July 2015 Motivational Thread

Facing said:
Yippie?

I just received the following email this morning, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

Thank you for sending us "15:32". We read it, and we loved it. The unfortunate part of putting together an anthology is that we had *so* many submissions that we had to decline even stories that we loved.

We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we looked at the stories that we had and realized that "15:32" would be a far better fit for one of our planned future anthologies. In this case, we would very much like for you to consider allowing us to keep "15:32" until October, when we will be coming out with Theater B. Early the following year, we will be coming out with Book of Blasphemous Words. We think "15:32" would be a great fit for the former.

Would you allow us to keep your submission for one of our future anthologies?

Do you think they are asking me to let them hold onto it for consideration or for publishing? I wish @KatG visited this thread. o_O
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I tend to check the Write One, Sub One more and I'm still getting used to the new tagging feature. :) Also, I was away this weekend.

But, it sounds like they want to buy it. But they can't quite offer you a contract yet, or they may possible throw it into yet another anthology, so they're hoping you let them keep it till October when they put out the Theater B anthology (that's an e-book?) so that they can try to include it then. So it's a say 85% thing. They're seeing if you'll want to move it instead. (Is this a non-paying pub thing?) So, if you don't have any other plans for the story, leaving it with them is the best bet, as you've done. Love is a strong word, so they are pretty into it. Assuming they are all reputable and actually do put out anthologies, this should be pretty kosher.

So yes, yippie!
 
July has really fallen apart on me. I am just getting over being sick for two weeks, which was right on the tail of the kids being sick for two weeks. Work got backed up while I was off being sick, my lunch hour routine dissolved. Now I have one week until vacation to make sure projects are on track, and as we all know, writing does not happen on vacation. So that is July down the toilet.
 
KatG said:
I tend to check the Write One, Sub One more and I'm still getting used to the new tagging feature. :) Also, I was away this weekend.

But, it sounds like they want to buy it. But they can't quite offer you a contract yet, or they may possible throw it into yet another anthology, so they're hoping you let them keep it till October when they put out the Theater B anthology (that's an e-book?) so that they can try to include it then. So it's a say 85% thing. They're seeing if you'll want to move it instead. (Is this a non-paying pub thing?) So, if you don't have any other plans for the story, leaving it with them is the best bet, as you've done. Love is a strong word, so they are pretty into it. Assuming they are all reputable and actually do put out anthologies, this should be pretty kosher.

So yes, yippie!
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I hope you had an awesome weekend. Thanks for checking in and delivering the pep talk. Theater B will be their fifth anthology (print and e-book) so I'm not worried on that front. Payment is listed as 'token' ($15 and a copy) which is fine with me too. :) Even if my story doesn't make it in October, I'm definitely getting closer to an acceptance.

The really cool thing, with respect to this group, is that I wrote this story for one of the contests. I'd never have even attempted horror on my own. Now it's back to the grind for me. I have entries for the current contests that still need my attention. You just never know where they might end up. :cool::)
 
SteveW said:
July has really fallen apart on me. I am just getting over being sick for two weeks, which was right on the tail of the kids being sick for two weeks. Work got backed up while I was off being sick, my lunch hour routine dissolved. Now I have one week until vacation to make sure projects are on track, and as we all know, writing does not happen on vacation. So that is July down the toilet.
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Sorry to hear that Steve! It's good you're feeling better now though. Where are you going on vacation? Someplace nice, I hope, which will let you recharge and come back strong and healthy and ready to kick August's butt.
 
SteveW said:
So that is July down the toilet.
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I've had entire years like that. Keep your spirits up, Steve! You'll get back to your writing soon.
Facing said:
The really cool thing, with respect to this group, is that I wrote this story for one of the contests.
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The contests are a great source of inspiration for me. I have definitely written far more (and far more varied stuff) because of the forum contests. Glad you have found them likewise!
 
Hello! I'm new. To everything. (For more information see my post in the introduction thread)
My goals for this month is to get at least half of the edits done for the publisher or even, dare I dream it? The whole thing edited by the end of the month!
 
Beth Wagner said:
Hello! I'm new. To everything. (For more information see my post in the introduction thread)
My goals for this month is to get at least half of the edits done for the publisher or even, dare I dream it? The whole thing edited by the end of the month!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Club Beth. What kind of stuff are you writing?
 
RedMage said:
Sorry to hear that Steve! It's good you're feeling better now though. Where are you going on vacation? Someplace nice, I hope, which will let you recharge and come back strong and healthy and ready to kick August's butt.
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Lol. I wish. Just going to Ottawa to visit with the in-laws for the week.

