Discussion: Q1 Volume 37

Yikes. I'll be entering my fourth fresh story of the year at the end of the month, but I'll probably go with 2 new and 2 revised next year. I want to see if I can get my HM higher and have some ideas for it. I feel I learn a lot from revising old stories.

Haven’t even started writing my Q4 yet (just plotted it out), but I plan to do 4 fresh ones in 37! 

I know where you're at Alex. I have a rewrite I want to try but the momentum I've achieved from following the forum is hard to put aside.
If I send the rewrite it will be later next year. Or I might send it elsewhere. Good Luck to everyone.

I might go for the 4 fresh new stories for next volume. I generally don't find drafting new stories that difficult. Giving them a solid edit that makes them feel finished however tends to be what takes all the time.

But I might spend a lot of time for the next while revising one of my novel first drafts. If I can ever decide which one I want to work on first! That might push me towards using revised stories instead.

I know where you're at Alex. I have a rewrite I want to try but the momentum I've achieved from following the forum is hard to put aside.
If I send the rewrite it will be later next year. Or I might send it elsewhere. Good Luck to everyone.

I'm already changing my mind. I missed out on Wulf's SUPER SECRETS thread with not having access to the forum for most of the year. I've been reading through it and Wulf and others make a good case for submitting fresh stories. I think my recent HM is a good idea though, so maybe I'll go with 3 fresh. Saying that, I'll probably pick what I think is the best story at the time.

My first entry for v37 is already queued up, as I set aside a story I didn't think I would fully do justice in the time I had left, and submitted another story in its place. I've yet to decide what to do with the other three entries though - I have a story I'd really like to revise and resubmit, but after submitting only new pieces for this volume, it's a hard habit to want to give up entirely.

My first entry for v37 is already queued up, as I set aside a story I didn't think I would fully do justice in the time I had left, and submitted another story in its place. I've yet to decide what to do with the other three entries though - I have a story I'd really like to revise and resubmit, but after submitting only new pieces for this volume, it's a hard habit to want to give up entirely.

You could always do the revision, write a fresh story, and see which you like better when it comes time to submit?

You could always do the revision, write a fresh story, and see which you like better when it comes time to submit?

That's not a bad plan at all, and I think I may adopt it. I'm currently working on finishing up the fresh piece I set aside, and glaring at its multitude of faults and stumbles, but I'm not planning to submit early, even if I finish early, so I should have plenty of time to look at a revision piece and weigh the two against each other.

I'm glad I have plenty of time to decide whether to send a revised story or something new. I hope a fresh literary gem makes itself known to me.

The heart really starts pumping when the next quarter's thread pulls up. Sigh.

I've submitted every quarter for three years, but the last two rejections hit my mental health hard. I think its time to reconsider my submission process. I need to focus on quality over quantity, which means I'll submit my next story when I have done everything to make it absolutely ready, not because of a deadline here. Right now, I'm finishing up the second draft on a new story. Maybe I could get it done in time for Q1, maybe not. Guess we'll see.

I've submitted every quarter for three years, but the last two rejections hit my mental health hard. I think its time to reconsider my submission process. I need to focus on quality over quantity, which means I'll submit my next story when I have done everything to make it absolutely ready, not because of a deadline here. Right now, I'm finishing up the second draft on a new story. Maybe I could get it done in time for Q1, maybe not. Guess we'll see.

I hear you there. I've gotten more misses than... well, close misses, this year. It's weird, because I feel like my writing has gotten better, but that's not reflected in contest results at all. It might be that my technical writing has improved but my story ideas and/or pacing just aren't meshing with the judges right now.

I need to stop with the rejectomancy. There's no way to know.

I've submitted every quarter for three years, but the last two rejections hit my mental health hard. I think its time to reconsider my submission process. I need to focus on quality over quantity, which means I'll submit my next story when I have done everything to make it absolutely ready, not because of a deadline here. Right now, I'm finishing up the second draft on a new story. Maybe I could get it done in time for Q1, maybe not. Guess we'll see.

I hear you there. I've gotten more misses than... well, close misses, this year. It's weird, because I feel like my writing has gotten better, but that's not reflected in contest results at all. It might be that my technical writing has improved but my story ideas and/or pacing just aren't meshing with the judges right now.

