revisions

My revisions end up being longer than the original, though I know many writers say that a draft always need to be cut significantly. I do cut, but I add more than I cut, apparently.

I’d like to hear from other writers. Is your revised material on average longer or shorter than your original draft?

helium

I joined Helium this week. If you don’t know Helium, it’s a site that pays writers to write and post articles in competition with other writers.

I’ve written a few articles so far, but I haven’t submitted any creative writing over there. Here’s my Helium page.

I’m only now getting used to the site, and so as of now I don’t have an opinion.

market response times

I just withdrew a short story from a market that had been holding it for 14 months. Fourteen months! Now, while I do understand that editors are busy, and I certainly know that they are in no way begging writers for stories, I still think that response times of months are too long, response times of six to twelve months are inconsiderate, and anything over a year is just plain crazy.

In my view it is unfair is for a market with a typically long response time to insist that writers not send in simultaneous submissions. In the time it takes one slow publication to respond to a submission, the story could be out making its rounds at five different publications. However, I have not sent in a story silmultaneously to more than one publication when the guidelines clearly state not to. 

I haven’t done it (yet), though I have been tempted more than once.

Short story writers, what are your views on long response times and simultaneous submissions?

blogger vs. wordpress

I’ve had a blog here, and another one over at Blogspot for a year now, and so of course I have an opinion about which platform I prefer.

Comparison:

1. Both are free, and both are easy to set up and easy to use.

Contrast:

1. WordPress lets you add static pages, and with some themes you can even switch the order of the static pages and your blog, so that you can create a proper website.  Blogger has no such thing.

2. WordPress has more themes, but you cannot edit the stlye sheets or the HTML of your theme. Blogger is more limited in its ready-made templates, but you can choose from many, many templates to download from other sites, and you can edit any of the ready-made to your heart’s content, provided you know how, of course. This makes BLogger more versatile for the tech-savvy. (I’m currently learning HTML and CSS, and so at some future time, I’ll want to experiment with my other blog. Expect chaos to ensue.)

3. WordPress has a built-in stat counter. Blogger invites you to add your own, which I have done. This is how I know that one blog is being read and one is not, though that’s due to the content being different.

4. Blogger allows you to use AdSense in order to make some money. However, you must have a lot of hits in order for this to work for you. WordPress does not allow you to monetize your blog.

5. In addition to categories, WordPress has tags which you can add to your posts. This allows tag-surfing through other WordPress blogs, which allows you to find a lot of WordPress bloggers with similar interests. It builds communities. Blogger lacks this feature.

6. People have wondered in the past whether Google favors its own product in its search engine. It seems to me that it does not.

My verdict?

I prefer WordPress because it has more of the features that I personally like and use. I can see, however, that others might prefer Blogger for its CSS-editing and money-making possibilities. It’s my intention to keep both blogs active, and to maintain a presence on both platforms.

gender differences in writing?

A while back I mentioned in a post that the majority of my POV characters tend to be male. And so it is with my two most recent stories. I don’t know why this is, other than to say that the character whose point of view I use is simply the one that seems right for the story.

Anyway, a new question arises. Are there gender differences in writing? I realize that that men and women often choose to read different types of books (not all the time, I know).  Do they write differently as well? The stereotypical answer would that, with respect to sf and fantasy, in general, males like to write about technology, tough characters and lots of action, while women prefer to write about personal and relational experiences.

I don’t know, though, whether this holds true, even as a gross generalization. Are there differences, do you think? Can you describe them?

writing for publication vs. writing for oneself

I’m wondering about the value of writing a story which I find personally compelling, but which (based on my experience trying to sell such stoires in the past) I suspect is not marketable.

I do think that for someone who is focused on publication, writing time (scarce to begin with, and filled with interruptions) needs to be carefully used writing stories that are most likely going to sell. Anything else, for a truly  focused person, is a waste of time.

Most times I think I can determine which stories fit which category before even writing them, so that – yes – I can choose to write only stories that I think will be of interest to editors. But I am so weak! I continue to spend valuable time writing stories that I like, that are personally meaningful, but that are ultimately a waste of time. I must focus more on goals, and less on frivolous self-amusement, as I’ve come to see it.

In the summer, I have more time for writing, and I’m far more productive. So. My goal for the summer is to write: (a) only stories that are fit for publication, in my view; (b) the novel, whether publishable or not, because I need the experience.

something I’ve noticed

“In a single fluid motion”

This is a phrase which I’ve encountered in several novels by different authors. I think it’s a good phrase, and in each case where I’ve seen it, it is an apt description of the action taking place. But I wonder how it is that so many different writers come to use it.

Are some writers deliberately stealing phrases from others? Is it even stealing, since it’s only five words? Are writers unconsciously influenced by what they read, so that they do not even realize when they are doing this? Do I do this, as well? Or is there a guide to approved phrases that I don’t know about?

A variation on this is “in one fluid motion.”

in a rut with Marie and Fred

One of the recurrent difficulties I’m having just now is the inability to solve old narrative problems in new ways. My brain is strangely resistant to coming up with new answers to problems I have already answered.

It goes like this:

Maybe I’ll write a scene where Marie encounters her arch-nemesis Fred at the bank where she works as a teller. She knows it’s him because she reads his name in the account information. But no, I later realize, that’s wrong. This is a Labor Day story! The bank would be closed. So, where can she meet him, and learn his identity? Where? Where, where, where? Hmmm… where?

Oh, I know! says my brain. I have it!

She sees him at the bank! He comes in to deposit his paycheck and she reads the name off of his account. Because she’s a teller! Isn’t that brilliant?!

Brain! I say. You’re not helping. Be quiet and just let me think! Now where can she meet him? Hmmm…

At the bank! says my brain.

And so on. When I write a scene one way, it’s as though it cements that way in my imagination. And if it doesn’t work, I have to mentally wrestle a new scanario from my brain. And believe me, wrestle is the exact word for it.

Writing fatigue? Time to move on to a new story?

authors’ websites

I posted a discussion about websites and their necessity for writers, particularly novelists, over at Adventures in Writing. If you’re a writer, or a reader who likes to visit authors’ websites, please stop over and give us your opinion.

story published and a brief update

Some exciting news! My short story “Beanstalk” has been published in OG’s Speculative Fiction. This is my first time appearing in that magazine. You can read the current issue here.

Now, I know I haven’t posted here in a while. So, here’s what’s happened regarding my writing since my last post: I received a rejection from a professional market (sigh!) but it came with news that the story made the second round, and an invitation to submit again - which I haven’t done, as I don’t think I have anything suitable for that market.

I’ve been posting weekly over at Adventures in Writing. And I’ve been writing posts on another non-fiction blog dealing with a criminal case that has gotten my attention.

Also, on the non-writing side, I’m taking some online courses for my regular day job. I’ve been doing these on my own time, and yes, it’s time-consuming but important, and as a result my own fiction writing has been suffering a little lately. I’m not worried about it though, as I’ll be done with this course work soon.

I’ll be writing more regularly and posting here again soon, and also, I’ll be catching up on all the blogs I like to read.