Musing Aloud

I was pointed to an awesome site today.  Ever wonder if that rejection letter you received from Editor X is a form reject or not?  In most cases, it's fairly easy to tell, but some Editors send out such nice letters, I've sometimes felt it was a personal reply, only to learn later that it wasn't.  So wonder no more, the Rejection Wiki is for you!  There's navigation links on the left so you can upload your own if you so desire.  I found out that my Asimov's rejection was a form, but the "higher tier" one, which makes me feel better. 

Curse you, Jack!  I had an awesome yoga workout today, and was overcome halfway through by a longing for a milkshake from Jack in the Box.  So I was going to HAVE to have a greasy taco and french fries to go with it, right?  At the signal, I almost talked myself into going left and going on home for a healthy yogurt and granola bar lunch, but I decided ice cream was more what I needed to indulge myself with, so I went straight.  But the drive through lane was full -- FULL, I tell you! -- and I wasn't desperate enough to get in line.  Dammit.  Grief goes better with ice cream, you know.  Last night we went to Baskin Robbins for $1 scoop night, and it really did soothe.  So, I came on home and consoled myself with a Frito Boat lunch.  There may have been one or two
each of these. 




But it was a poor comparison to a strawberry milkshake with whipped cream topping.  *sigh*

Am doing much better today, although the house seems awful empty.  But at least I know poor Crooked Cat isn't hurting anymore, because in hindsight I see now how truly awful and pathetic he was at the end.  Thank you all for listening. 

Daily Science Fiction arrived in my inbox this morning!  If you haven't subscribed yet, you *really* should!  Especially if you want to receive a story by Yours Truly in the sometime near future.

I've been a big fan of M.K. Hobson (mkhobson ) since reading Hotel Astarte (now available on her website, but originally published in Realms of Fantasy.  Now her debut novel, The Native Star, has launched!  If you make a little trip to her website, you can read the prologue and Chapter 1, plus other assorted goodies, for free!  HERE!  I've read both, and the book is definitely on my WANT list!  Witches, zombies, warlocks, ghosts!  Oh, MY!

I'm having trouble with a story.  It started out as a flash, and now I'm trying to expand it full length by adding another scene to the beginning.  I can't find the right words.  I try to make a sentence and end up with about 5 different tries -- all fragments.  Then I realize, it's not the words I'm having trouble with, it's the voice.  I haven't found the voice for the story yet.  I never realized that's what's so hard about openings, is finding the right voice for the story.  And so I decided that instead of trying to find the perfect sentence, I should concentrate just on getting some thoughts and words and ideas down and muscle along until I know enough of the story to find the voice--or let the voice find me. 

ETA:  And.... it's worked.  I kept stumbling along and writing down ideas and words, even if they were essentially repeats of what I'd just said, even if they were out of order, and lo and behold, the story found me.  Or the scene.  I have the whole end, I just need to add a new scene onto the beginning, and then do some expanding on the rest.  This is the feeling I've been looking for, for quite a while now.  That big excitement and joy in writing, the enthusiasm to finish the story, to discover that world.  I've been in a very blah mood about writing, and was beginning to fear I would never feel inspired again.  I'm so very glad I kept hammering away at it.

Now, may I direct you, if you haven't seen it yet, to Nathan Bransford's post HERE. Specifically the part about relationships.  It strikes me as very true, and something to keep in mind when crafting stories.   It's about creating tension for the reader by having the character's relationship being full of up's and down's.  One moment the boy feels the girl enjoys the heck out of him, the next moment, he feels she's ignoring him. 

Dame, a buddy from Liberty Hall, has a really cool flash story up at Flash Fiction Online.  You know, it's a flash, so it only takes a few minutes to read, and I guarantee you'll really like this one.  So drop on over to FFO and give "The Door" by Damon Shaw a read.  You won't be sorry!

Flash Fiction Online

Some good advice from nancyfulda :   

Three Things Every Aspiring Writer Should Know

I especially liked the section titled "Your Stories are not Babies; They're Guinea Pigs"