On the bright side ,I am half way through my read on your Halloween book. I have been making chapter by chapter notes. Hoping to be done by Friday.
 
@Facing congrats on the possible sale. I think letting them hold on to it until Oct is a good call.
 
SteveW said:
Welcome to the Club Beth. What kind of stuff are you writing?
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Well, amusing story Steve, my normal choice of media is graphic novels and comics wherein I dabble in a number of different genre. My favourite genres lean towards sci-fi and fantasy with horror and mystery tying for third and fourth position.
What I'm currently working on are the final edits for my father's publisher that he was working on right before he died. I am lucky that his work tended towards sci-fi and fantasy as well. It's been a lot of fun to work on.
My main stress right now is trying to get the hang of 'tracking changes'. I think I may have broken two chapters trying to figure it out.
 
SteveW said:
Lol. I wish. Just going to Ottawa to visit with the in-laws for the week.

On the bright side ,I am half way through my read on your Halloween book. I have been making chapter by chapter notes. Hoping to be done by Friday.
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Maybe the in-laws will take your family out for a day and leave you at home to write. :)

Notes on every chapter? That sounds scary, Steve! But that's what I want, so bring it on!
 
SteveW said:
July has really fallen apart on me. I am just getting over being sick for two weeks, which was right on the tail of the kids being sick for two weeks. Work got backed up while I was off being sick, my lunch hour routine dissolved. Now I have one week until vacation to make sure projects are on track, and as we all know, writing does not happen on vacation. So that is July down the toilet.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for vacations. This year I finally learned the lesson and didn't bring my laptop at all.

July may have fallen apart, but that just means that you make August happen. I know you can do it.
 
Facing said:
Yippie?

I just received the following email this morning, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

Thank you for sending us "15:32". We read it, and we loved it. The unfortunate part of putting together an anthology is that we had *so* many submissions that we had to decline even stories that we loved.

We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we looked at the stories that we had and realized that "15:32" would be a far better fit for one of our planned future anthologies. In this case, we would very much like for you to consider allowing us to keep "15:32" until October, when we will be coming out with Theater B. Early the following year, we will be coming out with Book of Blasphemous Words. We think "15:32" would be a great fit for the former.

Would you allow us to keep your submission for one of our future anthologies?

Do you think they are asking me to let them hold onto it for consideration or for publishing? I wish @KatG visited this thread. o_O

This is the closest I've ever come to being published, so obviously I'm going to say yes but it would be nice to know if I can safely get excited about the prospect of my first publishing credit or just more waiting and nail biting.
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So, I went ahead and asked them straight out if they want it for future publication or just consideration. And the answer is....publication. : ) I'm still waiting for paperwork but my submittable account finally has something under the accepted tab. Yippie!
 
@Facing I think a congratulations are in order. So, "Congratulations to you." If I remember correctly that was a rather dark tale... Oh well, darkness sells.
 
I guess I can do a few goals for this month.
1. Learn and switch to DVORAK
2. Start writing no matter what (to be a writer, must write)
3. 200 words of fiction per day, 1000 per week
4. Finish one "story"
 
Bodhi said:
@Facing I think a congratulations are in order. So, "Congratulations to you." If I remember correctly that was a rather dark tale... Oh well, darkness sells.
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Thanks @Bodhi If it makes you feel any better I'm still working on stories that are less dark.
 
I'm discovering that continuing the submission grind without writing anything new is no fun. It also makes it harder to brush off the rejections because I don't have work-in-progress to be really excited about -- normally, I get a rejection and I think "aw whatever, the one I'm writing now is better anyway." That doesn't work with no WIP, so I've been hacking away at a handful of stories a couple of hundred of words at a time. Slow, painful progress.

I've also kept jotting down new ideas and scraps for future stories. The good news there is that my ideas seem to be coming more fully-formed than they used to. Beginning, tent-pole for the middle, and end. Now if I could just keep my head together enough to sit down and write something more than a 200-word intro, I'd have some actual output.
 
hunt said:
The good news there is that my ideas seem to be coming more fully-formed than they used to. Beginning, tent-pole for the middle, and end. Now if I could just keep my head together enough to sit down and write something more than a 200-word intro, I'd have some actual output.
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Even adding to you pile of ideas keeps you writing. For me the hardest thing to do is get BACK to writing after I stop. Even if I only stop for a day, the story seems to recede in my mind and life takes a firmer hold of my time.

Good luck stretching out those intros. If you need help you could always ask in the workshop. I'm not certain that there are any rules that prevent us from asking for help on an intro or outline. Folks ask for help on drafts all the time.
 
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