IWSG - Stretching Myself

It's IWSG time! And this month I'm a co-host, along with Kate Larkindale, Diane Burton, and Janet Alcorn.

Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer's Support Group exists for writers to share their insecurities and give and get support. Anyone can join. Simply click on Alex's name and go to the IWSG tab to sign up. Post the first Wednesday of each month and hop around to visit others.

The optional question is: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?

I don't believe I've done this. At least not that I can remember. It's one of those things where I feel like I must have, but simply can't think of an example. I did have a story that got rejected because I had harmed a dog (the dog did not get killed). Only, the editor said they wished I had gone all the way and killed the dog. So I edited it and killed the dog. The next editor rejected it because I killed the dog. For a time, I kept both versions of the story and submitted them to different markets, paying attention to which way I thought that particular market might lean, but I never sold it. Ultimately, I gave up, removed the dog entirely, and killed a human in the dog's place, then included it as a bonus story in one of my collections.

As far as current insecurities, I'm in the middle of a project that has me questioning whether I've really advanced far enough in my writing abilities to be able to pull off this off. Am I good enough? Did this opportunity come to me too early? All I know is I'm going to do my best and hope that my insecurity is unfounded. I've got a little more research to do, and have two months to get it in by deadline.

For locals, I've got a book signing coming up on August 12th, 1-3 PM, at Hooked on Books. They will be providing cookies and lemonade. I'll be signing with Bowen Gillings, Steven J. Anderson, and Christina Bergling.

I also have a signing with a larger group at Tattered Cover in September, so I'll post about that next month. I'm looking forward to MileHiCon in October, as well, so will have that information soon, too.

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter, my first one in several months is going out soon. You can subscribe over to the right. I send out release information to my newsletter subscribers first!

My podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is ongoing. We're actually in season 6, which is pretty crazy! We do two seasons per year. I'd like to get some more interesting cryptids and hauntings on the show (it is true crime heavy, but I'd love to have more ghosts and monsters to mix in). Any recommendations? What are some of your favorite myths, monsters, or ghosts? Any haunted sites you think might make a good story?

What's your favorite cryptid? Have you ever worried that you weren't good enough to do a project you'd taken on? What did you do to push through? What are your insecurities? Any exciting new projects you're working on?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - What Would You Change?

It's the last first Wednesday of 2017, which means this is the last Insecure Writer's Support Group of 2017! Are you guys ready for a new year? I'm not.

The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Every month, writers post about their deepest writing insecurities and visit others' blogs to offer their support. Anyone can sign up by going to Alex's website and adding their blog to the linky list.

This month, I'm one of the co-hosts! Please be sure to visit my awesome and talented fellow co-hosts: Fundy Blue, Heather M. Gardner, and Julie Flanders.

This month's optional question is: As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

I think I would have started working on self-publishing a collection of my short stories earlier, and I would have started work on the short story craft book I'm working on earlier, as well. Then again, I wasn't ready before, and it will happen all in good time. I'm tapering off on the insane amounts of research I've been doing in order to make everything go okay, and getting to the nitty gritty of compiling and formatting everything. Soon!

Every month, I do a recap of my submissions for the previous month for accountability. In November, I:

Submitted 9 short stories
Got 7 rejections
Got 0 acceptances
Sent 5 novel queries
Got 2 agent rejections

I currently have 17 short story submissions out. I suspect two of those publications have gone under, but they haven't made an announcement, and their sites are still up, but they haven't sent any rejections/acceptances in months, so I've submitted the stories I had out to them to other publications that take simultaneous submissions, and I've queried those two publications, but they haven't responded. Next step is to send an official withdrawal of my stories, but I may wait until after the new year (or until those stories are accepted, if that's sooner.)

Next up, links. Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence when submitting to markets.

Accepting Submissions:

Carte Blanche is seeking all forms of narrative, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and photo essays. Up to 3500 words. Pays a modest honorarium. Deadline December 31.

Martinus Publishing is seeking short stories for Forbidden: Tales of Repression, Restriction, and Rebellion. 1500 to 10,000 words. Pays royalties. Deadline December 31.

Workers Write! is seeking short stories set in a cafe or dealing with the food industry. 500 to 5000 words. Pays $5 to $50. Deadline December 31.

