Loose Stories

No, not the kind about promiscuity.

It looks like Drollerie Press is folding. Unfortunately, the owner has been very ill, and the two senior editors are doing their darnedest to revert rights to authors. In my case, I am free to shop Sister Night, Sister Moon elsewhere, as my contract stipulates I can do that in two years after publication, which it has been.

The Absent Willow Review is also folding. There will be one last, big good-bye, where every story is published. I think that's the 15th of this month. And then, The Love Song of Oliver Toddle goes out in search of a home.

We'll see what happens. Both of these stories were good enough to be published once, so there's that at least.

That leaves me with the dilemma of Writers of the Future. No previously published story, however free and roaming in the wild might be, is acceptable. I'd like to enter. What are my options?

You might recall that last year I tried to write a novella. It's pretty good in some ways, although it needs work. People were so taken with it at the Vegas workshop that they thought it should be a whole book. I believed them, and shelved it for the time being.

Then there's Mark Twain's Daughter. I guess we could try that when it comes back from rejection. I'm not sure if it's a tad too esoteric for WotF, so there's that.

But it's most likely gonna have to be something new, because most of my short work is currently published or has been published. Which is quite the hardship I know, but it is the conundrum of the novel writer--we don't have a lot of short work to circulate.

Perhaps I should pull some magical time out of hat and get around to writing that superhero girlfriend story.

It's always hard to think about what to do when no one sets deadlines for you, and you want to do it all.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

Soooo Athletic!

The glamorous life of someone trying to get fit.

I have managed to rip my right oblique muscle, if you can believe that. All of my internet researches lead me to this conclusion. I appear to be a textbook case of it.

The good news is it's not too severe. The bad news is I'm to rest it until it gets better. The experts say don't use your abdominal muscles. And then, every website essentially says, "Yeah, like that's going to happen! Haha! Poor you!" Because we always use our obliques, you know?

So. Ice, rest, and stretching. I probably wouldn't be in this mess if I were more careful about stretching. Guys, always stretch. Don't be a Schaff-Stump, 'kay? Seriously. Plantar fasciitis? Because I didn't stretch enough. I am the anti-stretching role model. That makes me a BAD role model.

Good, if rough, progress on the book. Shari Pitch. I love her because she's snotty. You'll love her because she's...well, still snotty.

I'm off to Decorah this weekend to go see art galleries and fellow VP XIIIer Matt Hughes. It should be a wonderful autumn weekend.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.