Tin Castles & Cheap Cigars, aka The Degeneration of an Idea

Now that's a long blog title, I'm expecting Blogger to object (or LJ if you're reading my ramblings there) to it and if you're reading it now, I'm guessing they didn't. Anyhow...

I'm currently in the first flush of an idea for a short story (that my mind is trying to convince me could be novella length, but which we both know will end up scraping 2,000 words at most) and as per usual, I'm convinced this one is going to be great. That's nothing new. Here is how stories usually pan out for me.

Spark of an idea
Me: Ooh, interesting.

Idea begins to build
Me: This is going to be fan'frickin'tastic. Fantasy & Science Fiction here we come.

Open up blank page in Word
Me: I'm in love with you first paragraph

Several hours later
Me: First paragraph you suck

Some more hours later
Me: Idea you are plain old ordinary and why is there a garden gnomerunning around the plot.

Everything rewritten, rewritten and rewritten some more
Me: I'd send it to F&SF but my ink is low and I'd have to go to the Post Office and well, you know that idea was not as great as the one I just thought of.Now that story, I will send.
At this point I should add that I have submitted to Fantasy & Science Fiction once (story now retired) and sometimes the glow doesn't wear off until several editors have shooed me away.




King of my castle.. by ~Rowiel on deviantART

NaNoWriMo Prompt Words:

Tin Castle
Cheap Cigars
Chorus of Devils
Rooftops
Pathology
Playing Poker
Deja-Vu
Knee Caps
Scrap Metal

Stepping Wearily into 2009

I'm going to start off the new year with a Cateism: You know you need to diet when you realise you would make a hearty meal for a shuffle of zombies.

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm a girl who believes in Karma and signs and portents and OMG! my new year got off to a bad start so I may make a hearty meal for a whole continent of zombies by the time the day ends as I delve into the world of comfort eating. Note to self: Do not open your emails on Jan 1st until something blindingly-brilliant has happened.

First email (okay, after several spam) was a rejection - BOO! So my stats for this year so far are:
Submissions: 0
Sales: 0
Rejections: 1
Publications: 0 (sob! - more on that)
Approx Word Count: 0
Stories out in submission land: 23
WIP: Theatre of Curious Acts 2nd draft - 10,921
Subscriptions: 2 (Postscripts, Doorways)
New Subscriptions: 0

Then with my following email, I followed the link to the latest issue of Necrotic Tissue which should have included my 100 worder Bug Eyed. It wasn't there. Ate some more chocolate, checked acceptance email (it says January 09), breathed sigh of relief that I hadn't imagined an acceptance, settled down to wait for the next issue in April.

Not a good start guys, right??? Gulp.

Anyhow, I guess we need to do the whole resolution/goal thing.

1. Write one short story a month - totalling 12 for the year (I can count).
2. Finish 'Theatre of Curious Acts' and sub etc
3. Rework 'The Poisoned Apple' and sub etc
4. Write new novel either 'The Moth Maker' or 'The new idea I had at work on Tuesday when I was supposed to be coming up with an idea for a short story - and then convinced myself I was a genius and this would be the one (again)'.
5. Take out a new subscription / buy a new anthology / novel from a small press publisher every month. And for those of you not in the know 'Necrotic Tissue' is going to be a print magazine as of July and they now pay pro rate to one writer per issue ($25 dollars for other short stories, and 5 cents per word for the 100 worders - which is pretty cool too). I will be abusing their inbox again.

And to compound my 'this new year is evil' mantra - I'm now off to do my writerly tax returns for 2008.