A Week of Writing: 6/21/21 to 6/27/21
Last week of June, folks. Let’s see how I did.
Words to Write By
This week’s quote comes from novelist Barbara Kingsolver.
“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.”
~ Barbara Kingsolver
I think as authors we spend a lot of time trying to figure out what people want. Be it editors or agents or readers, it’s almost impossible not to attempt to mold yourself and your writing into something that meets the expectation of folks reading your work. I’ve been doing that too much lately instead of writing what I’m passionate about, what I actually enjoy writing. I’ve been telling myself things like, “you’ve written about that too much” or “no one wants to read that subject/theme/genre”. So I’m throwing caution to the wind and writing something that, well, feels goofy as hell, but it’s about something I enjoy, it’s about something that resonates with me, and I’m having fun doing it. My hope is that all those feelings translate to the page and anyone who reads it feels them too. I think that’s a damn good goal.
Short Story Submissions
Yet another decent week of submissions.
- Submissions Sent: 2
- Rejections: 0
- Acceptances: 0
- Publications: 1
- Shortlist: 0
- Pending: 6
- 2021 Total Subs: 53
My goal for June was 54 submissions, and I’m at 53. Not bad. I have a couple more days to send out one more, and that shouldn’t be hard. No rejections or acceptances last week, but I did have a publication, which I’ll talk about more below.
The Novella
I added another 4,000 words to Effectively Wild, pushing it up over 12,000 words total. I’d really like to finish it this week, but I’m having house guests for the first time in, uh, well, you know, so that might be difficult. Still, if I can squeak out another 4,000 words, that would be cool. I’m really enjoying how the novella is shaping up, and dare I say it, I think it’s pretty good. I’m getting the same kind of vibes I got when I wrote “Night Games”, and these two works definitely share DNA. When the novella is done, I’ll have to figure out how to sell it, and that’ll likely result in a blog post or two. 🙂
Publications
My flash fiction story “Giving Up the Ghost” was published at Flash Point SF last week on National Flash Fiction Day. It’s one of my favorites, and I think one of the better flash pieces I’ve written in some time. Give it a read by clicking the link below.
READ “Giving Up the Ghost”
Night Walk
My flash fiction anthology Night Walk & Other Dark Paths features 40 of my best stories. You can pick up a copy of your very own in print or eBook by clicking the cover below.
For an inside peek into the anthology and its stories, check out the Night Walk Wednesday feature right here on the blog. I’ll give you all the juicy rejectomancy stats on individual stories from the collection.
- NWW: The Big Picture
- NWW: Things That Grow
- NWW: Do Me a Favor
- NWW: When the Lights Go On
- NWW: Where They Belong
- NWW: The Night, Forever, and Us
- NWW: Time Waits for One Man
- NWW: Small Evil
- NWW: Far Shores and Ancient Graves
- NWW: The Rarest Cut
Goals
Work on the novella, send out more submissions, side-eye the novel that been waiting for revisions for three months.
That was my week. How was yours?
2 Comments on “A Week of Writing: 6/21/21 to 6/27/21”
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Effectively Wild – A Baseball Horror Story
Night Walk & Other Dark Paths
Acts of War: Flashpoint
Acts of War: Aftershock
Acts of War: Stormbreak
Aeryn Rudel's Rejectomancy 
I liked Giving Up the Ghost. You could have gone a different way with that story, but the dad element made it better. And made me have all the feels. 😢 I’m eagerly waiting for this baseball novella and to hear about you shopping it around.
Thanks! Yeah, I agree. Without that “ghost” implication and the emotional beat that goes with it, it’d be a pretty bog standard time travel assassin story. I think the feels elevates it a bit.
More words on the baseball novella today. Hoping for a first draft next week. Shopping it is gonna be interesting. I’ve actually never tried shopping a novella.