Tag Archives: Short story
Writing to a Deadline Part 14: Publisher response
Holy cow!
I submitted my manuscript at 11:30 PM last night, and when I got home from work, there was a response that hit may mailbox at Noon!!!
Okay. Deep breath. Open the email.
“The revision was great. You did a fine job incorporating our feedback and adjusting the story to a simpler, more defined and well written product.”
Woa… hold on. This is my first submission to a publisher. Aren’t they supposed to belittle me and tear me to bits? Did a publisher just call my work “great”? Did a publisher just call my story “well written”?
Last words are “We’ll be in touch soon regarding final selections.”
Okay… we are back in “wait” mode. I can deal with that. I am just so tickled that I might actually be actually in the running—I can’t stand it.
I find a stream of emails from my writing buddy. She’s been having an email conversation with the publisher all day. They wanted more revisions done to hers. They want to know if she’d be willing to revise further, to some pretty stringent specifications.
My heart sinks. They went back and forth with her several times. Someone there likes her submission enough that they want it really polished. What does that mean for mine? Was mine a form email that everyone gets?
They told her that they have eight submissions that they are currently considering, and only 5 slots in the anthology.
Am I one of the eight? She obviously is.
I hop over to Scribophile, and another girl in my Scrib Group got a response that they liked her changes as well, and they were waiting to make a decision… The wording she used in her post made it sound like her response was almost word for word identical to mine.
What does that mean? Did we both get the generic “nice” response? Is that a bad thing, or are we both in the top eight?
Your mind goes crazy. I swear.
I know, I know, there is not a dern thing I can do but wait… and have a few quiet conversations with the Guy Upstairs.
I put a heck of a lot of work into this over the last month.
At first, it was just a challenge to myself.
Now, it’s something I want so bad I can taste it.
Deep breath… and the wait begins. Again.
Writing to a Deadline Part 13: Rewriting and resubmitting
Wow. They were right.
I took out one relationship element, and the rest of the story just fell in line. I read through my final product and shivered.
Yeah, I actually wrote that…
But that sting is still there… is it as good as I think it is? Probably not.
Three days until I have to submit. It’s a holiday weekend. No one is going to have time to read, right?
This is where friendships you have made come into play. I looked up every applicable beta reader past and present, and let them know my dire situation. I even sent it to my very first beta partner… who was nice enough to teach “idiot little me” so much when I first started out (boy did I stink back then) I haven’t spoken to him in over a year. You know what? He jumped on board.
A debut author from the same publishing house I am submitting to saw my plea on Scribophile, and offered to read it. So did one of my current betas, and my writing buddy who was also in the same boat having to make revisions to her submission for the anthology.
Suggestions come back. Minor changes. The last beta to come back arrives five hours before I need to submit. No pressure. More minor suggestions.
Make the applicable edits…. And Done.
Funny thing. I created a PDF, got ready to send, and got a sinking feeling in my stomach. I checked back on something I had just added that night, and it didn’t flow. Honestly, it sounded HORRIBLE. I took a few minutes and changed it. Perfect…. Sometimes, you really need to listen to your gut.
- Create a new PDF.
- Write up and email thanking the publisher for their suggestions; this is how I used them… yadda yadda… thank you for your consideration.
- Attach PDF
- Send.
Now the painful waiting process… again.
The deadline has passed. Whatever happens now, happens. There is nothing more I can do.
I feel good about it. I didn’t crack, and I held on to the bitter end. No matter the outcome, I am proud of this 40 page little gem. If anything, I proved to myself that I could do it.
Posted in Writing to a Deadline
Tagged beta reader, beta reading, Characters, critique, critiquing, editing, Manuscript, pitch, Protagonist, Publishing, revising, Short Stories, Short story, Writer Resources, writing
Writing to a Deadline Part 12: The Slap of a Rejection
After a week of waiting… Rejected.
Wow. That stung. I read the email. Well, that’s not true. After the words “Not ready for publication at this time.” I pretty much skimmed it.
Two things stuck with me off the bat. George was an unnecessary character, and the opening was confusing. What?????????? George is the catalyst! Deep breath… don’t scream.
Being a good little camper, I shut down my computer, and walked away.
I stewed over it for a while. What were they talking about? How could they say these things?
