Arc sec per sec

My $0.02 on the short story market discussion

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:21:11 GMT

(that’s $0.02 net, not per word, BTW)

Short story pay rates and markets have meme-morphed into the latest hot topic for writer’s blogs. So here I go with my thoughts.

I think the biggest problem for writers is not lack of acceptable pay rates, but lack of acceptable markets. I’d like all my sales to be SFWA qualifying, but for a straight SF story, or worse yet, a hard SF story, the number of markets is small, and once you’ve exhausted them, what to do? Hang on to the story and wait until you’re a BNA and hope that they will become saleable? Trunk them? Re-write as you improve in skill and hope the editors don’t recognize them? Or, what I end up doing, send them out to the lower paying markets. I do have a bottom line, and won’t send anything out to a non-paying market, but even there at the bottom is a fuzzy line. What about an anthology that only pays royalties? There at the periphery of paying markets, the odds of marginal publication even seeing the light of day have to be considered. What if you sell a story to a market that folds, or an anthology that never comes out (but holds you rights)?

Another market consideration is the ever mutable “submission window.” What if you have a story that’s perfect for a particular market, but that market is, at the moment, closed to submissions? Let it sit until the market opens, or send it to a different market?

Some Woodworking stuff

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:56:05 GMT

Some drawers I made for a tool cabinet that is still in the planning stage:

that's the 3" tall version, and here's the 1 1/2" version with some tools:

I also bought a tool rest from Grizzly, and added it to a new platform for the bench grinder:

Cherry Weiner visits the GSHW

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:39:29 GMT

Saturday was the monthly meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers, and our guest was literary agent Cherry Weiner (note to all of you looking for agents: she DOES NOT take unsolicited submissions). She's been in the fieldfor many years and handles many genres, including western, SF, and urban fantasy.

The bulk of the meeting was Cherry fielding questions about publishing, agents, and writing in general. One piece of advice that was repeated many times is that quality of your writing is the most important thing.

When talking to an agent, either in an informal setting or during a pitch, the thing she looks for is if the writer is excited about their work. She often meets writers at conferences, and if she likes your work she may ask you to submit to her.

Back from the Cod

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:25:33 GMT

Sunset on Cape Cod.

My story is out . . .

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:28:18 GMT

Over at Flash Fiction On-line, you can read my short-short story, "How High the Moon."

click here

Writing News

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:33:43 GMT

I sold my story "How High the Moon" to Flash Fiction Online.
In other news, I finished a 23,000 word novella. It took me a lot more time than I thought it would. I don't know yet if it's a very long short story or a short novel. I'll let it sit for awhile before putting it through the editing process.

Prize Package

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:53:14 GMT

I recently received my prize package from the Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest.

In a very thoughtful gesture, they include a bag to carry all the goodies in:

And here's what's inside:

I got a Jim Baen's Universe mug, a CD-ROM of The Best of Jim Baen's Universe 2006, Eric Flint's novel Time Spike, and the collection The Best of Jim Baen's Universe #2, featuring fantastic stories from KD Wentworth, Mike Resnick, Elizabeth Bear, Kevin J Anderson, J. Kathleen Cheney (her story Touching the Dead is great -- read it first) and many more!

Luckily, winning second place doesn't eliminate you from entering the contest again. I'll start working on a new story as soon as I finish all these books.

Y,A,Q,

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:55:13 GMT

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Tove Jansson (1914-2001)

13 High-Brow, -15 Violent, 3 Experimental and -1 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Peaceful, Experimental and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.

Tove Jansson was a Finnish painter, sculptor and writer. She was part of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and so wrote her books, including her most famous works, the Moomin books, in Swedish. The Moomin books (1945-70), though perhaps not considered fantasy by some, are nevertheless fine examples of world-building for children, centred around the inhabitants of the Moomin Valley, where a family of white trolls known as moomin trolls live, and always return to, though they occasionally leave for adventures in the outside world. Though many of the Moomin books are pure childrens' books, Jansson conducted the experiment of letting the series turn more adult as she went along, the last three books (one collection of short stories and two novels) being psychologically complex stories that are just as fit, or sometimes perhaps more fit, for adults. Still, Jansson's somewhat romantic vision of the Valley as a peaceful haven of family life in the midst of a sometimes frightening and dark world is retained through-out the books. Though she considered herself a painter rather than a writer, Tove Jansson will always be remembered as one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest writer of children's books of all times.