I need to stop with the rejectomancy. There's no way to know.

Why not submit these stories to other markets? You might be pleasantly surprised with an acceptance or invaluable feedback.

So much of publishing is subjective. I'm new to the contest and this forum, so take my words with a grain of salt!

Leveraging WotF for motivation to write might be the best thing we can do. I never even considered writing short fiction before recently learning of how this contest has launched careers. Then the dedication of members on this forum was so inspiring. I believe my short story turned out significantly better than all my novel-length attempts.

We can't be afraid of "pro-ing out".

A decade ago, I couldn't get anything in my college newspaper, and then I was writing op-eds for TIME Magazine. My writing hadn't changed. It was the same article. (I don't think journalism disqualifies me from WotF, although I acknowledge some might claim my opinions are fiction!)

You'll find that editor you click with, with the right audience. In the meantime, you'll continue to grow with a wider portfolio of potentially salable stories. It all gets easier once you have some by-lines (at least within the same genre).

Cheers,
Ari

Now that I can put 36 behind me I'll work on a novel for a while. I'm completely rearranging my schedule to facilitate my writing process.
I know I need to have at least one contest worthy story before Nov because I plan to try nanowrimo again.

Why not submit these stories to other markets? You might be pleasantly surprised with an acceptance or invaluable feedback.

So much of publishing is subjective. I'm new to the contest and this forum, so take my words with a grain of salt!

Leveraging WotF for motivation to write might be the best thing we can do. I never even considered writing short fiction before recently learning of how this contest has launched careers. Then the dedication of members on this forum was so inspiring. I believe my short story turned out significantly better than all my novel-length attempts.

We can't be afraid of "pro-ing out".

A decade ago, I couldn't get anything in my college newspaper, and then I was writing op-eds for TIME Magazine. My writing hadn't changed. It was the same article. (I don't think journalism disqualifies me from WotF, although I acknowledge some might claim my opinions are fiction!)

You'll find that editor you click with, with the right audience. In the meantime, you'll continue to grow with a wider portfolio of potentially salable stories. It all gets easier once you have some by-lines (at least within the same genre).

Cheers,
Ari

Good advice, Ari. I appreciate the encouragement.

I've long been in the habit of submitting to other markets. I sold one story to a Flame Tree Press anthology a couple of years ago as a result, and have a second story forthcoming in another of Flame Tree anthology in January. I'm definitely not afraid of pro-ing out; that's just as much of a win as placing in the contest, in my opinion.

Over the last few years of entering, I've penned twelve stories, eleven of which were entered in the contest, and I've only trunked one of them. (It was the first story I'd written in something like ten years, and I've made/corrected so many new writer mistakes with it over the years it's not even funny. A month or two ago I decided it was time to put it to pasture.) Strangely enough, the stories that seem to do best for me in WotF haven't gained traction elsewhere. Out of the two stories I've sold, one was written for a Flame Tree Press fantasy call and sold before I could submit it here; the other got an R, and I sold it after cutting out... something like a third of it and sending the edited version to another Flame Tree call.

Ahh well. Onward and upward!

Good advice, Ari. I appreciate the encouragement.

I've long been in the habit of submitting to other markets. I sold one story to a Flame Tree Press anthology a couple of years ago as a result, and have a second story forthcoming in another of Flame Tree anthology in January. I'm definitely not afraid of pro-ing out; that's just as much of a win as placing in the contest, in my opinion.

That's awesome (and your history in the contest is impressive!). Agreed on pro-ing out being a win we should all hope for. All we can do is keep at it! The stars won't align if we don't try.

Over the last few years of entering, I've penned twelve stories, eleven of which were entered in the contest, and I've only trunked one of them. (It was the first story I'd written in something like ten years, and I've made/corrected so many new writer mistakes with it over the years it's not even funny. A month or two ago I decided it was time to put it to pasture.) Strangely enough, the stories that seem to do best for me in WotF haven't gained traction elsewhere. Out of the two stories I've sold, one was written for a Flame Tree Press fantasy call and sold before I could submit it here; the other got an R, and I sold it after cutting out... something like a third of it and sending the edited version to another Flame Tree call.