Then I took my own advice. It was a nice day. I got on my bicycle, and just rode. I thought over those two comments, and cleared my head for an hour or so. Once I was able to deal with it, I went back to my computer to read it again.
It’s very hard to take your own advice when something happens to you. I have walked a few people through this very thing, but never myself. I’ve sent out work before, but they all saved me this heartache by not answering my queries at all. This time, I got the definitive “No”.
But was it really a no? I read it again. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t completely a rejection either. They gave me a full-page type-written list of areas they thought were lacking in the story. Someone thought it through, and let me know everything they thought was a problem.
In my own advice to others: “If someone took that much time, they must have seen something in it that they liked.”
I printed out the page, went to my room, closed the door, and read it over and over. I realized that if I took their advice about the character George, that the characterization inconsistencies that they pointed out with three other characters would just naturally fall in line.
The last line of the email stated: If you would like to make changes and resubmit before the deadline date, please send the rewrite directly to “********”
Wait a minute… Go past the normal submission channels? Hop over the other entries right into a special mailbox?
Not quite so much a rejection anymore, is it? Thank God I submitted two weeks early!
Seven days for a rewrite, taking out a major plot element.
Gotta go…. Got something to do. 🙂
Writing to a Deadline Part 10: Rewrite and Beta Blast
If you’re just hopping into the insanity that is my writing life, check out my previous “Writing to a Deadline” posts or this won’t make sense.
Okay… fixed that climax. Yeah! I did it. Oh no! Now I am at 10,280 words!
That’s a whole page over! Ugh!
Edit madness: Extra word here, extra word there. Unnecessary clause? Can I tighten that dialog a little? Does this person need to smile? Is that dialog tag necessary?
Okay, I’m done. Right? Am I? ARRRHGHHHH!
Beta Blast! Call in the two people who the story really seemed to resonate with (Don’t bother with the person who didn’t seem to get it from the beginning)
Sorry, guys… I know it’s a lot to ask… but I need it back in two days.
Wait…. Wait…. Wait…. Tear a fingernail off. Wait…. Water the plants… again. Groom the dog… again (not that she’s complaining.)
Then the panic moment happens. Through a writer’s group, I find out that someone submitted, and got a positive response. Not an acceptance, but a request to make changes and re-submit through private channels.
Oh No! There is a possibility that they will close for submissions if they fill all five slots.
It’s okay… take a deep breath. I decided that I need to submit NOW, even though there are two weeks left until the deadline.
My two betas came back with minor changes. Of course, while I was waiting I made changes of my own, so I pleaded for one more read. Yeah, I can be annoying that way.
My worst writing nightmare is that all of these people call in the favor at the same time while I am up against a deadline of my own ***gack***
Okay… their responses come back.
Remove that comma, change that word…
Easy fixes.
Slow and steady.
Related articles
- Writing to a Deadline Part 1: “I got Nothing.” (jennifermeaton.com)
Posted in Writing to a Deadline
Tagged author, beta partner, beta reader, beta reading, Blog, critique, critiquing, editing, english language, Fiction, getting published, literary fiction, Manuscript, novel, Online Writing, publish, Publishing, Short Stories, Short story, shortstory, Word count, Writer Resources, Writing and Editing, Writing help
Writing to a Deadline Part 8: “Calling in the Beta Reading Army”
If you’re just hopping into the insanity that is my writing life, check out my previous “Writing to a Deadline” posts or this won’t make sense.
I was happily surprised when I sat down to edit, that I had very few things to change. Mostly typographical errors and little things like switching sentence structure to make it flow better.
The one scene that I purposely wrote as “tell” took a little time to work out, but it’s finally done.
So, I took a deep breath, and called in a Beta-reading army. Crossed genres and ages. These are all people I have a fairly high trust factor with:
Two are currently mercilessly ripping apart my novel and making great comments
One is a college professor who teaches creative writing (She has never read my work)
One is a Romance/ Middle-Grade soon to be publisher author who hasn’t read my work (she’s there for that kissy stuff I’ve never done before)
A memoir writer, who also has not read my work
A High Fantasy writer (my writing buddy for the past year or so—-who’s sick of reading my work) (ONLY KIDDING!)
