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.