I’ve been waiting to update submissions until I had a response from Writers of the Future and Flash Fiction Online. Writers of the Future decision is going to be a few more weeks, apparently, but I got a form rejection from Flash Fiction Online this week, followed a few days later by an answer to my query about it. It seems they’re very backlogged right now. My story made it out of slush, but not to the final winnowing. Disappointing, but that’s the writing life. On to the next market.
The good news is that my acceptance rate is now 17%. Mitigating the improvement somewhat is the fact I’ve been placing a lot of twitter fiction in the last couple months. I’m now one of the more prolific twits at Thaumotrope and trapeze magazine and have one coming up in Quinc and possibly a few other places. It’s ironic since twitter fiction was the area in which I had the most difficulty in my flash fiction boot camp. Well, if rejection is the bread of a writer’s life, irony is probably the butter.
To continue the metaphor in my typically laborious fashion: Acceptance is water and I’m getting darned thirsty. I did at least whet my whistle since last update, though.
A Conversation With Mother has appeared in Flash Me Magazine (which is going on hiatus now — I wonder what part of the meal that represents?)
On the Other Hand, Abomination has appeared at Short-story.Me.
What’s in a Name will appear in Daily Flash 2011.
Monster Freshly Minted has appeared in Everyday Weirdness.
The E.T. in Aisle Three has appeared at Abandoned Towers.
Beauty and the Butler has appeared in Every Day Fiction (to mediocre reviews, alas).
It Takes a Town is now available at Anthology Builder.
Appearances has appeared at Sillymess.
Implications of a Grand Unified Theory: A Love Story has been published by The Fifth Di.. in their September issue.
I’ve also had twitter fiction at Thaumatrope and trapeze magazine. In fact I’m going to be the featured twitter fiction writer for trapeze in October. Three pieces and an interview at the end of the month. That makes me happy 🙂
However, I’m disappointed that I’ve not been able to place my more ambitious fictions to more prestigious markets. It’s nice to find a home for “Implications…”, but there’s a lot more where that came from. Truth is, though, that my real fault lies in not writing more new fiction. I’ve been concentrating on quick-fix micro and flash, when I should be working harder on longer pieces too.
The story at Writers of the Future is 11,000 words. It helps to know I can carry off that length. In my quest to become versatile, I want to become proficient at every length.
Well, off to do some more waiting. I have stories overdue at Aberrant Dreams, Weird Tales (but who doesn’t?), Echo Ink Review, Tin House, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and Nanoism. Hopefully one or two of those will come through and up my happy dose.
You are now free to move about the cabin.
Ramey Writes 