Wednesday, October 20, 2010

WIP Wednesday: I Have Conquered #10bythen

I like challenges, and I usually attack them with vigor. #10bythen has been good to me this month...in fact, I just shipped off submission eleven. Granted, it was an old story which sat unloved in an editor's inbox for nearly two years before I pulled it...

In the past month, I've made submissions to The Zombie Feed, Clarkesworld, Fantasy, Gloom Cupboard (a poem!), Whidbey Writers Workshop Students' Choice Award, Pedestal Magazine, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Scape, Trembles (another resurrected story), and Ghostology. I have three pieces of flash ready for editing, including a rather chilling (at least I think so), story inspired by Jeff VanderMeer's brilliant short, "The General Who is Dead", and bog mummies. I have two more short stories, about 3K each, which need editing, too. One is destined for submission to Kevin J. Anderson (Blood Lite 3), but I won't hold my breath that lightning will strike twice. The other is weird and haunting, but not horrific. Literary markets, here comes "The Emperor of Empty Spaces".

And, for the record, all of the markets to which I've subbed this month pay, at least a token sum. I don't like to make official decisions, but it looks like I've but my fiction where my thoughts are.

Thanks to Mercedes and all the #10bythen crew. I needed a kick in the pants, and October has been an awesome run of writing (so far). With five stories waiting in line, time to hit the edits, eh?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great job Aaron.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! I'm trailing, but will hopefully kick it into gear soon. Go #10bythen! Go team!

Are you doing it next month or are you NaNoing?

-Mercedes

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! I'm trailing, but will hopefully kick it into gear soon. Go #10bythen! Go team!

Are you doing it next month or are you NaNoing?

-Mercedes

Michael Stone said...

Good work, man!

Deborah Walker said...

Good work, Aaron. I've done my ten this month, too. And the month ain't over.

Aaron Polson said...

Thanks, Shadow.

Mercedes - I'm considering a #10bythen run in November; I just can't Nano anymore.

Thanks, Michael.

Congrats to you, Deborah. I'm thinking about holding back on those five other stories, letting them carry over into November. Is that cheating?

Deborah Walker said...

*laughs* definitely cheating.

And this will scare you: I sub to 10 pro markets a month (easier for me as I write SF, fantasy and horror).

I love to sub.

Aaron Polson said...

Deborah - I occasionally write a little something which might be considered fantasy. SF? Not so much.

I'm just not smart enough. ;)

Deborah Walker said...

You can fake it. Wikipedia is your friend.

Oh my. I'm going to castigated for that one. Only half joking.

I write a lot of soft SF, which is more about story and character than science, although the science allows you to drop your characters into interesting situations.

Horror and SF are my favourite genres, and this goes back to your previous posts. I'm writing a lot more SF than horror because of the market opportunities.

You should try SF, you might like it. Apex Magazine? Dark Fantasy and horror/SF? Forgive me if you've already been published there.

Aaron Polson said...

Deborah - I should toy with SF. I need more market opportunities. (I've tried Apex a few times...I think they've broadened their market lately...)

Barry Napier said...

No, sir...how do YOU sleep? Jeez... :)

Anonymous said...

Bueno! I look forward to reading them as soon as they're published. =]

K M Kelly said...

Good luck with your submissions - I hope you make some sales soon.

Cate Gardner said...

Congrats on completing #10bythen early. I'm not playing this month, or next, and we all know how unproductive December is.

Toyin O. said...

Good for you.

http://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com

Anthony Rapino said...

Good stuff! Glad October was nice to you.

Andrea Allison said...

Congrats on completing #10bythen. I, however, will not come close to finishing.