You are also a lot like Philip Pullman.

If you want some action, try Gene Wolfe.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, David Eddings.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received 13 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received -15 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received 3 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received -1 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

Make your own Obamicon

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:40:53 GMT

Just go to Obamicon.Me to get started, and you can see thousands of examples here.

Shuttle Launch

Fri, 22 May 2009 02:02:26 GMT

Back from Florida where I watched the liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-125 to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

I watched through binoculars, only taking a few quick pictures.
We watched from the NASA causeway, and as soon as the main engines ignited, the entire shuttle disappeared in a cloud of exhaust. Then when the solid rocket boosters ignited, you could see their flame through the clouds of exhaust, and seconds latter the shuttle cleared the tower and was off.
It was all over so quickly, after waiting in the hot sun for three hours.
Didn't see the boosters separate, but as the shuttle moved downrange, you could still see the bright light from the main engines.

Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

Wed, 06 May 2009 01:49:44 GMT

Just found out today that my story "Burst Mode" has won second place in the Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest.

The National Space Society and Baen Books sponsor this contest in memory of Jim Baen, to celebrate the role science fiction has in making advances in science. The basic requirement for entries is that they show the near future of manned space exploration.

The National Space Society has a simple vision: People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity. They have local chapters all over the United States.

Jim Baen (1946-2006) was a noted science fiction writer, who became and editor and publisher when he founded Baen Books, a leader in the field of military SF, fantasy, adventure and space opera. They also have a thriving e-book division called Webscriptions, which allows readers to download books before publication.

My story was more down-to-earth than the typical space exploration story, but I did show how humans in the future will still be exploring the planets, and solving problems in a very human way.

A big thanks to Baen books and The National Space Society for providing the prizes (including membership in the Society!), judges Hank Davis, Eric Flint and Mike Resnick, and special thanks to William Ledbetter for organizing the contest and getting the results out.

Give this a read . . .

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:16:33 GMT

And old friend from High School has a column at the Alternative Press. This week's is a portrait of the kind of people who serve our country.
Read it here.

Writers of the Future, Vol 24 now available

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:40:45 GMT

Well, its taken awhile, but Vol 24 is now available at Amazon and Borders.

What's inside? Glad you asked:

First up in this overview is Laura Rede, my “twin” from the workshop who writes some of the best YA stuff around. Check out her story “Smacking Back" at the e-zine Coyote Wild – winning the WotF award was no fluke. Her WotF story, “Epiphany,” features circus freaks, murder, and general mayhem. And that’s just the first two pages. Be sure to read the whole tale, it gets even better.

Next up is Dr. Philip Kaldon, or “Dr. Phil” as he is known in the on-line world. Dr. Phil, a physics teacher in the real world, was the sole published finalist in Vol 24 and his story “A Man in the Moon” not only asks what will happen when mankind lives and dies on the moon, answers it. Check out his latest story in the current issue of Analog.

Ian McHugh, my roommate at WotF, won the Gold award with his story “Bitter Dreams.” But this story of Outback zombies and shadow magic doesn’t end here. He has both a graphic novel of the story and novel in the same setting in the works. He has upcoming stories in ASIM and Asimov’s.

“A Warbird in the Belly of the Mouse” by David Parish-Whittaker features time travel, World War I dogfights, and the ultimate amusement park – but it’s a character story too! David flies airplanes for a living, so expect true-to-life aerobics, I mean aerobatics in this story.

Read about the ultimate e-book in JD Everyhope's story "Circuit." It has all the critically acclaimed literature ever written, offers commentary, translation and analysis. But wait -- there's more! It's intelligent and talks to you.
Hope it's available on Amazon soon.

Sonia Helbig takes us to a post-apocalypse Australian outback to meet a teacher with a very tough job: She tests her children with a "Crown of Thorns" to see who can save them all.

Is an avatar just copy? Does it have any legal rights? If you give it an inch, will it savor freedom and start "Taking a Mile?" J. Kathleen Cheney tackles this question with her story of a clone with a limited lifespan.

Steampunk's not all difference engines, gas light and zeppelins. Sarah Edwards tells of an inventor, haunted by his own past, who tries to perfect his creations in "Simulacrum's Children."

