I’m going to try to do a catchall writing post on the 4th weekend of every month. Technically I’m a day early, but now that it’s in my head I wanted to get it started. A way of keeping track of what I’ve done each month.
August, 2018, has been fantastic. We started it off with a week spent “down the ocean”, a family trip to the Outer Banks. I’d never been there, and it was glorious weather to spend at the beach. I can see why folks pay ridiculous prices to live there, and put up with the ever present danger of hurricanes destroying their homes. I’m definitely inclined to consider a beach home in the future, should I ever find myself with an excess of wealth to spend and wish for a change of scenery. At the end of the month we’re going down to Orlando for a VP classmate’s wedding. I’ve never been there either and am excited to visit a few of the parks while we’re visiting.
I’ve put my current focus on writing short stories that will be tied to a future novel. One of the things I found daunting about writing the novel had been the world building required to create a world that consists of both “high fantasy” countries simultaneous with “high technology” countries, with some other nations who are more or less a mix. How does a world like that come about was the crux of my question. I decided that writing a series of shorts set both before and during the planned fantasy/tech WWI novel would help me focus in on smaller aspects of the overall picture and build up that background. The short story I finished this month, “The Lay of Old One Eye”, is the first of these and tells the story of a French dwarf forgemaster/family man whose losses at the outset of the war propel him into taking action when it appears the country is about to be lost.
I’m now working on my second of these shorts. The new story is set two years into the war and explores the relationship between the wyvern riders of the Texas Republic, who have come to aid Francia, and the German pilots, who were nearly wiped out when the wyverns first arrived. After this one is finished, I’m considering a story centered around the time period when the Veil was raised, four centuries prior to the war.
WRITING CONFERENCES/WORKSHIPS/CLASSES:
None attended this month.
FINISHED:
To date this month, I’ve finished 1 novella (Blue Skies Over Beatniks), and 1 short story (The Lay of Old One Eye). I may be able to finish a second short story by the end of the coming week. I’ve made some minor additions and edits to some other stories which remain incomplete.
OUTSTANDING:
10 short stories and 1 novella waiting on response. Longest wait time is 108 days. 1 of 10 short stories being held for further consideration.
SUBMISSIONS:
9 submissions made, including one story submitted twice this month after a quick rejection turn around.
ACCEPTANCES:
None
REJECTIONS:
7 rejections received, 2 of them personal and positive.
GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER:
Finish at least two more short stories (besides the current WIP). Attend online class with Ann Leckie. Video discussion with Cat Rambo, president of the SFWA, regarding career.