Tuesday, also known as “the most acceptable day of the week to eat marshmallow fluff with a spoon.”
Mmm, delicious.
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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways2023’
A.K.A.
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, back to work!, Thoughts on July 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Man on the Moon
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, science fiction, sff, Writers, writing on July 24, 2023| 3 Comments »
Today, an award-winning piece from friend and fellow Writers of the Future winner Elaine Midcoh. “Man on the Moon” won the 2022 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, and was also showcased at Escape Pod.
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from this world. Read or listen below!
Escape Pod 895: Man on the Moon
Sasha’s eyebrows shot up. Her driver made the final turn back to the resort dome. Within minutes they would enter the airlock and then she would – what? “I’m not a criminal defense lawyer. I haven’t read a criminal case since law school. What am I supposed to do?”
Zander grimaced. “Whatever you can. The next transport to the moon is in ten days. It’s booked up, but we’re trying to clear a seat for a top defense lawyer. Until then, you’re on your own.”
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Important Information for a Sunday
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cool stuff, creativity, fun, Thoughts on July 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Dear Readers,
Attached please find important information for your enjoyment and edification. It may be particularly appropriate for a quiet Sunday afternoon.
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Schrödinger’s Submission
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, genre fiction, submissions, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I have a submission out right now. If you’re a writer, you know the type. Average turnaround time for this venue is 27 days and my story is currently rocking a cool 135 days right now.
One can’t help but hope.
The fun thing, however, is that as long as the submission is still out there, still under consideration, it hasn’t been rejected.
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A fellow writer was wondering how to interpret the rejections he was getting, many of which were personal. Here’s a version of what I wrote in reply:
You should absolutely feel good about personal feedback. That is rare and precious gold there, my friend. It means that what you are submitting is publishable, just not by that particular editor and outlet at that particular time. Maybe the fit isn’t perfect or maybe it is, but your story is about a magical stag with a drinking problem and the editor just bought a story about a magical stag with a drinking problem. Or it’s twice as long as the space they have left in the current issue, and they will remember the day they had to send your rejection with despair every time your name and list of awards comes up in future conversation.
It means that your stories are working, and that’s critical. A broken story isn’t ready for primetime, but a publishable story just needs to find the right home.
When I say “market research,” I mean that I’m working to send my material to someone who could reasonably be expected to publish it. Happy magic unicorn stories are not a great fit for a grimdark horror venue;) I try to narrow down the list of possibilities. Submissions tend to take a long time and most places are not cool with simultaneous subs, meaning that every month a story is out at the wrong place is a month that it’s not being evaluated by someone who might actually buy it. So I try to write the best story I can and then work to find a place likely to give it a home. And the Submission Grinder also lets you sort possible venues by turnaround time.I do try to follow the “write, edit, put it away and then come back to it when you can look at it as if someone else wrote it” advice, if possible. Too much editing can suck the life out of the story.
I may have mentioned that I had a hard time with rejections at the beginning. No longer! One day I realized that I was completely unfazed by my latest rejection. I just opened my submission template and filled in the next possible target.
So, you’re killing it. Keep going!
Because you never know.
Gifts from the Mountain
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, @tordotcom, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, Writers, writing on July 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Tor.com has another collection out, and in honor of its 15th anniversary it will be free from now until the end of July. (That’s July 2023, to all you time travelers out there.)
It’s Our Birthday! Download the Free Tor.com 15th Anniversary Short Fiction Bundle
This year on July 20th, Tor.com turns 15! Since that long-ago year of 2008, we’ve published more than 600 original stories from authors around the world. To celebrate, we’ve pulled together some highlights from those last 15 years into a special, free, limited-time bundle!
Free fiction by good writers in a convenient package. What’s not to like?
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Me, Facing Down My To Do List
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, doing my best, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time.”
— Sandra Day O’Connor
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Word of the Day: Noctilucent
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, fun with words and other things, science, sky, Thoughts, Writers on July 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s Word of the Day (in my world, at least) is “noctilucent.”
The term is typically applied to a specific type of cloud, “a luminous thin usually colored cloud seen especially at twilight at a height of about 50 miles (80 kilometers).” It’s the luminous aspect that makes these clouds particularly dramatic.
Noctilucent clouds: What are they and how can you see them? | Space
The name noctilucent is derived from the Latin words “nocto” and “lucent” which translates to “night” and “shining” respectively, according to Merriam Webster.
These clouds are seasonal, and in the Northern hemisphere that season is now.
Noctilucent clouds: The season starts now!
The season for noctilucent clouds at northerly latitudes is now. People at high latitudes report seeing noctilucent clouds. This happens every year, from about May through August in the Northern Hemisphere, and from November through February in the Southern Hemisphere.
I chose this word because its Latin origins are interesting to unpack, it refers to a beautiful and intriguing phenomenon, and it’s fun to say.
The world is a marvelous, mysterious and magical place. Science (and science fiction!) just makes it that much better.
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Typical View
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cat herding, sweet cat, Thoughts, Tuesdays on July 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A typical view from my desk (especially around lunchtime):
Don’t Be the Frog*
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, cocktails, heat, irony, Thoughts, travel, weather on July 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This one’s for two of my parental units, currently on vacation in some of the hottest parts of the world right now, and everyone else facing down the record-busting summer heat.
8 mistakes to avoid if you’re going out in the heat
- Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize
- Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)
- Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)
- Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix
- Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness
- Know when to seek medical attention
- Wear loose, light clothing
- Alcohol is a bad call
Stay hydrated, folks!**
* Note: The whole “boiling a frog” fable is, as the Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the US National Museum of Natural History said: “Well that’s, may I say, bullsh*t.” Frogs are way smarter than that.
** As mentioned in the article, alcohol isn’t a great idea when it’s hot. If you feel you must drink an adult beverage, however, irony suggests that you consider the Heat Wave.
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Begin Doing… Whatever You Like
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Thoughts, Writers on July 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
— Walt Disney
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