My first ten pages will also be reviewed by three people in a critique group who I’ve never met before.
It’s kind of like submitting to a publisher, but you know these people will get back to you.
Funny, I was more nervous about this beta-read than I was about my novel. Probably because I feel deep down, that the story is pretty solid. After dissecting the Gold Mine Manuscript for seven months, I think I know what NOT TO DO. The question is… did I write what I THINK I wrote.
I also have that deadline looming over my head. And I don’t want to wait until the last minute… just in case the publisher decides to close for submissions early. It’s enough to make you a nervous wreck. Will I have time to make all the changes they might suggest? (If I agree with the suggestions, of course)
Related articles
- What’s in a Beta Reader? (laneymcmann.com)
Posted in Writing to a Deadline
Tagged author, beta partner, beta reader, beta reading, Blog, critique, critiquing, editing, Fiction, getting published, Online Writing, Publishing, Short Stories, Short story, shortstory, Word count
What stupid Writing Error did your Beta Reader come across this week? – Verb Confusion.
I just love verb confusion. It’s a riot.
Unless someone points it out to me in my own work.
Okay, well it’s funny for me too, as long as I catch it in time.
The lovely Miss Dawn just pointed out to me that I have to be especially careful with my verb confusion, because in a fantasy world, it is entirely possible that furniture might come to life.
This is what I wrote:
Nurses tended to beds holding the badly infected. Some held the patients withered hands. Many smiled. How could they provide comfort? Weren’t they afraid?
I read this at least ten times on my own. I knew what I thought I wrote… a beautiful scene of nurses tending to their patients. But when Dawn read it, she saw nurses tending to the beds, not the people. She saw beds holding the badly infected people. (Like the beds were alive) She also saw smiling beds.
When I read it back, I realized (after I stopped laughing) that she was completely right!
Thank goodness this is a very simple fix.
Nurses tended the badly infected. Some held their patients withered hands. Many smiled. How could they provide comfort? Weren’t they afraid?
The funny thing is, Dawn is a new reader for me. She is not a fantasy writer, and she picked this up. Three other people completely missed this. That is why you send your manuscript out to multiple people…. To save you the embarrassment later.
Thanks, Dawn!
Posted in General Writing Tips
Tagged beta partner, beta reader, beta reading, Dawn, editing, Fantasy, Fiction, finding an agent, Hospital, Nursing, Patient, Short Stories, Short story, shortstory, Verb, writing
Flash Fiction Tuesday – I have to wonder sometimes
I figured I’d try something different.
I’ve never done flash fiction. I thought I’d give it a try… at least as a distraction from my current WIP.
Now, I know that there really isn’t a market for Flash, so I figured I’d post it here. If you’re not into it, don’t worry, it will only be once a week until I get bored with it.
I was going to do Flash Fiction Friday, but I already have a Friday slot, and I don’t want to freak out the Friday people, and Tuesday is feeling so neglected. I don’t normally post on Tuesdays, so this is my way of giving Tuesday a little love.
I’m not sure where I will go with this… if I will actually create little stories, or just scenes, or simply stream of consciousness.
I am going to start with a random sentence, and see where it takes me in five minutes. Today, I will start with “I have to wonder sometimes”.
Okay… here we go.
I have to wonder sometimes, what true happiness is. Why do some people lead gold-plated lives, and others continually suffer? But are those gold-plated lives really as great as they seem? Are those people really happy?
I watch the rich man walking out of a department store, overflowing bags in his hands. He fumbles with the keys of his Mercedes, while fighting with his wife. They walk right by the homeless man, leaning against the building, resting his head on his knees. The wife, eyes glaring, pushes past her husband and gets into their car.
The homeless man lifts his head, and smiles as a young child runs into his arms.
“Hey Buddy. How was school,” the man asks.
“Great! I got an A on my math quiz.”
“That’s fantastic.”
The boy fumbles with his bag, and pulls out a loosely wrapped napkin. “Here, Dad. I bought you half my lunch.”
The man opens what looks like half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and splits it in two. “Tell you what. Let’s share this for dinner.”
They sit together, leaning against the building, giggling as they begin the child’s homework.
I wonder sometimes, what true happiness is.
