In September of 2007, I started this blog
with a bit of writing advice. A little over a year later, I discovered how
little I knew about writing after hearing children’s writer, Lin Oliver speak
at a convention hosted by the Minnesota Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators. Since then, I have shared (with their permission) and applied the
writing wisdom of Lin Oliver, Jack McDevitt, Nathan Bransford, Mike Duran,
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, SL Veihl, Bruce Bethke, and Julie Czerneda. Together
they write in genres broad and deep, and have acted as agents, editors,
publishers, columnists, and teachers. Since then, I figured I’ve got enough
publications now that I can share some of the things I did “right” and I’m busy
sharing that with you.
While I don’t write full-time, nor do I make
enough money with my writing to live off of it...neither do all of the
professional writers above...someone pays for and publishes ten percent of what
I write. When I started this blog, that was NOT true, so I may have reached a
point where my own advice is reasonably good. We shall see! Hemingway’s quote
above will now remain unchanged as I work to increase my writing output and
sales! As always, your comments are welcome!
Once again, I attempted
to do something literary based on an idea I’d seen in a paper issue of POPULAR
SCIENCE that ended up here as well: http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/g824/5-high-tech-space-junk-solutions/?slide=2
Dinking around with
the “problems” presented in the extremely brief piece, I hit on the idea of
replacing electronic components with simplified organic components, that is, a
monkey brain. It solved several problems at the same time, and as this story
had almost nothing to do with character development – and everything to do with
the niftiness of an idea (making it a “pure ANALOG”-type story) I wrote it in a
few hours.
Even the title
popped out of the narrative unbidden and obvious.
HOWEVER, despite the
fact that the idea and title were there, I wrote it with a “typical” ANALOG “happy
ending” – quite literally, the little monkey-brained satellite witnessed a
sunrise and the dawning of a new day.
That remained until
I started revisions.
The story was short –
at right around 1500 words, it almost qualified as a piece of flash fiction.
There wasn’t room to develop the character – and having never written a monkey
as a main character, there wasn’t much I could imagine it doing. That attitude
remained until I reread the story and realized that if the satellite could
change its attitude (hahahaha), I could change mine.
While very little
changed from the first draft (which was in pen on unlined paper!), giving the
satellite the tiniest bit of personality altered the entire outcome of the
story.
I’d gone from idea
to polished story in five days and sent it off. Like most of my stories, I got
rejected right away. Unlike ANY other story I’d ever written, I was rejected
personally from Tor.com, ASIMOV’S, and CLARKESWORLD with small notes. I wrote
it in February of 2013 in a bit over two hours. The fourth time around, I hit
pay dirt at PERIHELION and the story appeared in July of 2014. Most of the
intervening time took place as it wound its way through the labyrinthine
submission process of Tor.com. It also got lost and I had to resubmit.
So what did I do
right with this story:
1) I stuck with my
strengths – science and fiction.
2) I wrote fast,
finished a draft, and then when I really knew the story, went back and added
character depth.
3) I submitted it to
top markets.
4) I targeted it.
5) I LOVED it.
I wish I could post
it here, but it’s disappeared into the aether. Even so, your comments on the
above are welcome, wanted, and needed! What thinkst thou?
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