Why I should do things in advance
I decided this afternoon that I’d read over my two strongest pieces and send them to Clarion with my application. I read. One story pulled an honorable mention from WotF and the other is my finalist story, only the latter has been shaved down by about 500 words to fit the application guidelines better. I don’t think the story loses too much from the edit and it’s not worth the gamble to send the full version. (I’m waiting on some inside information as to whether I need to send the shortened or the full to CW.) Anyway, the stories have been touched up and are ready to go, I got financial info from my wife for the scholarship application, I paid my application fee…
…and now I have to wait for an invitation code before I do anything.
I have the application receipt, but that’s not what they want. Last year it took only a couple hours to get the code. We’ll see for this year. I had to do this on a holiday weekend?
It just goes to show what my procrastination will do. I’ve been planning to apply for forever, I could have paid that fee at any time. But no, genius that I am, I wait until I’m ready to fill out the application online. Boo to me.
On the upside, I’m ready to submit…I think. It’s that second story that has me scratching my head. I could send “Faerie Belches”, it was pretty good. Or “Excuse Me” to show that I have a sense of humor. Or “Chasers”, which is old but still a fine piece.
Gorrammit, now I’m going to have to read “Chasers” and see how it comperes to that other story. (By the way, due to contest restrictions, I’ve stopped using the titles of any of my unpublished stories on my blog, just in case I enter one in a contest. WotF is the most notable option, but there are others.) I’ll let everyone know what I sent after I send it, since that seems the only way I’ll know for sure.
Scott W. Baker: Chaos out of Chaos 
Hi Scott:
I Was looking for Clarion tags and this is really the only one I’ve located easily.
I too, am applying for Clarion. I hope I get in, but somehow doubt it. Martin is my favorite author. I’ve read everything by him. If you want to read some haunting short stories get his Dreamsongs volume one and two. Combined, it’s 2000 pages of short stories: I liked a great many of them.
I see you’re reading A Game of Thrones. The whole series is amazing and only gets better as things pile exponentially upon one another.
I’ve been pursuing this dream actively, and consistently since November of last year. So not very long. I’ve got a long ways to go my friend, but I’m willing to take the journey. I Read some of your blog, you seem like a great person and I wanted to wish you luck! I too have a wife, a beautiful daughter, and a middle class day job. I have a good idea what this dream means to you. From what I can tell you’re attacking it at all angles with vigor. Bravo.
You seem very helpful, and have some useful links/sites/references here that I intend to use. We’re both members of sff.onlinewriting workshop. I looked you up and will do some reviews of your shorts, perhaps we can work out a mutually benefiting relationship! I’ll ad you to my friends/reviewer list on there.
Well, I truly do hope you make it in. If not, there’s always next year! Perhaps we’ll be classmates.
Cheers,
Clinton Zane Ellingsworth
Clinton,
Glad to make your acquaintance. I’ll look up Dreamsongs since I was hoping to find some GRRM short stories. I am very close to finishing Game of Thrones but it’s so hard to find time to read. I’m impressed with Martin’s ability to make his characters suffer, and the end of this book is agonizing. I need to channel a little of that.
Are you applying to Clarion West or Odyssey, too? Just curious. I skipped on Odyssey because I’m after the Clarion name as well as the experience…snob that I am. It’s the only way I can justify losing that time with my family.
I wish you luck with Clarion. Think about it, seventeen or eighteen people really do make it. No reason you can’t be one of them. They’re not looking for perfect writing, mostly potential they can sculpt into success. I’ll look you up on OWW, too. I need to up my review points anyway. 🙂
Good luck again. Just a few weeks before we start finding out. Fingers crossed.