11.03.2007
So it's November. Aside from that meaning that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, it also means that a handful of publications have opened up for submissions.
I can now send to Interzone and Abyss & Apex, two places where I'd really like to see my stories printed.
Along those lines, I've been trying to decide what to send...
Here's the thing... Interzone really likes stories with a strong SCI-FI element. I mean, the whole ball of wax. They want ships or technologies or whatever.
My problem is that some of my best stories take place in the SCI-FI world I've created but don't really contain any science fiction themselves. Or... if they do, it's very minimal. Hints here and there as to the larger world.
So... I'm trying to decide what to send. Environments, my current favorite, contains almost no SCI-FI. Its sub-theme is about the political ramifications of the discovery of habitable worlds. I would submit it to Abyss & Apex, since they're open, except that they've already rejected it. So that's closed.
What I do have is Skin which is heavily SCI-FI, or more so than any others I currently have. But that's hasn't been rejected by Abyss & Apex yet and if I don't get it in this month, it'll have to wait until next year.
Since Interzone is only open twice a year, compared to the quarterly schedule adhered to by Abyss & Apex, I guess it would be better to slide it there first. But that leaves me with the problem of what I send to A&A.
The only two things they haven't seen is Rebellion and Defeated, two stories which, I think, require some more editing before I send them in...
This is the process I go through.
I'll tell you what helps though is having my stories with status and submissions in an Excel worksheet. It gives me a quick view of what I've sent where, what's complete, how many words for each story, etc. Plus, I've got it set up for handy statistics based on submission time which just appeals to the geek in me...
In other news, if you're reading this now, then you must have noticed the new Look & Feel of the Rejection Log.
As much as I love the spudWorks L&F, and plan on never changing it, it just didn't feel as though it would give the right feel when reading stories set in a science fiction universe.
"Stories," you say.
Yes. As I exhaust publication avenues, which I'm nearing for some of my oldest stories, I'm preparing to publish them here, on the web, for people to read. I was considering a whole new website for them but decided against it because it would mean another host, another site to maintain, blah blah blah. So they're going to be here, on spudWorks, backed by the new L&F currently on display in the Rejection Log.
On a geek note, Style Sheet driven designs rule. None of the underlying code changed except the CSS file and yet, it feels totally different. I dig.
If you've got any questions or comments about the new design - as I'm a very limited person in the visual arts - you can, as always email me at president@spudworks.com to let me know.
And one last thing, to continue the teeth theme, I had my wisdom teeth yanked as they seemed to be the root cause of my other problems. Fucking hell... that was something. To tell you the truth, the procedure isn't all that bad. It's the getting home as the drugs are wearing off but without any pills to supplement them. Then it's the two days of complete agony and the week of dull but persistent pain.
It's a treat, I'll tell 'ya.
The worst part? Seriously? Is you get so fucking tired of soft foods. Soup, yogurt, whatever. When my mouth recovers, boy, I'm going to get a fucking steak.
And that's the latest kids. Hopefully I'll have some news soon on a couple of stories already out and awaiting rejection.