Plodding Along, Submission by Monday?

Written by Jan | 09 October 2011

Wow, Skipped two weeks of writing here! Goes to show you how the mind works. I have been very busy heading off disasters at home and just dealing. Hubba, hubba too much happening, but the good news is we will survive, may not be happy but will survive. I am writing on the story. I did the first "scene" as I am labeling it now. Then I wrote the points of that scene out to show how the story is moving along. This is helping. I now have plotted out ten scenes, some of which I think can be combined. This will take work (but what doesn't). I have to have at least a good chunk for the next review. I still am not sure how much I can get away with at one time, we break that rule routinely. I might be satisfied with about half and then show the whole thing to my colleague at the next library book reading group meeting . The bulk of this done in the waiting room of the hospital as hubby get his shoulder operated on. It's his fourth one and hopefully the news is better with updated methods, a more experienced surgeon and the fact there is no calcium attached to the tendon this time.

The other part of "survive" I might do is go to UA for one semester and brush up my writing skills-seems I do a lot of run-on sentences and I am confused about how to work on that. I would be dong this because son doesn't want to go and they are going to charge us anyway (he went to one class once). Short of a formal protest (I think they want the money too much, though) I am trying this. After all the finances were decided on my husband's income and I have a BS. Hopefully, I can just slide right in. Thought about auditing. but realized I needed to have the teachers review my work, oh well. Rumor is there is a writing lab that let's the locals in as well as registered students. That could be quiet useful afterwards.

On "The Fight", I am thinking of polishing that up in the next two days and send it off to Alien Q. I am not sure this magazine is still accepting submissions. The website has no listings and the address I got off another website is not dated. The physical address is given but discusses email. This will be interesting.  I am really not sure after reading over the website if anyone submits there but the owner of the website. Check in soon with the next steps.

A Good Critique, Going in The Right Direction

Written by Jan | 27 September 2011

Had my critique from my local group. They like the changes of meeting Pete Freeman from the Seastead Project but they didn't much like the multiple POVs. I, too have trouble with that. They also think the POV is best left with Arda since Scotty is in her head. I think so, too.

So now I plunge on. My goal is to finish the rewrites by next meeting, probably a week early, YIIKES, and then send it off to Alien Q. I know, small potatoes, but I want to get started and am not sure of how I stack up.

Tonight is my reading group at the library. We read Slan. I really like that book, the first SciFi that I read, published in 1946 in Wisconsin. How did that get through? According to SCIENCE FICTION: WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT it really all started with the publishing of Amazing (a magazine) by Hugo Gernsback in April 1926. Heinlein published his first book in 1947, who I always think of as SciFi. Anyway, this is a quality novel. Evidently, he has written quite a bit. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/v/a-e-van-vogt/ Have to check him out.

At this meeting will be (I hope) a woman who has gone to many World SciFi Conventions and gave me as much inside info as she could think of  for my first journey.

Well, I am going to sign off and get ready for my day. Wish me luck on this next round of writing.

Plunging into the Future-Can We Get Paid to Write?

Written by Jan | 21 September 2011

Life goes on. I have gone to the World Science Fiction Convention and had a story reviewed. Despite the fact that it was quite difficult the consensus was I had "solid, decent writing". Definitely worth the time and money to go!!

As soon as I got home I had my knee operated on. After years of asking why I finally got my MRI and low and behold I did have something other than arthritis. Two tears and a pothole (what a name) that occurred in an "event" (which this doctor said is typical). Mine was lugging suitcases up and down the stairs in the Metro of Paris (they don't really believe in handicap access). It seems that Europe is so sophisticated and ahead of the curve but in many ways, WOW, they are not! Did you know the class system is alive and well and they are proud of it! Being called a "Cowboy" is an insult. It's funny, I always thought of it as something to be proud of-The Independent Spirit riding the range. They think of it as a clown.

I have decided I really want to work (meaning get paid), so I must work (meaning put forth some sample writing). I am going to write 2 entries here a week and see where that takes me.

First I cancelled all my Meetups, they weren't doing me any good. The literary analysis one was getting novels that were more and more depressing and the last anti-American. I had had enough.

I have a group that meets once a month on our own where we critique each others work. This month I will submit the first part of my rewrite of The Independent Trader to see what they think. I also have a SciFi group at the Oro Valley Library. We read Slan this month. I didn't remember most of it (it was the first scifi book I read, I was 12) but it was wonderful.

Now I have to figure out how to write so that the interest keeps up, especially for me. Sometimes I bore myself to death.