Category: Writing

Snow waits for no man

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 3 Comments

Another couple days out of school (the today that is ending and the tomorrow about to begin, it being after 11PM and all).  How much writing have I clocked this week?  100 words?  Maybe 200?  Honestly the count may be negative since I’ve been removing cancerous cliches from my latest endeavor.

But I have some energy now and most of my best work comes in the wee hours (at least I believe that in those wee hours).  When I get done here, I intend to power through to the next good part and build some steam.  My afternoon/evening is still booked with some training tomorrow (free laptop, baby!) but morning and early afternoon are free enough to squeeze out some words whenever my daughter is reasonably distracted (which happened seldom today, so I have that much excuse).

I’ve been trolling Icerocket for other people’s comments on Clarion/Clarion West.  It’s interesting what I find.  Apparently Clarion is a computer language or something and I get mostly drivel about that, but what real hits I get run the gamut from “I’m pretty sure I’ll get in” to “is it even worth my effort”.  I fear I would likely fall on the arrogant side of this, though my close shave with CW last year is at least some sort of pedigree, as is my WotF finalist I used to apply (more on that below).  Still, I don’t feel confident at all.  I screwed up my application length — even the format — for CW.  I had to cut 500 words from my story to submit to Clarion, 500 words that were mostly character-building or fleshed out the milieu (a word I’m trying to use more often), so maybe I stripped the story of some of its strengths and/or charm…and it was still a nibble above the word count.  (As if that story could be called “charming” at all.)  And the second Clarion story was a bit experimental in form, only an HM from WotF, and really represented my abilities from years ago, when I wrote the first draft without the Multiple Sclerosis angle.

So no, I’m not certain I’ll make it.  If people have more reason to expect to make it than I have (they may have pro sales or better semi-pros, for instance), then more power to them and I hope I see you out west.  If they have less reason to think they’ll make it (I have no formal training, no pro sales or even especially braggable semi-pro sales, I type slow and read slower, and I went five pages over for my CW application, for goodness sake!), then there’s still reason to apply.  For instance, I know Clarion (SD) has a tiered rejection system.  (If it says you were close, you were.)  And you might just get in anyway!  It’s not a magazine, it’s a workshop.  They are looking as much at potential as they are skill.  A clever writer with an obvious flaw might be a better candidate than a pretty-good-all-around writer that doesn’t stand out anywhere.  What will that person do, increase his/her mediocrity?

This isn’t to say everyone should apply.  It’s not worth it to every Joe/Jane that wants to write.  Six weeks away from work often means quitting a job.  Six weeks away from a spouse/fiancee/boyfriend/girlfriend may mean coming home single.  Six weeks away from my daughter is going to be devastating.  If it happens, I’ll have at least one major breakdown.  It will happen.  Not to mention I’ll also be away from my wife.  And the financial cost…  How many Clarion writers actually recoup that money with writing sales?

But face it, Clarion is my American Idol.  If I can make it as a writer, this will help (not make, but help) it happen.  It will open doors whose keys I might never reach by other avenues.  So for me, it’s worth it…perhaps for the last time. Let’s just say that after 2010, I intend to have too much to leave behind for six weeks to be reasonable.  So this is my Clarion shot.  The darts are away.  I should find out where they land in the next four to six weeks.  (If anyone thinks six weeks isn’t long, send off the application and wait those six weeks to hear back.  It’s a freaking eternity!)

And I know Clarion is not the only path to Publishing Parnassus.  Writers of the Future seems to be a good train, and more evidence that four to six weeks can be interminible.  (Come on, judges, declare my victory/defeat and get on with it!)  Lots of people just keep submitting until that one sale happens.  Then it’s off to the snail races.  And if it’s not what but who, networking can be done at conventions, via blogs, through mutual friends (found at cons or blogs), or any other number of ways.  Success is out there, waiting for me.  Waiting for you.  Many roads lead ther; they all have their own toll booths.  Get your exact change ready and get driving.

Ouch…the agony of that last cliche metaphor is killing me.  Avenge me!

