more but that was some of the highlights. Also at least look over books that do not go along with your tastes. Those writers know how to tell a good story and you can learn from them. 

I am working on the story for Q2-’13 WotF and adding to my Santa Claus NaNo novel. Plus I have an opening to use in a story and an idea from the cover of an anthology I am reading, to do.  More on that in the next post. 

That’s it for now as usual it;s possible I will add a PS or three. 

A PS already

Looks like NaNo is doing something to help the revision process along in January . Good I could use some of that...depending exactly what they say. 

I am going to need a first reader when I finally get mine all the way done--I'm adding chapters and an epilogue. It might be around 70,000 but probably closer to 63,000 unless I can come up with an idea for a yet another chapter. 

And I am working on that Labor Day story for OTP it's now about 886 words. Only hundred and forty words more to get it over the minimum, which take it a few words over.

My reading Dec

I'm reading a short story collection--a UF anthology edited by P.N. Elrod Titled "Hex Appeal".

It has all of the favorite UF writers including the start of a new series by Jim Butcher. I say new series but I'm not sure if it will be books or short stories. Hope it has another noir style story with a certain vampire bar owner. 


I also bought John Joseph Adam's rather large Epic Fantasy anthology, I won't get to it for a while but it's waiting for me.


I came back to add that my muse perked up her head at the cover, A lady, probably of the evening, wearing a low-cut minidress is standing on a street corner while leaning against a building. To me--I'm sure some will disagree--her face shows she doesn't belong there. Not you usual hooker. So my muse told me a story, most of it anyway. She is a police officer undercover but it's not a police story it's a relationship story between a husband and wife. A rather short story--right now anyway--with a vampire and magic.

Here's a link to the cover

update Dec 16 '12

Updating my writing.

And some of this is venting so please excuse it.

   Quarter four of WotF was a bust. Maybe I spent too much time on the story. Even though I didn’t revise everything, I rewrote much of it. Still what I did do could have been too much.

Sent that story to F&SF Saturday. I will see if the knew guy there uses the same rejection comment each time or if the first one he sent me was for the little bit better stories. Other assistant readers at F&SF have three comments. Each one shows you got a little bit further. 

Sent in a WotF HM to Lightspeed but even though it took him a day longer than usual, nothing. I thought it could have gotten his better rejection--he does the same as the AE at F&SF-- at least but of course not even that. Looks like he’s not impressed with my latest credit. Of course it’s not a very big one but it’s still something.

I finished the story for the next quarter over at WotF. Not as many revisions even though I did rewrite some smaller parts of it. I sent it in Sunday. We shall see how it does. 

I want to send a story to onthepremises.com contest on holidays. Could be any or even a made up one but has to be a strong part of the story. I have one that could fit what they want. But I decided to rewrite one I want six years ago at least. It was an exercise but still it didn’t come out too bad. A different take on Labor Day. But I can’t find it. I did find one story I thought I had lost but not the one I wanted. However as I said I wanted to rewrite it and I believe I can recall most of it. I started it Sunday night. If I don’t get it down I will send in that other story. I do have a story about New Year’s Day 3,000 but it needs a rewrite and its a whole lot longer so I don’t think I will do that one. 

As to Dean’s Online Workshop, I did better than expected on that 300 word opening. He agreed with me. He thought it was powerful and just needed two commas. Wow, I really didn’t expect that it was as good as I thought it was. Now to write the rest of the story. I will and I think I have a basic premise for it. This week’s lessons dealt with attitude,  learn and accept failure, protect your story by not letting anyone read it ‘till it’s done, do not be critical of other writers--your tastes may not agree with their writing but that does not make it bad--,do not read critics of your writing--if you need a couple of good ones for sells let someone else find them for you. There was a lot more but that was some of the highlights. Also at least look over books that do not go along with your tastes. Those writers know how to tell a good story and you can learn from them. 

I am working on the story for Q2-’13 WotF and adding to my Santa Claus NaNo novel. Plus I have an opening to use in a story and an idea from the cover of an anthology I am reading, to do.  More on that in the next post. 

That’s it for now as usual it's possible I will add a PS or three. 

My online workshop

I am taking--finally--a workshop. It's online so it's not quite the same as live but a whole lot better than nothing.


These are put on by Dean Wesley Smith, here's a link to his online workshop page. If you check it out remember a lot of them are filled already, check to make sure which one's might still be open.