Ahh well. Onward and upward!

Very cool. You are obviously writing winner-level based on your results. Just a matter of time what comes first: that or proing-out.
I'm going to follow your advice and write new but also compare it to what I have available. I've got a couple where I think the story idea, IMHO, is worthwhile but there was plenty of room for improvement on the writing.

I've submitted every quarter for three years, but the last two rejections hit my mental health hard. I think its time to reconsider my submission process. I need to focus on quality over quantity, which means I'll submit my next story when I have done everything to make it absolutely ready, not because of a deadline here. Right now, I'm finishing up the second draft on a new story. Maybe I could get it done in time for Q1, maybe not. Guess we'll see.

I hear you there. I've gotten more misses than... well, close misses, this year. It's weird, because I feel like my writing has gotten better, but that's not reflected in contest results at all. It might be that my technical writing has improved but my story ideas and/or pacing just aren't meshing with the judges right now.

I need to stop with the rejectomancy. There's no way to know.

Why not submit these stories to other markets? You might be pleasantly surprised with an acceptance or invaluable feedback.

So much of publishing is subjective. I'm new to the contest and this forum, so take my words with a grain of salt!

Leveraging WotF for motivation to write might be the best thing we can do. I never even considered writing short fiction before recently learning of how this contest has launched careers. Then the dedication of members on this forum was so inspiring. I believe my short story turned out significantly better than all my novel-length attempts.

We can't be afraid of "pro-ing out".

A decade ago, I couldn't get anything in my college newspaper, and then I was writing op-eds for TIME Magazine. My writing hadn't changed. It was the same article. (I don't think journalism disqualifies me from WotF, although I acknowledge some might claim my opinions are fiction!)

You'll find that editor you click with, with the right audience. In the meantime, you'll continue to grow with a wider portfolio of potentially salable stories. It all gets easier once you have some by-lines (at least within the same genre).

Cheers,
Ari

That's actually part of my rethinking. I had been submitting to WOTF first, because this is the one market where I can resubmit. But I believe that thinking is part of what's holding me back right now. So I'm going to take away the net and submit somewhere else first, where I only get one shot, so I better make the story the best it can be. Fantasy & Science Fiction and Beneath Ceaseless Skies both give feedback on pretty much every submission, so one of those will be my new first market.

Good luck on those market submissions folks :).

I just submitted my Q3 HM to a Canadian professional market and a revised version of my Q1 HM to a fourth market (It got those personalized rejections from F&Sf and BCS and one form rejection elsewhere). I think I've made a few good adjustments to it and if it doesn't get any traction it will likely end up being my V37 Q1 submission. Right now the one sitting in for Q4 is one that was held for consideration by Diabolical Plots. I would be just fine with pro-ing out before winning. Although I probably don't have a big enough collection of ready to submit stories to realistically pro-out first. But I keep trying to add new ones to my completed list. Maybe Q1 V37 will be a newly finished one (I have a few that are on the cusp - they need critiques and revisions but I think they are close). So hard to "finish" stories!

I started writing my Q1 on Sunday. I'm 7,500 words in. Seems like it's almost writing itself. Yesterday I wrote over 3k.

I started writing my Q1 on Sunday. I'm 7,500 words in. Seems like it's almost writing itself. Yesterday I wrote over 3k.

That's fantastic! Keep it up! I just wrote the opening for my Q1 (about 200 words) and am letting some possible scenes float around in my head. Hopefully then it will start flowing more easily!

I don't know if the story I'm working on right now will be a contest entry but boy it is flowing really nicely and I have a very solid idea of where it is headed and I love it and I hate it (I do tend to be too easy on my characters but I'm about to put this one through some stuff that won't be so nice). I am really feeling it so far.

Good luck to you others on the rest of those entries you are working on

I would have already entered my 37Q1, but alas I'm waiting to hear from a different venue to determine if they want to publish my chosen story. That's a good problem to have. And good thing this contest is a quarter long.

