Month: March 2014

Weird Unicorn story

Standard

So I’m almost finished my trans girl unicorn story. It’s probably going to end up being between 10-15K words, so it’s not too long. I feel like I should have been able to finish this one a long time ago, but between chaos at work and general stress, it’s been rough going. Not to mention, I’m just a procrastinator. I’m going to have to do a really quick editing job, which isn’t ideal, but it’s better than sending in a rough draft.

My very first story with Less Than Three was a rough draft, and you could definitely tell. My entire manuscript was returned for editing absolutely covered in revisions and cross-outs. The more you edit it before you send it in, the less you need to do after! I’ve learned much better by this point, and I’ve never sent in anything that was just a rough draft ever since.

15K isn’t a big deal to edit and revise, though. I am looking forward (NOT) to editing my 50-60K cyberpunk story that needs a lot of revisions (according to my beta reader, and we must always listen to our betas) and a lot of editing (according to me, because when I get tired I put in too many excess words).

Anyway, my trans girl story with unicorns is for an anthology, so it doesn’t need to be too long. My cyberpunk is going to be submitted for general release, however. It’s going to be interesting. I usually go with collection calls and anthologies so that I have a deadline to finish things by. But I have miraculously almost finished the cyberpunk story, so that seems like a point in favour of general release, right?

Anyway, my writing life really needs to step it up. I feel like I haven’t really accomplished much these past few months. Anyway, I will write again when something interesting happens. Such as my next story comes out with Less Than Three (very soon, actually).

Badass Ladies

Standard

So I’ve finished my outline for the story I have planned for the Damsels in Distress anthology.

I might have explained this before (possibly, because ladies in goggles and bomber jackets are my favorite) but my story is taking place in a fantasy AU during WW2. My main ladies are both pilots for the Soviets, specifically night bombers – the legendary Night Witches.

The thing about these Night Witches is that they’re actually witches, just to make things more interesting. I know, more interesting than lady pilots doing death-defying aerial stunts in the dead of night? I know, you can tell I’m excited.

I’m even more excited, because they’re not the only badass ladies to show up in this thing. I’ve also got one of my MC’s younger sister who is a radio comm officer near the front lines as well as a nurse who’s rescuing injured soldiers.

What can I say? Russia had some interesting women.

Reasons to Write for an Anthology

Standard

As a writer, I started off in the publishing industry by writing for anthologies. There are a lot of publishers out there that do submission calls for anthologies a few times a year. Writing for an anthology is a great way to start off or provide cushioning for your writing career, and here’s why:

  1. Anthologies are looking for new authors. It’s like getting a foot in the door in your chosen writing field, and once your story is accepted at an anthology, the publisher will usually accept submissions for longer works from you. This is important for publishers that don’t accept unsolicited work.
  2. Anthologies are usually themed. If you’re a writer that has problems coming up with new ideas or really want to know what a publisher or a reader is looking for, anthologies usually tell you exactly the kind of story they want. Take note that if you’re writing for a theme, don’t write the same, overdone trope. Try and put some sort of new twist on the theme, something that makes the reader think to themselves “that was really clever.”
  3. Anthology stories are usually either short story or novella length. This way, you can get a taste for getting something published and all the other editing, revision and proofreading that goes into it.
  4. Author print copies of anthologies are going to give you writing samples from lots of other authors writing in the same genre as you. You get an example of other writing styles and get a good look at the quality of writing your publisher is looking for. Do your research. If there’s an author in your anthology that has a lot of their other works published, take note of what makes their story exemplary.
  5. It gives your writing resume a boost. Other publishers both in the same genre and out will want to know if you have past publications. Having an array of different story styles will show off your diversity.
  6. Anthologies are fun and the publisher is probably really excited about it, so if you’re excited about it too, you’ll all be happy.