It's a six week workshop with videos that he recorded and an assignment to do each week. The first week had four teaching videos, each on a different subject dealing with the Essentials of writing.

I can't list a link to any of the videos but a lot of what he said he has dealt with on his blog over the years. Heinlein's Rules of writing, using all five human senses every two pages, that we need to write.

For those who haven't heard of them Heinlein's Rules go thus:

My paraphrase of them.
Write
Finish what you start
Only rewrite if an editor asks you to.
Send out the story
Keep sending it out until it sells.

That third one is the hard one. Dean says that for many the first two are hard and I can see why but have those two down.


I even have the fourth one down, the fifth one is a bit hard right now on some older stories and most new ones because I keep forgetting to set aside time to send them out.

The Five senses thing I've been working on for over a year. I doubt I get each one every two pages but I do put them in a lot.

And I do write.

I finished the assignment.  Actually, I made the mistake of feeling proud of it. I didn't want to or set out to but I think it's good. But usually when I feel that way the story or in this case opening gets torn to pieces and it's not half as good as I feel. Thus the mistake part of that sentence.

I don't know if I will be able to post it here when he gets done with it, I will have to see if he wants us to do anything else with it.

More later

Not enough words for publishing

Kinda of hate to do another NaNo post but whoever read about my desire to publish this one in the traditional way may have noticed a flaw in that idea.   Novel's 51,000 and some. I can add a 1,000 and some with the epilogues. That leaves it some 30,000 words short. I have some ideas that will add a few thousand words but not half that many. A new character and a couple of new whole chapters, more emotional angst for my MC, a fight or three but still not even 15,000 words more.

We shall see, I might come up with a whole new plot twist or some such but not at the moment. I will revise it and see what happens.

Christmas blog & It's okay to say Merry Christmas

As I warned, I changed the blog. The colors are the best I could find for red and green. I will change it again after Christmas. There really should be snow but this is the closest pic I could find for this template. And I don't want to spend too much time working on it.

My PC Christmas story soon.

Then a message on what makes Christmas good.


Anyway here is a Letter to the editor they printed a while back. Pretty much says it all even in just 200 words.
A very small handful of people really take offense to the greeting Merry Christmas...I'm sorry for that but it's still a good thing to say.

About Christmas vs Happy Holidays. Wishing someone Merry Christmas, rather by voice, on a window or by song, is not forcing a religion on anyone. It’s a wish for happiness during a certain holiday season. Some who don’t practice it recognize this. 

    Christmas is less exclusive than some people think. Americans have incorporated elements from various cultures to make our own celebration. On top of that people from other religions and even some atheists celebrate the secular version of Christmas. After all Christmas is by far the largest celebration in the USA and perhaps in the world.
    Stores who, to be politically correct, change Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays are biting the hand that feeds them. They will offend significantly more people by not saying it than the small handful who are really take offense by it. Since stores are going to offend no matter what they do they should do the right thing and say Merry Christmas. After all Christmas, not  the Holidays, is the reason we buy so much this time of year. The combined sales for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter and the Muslim holy day do not come close to equaling what is bought for Christmas.

Yet another NaNo post with teaching

I don't know how many of those who are followers or lurkers did NaNo but if you did and didn't make it 'till the end:

Even though November is over and your didn't finish, go for it, it would still be good to write 'till the end.

Some of this next is a repeat. It includes a bit of how to write well in it:

I'm working on a couple of epilogues for my novel. I wanted to make sure I finished so I sent it in to be counted before I did those.  I figure they--yes more than one--will add to the word count but probably only 4,000 to 8,000 words. And I will add a few more when I revise it. I added one or two things toward the end that I need to go back and suggest earlier.--it is not nice to surprise you're readers with an ongoing problem or ability that comes out of no where. Sometimes it seems to work but it's still not a good thing to do.  And it didn't hit me 'till almost the end but my MC needed to change some how or another--another thing editors expect and I've been told readers also expect. It can by large or small. At least in short stories I assume it's the same in novels. So my MC did go through a ty[e of change--shocked him to when he realized how much he had to the dark side he had slipped.  It's not Star Wars I'm talking the dark side of human nature. And now I have to go back and show what led up to that change. I included a couple of hints without realizing it but I need to go into a bit more detail. 


As I said this one I want to try to get published the regular way. After I revise it--which I want to do this month maybe next too since I have other writing things to do--I will need someone to check for nitpicks. As I've said on other projects I've decided that the writing will take care of itself or not, I could spend months on trying to get it just right.