Published Review

I didn't bother posting when I had this review accepted, since I knew it was coming out so soon. Instead, I waited until now so I could simply post the link.

This is a short review I wrote, appearing in Dark Scribe Magazine:

"Circling" / Tom Piccirilli

Keep on Truckin'

Even though I haven't been back to a coffee house since my first--and quite possibly last--visit, I have continued the editing. Everything is running smooth, so far. In fact, I'm a little paranoid about taking time to write this post, but I thought the blog could use an update.

In other news, I received I very definite "maybe" regarding a submission. The editor stated in his e-mail that they are still considering it, and even reading it a second time due to great interest. Though he did note that I could still be rejected.

Hell, I'll take it! A maybe feels pretty darned good after months of nos. Hopefully I'll have some indication as to the fate of my beloved story in a week or so. Until then, I know just how I'll pass the time.

Coffee and editing anyone?

The Coffee House Perspective

I gave my first draft about 1 week of rest time. He'd been worked hard, so I thought some relaxation would do us both some good. Over the coarse of the week, something interesting happened: I couldn't concentrate on anything.

I tried reading some books and magazines, but after a page or two I'd start thinking about my novel. I guess that's normal, but it started interrupting my sleep. I woke a number of times startled, as if I had been having a nightmare. I can't remember what the dreams were about, but I have a couple of theories. The least likely of which stared a man eating manuscript.

I decided if I let any more time pass between finishing the first draft and starting the second draft, I might lose what tiny bit of sanity I had left.

I fished out an old, moldy-smelling manuscript bag from my garage. I took some Febreze to to it to help with the smell, but it did nothing for the appearance. That's okay with me though, because at this time in my life, thirty dollars for a new manuscript bag just ain't gonna happen.

So I had my first draft, my manuscript bag, and my unapologetically scruffy beard. The only thing missing to complete the stereotypical aspiring author image was a coffee house to work on the editing. Would I go balls-out and head to Starbucks? Or maybe a smaller private owned coffee house was more my speed? Where could I really spread my wings and fly pretentiously into the first draft editing process?

And then it came to me. Borders! What better place then a giant bookstore equipped with it's own cafe and big cushy chairs? And so my choice was made.

Coffee in hand and manuscript in tow, I sat in one of Borders' chairs and got to work.

Besides the strange "dirty" feeling at becoming one of the many writers to take to the streets with their work, I managed to edit one-third of my manuscript. Not a bad haul, if I say so myself.

Do I attribute the number of pages edited to this strange writer's ritual? Do I make the coffee house editing part of my own writing schedule?

Something tells me, I just might.

I'm Done!

Final word count: 57,308

I have FINALLY finished the first draft of my novel, "Soundtrack to the End of the World."

It's been a long time coming. Hell, it's a good four months late if you want to know the truth. But now that the first draft is done, I'm feeling much better. It means I can get to work on the revisions. And let me tell you, it's going to be extensive!

But I'm not too worried. in fact, I've been looking forward to this part. Since I had been blocked and took a few too many breaks in between, I feel like I lost the tone and emotion in places. And worse than that, I feel like I wasn't true to my characters.

This revision is a chance to fix all that. It's a chance to remember what I wanted this darn thing to say, and make it actually say it.

IN my haste to get to it, I actually started printing the whole thing (somewhere over 300 pages) on my home printer. Probably not the best idea. I've already realized that I didn't even number the pages, which could be a problem.

Oh well. You live, you learn.

Maybe I'll sleep tonight.

Questions Answered: Part Uno

I recently received a question from Akasha Savage, in my comments, that I thought deserved a close look and thoughtful answer.

Akasha asked the following:

How hard do you find it to get your writing accepted anywhere? I write on the dark side, and although I've had a fair share of favorable comments and been told numerous times that my writing should find a market...no one ever wants to publish the damn stuff! I have given up submitting at the moment, I am concentrating on my novel instead, but would really like to know where to send my short stories.
Any ideas?

Oh how I can relate. In fact, I'm sure most writers, if not ALL writer, can relate to this. Because at one point or another, nearly every writer has received rejection letters. The only reason I am qualifying the statement with "nearly" is because there just might be one or two freaks of nature out there that were immediately accepted for publication and never had to endure the sadistic initiation into the Writer's Guild.

But for the rest of us, your distress, Akasha, over finding the right market for your stories, is a shared experience.

So, to answer your first question, yes, I do find it extremely hard to place my work. I too have slammed my fist down at the phrase, "It just doesn't fit the focus of our magazine," or "It's just not what we're looking for right now."

Be warned. Many times, these generic phrases are just that: dreaded form letters.

*gasp

But there are times when an editor will actually comment on a story, and these times are glorious in their horridness. They usually are saying the same things as the form letters, only I am more inclined to believe them when they take the time to actually write me a personal letter about it.

Try to learn all you can from these, few and far between, personal letters.

Along these lines, I'll throw out a piece of disposable advice that you can find in any writer's magazine or blog: "Get to know your markets." The idea is that if you read a magazine before you submit to them, you'll know if they accept the type of work you write. This is all well and good in theory, but to be honest, it has never done me much good.

Usually magazines are summed up pretty well in their guidelines. And besides, editors are usually fairly opened to new things as long as it's good.

Getting to your last question, my answer is, yes, I have some ideas, but in the end it really depends on the type of stories you've written.

Check out my sidebar (to the right). I have a few magazine links there that I have submitted to. Also, check out the link to "Duotrope," also on the sidebar. It's a good place to start. You can search magazines based on pay scale, genre, and other things. Also check out Ralan.com.

Cheers, and good luck.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to put out a quick post to say Happy New Year to everyone. I'm still stumbling around in a post-holiday stupor. I haven't gotten much work done, though the past two days has provided opportunity to add some wordage to the novel (53,500 words total). I'm pretty sure I'm now looking at the last chapter, plus epilogue. I hope to stay motivated and finish it up this week.

I haven't been submitting much lately, and up until last week, I only had two stories out for consideration. Now only one (I received a rejection for the new year).

Hopefully I'll become more active here again, now that the holidays are behind us, but i do have plenty of other work to keep me busy, so we'll see.

Cheers!

Extra Innings

If you take a quick gander at the bottom of my page, you might notice that the old word meter has finally, and mercifully, hit the 50,000 word mark. In fact, if you look closely, you'll notice that the count is actually 50,788 words.

Despite the frosty beverage that the potato man is enjoying, I've come to realize that it's going to take a little more than 50,000 words to finish this novel.

I'm in the home stretch, that's for sure. But my characters have yet to enter into their final encounter, and after that, there's still some summing up to do.

Maybe 55,000 words is a more realistic count. Maybe 60,000. To be honest, I won't know until my characters say "uncle."

The good news of course is that I've started writing again, and although I've had a couple false starts in the past months, I think this is for real. I think I'm back on the horse.

It wasn't easy. When I sat down to write yesterday, all the words came out wrong. It all felt stilted and boring. I'd forgotten my characters and their motivations. I probably still don't really remember, but I think I can finish this with some grace. And besides, the second draft is where all the smoothing out occurs. I just need to get these last words down.

There's a story here; I have to finish it. And for the first time in months, I really believe I'm going to.