Submission Update

Time to take stock of my writing career, such as it is. The most important landmark since last post is that my fantasy collaboration with Sue is at our agent. We’ve had generally good feedback from first readers so far, which is hopeful. Not so hopeful are the stoopid mistakes I keep finding when I re-read sections. How many ways can I spell a name? Seriously.

On the short fiction front:

“The Last Liverbeast” appeared in the March issue of A Fly in Amber and received very good feedback.

“Monster in the Making” appeared in Flashshot (May 21, 2010). I must say it was kinda suckey at 100 words, but at least it’s out of my back-of-the-head pending queue.

“She Thinks of the Moon” should be published soon in Sage of Consciousness Literary Review.

“A Conversation With Mother” is scheduled for the July Flash Me Magazine. This is a flash piece I’m happy with after much tinkering.

“On the Other Hand, Abomination” should be going up at Short-Story.Me Genre Fiction. That’s one I like as well. Thanks to the editors at Necrotic Flesh for pointing out a flaw that helped me revise.

I just heard yesterday that “Cycles”, a 400 word flash piece is accepted at Every Day Fiction. It doesn’t pay well, but I’m in good company there.

Overall, I’ve made 86 submissions since December. 24 remain pending (several look pretty hopeful, actually). This leaves 62 decisions. With 6 accepts that gives an 9.68% acceptance ratio. My goal is to top 10% by next report.

With all this marketing and my editing work at Triangulation: End of the Rainbow, I’ve been fairly slow to finish new work. I am nearing completion on a 4000 word young adult story, a 10,000 word SF story, and a 1000 word flash fantasy. I have also polished a couple of more ambitious stories and sent them to major markets.

All in all, one step forward, half-a-step back. I feel like I’m making progress in my goal to become a better, more versatile, writer this year.

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