It’s the last Sunday of the month and there are quite a few anthology deadlines for the end of March, so I pulled out the special gotta-get-stuff-done coffee mug that I got for Xmas from my sister (bigger than your average mug, Boo-Boo) and, well, got stuff done. I’ve stopped starting new stories from scratch for themed anthologies because my best stories are those I work on, then rest, work on, then rest, and finally, in a surge of energy and/or inspiration, complete to my satisfaction. Instead, I now search through the many half finished and almost done stories in my ‘working on’ file to see if there’s anything suitable that I can whip into shape in time for the deadline. If so, off it goes. If not, short of a lightning bolt moment and a firm voice in my head dictating a story with a beginning, middle and most definitely an end, well, tough. Luckily the rejection that came back Friday that I was a bit glum about (I'd let myself hope...) fitted the theme of one antho, so I looked it over and sent off again. It’s the only way to deal with those suckers. Another rejection that keeps almost making it got the once over and taa-daa, it too is out there doing a repeat performance on the world stage. I sent the vamp story off again (not to an anthology) after checking that I do still in fact like it, but we’ll see. The market is flooded with such toothy tales at the moment. There’s also a couple of suitable stories out at the moment which, if they get the boot over the next few days, can still make the Thursday deadlines. Once I’ve posted this (or maybe tomorrow) I’ll launch on its maiden journey the big SF story that I worked on for ages for the ABE anthology. Unfortunately, after a bout of compulsive polishing that lasted right up to the deadline, I went to send it the night of the final day only to discover they were already closed for submissions. Bummer. I should have sent off the less shiny version the week before. Ah well, that’s what you get when you sail too close to the deadline wind. *I give up - I just can't make this blog do paragraphs tonight.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
When deadlines loom
It’s the last Sunday of the month and there are quite a few anthology deadlines for the end of March, so I pulled out the special gotta-get-stuff-done coffee mug that I got for Xmas from my sister (bigger than your average mug, Boo-Boo) and, well, got stuff done. I’ve stopped starting new stories from scratch for themed anthologies because my best stories are those I work on, then rest, work on, then rest, and finally, in a surge of energy and/or inspiration, complete to my satisfaction. Instead, I now search through the many half finished and almost done stories in my ‘working on’ file to see if there’s anything suitable that I can whip into shape in time for the deadline. If so, off it goes. If not, short of a lightning bolt moment and a firm voice in my head dictating a story with a beginning, middle and most definitely an end, well, tough. Luckily the rejection that came back Friday that I was a bit glum about (I'd let myself hope...) fitted the theme of one antho, so I looked it over and sent off again. It’s the only way to deal with those suckers. Another rejection that keeps almost making it got the once over and taa-daa, it too is out there doing a repeat performance on the world stage. I sent the vamp story off again (not to an anthology) after checking that I do still in fact like it, but we’ll see. The market is flooded with such toothy tales at the moment. There’s also a couple of suitable stories out at the moment which, if they get the boot over the next few days, can still make the Thursday deadlines. Once I’ve posted this (or maybe tomorrow) I’ll launch on its maiden journey the big SF story that I worked on for ages for the ABE anthology. Unfortunately, after a bout of compulsive polishing that lasted right up to the deadline, I went to send it the night of the final day only to discover they were already closed for submissions. Bummer. I should have sent off the less shiny version the week before. Ah well, that’s what you get when you sail too close to the deadline wind. *I give up - I just can't make this blog do paragraphs tonight.
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