Almost at The End

A final NaNoWriMo writing prompt post to aid anyone dragging themselves to the finish line or to inspire a short story for December. We're not taking any time off for Christmas, right? Well maybe a day or seven.

I finally updated my Duotrope submissions tracker today and discovered I only have 12 stories out (and one of those I suspect has fallen down a black hole - 272 days to the wonderful ChiZine and no reply to a query letter of about 50 days ago), so I think most of December will be dedicated to spewing crafting some new short stories.

Today, I completed a flash fiction story, Black Heart Balloon, which I hoped to send to RetroSpec until it took a rather vicious turn. Darn those bird carcasses and evil avian lung stealing fiends, it was a quite delightful piece until they turned up. I shall have to think of something almost as delightful this week. I have (including today) the next ten days off work. Don't envy me too much though, I have to do all my Christmas shopping. I'm sure my family don't want gifts this year. I think they'd prefer I spent my week riding the Liverpool Eye or skating in the new, rather tiny, ice rink in the city centre.

Oh, and for all of those who have completed NaNo or ripped written your little hearts out a hearty CONGRATULATIONS. You're awesome and we who have put our feet up, devoured far too much internet and wasted November salute you.
 

NaNoWriMo Prompts:

Cobbler

Patchwork

Backwater

Masked Mayhem

Cartwheel

Skimming Pebbles

Void

Rehearsal

Rent Payments

Hope You're Sailing

I've only seen this anthology listed on LJ's Specific Markets, so I thought I'd post it here too...

Music For Another World: An anthology of Strange Fiction, is looking for speculative fiction stories between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Payment is £80.00 (that's about $130 - $140 depending on r.o.e. and one copy of the paperback), and the submission period is now until 30th April 2010. Click the above link for full details and good luck.

(Click on the picture and see all the little people gawping

out at me - seriously, they came to Liverpool just

to behold my wonderfulness)

NaNoWriMo Prompts:

CCTV

Evacuation

Alcohol Free

Hatched

Free Concert

Killing Things

Broken Boys

Undershirt

Prehistoric

Butt Face

Going against my reserved Britishness, I did something that has left me glowing like a baboon's bum. I joined the SFWA a couple of months ago as an associate member (by current calculations I should hit active status about 2058 - yay 90 year old me) and today I discovered I can nominate short stories, novelettes etc for the Nebula Awards. I can't vote of course, but I can scream semi-loudly and hope someone agrees with me. Of course, I haven't a clue what to choose. Except of course Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars which blew me away.

Anyhow, why am I glowing like a baboons ass, or any ass in general, I put up a link to Trench Foot and downloaded The Sour Aftertaste of Olive Lemon in the 'Please consider this...'** section, alongside people who are like way-way-way (add several hundred more ways) better than me, but I figured what the heck, they can only laugh and point at me and with a face like a... Well, I'm used to it. :D

**I should add that the Please Consider this section is just someplace to put your work and not an actual nomination, I would never actually nominate myself... Just in case anyone is confused... Eek!

Baboons IX by *Deathface-999 on deviantART

NaNoWriMo Prompts:

Fabricated Future

Store Front

The Untouched Day

Margins

Other Information

Echo

Tunnels

Spirit Level

Leeches

Empty Frames

-you still remember me- by ~nailass on deviantART

NaNoWriMo Prompt Words:

Fractures
Psych Ward
Private Parking
Enough Rope
The Old Woman
Wonky
Sanctuary
Downward Spiral
Last Call

Something Fishy Going on Here

Ah, the wonders of procrastination. Aptly, the below image reminds me of Aaron Polson (not in a 'he looks or smells like a fish' way, but probably because of his fish stories). Struggling with my WIP Short story Fairy Tale Reality, and having no idea how to end it, the image on his NaNoWriMo blog post today provided me with much needed inspiration on how to end the thing. Ah, the power of a single weed... Again, that is not a reference to Mr. Polson.

NaNoWriMo Prompt Words:

Skipping

Dodgems

Frogs

Blue Collar

Splitsville

Pasting Letters

Walking Main Street

Earthquake

Rearview Mirror

Delete

Spooky...

On Saturday, I set myself the goal of writing the rough drafts of two short stories over the weekend and I did. Standing ovation please...

Okay, Pretty Little Ghouls is actually a flash length story but as I wrote the first, second and third draft over the weekend I'm couting it. And erm, Fairy Tale Reality (title subject to change), may well have a first draft but at the moment it is all pretty images and little substance, but we're getting there. I hope.

NaNoWriMo Prompts:

Stone Balls

White Gloves

Bell

Belonging

Solo Song

White Jacket

Chain Letter

Nursery Rhyme

Open Window

Rustling Paper

Flying Through

wings by ~iholdyoutonite on deviantART

NaNoWriMo Prompt Words:

Blown by the Wind
Fading Things
Chimes
Step Daughter
Peculiar Taste
Slugs
Hermit
When She was Bad
Secretive Sister
Without Walls

Have a fantastic weekend NaNoers.

Weavers of Dark Tales

R Scott McCoy, editor of Necrotic Tissue (no doubt you already know that), has posted an excellent blog post on changes he thinks the HWA should make to its membership rules. Among other things, I discovered the 90% rule means my pro-pay sale to NT doesn't count towards Active Membership, and with my only other pro-pay sale being a dark fantasy tale to Fantasy Magazine, I guess I'm back at the beginning.

Anyway, don't listen to me whitter, either go check his post or get back to your NaNoWriMo novel... Here's today's bits and pieces.



Dark Tales by `x-horizon on deviantART

NaNoWriMo Prompt Words:

Styrofoam Cup
Cloudy Mornings
Parachute Man
Sweat Trail
Motion Sickness
Rusting Skin
Psychadelics
Fencing Pipe Cleaners

Steampunkish Stuff from Steampunkish Times

A dual purpose post covering my NaNo Steampunk Research and Cate's Cheerless Crypt, though I'm sure you'll all agree there's nothing cheerless about these little gems - a collection of Villemard postcards from 1910 depicting how life would be in the year 2000 - if only.

*No eagle eyed viewers this weekend, this post was scheduled to go live on November 6th, but blogger obviously couldn't wait and posted it today.