With great power -- like the power to create and destroy a world -- comes great responsibility. Erin Cashier 's story of Duxa, the AI planet builder on the way to the planet "Cruciger" has tough decisions to make. Luckily, she has mindmaps of humans and all of Earth's history, science and entertainment. But that doesn't make her choice any easier.

When "The Bird Reader's Granddaughter" leaves home after tragedy, she enters a new world of fortune telling, love and war. Kim Gillett's tale of Catia brings to light the problems of knowing the future, and when to tell a person's fortune.

When you're about to die, you've got limited options. "Snakes and Ladders" from Paula Stiles spins a story of a life-changing internal struggle.

The Anthology closes out with Al Bogdan's story of Ektela, "The Girl Who Whispered Beauty." In a world where a whisper girl has the power to bestow life and beauty, can she keep some for herself or must her mistress take it all?

I won't say anything about my story except to show the fantastic illustration from the multi-talented Robert Castillo. He had a short film accepted for the Nickelodeon Animation Festival last October and does storyboards for shows like the Sopranos in addition to all his illustration work.

In fact, all of the illustrations for this year's book are top notch, but don't take my word for it. You can download them from the Audible website here.

Some good Reading and Listening from my WotF mates

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:07:15 GMT

On newsstands now, look in the May Issue of Analog for Dr Phil's story "The Brother on the Shelf."

If you don't have the time to run out to the nearest bookstore, try a Podcast of Ian McHugh's story "The Greatest Adventure of All," available at Pseudopod. This story shows what happens when scientists step over the edge -- the edge between life and death.

If you can't make up your mind between reading and listening, Beneath Ceaseless Skies gives you both. You can read Sarah L Edwards' "The Last Devil" online or listen to the mp3 audio version. Make your choice here.

And while you're at BCS, be sure to check out "Hangman" by Erin Cashier here, and "The Dragon's Child" by J Kathleen Cheney here.

And be sure to visit Beneath Ceaseless Skies in a couple of weeks. The next issue will feature a new story from KD Wentworth, "The Orangery."

Crazy Arms

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:23:39 GMT

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4&5. Blah blah tag people no.
6. Have Fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY?' YOU SAY?

"Help me Up", Eric Clapton
I must have fallen.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

"Slow Down" the beatles
yeah, like I'm hyperactive or something

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

"in my time of dying" led zepplin

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

"Jump, Jive an Wail" Brian Setzer Orchestra

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

"You're the nearest thing to heaven" Johhny cash

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?

"Do you want to know a secret?" The Beatles
I'd tell you, but then I'd have to tag you with a silly meme.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

"Mother" Pink Floyd

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" Motzart
I always did keep them up late waiting for me to come home.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

"Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite" The beatles
I think about Mr H a lot too

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

"Any time at all" The Beatles
All you gotta do is call . . .

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

"Le Nozze di Figaro" Motzart
If my life story was an opera, why couldn't it be a space opera?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

"Milkcow's Calf Blues" Robert Johnson

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

"Please Don't Touch", the Stray Cats
Probably a closed casket!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

"Imperial Battle Music", Homeworld soundtrack
Rockin' with the empire, yeah man, dig that

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

"Brain Damage", Pink Floyd
Spot on

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

"Dual Soliloquy," Roy Buchanan

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?

"Lady Luck", Brian Setzer Ochestra

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

"Nothin' shakin'", the Beatles

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

"Crazy Arms", Chuck Berry

The Day the Music Died

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:43:29 GMT

Rave on, Buddy, Ritchie and the Bopper.

What have I missed?

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:56:58 GMT

I haven't played video games for awhile, but on a recent trip to the mall I took a stroll through one of the game stores and saw this:

Have gave developers run out of things to simulate? And is the genre big enough to support two sequels? I guess after playing Civ3 a few hundred times you have to look for something new.

Ouch! Triple Rejection Day

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:55:23 GMT

Checking my email this morning, I got three rejections for stories I've submitted.
Response times were 186, 97 and 5 days. Funny how they all arrived within 8 hours of each other.
One had some interesting editorial comments, which I will have to ponder before sending that story out again. The others were form rejects.

Another Snow day

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:38:15 GMT

Snow started late last night and turned to rain late this afternoon.
We got about 4" of snow sandwich -- slush on the bottom, ice on top, and compacted stuff in the middle. Too slushy for the snow blower, I had to shovel it all.