That said, if anyone cares, I'm still doing Dean's Great Challenge. 24 stories in 24 weeks so far. So there's lots of other stories to choose from if my favorite gets picked up. But that's not really the point. Point is production, and fun. Gotta tell you, it's been a blast so far. Not fun every week; some weeks it's been hard to git r' done. But overall, it's been awesome. The coolest part is I'm now at the point where the idea of not getting a story done by Sunday night evokes an almost physical "Hell No!" reaction, so I can't not do it.

Some of you guys said you were joining the challenge back when I mentioned it in the Q3 thread. Out of curiosity, how is it going for you who are doing it? Still going? Still having fun?

Not saying this to brag, or to make anyone feel bad. More to say "Chu Can Do It!"

4 in 37 is not a far, unreachable goal. Really, it's the minimum bar, imho. Go farther! Write more! Kick ass this year, troops!

And have fun.

Oorah!

That's very impressive Michael. That's tenacious talent on display.
How long is the exercise?

At a writing marathon today and so I've gotten some good solid progress on my story. It's actually looking like it might end up in novelette length territory. Thankfully that is within the boundaries of the contest just in case I decide to aim for submitting it to the contest.

And well done on that challenge Michael. I'd like to try a challenge like that but I haven't committed to something like that because I need to also work on my revision skills (I know I'm not at a writing calibre that makes it possible for me to write first drafts that don't need work and I really want to get more pieces finished). Ugh such a struggle to balance all the pieces. Maybe I'll do an alternating weeks thing at some point. A fresh story followed by a week of revising some previously written stuff (novels or shorter pieces) followed by another fresh story. Hmmmm as I am stream of consciousness writing out this idea I am really sort of liking it. My revision goal would be to "finish" a short piece in the given week (or a significant section of novel if that is what I'm working on). Maybe after November (which will be a rewrite of one of my novels).

Maybe I'll start up a alternator challenge Alternators recharge batteries so I think it fits

That's very impressive Michael. That's tenacious talent on display.
How long is the exercise?

It's a year-long challenge. I started in April. Details are up at the link I posted above.

(I know I'm not at a writing calibre that makes it possible for me to write first drafts that don't need work and I really want to get more pieces finished)

You sure about that, czing? Writers are notoriously bad at evaluating their own work.

I would suggest you stop talking yourself down. Self-fulfilling prophesies are a real thing.

(I know I'm not at a writing calibre that makes it possible for me to write first drafts that don't need work and I really want to get more pieces finished)

You sure about that, czing? Writers are notoriously bad at evaluating their own work.

I would suggest you stop talking yourself down. Self-fulfilling prophesies are a real thing.

It's not necessarily talking oneself down--having an awareness of one's capabilities is a good thing. I can't write a first draft that doesn't need work, and I know this based on both personal experience and peer review. The thing is, there's nothing wrong with that, because that's what editing is for. Striving for cleaner first drafts is good, and my first drafts are definitely cleaner than they used to be, but every time I make an active effort to get everything right on the first try my story crashes and burns. I write my first drafts best when I worry about getting the words out rather than getting them right.

What disgruntledpeony said. I know I am bad at evaluating my own work, but my error tends to be in thinking its better than it actually is instead of the other way around. Hence my many rejections.

Rather than focus on new/revising, I think my challenge is going to focus on developing specific skills. Every day in November, I'll spend 15-20 minutes doing a writing exercise, since I don't plan on doing NaNoWriMo. Now I just need to plan out which exercises to do.

On an unrelated topic, just thought I'd post that Star Trek: Picard will premier on January 23rd, 2020. It will be on CBS All Access for all those die-hard ST:TNG and Voyager fans. It will reunite Sir Patrick Stewart with Jonathan Frakes, tag along Seven of Nine from Voyager, and from the previews posted, it looks amazing.

Not to sound like Father Time, but I remember when Star Trek first premiered in September 1966 and it really was breakthrough science fiction at its best. It came through at a time when there were mostly insane sit-coms, and gunslinger Westerns, and ridiculously stupid shows on the tube such as The Farmer's Daughter and Dr. Kildare and Green Acres. Although we look back on it now as corny, Roddenberry's vision has raked in many millions and become a franchise.