March 3 update-Instruction

Been meaning to type this out and post if for a week or so. That means, besides being busy writing and on a side not lazy and forgetful, I may have forgotten items I wanted to include which means that there could be a PS again. 

    So I’ve been working short stories and short stories and short stories not to mention a  few shortees. 

     Oh, yes also done a bunch of critiques. Mostly for other WotF writers. But one for Critters.org and one for another contest--more on that later.

    I am revising a story I wrote at the very least six months ago--could be closer to a year. This one is a major revision for I’ve learned a few things since I wrote. So I’m putting in more sensory description, using all five of the human senses, and more emotional angst for the MC and a try-fail cycle.  For those who may not know yet the last is when the hero or MC of a story has to try to fix something-work something out-figure out clues. David over at WotF--I still forget his official title but he is the first reader judge there, you have to get by him to make it the final judges-likes try-fail cycles. He has stated he wants three--depending on the length. This story isn’t for them but Try-Fail is something for all fiction. There needs be at least one in every story. Three I believe would be the limit even though a novelette-novella could have more---again I believe.   The Five human senses are another writing device for all fiction. David says they are good for Show and setting. Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch--Dean’s wife and award winning writer--both say that with all five sense every two pages you do not need show.  That’s because Show will show up if you describe all five senses. (I’ve said this before and will probably say it again) I’m sure you can over do it especially if you keep jamming them all in one short paragraph like I seem to do at times. 

I’ve finished stories for three of the four openings Dean said was great during a Online Workshop--one of those three will be my story for Quarter Three of WotF. I’m almost done with the fourth story. That one took more time. Dean advised me to “crash” more than one type of story together. Makes it more interesting that way. I’ve done that before without really thinking about it. This idea is probably what he meant. I took some time though to try to come up with a different idea--after all werewolf relationships with non-wolves have been explored in many stories. I hope mine emphases the relationship between a husband and wife in a troubled marriage more than the ‘wolf and Mage elements. They should be background not the main elements if I do the story right. 

One more thing about these stories. I think I’ve said this before but doesn’t hurt to repeat especially if I get any new readers. Dean wanted us to use all five senses in the first 13 lines of the each opening. Taste is usually hard but evidently I did it right in the werewolf story. And in this instants he was right the Senses do add setting and Show. 

Now it’s later--as in the mini story contest I reference earlier. Someone on the WotF forums mentioned a contest for mini stories. No more than 200 words. Egads, that is not easy but I’ve already played around with minis so I’m kinda of used to it. (I may end up putting one to three of them on that side page for my stories since there are few markets for stories that short). It took me three tries to keep the story under 200. The first one ended up 480 some and the second came in at 513 or so. One reason they came in so long is that I wanted to put in the five senses but you can’t do that in 200 words. I settled for a couple of them. I need to revise it quickly and send it in for the deadline is very soon. Oh, it’s a Canadian magazine so they will have three Canadians winners and two nonCanadian. Don’t know if they do any HMs.  

And I’ve started the last revision of Q2 story for WotF. Not that much real revsioning-I did move half a page further into the story-it’s mostly nitpicking. 

Oh, I am working on one story at work and I think that is all I have planned for the moment...I NEED to get to revising two novels. So-not counting the two stories for WotF and the mini contest and any new stories I plan to send out I will not be doing any new stories at home for a month or three. I Hope! I keep distracting myself on other writing. My Q3 story is done so I don’t have to worry about that.

I’m praying to sell one or two stories for a thousand dollars--that will let me tithe off of it, take another online workshop and take a week off from work. I think they will let me do that now. Later probably not. Or if not a week than three days. I want the time to work on two maybe three novel revisions.