They got the gadget bit right

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:14:38 GMT

Your International Spy Name is Lance Sparks

Your Code Name: Unicorn

You Reside in: Rio de Janeiro

Why You're a Good Spy: You're good with gadgets

What's Your International Spy Name?

Book Sentence meme

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 01:26:15 GMT

Grab the book nearest you. Right now. Turn to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

". . . It would be catastrophic for the Glitter Band, as it very nearly was eleven years ago."
The Prefect, Alastair Reynolds

Obligatory Year end summary

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:49:28 GMT

My internet was down last week, so I'm only getting around to posting this.

Stories started: 22
Stories completed: 13 (59%)
Sold: 1
In print*: 1
Submissions: 37
Stories out: 7
Words written: 71,764
Books read: 32

Things I have to work on this year:
Complete more stories, which boils down to not getting bogged down in the middle, which is where I usually drop a story.
I'd like to write more, and I'm going to try for 150k. About 75% of what I wrote came after the WotF workshop, and I'm continuing on that pace, so I think I can make it. (so far this year, 8700 words, and I've written every day).
Also have to ramp up the production, and get more stories out. I'm shooting for 1 a month out to a pro market.
And I should organize my "To be Read" pile, before it teeters over and crushes me, Collyer brother style.

* theoretically, WotF Vol 24 is in print, but currently only available from Galaxy.

Sant Claus came to Town

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:53:31 GMT

Santa Claus paid a visit to the good girls and boys of Boonton today, courtesy of the Boonton Fire Department's Santa Run.

Here they are at the annual Fireman's Parade.

Snow day

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:36:40 GMT

Took the day off, and the snow started falling around 10 am.

There were a couple of accidents down the streets, so it was a good day to stay home.

Writers of the Future, Day 5

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:58:15 GMT

This was the last day of the workshop and the start of the whirlwind.
We had a critique session of the 24 hour stories, and then Tim and KD gave us some "final advice."

Now we could relax, for a bit.
Kevin J Anderson and Rebbecca Moesta gave a presentation on "What I wished some pro had told me." Basically, it was "How to be a professional" and a few "dirty secrets."

Next up was Charles Brown of Locus magazine, who talked about the art of writing and the business of writing. Some bad news -- I'm too old to be a writer! I'll just have to act young.

Sean Williams gave a talk on the 10 and a half commandments of writing. The entire talk is contained in episode 62 from the pod-cast Adventures in SciFi Publishing, available here.

Eric Kotani started his talk off with an 11th commandment (if you break a commandment, don't get caught). We then had a talk from Steve Savile and Eric James Stone.

Now came the unveiling of the illustrations. Each of the winners of the Illustrators of the Future contest received a story to illustrate for the book. This would be used to determine the Gold award winner, so each and every one of them did an outstanding job. All the writers loitered outside the hospitality suite until everything was ready (they had to move some of the artwork inside because it had started raining) and then we went in and had to find the illustration for our story. I found mine quickly,because I had already met Robert. I was very impressed with his illustration, and the large enlargement looks fantastic.

Robert Castillo, Joel, and me.

When I wrote the story, I had a very definite image of what the narrator looked like. But when Robert did his illustration, he drew it from Gina's point of view, so we see what she sees. Something I had not thought about at all, and I love his interpretation. The industrious technician is sitting at his workstation, coffee cup nearby, while fighters prep for launch in the background. Amazingly, the original illustration is way smaller than this enlargement, yet it is filled with details.

Next up was a talk from John Goodwin, the publisher of Galaxy Press. He gave tips for book signings, interviews and publicity in general.Great practical advice, which I haven't had a chance to use just yet.

Then it was back to the workshop, where Robert J Sawyer gave us a quiz on point of view. To close out the day, we had Larry Niven, followed by Larry Niven and JerryPournelle.

For dinner we had a banquet at the hotel with all the judges. I was faced with the very difficult choice of sitting next to Larry Niven, Fred Pohl or Jerry Pournelle. I wound up sitting next to Jerry, and we talked about old PC hardware, Inferno (which has just come out in a new addition), and his column from BYTE magazine. After dinner I ran back to my room and got my copies of Inferno and Ringworld and had them autographed.

That night, Charles Brown had had a party in his suite. A lot of fun, good company and great conversations.