Building
* So I've begun searching for places to sell stories. I'm looking at online markets first, but I'm not discounting the magazines that are still surviving on the racks at my local Borders and Hastings. I wish there were more indy bookstores in town that sold magazines, but there's a decided dearth of those right now. I still support the local bookshop that doesn't sell magazines, though. I buy something every time I go in, so I can't go in often. I have enough books that are on my 'to read' shelf that I need three shelves to keep them off the floor. I could build a sturdy fort out of them. I also don't go into the campus bookstore very often because I get a discount there and there's always something I have to have when I go in.
* I'm encouraged to think about writing stories to sell now that I'm nearing the end of The Long Range and the comments that I'm getting are mostly positive and constructive. It seems maybe I've finally reached that plateau where I'm ready to get knocked down several pegs as I venture further out into the world of publishing and SF.
* I need to build a comprehensive website this year that will encompass a blog like this (don't worry, the LJ isn't going away) AND the stories together in one place. In addition to writing all the stories I've got scheduled out.
* That's right, I'm scheduling writing stories because of the hectic pace of my every day life. I can't just turn on and write what I want when I want. I have to make the time to write. I think that may be the hardest thing that everyone who wants to be a writer doesn't understand: you have to make time. It doesn't magically appear and you can spend hours at the keyboard typing away like a fiend. No, you have to sneak up on it when you know your brain is functioning at its best (for me early in the morning between cups 1 and 3 of coffee and then for maybe an hour or two afterwards.).
* Writing is work, folks. Bottom line. It can be hella fun work, but it's work if you want to get good at it. I've pushed and pulled myself especially over the last year to get into that mindset and that's made the work I'm doing better. Practice, practice, practice. Then turn left to get to Carnegie Hall.
* I'm not especially worried about getting paid a lot of money to publish online and so I'm looking at smaller sites that are really open to publishing new writers. There are quite a few and there are a few I've already run into that have gone under. There's quite a challenge out there for a writer who wants to publish, but there are also areas where the kind of thing I'm doing, serializing fiction, are starting to crop up, too. The newest one I've discovered as of this morning is The Penny Dreadful. Stop over and see what they're doing if you're looking for an online magazine that will satisfy your desire for fiction.
* But then that's the trick, isn't it? How many people want new fiction from unknown writers? Americans in particular aren't terribly interested in new, original stories. They want the comfortable shorthand that comes with knowing that Spider-Man is really Peter Parker and that he loves Mary Jane but he can't handle all the problems in his life. They want sequels to movies that don't deserve sequels. They want TV shows that don't require them to think. Don't take my word for it. Look at what's coming out this summer, look at what's on TV. I'm not saying this to be mean or chew on sour grapes, it's just a reality that I and every other wannabe writer is looking at. This is what we have to overcome. Your support by stopping by and reading my work, dropping a comment or linking to the work and telling others is very much appreciated. You know who you are if you're doing that, and I thank you.
* All this is to say that I've got a distinct vision of the future of my writing and I'm chasing it with some zeal. The foundations are being poured now and I hope you stick with me as I keep building for the future.
* I'm encouraged to think about writing stories to sell now that I'm nearing the end of The Long Range and the comments that I'm getting are mostly positive and constructive. It seems maybe I've finally reached that plateau where I'm ready to get knocked down several pegs as I venture further out into the world of publishing and SF.
* I need to build a comprehensive website this year that will encompass a blog like this (don't worry, the LJ isn't going away) AND the stories together in one place. In addition to writing all the stories I've got scheduled out.
* That's right, I'm scheduling writing stories because of the hectic pace of my every day life. I can't just turn on and write what I want when I want. I have to make the time to write. I think that may be the hardest thing that everyone who wants to be a writer doesn't understand: you have to make time. It doesn't magically appear and you can spend hours at the keyboard typing away like a fiend. No, you have to sneak up on it when you know your brain is functioning at its best (for me early in the morning between cups 1 and 3 of coffee and then for maybe an hour or two afterwards.).
* Writing is work, folks. Bottom line. It can be hella fun work, but it's work if you want to get good at it. I've pushed and pulled myself especially over the last year to get into that mindset and that's made the work I'm doing better. Practice, practice, practice. Then turn left to get to Carnegie Hall.
* I'm not especially worried about getting paid a lot of money to publish online and so I'm looking at smaller sites that are really open to publishing new writers. There are quite a few and there are a few I've already run into that have gone under. There's quite a challenge out there for a writer who wants to publish, but there are also areas where the kind of thing I'm doing, serializing fiction, are starting to crop up, too. The newest one I've discovered as of this morning is The Penny Dreadful. Stop over and see what they're doing if you're looking for an online magazine that will satisfy your desire for fiction.
* But then that's the trick, isn't it? How many people want new fiction from unknown writers? Americans in particular aren't terribly interested in new, original stories. They want the comfortable shorthand that comes with knowing that Spider-Man is really Peter Parker and that he loves Mary Jane but he can't handle all the problems in his life. They want sequels to movies that don't deserve sequels. They want TV shows that don't require them to think. Don't take my word for it. Look at what's coming out this summer, look at what's on TV. I'm not saying this to be mean or chew on sour grapes, it's just a reality that I and every other wannabe writer is looking at. This is what we have to overcome. Your support by stopping by and reading my work, dropping a comment or linking to the work and telling others is very much appreciated. You know who you are if you're doing that, and I thank you.
* All this is to say that I've got a distinct vision of the future of my writing and I'm chasing it with some zeal. The foundations are being poured now and I hope you stick with me as I keep building for the future.