A New Novel Idea this Weekend

My ideas tend to fall into narrow categories - 1) Derthal stories long and short 2) Historical fiction stories long and short 3) the occasional current setting short story (like the one that was completely snubbed by Metaphor.

For some reason, this weekend I had an idea for a novel length suspense/mystery novel about a cowboy that, because of changes in the economy, finds himself becoming a dude wrangler running pack trips in the San Juan Mountains. He takes a nice yuppie family up into the high country and gets caught up an a plot of spousal murder. Not the most original plot, to be sure, but setting has got to count for something.

Anyways, I just thought I would let y'all know that now that classes are out I am thinking of new stories.

R.

Kurt Vonegut Fiction Prize Results

I bet you are all tired of finding out that I got rejected by someone else, but I did. So there. "A Day in the Sun" wasn't what they were after. Ah, well. I think it is safe to say that that is some reader's favorite of my work, so I don't take it personally.

Things have been crazy what with the end of my heaviest semester yet and a busy Spring in general. I have thought little about my fiction, and wrote even less. I hope that will change as I have on six hours worth of classes for the summer and three for fall. That is just a possible option based on how the employment situation turns out this summer after they close the doors of my current place of labor.

I am tentatively planning on entering WotF this quarter, but that will only happen if I have time to do a serious re-write of "Resurrection," which also hinges on how the next weeks/months go. So that's my writing report for now.

R.

"The Traveler's Gift" gets First Rejection

The Honors people sent me a form e-mail to let me know that my submission did not place in their little contest. I keep a file for each of my stories - in it I keep drafts, notes or e-mail conversations regarding the story, any awards or rejections the story earns. So now I have something for TTG's file.

The thing I try to remember in the face of getting shot down mercilessly is that when you send out stories, you get rejections, but if you don't send out stories, you never get prize money or publication. So I will keep submitting - because that is part of what it means to be a writer. Write on.

R.

WotF Results for Oct-Dec 2006 Quarter

"Suffer the Child", which is actually the stories "The Wasted Portion", "To Turn on One's Own", and "A New Guardian" failed to pull it off with the WotF folks. Despite the heavy editing that I did to it, E and I discovered (after we had sent off the submission) that it was full of typos. Blast. Then there was the part where I took three (semi) stand-alone stories, stuck them under one title, and tried to pass them off as a single story. (There was continuity in the stories with the Lishmen factor and, of course, the child, so I wasn't just being a donkey about it, in case the thought crossed your mind). So it wasn't a big surprise, the way the NULC rejection was.

I missed the deadline for the Jan-Mar 2007 quarter, somewhat deliberately, though I don't know when I would have revised anything with my schedule right now anyways. I am considering doing a revision of "Resurrection" for the next go round. Or maybe I will try to blend the Tales that involve Jeris a little better than six short stories with one title and send that. I don't know. I won't do anything but ponder it until I get through this semester. Write on.

R.