The 2012 Writerly Recap

A New Year’s surprise: I’m actually writing a blog post!

*blows dust off the den of writerly wackiness*

So, 2012. You’ve been insanely busy, frequently maddening, occasionally shiny, and utterly draining. You’ve been the year of the “lovely writing and there’s a lot to like but . . .” rejection. You’ve been the year of stories I adore and am really proud of not finding any love. But I am done with you, 2012. Done, I say! Now get off my lawn.

2012 Writerly Progress

Despite having some trouble with that whole writing/work/school/singing balance thing, I somehow managed to produce a fairly respectable amount of fiction this past year (respectable for me, at least). One new flash story still needs some pondering and revising, but I also finished four other new stories, one of which has already found a home (see shiny things below). I finished some substantial revisions on two other stories, one of which was a rewrite request that led to a sale to Every Day Fiction (also among the shiny things below). And I’m partway through major revisions on yet another story.

Shiny 2012 Things

Since my last blog post, I’m thrilled to say that I received an acceptance from Flash Fiction Online for “The Swan Maiden,” one of the new stories I wrote this year. This will be my second appearance in FFO.

As mentioned in a post many months back, my opera-singing zombie story “The Holy Spear” from issue 25 of Black Static made Ellen Datlow’s full list of honorable mentions for The Best Horror of the Year, volume 4. Admittedly, it’s a rather lengthy list, but I’m pleased to be on it all the same.

And I’m happy to have seen the following stories published in 2012:

2013: Bring It!

Ok, 2013, here’s what I’d like to get done in the writing department: Those revisions on that story I mentioned earlier. Some more flash stories that actually stay at that length. Perhaps tackle a couple of those short story ideas that have been nibbling at my brain. And get back to the revisions on My Big Fat Epic Fantasy Novel.

Work with me on those, 2013, and I think we can accomplish some awesomeness together.

Blog post at Penumbra and other miscellany

Sorry to resurface with nothing but pimpage, but it’s about all I have time for until the Semester Workload from Hell is over. That said, onto the shameless self-promotion:

* Yesterday I was lying; today I’m babbling about suspension of disbelief and what the phrase actually means over at Penumbra eMag’s blog.

* I’ve added my story “The Wounded House” (originally published in issue 20 of Black Static) to my stories available for purchase at AnthologyBuilder.

* And I’m dreadfully behind in giving a shout out for this, but Not Just Rockets and Robots: Daily Science Fiction Year One, which includes my stories from Daily Science Fiction‘s first year of publishing (“God’s Gift to Women” and “A Song Never Tasted”), is available for purchase.

Philcon Schedule

Even though I’m dreadfully bogged down with work and school and other stuff, I decided that Philcon was close enough that I could afford a touch more over-commitment. That was, of course, before Hurricane Sandy knocked out my power last week and put me even further behind on things. Nonetheless, here’s my schedule, and I’m sticking to it:

WOMEN IN FANTASY
Sat 5:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
[Panelists: Oz Drummond (mod), Barbara Barnett, D.L. Carter, KT Pinto, A.C. Wise]
Regardless of the historical period that they are borrowing from, female protagonists in fantasy are typically strong and feminist and having mindsets that would be at home from the 1970s on. Is this required for modern readers, and is this becoming a cliche?

THE PHILCON FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION MUSIC PANEL: MP3’S WELCOME
Sat 11:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
[Panelists: Rock Robertson (mod), Timothy Binder, Tony Finan, Jonah Knight, Patricia Wake, Barbara Barnett]
You Bring It, We discuss and play it. And we play our own stuff too. A DJ will be present at all times for your convenience.

“Ghost Writer to the Dead” & Happy Shiny Writing Time

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve kind of disappeared from the blogosphere again. My fall semester began last month, and it has been kicking my ass workload-wise. But on the bright side, two shiny writerly things:

1) First, pimpage: my story “Ghost Writer to the Dead” is now out in the October 2012 issue of Penumbra! It’s the first anniversary for Penumbra and its publisher, Musa Publishing, so what better way to wish them a happy one than to consider buying an issue or subscription.

2) Because I kind of sucked about balancing writing and school last year, I promised myself this year that my train ride to and from work would be dedicated to fiction writing, no matter what. One month into the semester, and I’m pleased to say that I’ve stuck to that. It’s not much writing time, but it’s something, which is far more than I managed before.