More rainbow

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

Another late night, another scene down, another thousand words (some probably cuttable if the story runs long).  At this rate I’ll have the first draft done by the end of the weekend.  Cranking out a story in a week is quite an accomplishment for me.  That’s why I need Clarion…

I know a little more about where the story is heading.  I need to get the characters to bond a bit, and maybe make the jeopardy a little more real than it is so far.  The next scene will likely start out boring and end up intense.  I’ll need to make that jump quickly, 300 words or so is my target.  We’ll see.

Off to bed.  Full day of school tomorrow.  Yay.  😛

End of the Rainbow

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

I’ll try to make this short since it’s midnight and I have school tomorrow.  We open late, but we’re scheduled to go.

My biggest paying sale to date (crosses fingers for WotF) was to Triangulation 2004, a semipro anthology put out by the PARSEC, a sci-fi organization out of Pittsburgh.  It was something like 84 bucks.  Woohoo.  Since then, Asimov’s has started saying very nice things about them.  (No, to my knowledge they never reviewed my issue.)  The theme for the 2004 issue was “Hard Port”, which wasn’t a stretch for my space fuel tanker story, “Chasers”.

This year’s anthology has the theme “End of the Rainbow”.  After a little dictionary and thesaurus time with the word “rainbow”, I came up with a story idea.  What’s more, I’ve now written almost a thousand words for the opening scene.  (I hope my other story doesn’t develop abandonment issues.)

Competition for the anthology is probably a lot stiffer than it used to be.  The theme used to be very loose, really just a carryover from their con-related fiction contest.  Now anthology and contest have different themes (contest theme: The Color of Silence) and the good press surely brings in lots of hopefuls.  Still, I’m inspired to give it a try.

The one reservation I have is, what do I do with the story if it doesn’t make it?  It won’t be right for WotF since the speculative element isn’t even hinted at until the bottom of page two and still hasn’t been expressed explicitly a thousand words in.  I guess I can make rounds at the regular zines, but I might have to strip the story of its rainbows so it won’t look like a failed anthology piece.  The rainbow connection will be a little tenuous despite it being the inspiration for the story.  But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I’m just happy t be working on a story that has some momentum.  I don’t expect this one to get long enough to bog down.  And I have an outline.  Anyway, I’m off to bed to dream of sci-fi rainbows and unruly math students.

[I’ll add some links tomorrow]

Bad story. No soup for you.

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

I am in a very bad place with my current story.  I get the feeling it’s a place I never should have ended up.  It’s a slow place.  I’ve writtem and rewritten this place at least five times and it’s still not working for me.  I need to check my story notes (I think I have some…somewhere) to see exactly what direction it’s supposed to be going.

My most recent attempt employs the age-old advice to use narrative summary to push through the boring parts.  It’s time to put in the plot twist that drives most of the drama.  I also have a fear that I’ll need to cut half of what I’ve already written.  *sigh*

This one will probably take some time to work through.  Wish me luck.

New personal record!

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

Not a record I’m thrilled with, by definition, but something I discovered while updating my submission tracking spreadsheet.  (I make sheets sorted chronologically, by title, by market, and by wait time…most of it copy and paste).

Anyway, I discovered that this WotF finalist is actually the longest I’ve ever waited for a short story response.  I waited almost a year to hear back on a novel…but that’s a way different issue.  It’s not like I’ve heard nothing over these 130 days, but I still don’t know if it sold and I can’t get it back out on the market until I hear.  Still, definitely worth the wait.

Just imagine if I’d sent it at the beginning of the quarter!

I still prefer long waits on possible sales to quick rejections.

Turnaround

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 2 Comments

Gotta love the turnaround at Clarkesworld magazine.  It took a massive two days for them to reject the story that put me on the CW waiting list last year.  Now I need to have an even quicker turnaround shipping it back out.

To Duotrope!

UPDATE: I’ve decided to try Lightspeed.  Won’t be ab easy score, but I need to really work the high price markets before looking lower, especially with this story.  I have faith in it.

Post-apocalyptic overload

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 3 Comments

I watched some television last night.  (I tried to write while I did it, but it was tough).  One movie and onething off TIVO.

The movie was 9.  Not the musical, the animated-but-not-for-children movie.  It’s about nine Barbie-sized burlap robots fighting for survival after the apocalypse.  Well done with good voice talent (Elijah Wood, John C. Riley among others).  Very dark with a bit of uplift at the end, but hardly what I would call optimism.  I enjoyed it, I guess, but wouldn’t put it on a recommendation list.  However, if you found Avatar derivative, 9 might be the prescription you need.

