Geez, it's the end of June already. I round out the half-year mark with a rejection for poor "Never Be Alone"; despite my tepid fondness for it, I think it's time to retire it permanently. The editor gave me some good feedback which is probably accurate, but which doesn't make me want to pursue another rewrite.
June was okay. I didn't get much done, although I did rewrite an old story FUGGETYFUG I need to hack it down RIGHT NOW to 4k words and SUB IT before midnight! I can't believe I forgot!
Um, anyway, I rewrote an old story in June and I've half-written a new story. I sold a flash story to Bards & Sages Quarterly. I got some rejections that disheartened me enough that I'm considering retiring everything I've ever written and growing hot peppers as a hobby instead. There would be less heartbreak, since nothing much kills peppers and I have a head start with nine huge cayenne plants out back.
I have zero novels out right now, zero novellas, and only three stories. Right now I'm feeling so paralyzed at my inability to judge my own work that I'm incapable of sending anything out--not a query letter, not a manuscript, not anything. I guess this is probably a good time to ask for beta readers for chapter one of The Weredeer. You don't have to commit to the whole thing, just the first chapter. I'm pretty sure it starts too slow. If you're interested, drop me an email at kateshaw123 [at] gmail [dot] com and you will have my eternal gratitude.
Now I have to go chop down that stupid "Cult of the Butterfly" story to 4k words. Since it's squatting there like a toad at 6,300 words, I don't anticipate having much fun.
12 comments:
Give me that chapter!
(wv=curinfic, short for curing fiction...?)
*jumps up and down*
*raises hand*
I volunteer!
Thanks, both of you. I'll send it along after I either chop another 1,500 words out of this alien story or delete it. I want to take one last go-over of Chapter one before I send it to you suckers--er, kind people who volunteered. :)
*raises hand*
I can kill pepper plants, but for some reason tomatoes flourish in my backyard.
Three of our tomato plants have died, but the peppers are going to be the size of trees by fall. We've also got two green bells and one yellow bell, and three habaneros. I don't eat the bells (too green-tasting) or the habaneros (way too hot for me), but I do love cayennes. The first ones should turn red soon.
Thanks for volunteering! I'll send the chapter along later this evening.
Now get to work, you have words to cut. :)
*groans* I know! I've cut 1,200 words already but I still have 1,100 to go. I'm not sure the story will hold up. I'm not sure I'll hold up.
Personally, I think you need a change of pace. Maybe a western? Science fiction? Romance? Take a break from the same old same old and stretch a little bit. But don't quit.
Well, I just wrestled my way through a pure SF story (and got it down to 4,000 words at last!) and I hated the whole thing. I like fantasy.
Send it along, send it along.
I'm certain I'd fail even growing peppers. Despite my surname I do not have green thumbs.
The most important thing to remember about growing peppers is not to water them too much. It makes the peppers less hot!
Thanks for offering to beta read chapter one! I still haven't had a chance to read over the chapter, so I'll be sending it to everyone who offered tonight.
yep, I'm late to the party but I've been sick and I'm only now catching up on all my blog reading.
I'd be happy to have a read of your chapter, or anything else you'd like to send my way.
bt.author @ gmail [dot] com
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