One, two, five–three, sir!–things make a post

1) Not that the world needs more of me babbling, but fellow Odyssey alum A.J. Cooper was lovely enough to do an interview with me over at his blog.

2) I’ve spent far too much of today transfixed by the internet train wreck that is Weird Tales and their now-revoked intent to publish the first chapter of the “thoroughly non-racist book” Saving the Pearls. If you somehow missed the WTFery, you can find a summary and related links here.

5) After getting back from vacation a couple weeks ago, I was determined to get lots of writing accomplished before before the fall semester craziness begins. Sadly, I have been failing miserably at that. I’ll have a brief burst of productivity only to then turn into a total slug. Today, I was particularly slug-like. My brain, being the uncooperative evil thing that it is, seems amused by the irony that, after hosting a discussion night at TNEO called “Buffy the Rejection Slayer: Defeating Doubt, Procrastination & Other Writerly Demons,” I am now totally getting my ass handed to me by those very demons. I think it’s time to get out the stake.

Shiny things!

First, Izzy David’s podcast of my story “The Little Things” is now up at Every Day Fiction. Please have a listen and rate it if you feel so moved.

Second, story sale! I’m pleased to say that my story “Ghost Writer to the Dead” has been accepted for Penumbra‘s October 2012 Edgar Allan Poe issue.

And finally, so it’s not all about me, some pimpage for writerly compatriot Marshall Payne, who has recently released two novels, Petrol Queen and Jimmy-Don and the Texas Hill Country Ordeal. I haven’t had a chance to read them myself just yet (because I’m a horribly slow reader with a very large to-read pile), but if they’re anything like Marshall’s short fiction, they’ll make for a fun, quirky read. You can find links to them on his Amazon author page.

Full brain is full!

I’m currently trying to readjust to reality after a couple weeks away—first for a week of writerly workshoppiness at TNEO, and then for a week of vacationy goodness down the shore. My brain’s a little scattered, so bear with me as I share the writerly randomness that has occurred during my absence:

* First, story news! My flash piece “The Little Things,” which was published in Every Day Fiction last month, will be available as a podcast (read by Izzy David) on August 13.

* While at TNEO, I finished a shiny new short story called “Memories of Mirrored Worlds” and sent it off into the world. Fly, little story! Fly!

* Speaking of TNEO, it was once again fun and full of awesome people. Lots of great feedback and brainstorming and bouncing around of ideas. Not to mention a highly hysterical evening of people trying to read bad sex scenes without laughing.

* Among my revelations at TNEO this year: I need to stop procrastinating and just revise My Big Fat Epic Fantasy Novel already. I’ve spent the last couple years stopping and starting and hemming and hawing and it’s all rather silly at this point. Brainstorming is all well and good, but there comes a point when the only way to figure out what works is to just finish the damn thing.

* BUT! Before I go back to the novel, I will revise a few short stories that are in need of attention. Revisions on one of those began this morning and will continue after I finish with this post. Which means now.

Rediscovering Words

So I lied about eventually having a more substantial post last week (not that I think anyone was eagerly awaiting one, especially given my half-assed blogging tendencies of late). I had intended to write a post last week, but I got distracted by something that was probably far more worthwhile for me. I rediscovered how much I like words.

I’m a fairly slow reader, so once I started grad school, I didn’t have much time to read anything beyond assignments for class. And as soon as the spring semester ended, I had a big pile of critiques to get through for TNEO. But then, last week, a beautiful thing  happened: I was done with critiques, and I had before me an evening with no rehearsal, schoolwork, meetings, or anything else to do or go to. So I read. Fiction. For fun. For the first time in months. It was glorious. And it continues to be glorious.

In addition to getting to lose myself in someone else’s words for a while, I also got to rediscover some joy in my own words. Even though I’ve still been working on fiction these last several months, my writing routine during my spring semester . . . well, I no longer had one. I squeezed in what I could where and when I could. And everything I was working on was revision. With deadlines. And therefore pressure.

But last week, I started a new story. Every day on the train ride to and from work, I’ve been writing. And when there’s time in the evening, I write some more. And since it’s not revision, I’ve been able to use my old battle-worn AlphaSmart (aka VoldeSmart). In other words, no shiny things on my Macbook to distract me. Just me and my words and no deadlines. I had forgotten how much fun it can be to just play.