I also watched the series finale of Dollhouse.  (Why does Joss Whedon even bother dealing with FOX anymore?)  It was way out there compared to the rest of the show, set five years later, after the Brain-pocalypse.  A whole lot happened in a small amount of time.  It probably should have been two hours, or an hour and a half at least.  But when your contract’s up…

It really was the definition of starting in the middle of the action.  You know how shows open with scenes from previous episodes?  Well the scenes at the start of this one were apparently from an episode that never aired, may never have been filmed.  I found that especially brilliant, but I bet it lost a lot of people.  They made references to “butchers” and “dumbshows” (I think that was the term…don’t remember) without defining them, but their meaning was easily apparent.  There was a lot of cyberpunk flavor to it, too.

The plot wasn’t all that creative but it didn’t have to be.  The characters’ new situations were interesting enough (particularly Topher and Alpha). I dare say it was the best episode, but there were some other good ones.

I’m dying for the next Whedon idea to hit the screen.  The man thinks out there.

Dollhouse never really caught on in spite of Eluza Dushku’s excellent acting and…other talents.  I suspect here “other talents” are part of the show’s failure, driving female viewers away from a show about what is essentially a slave operation.  Echo actually turns out to be a very empowered female, but the damage was done in advertising.  Much like Firefly (rest in peace, old friend) which was done in by lack of advertising.  The film 9 was doomed from the start, too dark for kids and too cartoon for mainstream audiences, but it still pains me that both of these were basically failures but Twilight breaks the bank.  *sigh*  Still, it’s nice to find a few gems in the rough.

Trapped in the snow…yay!

~ Scott W. Baker ~ 1 Comment

The snow came midday Friday.  The ice and sleet came down later.  Now the roads are covered in snow that is protected by a nice candy shell.  The sun is working hard, but it’ll be a few days before I get out to go anywhere.  I dare predict there won’t be any school tomorrow.  Aw shucks.  🙂

This has good and bad influences on my writing.  It’s good because I am home, where most of my writing takes place.  It’s bad because of what else is at home: mountains of dishes and laundry that need to be done, video games that beg to be played to compensate for being trapped, a daughter that wants to be entertained every minute, and a ncie comfy bed with an electric blanket.  All things call to me at once; my daughter calls with her not-so-little voice, the chores call with my wife’s voice, the games and bed seem to speak with my voice.

The keyboard beckons to me, too, and I’ve been trying to answer that call.  I’ve tried to plow through a difficult transition in my current story and maybe I can get some momentum going again today.

What I have accomplished is getting some older stories back in circulation.  They’ve been lying dormant for no good reason.  I sent one to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and the other to Clarkesworld.  The mail isn’t running, so electronic submissions were the way to go.  (Thank God we still have power!)  Both markets have quick turnarounds so I may get them back out again before I’m back in school…unless one of them gets picked up.  ASIM holds stories they want to buy for up to three months in a story pool, waiting to be selected for an issue.  If the three months pass without selection, they release it.  So even if they want to buy the story it might not sell.  Still, the whole process is about as long as other magazines’ slush process.

So I have five stories out, technically.  ASIM, Clarkesworld, Weird Tales, my WotF finalist, and my WotF Q1 entry.

I also have two stories up at OWW.  The funny one needs to have a character cut out; she doesn’t really add to the story.  I had plans for her when it was supposed to be a novel, and I may put her back if I resurrect that project, but for now she’s got to go.  The other story needs a better defined arc of growth for the main character.  It’s supposed to be that he finally views the value of a personal life over his professional one, but not until it’s too late.  It comes across, but necessarily as growth as it stands.  I’m hoping for a few more comments (2 reviews each, so far) before I start repairing them.

Well, that cleaning voice just walked in the room and requested my presence in the kitchen.  I can work a few hours before writing.  I hope.

