Saturday, June 25, 2011

Ok, make that rejection at 60 days

Strange Horizons rejected "The Daily Grind" on the 60th day.


I haven't forgotten what I said I would do...

Friday, June 24, 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

Check out MS World's Creative center:
http://creativecenter.msworld.org/

People have submitted some amazing work. I submitted my blog, My Multiply Scleroded Life but it's not up yet. It's inspiring.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

I just watched a video of the song "Growin' Up" in which Bruce tells the famous story of the first time he met Clarence. (this link goes to several videos, it's one of them. I'm sure the others are worth watching too.)

That song played a role in my first novel, the title of which kept changing. It was a long time ago, but I already knew that very useful trick in which you refer to a song in such a way that you get the effect you want on your readers even if they don't know the song, and even more so if they do, all without direct quotes and copyright fees.

"Grownin' Up" played a big role in my growin' up, & I'm sure that's true of anyone who ever heard it.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

If Strange Horizons ends up rejecting "Grind" I'm going to submit it to The New Yorker again.

I sent it to them about a year ago and they took the full 3 months to reject it, which I think is a sign they seriously considered it. When in April I got ready to send it out again, I realized the version I had submitted to The New Yorker was the one without the beheading. I made that spectacularly unhorrifying revision for some complicated reason i no longer remember. So before its next submission, I put the beheading back in. Let's face it, it's a better story with the beheading.

"Grind" is such a New York story, about how the city needs all the people who can no longer afford to live here. The New Yorker seems like its natural home. So if Strange Horizons takes a pass, back to The New Yorker it goes.

With the beheading.

By the way, The New Yorker is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Qualifying Short Fiction Venue.

As well it should be. I'm sure they do still publish "realistic fiction", or whatever that thing that's not science fiction or fantasy is called, but those are probably the stories that lose me.
I was so encouraged by my personal rejection from F&SF that I submitted "A Singular Being" to The New Yorker on June 11.

Meanwhile my submission of "The Daily Grind" to Strange Horizons is still under consideration after 53 days.

Their guidelines say they always respond within 70 days.

I got the autoresponse they send when you submit, fiction@strangehorizons.com is whitelisted so no response is ending up in the spam folder.

53 days and counting! XXXXXX!