writing science fiction

Writing Short Fiction


I finally finished my Kumari revision and my loving husband patiently read and re-read with his red pen in hand. He loves the red pen part. There is irony in being the red pen wielding beta reader of a former English teacher.

The short is still short. I doubt I added more than 100 words, but it has reached that stage where any more revision will likely ruin it. I need to find somewhere to submit it. I had thought Apex. Am still kinda toying with them but I don’t think the story is dark enough. I have mentioned that they like story dark? Dark to the point of sick. According to my writing group, the main character of Kumari is reprehensible and unlikable but still manages to garner understanding if not sympathy. And of course, I didn’t “go there” in terms of sex or gore. Could have I guess, but just didn’t feel it with this piece. 

I actually have another story that I started writing on the drive back from the States in July. There is nothing like listening to POTUS candidates on the 4th of July to bring on visions of a dark, foreboding future of Stephen King proportions. I outlined my idea aloud to Rob who wondered how I could find such sick images in my mind. 

Yes, he wondered this out loud.

So, Kumari needs to go somewhere else. To a small magazine, I think.

I googled “Canadian sci fi magazines” and found nothing really. Just the magazine that asked for the second look at 2.0, and since they don’t take multiple submissions, I have to wait until I hear back from them on the current story under consideration.

No multiple submissions. NO simultaneous submissions.

The whole “getting published” game is stacked decidedly in the favor of publishers and publications. Not very free market if you ask me.

In the meantime, aside from the novel that is begging for my attention, I have started three more short stories on top of the three that need finishing and the memoir outline that is tapping on my skull.

Oh, and I need to totally rework my three month “plan” because I have changed direction.

But Kumari is done and that is something.

Freedom: To Snuggle, Write and Change my Hair Color


 

 

The second day of the new school year and I am enjoying a quiet breakfast while catching up on my blog reading and commenting. BabyD is at school. Rob is at work. And as soon as the harsh rays of morning light pass, MidKid will emerge and finish packing for her move back to the city.

BabyD did not get her preferred teacher for grade one but assures me that as long as Mr.S doesn’t raise his voice to her specifically, she is fine with the outcome. It’s funny but, in a way, she is living her own life now that she is in school all day. Hundreds of things will happen in her life now on a daily basis that I will never know anything about. Amazing how quickly we become individual entities.

After I dropped her at school yesterday, I did a quick workout and then raced back home to spend some snuggle time with Rob. He stayed home yesterday morning with a bad headache but was sufficiently well enough for snuggling. Later I told him he will have to take the first morning of school off every year. A nice rite of passage for us to look forward to as we commence countdown to the day BabyD heads off to university.

I didn’t get any writing done yesterday between first day of school duties, snuggling and a hair appointment in the afternoon. A much needed appointment. My previous hairdresser was not to my personal liking. There was just no rapport. But between traveling and camp and mothering and reno work, I haven’t had the time this summer to search out a new salon.

The young lady who did my hair yesterday convinced me to go with brown lowlights and I think the results turned out quite well.

 

 

Not the best photo but good enough for illustration purposes.

Not the best photo but good enough for illustration purposes.

 

Yes, the curl is natural. I am actually a red-head but went blond at 18 and stayed that way for the most part since.

However, I am too old to do the bleach-blonde look now. When you first get grays, going lighter is a good way to hide them. Eventually you just start to look haggard and Madonna cartoonish and something has to be  done.

On a writing note, I read my Kumari story at writing group last night and they loved it. I received the best compliment on my writing I have ever received too when someone (Nate I think) said,

“I never have to work at suspending my disbelief with your stories.”

That sentiment was echoed and I was giddy. I just love reading my work and hearing the reaction.

I was invited to tag along to a writers’ conference in Surrey at the end of October. Though it sounds like fun and could be a great opportunity for meet/greet with agents/publisher’s, I don’t have anything really ready for that yet and the drive is nightmarish. And would be with people I only know through the group. 16ish hours in a car with people I only see once or twice a month? Plus sharing a hotel room?

Yeah, I am a bit too faint of heart for that despite the people in question being very good and dedicated writers.

My plan is to do writing conferences in the coming year and spend the rest of this one finishing up projects and preparing a portfolio of work and querying a few agents via email or letter.

Today, I have lunch in town with Rob after stopping by school to pay fees and hitting the post office – need to get some subscriptions sent off for work related journals. Then a nice workout and home to finish Kumari. I think I might submit it to Apex, but I am not sure if it is dark enough for them. They like their sci-fi/fantasy dark. Says so in their guidelines. But maybe I will let them be the judge of that, eh?

My t-shirt Friday post is still generating a lot of traffic. Perhaps tee’s should be a Friday theme? I don’t want to steal Nurse Myra’s idea out from under though she only does it on the last Friday of the month. I will await reader feedback (and Myra’s thoughts) before deciding.

No hump day hmmm. Julie was busy at the convention in Denver. Perhaps next week.

A Rejection Letter with a Twist


I mentioned some time back that I had submitted a sci-fi story that I have been working to a Canadian magazine based out of Edmonton. Not the kind of magazine that I suspect many of my gentle readers read being science fiction and fantasy based, never the less I was fairly excited and optimistic. The story I sent is the first in a series of inter-related shorts that will tell a whole story once they are all complete. One of the pieces was recently rejected by the annual acrostic contest. I wasn’t surprised. The story isn’t “stand alone” enough for a short story format that insists on being told using the letters for the alphabet for the first word in each line and just 26 sentences long was too intriguing to pass up. The story wrote itself and I am very proud of it. Read Full Article