More reviews from WotF XXV

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

I finally got around to reading a couple more stories out of WotF volume XXV.  A few months back I posted reviews of three stories: Emery Huang’s Gold Award story “Gardens of Tian Zi”, Jordan Lapp’s “After the Final Sunset, Again”, and Gra Linnaea’s “Life in Steam”.  All three were enjoyable, “After…” probably being my favorite of the three.  Still, I had a feeling I wouldn’t have selected any of them as the Gold Award winner if I was asked (which of course I wasn’t).  So my search continues.

It seemed only sensible to read the other first place quarterly winners, those being the only ones that were actually up for the gold.  That led me to Mathew S. Rotundo’s “Gone Black” and Donald Mead’s “The Shadow Man”.

Let me start this pair of mini-reviews by saying these, too, were nicely executed stories that I enjoyed and couldn’t wait to turn the pages.  Still, “Gone Black” felt a touch disappointing.  I always felt a step removed from everything: the action, the character, the setting.  Like I was watching it from inside the automated cars from Jurassic Park, everything was there, but there was plexiglass and bars between us.  This wasn’t completely bad since the “prisoner” was indeed separated from everything, but I don’t think I was supposed to sympathise with the prisoner that way.  Maybe I felt a lack of intimate insight.  Or maybe some technique early in the story set me that way and I never shook it.  Maybe it was me (like a slush reader having a bad day).  Whatever it was, it overshadowed the story for me and left me feeling unsatisfied.

The alien wasn’t terribly imaginative or developed.  Most of the development went into the setting’s situation, a quarantined space outpost in a war harboring a POW and incubating a sense of paranoia among its crew.  This was effective, though a sense of things from before the prisoner arrived could have made the change more effective.  I’m not sure what part of the story made this a first place winner.  Again, it wasn’t a bad story.  I enjoyed it, cared about the main character, even sympathized with the mob and the prisoner.  I just wanted another degree out of it, in all those things.  Every person turned out to be who they were expected to be… It’s like my mother’s spaghetti: I enjoy it, I eat every bite, even get seconds, but I don’t particularly crave it.

Then there was “The Shadow Man”.  That was a story I would order off the menu.  It was a great twist on a phenomenon I was already intrigued by, the permanent shadows of people captured by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.  Factor in a little yakuza, a little haunting, a twist ending…quite excellent.

Actually, the twist ending was a bit much for me.  It did answer some questions that had nagged me from the middle of the story,  but they were questions I had already had to dismiss in order to remain in the story.  (A bit vague, to be sure, but I’m avoiding spoilers where I can.)  While it answered questions, I don’t think it was hinted at enough through the story.  I think the story could have ended without the twist and lost little (other than the author’s vision).  I was also confused as to why the POV had to switch to Four Fingers in the middle of the story.  The shift wasn’t that bad and was executed cleanly, but when I spend half the story in one head, I expect to remain there for the duration.  An earlier switch could have made it less jarring.

Still, “The Shadow Man” had nicely carved characters (I especially liked the Rice King), an interesting premise, and well-conceived plot arc.  So far, I think it would have been my choice for Gold.  For what it’s worth; it’s all a matter of taste and mine seems to lack some of the sophistication of true SF connoisseurs.

I haven’t found a bad story in the book yet.  Nor have I found one that left me scratching my head and wondering if I’m an idiot the way some stories in best-of anthologies tend to.  That’s what I really like about WotF anthologies, the stories are good reading for the common reader.  No PhDs or MENSA required.  Just nice, down-to-earth speculative entertainment.  Ahh.

Now if I could just get my story in one.

I now return to pretending to wait patiently for Joni’s call.

Why am I still awake?

~ Scott W. Baker ~ Leave a comment

I am going to be tired tomorrow.  And now I’m blogging?  Idiot!

I did a little fresh writing on my current story today and a lot more remodeling with the stuff I already had.  Still not the progress I wanted.  Rumor has it we’ll get snow Thursday night, so maybe I’ll have a lot of writing time Friday?

I reread my Adams-esque comedy story and put a spitshine on it.  It was originally supposed to be a novel but makes a pretty darn good short.  It may have some elements that don’t quite fit the story length, though.  I tossed it up at OWW to see what people say.  If you’re a member there and need a good laugh, go read it.  (Still not revealing titles here so you’ll have to look it up through my name.)  I can’t guarantee laughs, but I think it’s funny.

Okay, now to bed.  Night all.