Related articles
- Flash Fiction Friday Special Roundup (bizarrocentral.com)
Posted in Flash Fiction
Tagged Fiction, Flash, Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction Friday, Friday, Online Writing, Short story
Row 80 4/2 Writing to a Deadline Part 6: “Writing from the Outline”
My goal is to get published. At the moment, I am working on a novella for an Anthology. This is where I am:
If you’re just hopping into the insanity that is my writing life, check out my previous “Writing to a Deadline” posts or this won’t make sense.
I’d love to tell you that this outline is absolutely useless, but I’d be lying. I think it is actually helping me.
I keep referring back to it, which is good, because it is keeping me on track.
Since I have my story clearly outlined, I know all of the “little carrots” that need to be dropped early in the story so they are not “big surprise veggie bombs” later. I even caught myself forgetting one, and I had the chance to re-write a conversation that included that little snippet before it was too late.
In the first three scenes, I set up my world (and clearly defined it since it is a Futuristic Dystopian). Introduced all the characters. Gave the conflict of the main character and all subordinate characters.
I looked at my word count— 2,685.
Hmmmm. The submission guidelines say the story needs to be between 5,000 and 10,000 words. Can I finish it in that parameter?
My outline has 26 items/scenes/”things that need to happen”. Some are more in depth than others. I very carefully looked over the list, and placed a word count next to each number. This is how many words I think I will need to get each idea down.
300 here, 500 there, 1000 there, 2000 for the climax. You get the idea.
When I totaled it all up it came to 9,685. That was a bit of a surprise. I thought it would be higher. However, I am also brutally aware that I only have 315 words to spare.
Now, my challenge is to hold to those numbers. If I can’t finish each item it the allotted word count, I need to subtract words from somewhere else.
The writer’s retreat is here.
Two full days of writing with a goal to finish.
Too lofty a goal? We’ll see.
Related articles
- Word Count – It’s Just a Number, Right? WRONG (writersparty.com)
- Faking it: A Cure for Overweight Writing (readhead.ca)
- Tracking word count with Scrivener (everythingscrivener.wordpress.com)
Writing to a Deadline Part 5: “I Love this stinking outline”
If you’re just hopping into the insanity that is my writing life, check out my previous “Writing to a Deadline” posts or this won’t make sense.
Wow… one thing that the outline “in my head” wanted me to write just wouldn’t work. Yikes, would I have wasted a lot of time. The whole scene would have been lost in editing.
And I wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t outline first.
Yes, I’m a pantser, and I cringe every time I read over this outline. But it is helping me to figure out how one scene will flow into the next. I stare at the outline every day and make changes to the story before I’ve even written it. It’s a very strange place for me.
Why aren’t you writing yet? Deadline, Jen, remember? What are you doing?
I do most of my writing in the car driving back and forth to work. Okay, stop gasping… I do it in my head. I have a pretty good idea of where key scenes in my outline are going. My question now is whether or not I will be able to write this story in the “10,000 words or under” parameter. Being concise was never my forte.
I am now four weeks in. Yes, everyone else is a month ahead of me. Some of them may have even submitted. The publisher may have already picked a few that they may include in the anthology.
Maybe. I have a little cheat card up my sleeve, though. I am going away to a writers retreat over a weekend. Eight writers closing themselves in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no internet, and no ambition other than word count.
My challenge to myself is to be completely prepared going in.
Ready, set— go. Write, Edit, Polish, Complete.
When I get home, send it out to Beta readers.
Re-polish.
One last read from whomever I can convince to put up with me
Submit.
Cutting it close? Well, honestly, yes.
Today I actually start writing to my outline. New ground for me. Let’s see how this pantser does.
Stick to the outline, Jen. Stick to the outline.
Resist the urge to explode something. You can do this.
Related articles
- I’m a Pantser and proud of it (jodiashland.wordpress.com)
- I’m Free (from an outline that is) (amyisaman.wordpress.com)
- Which Pants Are You Wearing? (kenradaniels.com)
- POVs & MCs = A Bucketful of Joy Beans (caymayowrites.wordpress.com)
- Why I’m no longer a pantser (and what it taught me) (annelessing.wordpress.com)
- The Extreme Pantser’s Guide: Working with your subconscious (madgeniusclub.com)
Jennifer M Eaton 