Allegory is seeking speculative short fiction. Prefer 500 to 5000 words, but don't have a hard and fast limit. Pays $15. Deadline December 31.

Lethe Press is seeking speculative short fiction for an anthology. 4000 to 14,000 words. Pays $.05/word. Deadline December 31.

Dreaming Robot Press is seeking fantasy short stories that will appeal to middle grade readers (8-12). 3000 to 6000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline December 31.

Zombies Need Brains is seeking fantasy and science fiction short stories for three anthologies: The Razor's Edge, Guilds & Glaives, and Second Round: A Return to the Urbar. Up to 750 words. Pays $.01/word + royalties. Deadline December 31.

Hydra is seeking sword and sorcery short stories for the anthology Unsheathed. 7500 to 10,000 words. Pays $30. Deadline December 31.

Stephen Jones is seeking your best horror stories published in 2017 for Best New Horror Volume 29. No idea if it pays, but having your story appear in this would be huge. Deadline December 31.

Smoking Pen Press is seeking romance short stories for the anthology A Wink and a Smile. 1000 to 7000 words. Pays $25. Deadline January 1.

What are your insecurities? Would you change anything about this past year? Have you been submitting? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - Pushing Past Insecurities, Stats, & Links

It's the first Wednesday of October, which means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, dreamed up by the ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh. This month, I'm delighted to be a co-host! My fellow co-hosts are  TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Stephanie Faris, and Eva E. Solar! 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

You can still join! Just go sign up and post about your insecurities.

Sylvia Plath said, "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." Yet we creatives are constantly doubting ourselves. We'll never be without our insecurities, but we can continue pushing through them to write, to submit, to publish. Don't let your insecurities pull you down. Keep writing and keep getting your work out there, however you choose. It's the only way to make your writing dreams a reality.

Author Harper Rose Memes

As part of my monthly IWSG post, I like to recap my submission stats for the month to keep myself honest.

In September, my stats were as follows:

6 short pieces submitted

1 short story acceptance (into an anthology, publication date TBA)

7 rejections

10 pieces currently on submission

3 pieces awaiting revision

Don't forget about the Insecure Writer's Support Group Anthology Contest! The deadline is November 1. Find more details HERE.

Each Wednesday I post links for writers. Onward! Please bear in mind that I am not endorsing any of these links, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting to a contest or publication.

Accepting Submissions:

Milkfist is seeking short stories, flash fiction, art, poetry, and nonfiction. Payment is token, and varies depending upon submission type. $5 to $30. 

The Quip is seeking stories of all lengths and types. They are a comedic literary magazine. Up to 3500 words. Pays $50 and a yearly subscription.

Heck Magazine is seeking writing and artwork of all sorts. No strict restrictions. Pay is not specified, but it is a paying publication. 

Capricious is seeking short fiction and and essays. Speculative fiction. 3000-5000 words. Pays a flat rate of $50. 

Punchnel's is seeking short fiction, essays, poetry, multi-media, and more. They pay a flat rate of $10. Restricts vary depending upon submission type.

In Short Publishing Company is seeking genre fiction. 3000-4500 words. Pays in ongoing royalties.

Duckbill is seeking flash fiction and poetry. Up to 800 words for flash. Pays a flat rate of $5.

Blue Monday Review is seeking short works, flash, poetry, and artwork. Up to 3500 words for short works. Pays $.02/word for short works, with pay on other types of submissions varying.

The Dark City is seeking mysteries and crime stories. 1000-7500 words. Pays a flat rate of $25. 

Sub-saharan Magazine is seeking short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and artwork. They want stories featuring African characters and speculative elements. Up to 2000 words. Pay is $.01/word up to 1000 words, with varying flat rates beyond that.

What are your insecurities? How are you doing with submissions? Are you submitting? What inspires you? Are any of the markets of interest? Do you have experience with any of them? Any news to share?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG, Rewards, and Links!

Guess what day it is, folks!

Well?

Any guesses?

Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I hate having to guess, too.

It's the first Wednesday of March, which means it's time for another cathartic meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! And guess who's a co-host this month.

No worries, I don't really expect you to guess. It's me! Shout-out to my fellow co-hosts, Suzanne Sapseed and Chemist Ken. ~Waves~ And, of course, to our noble leader, the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, creator of IWSG.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

Each month on IWSG day, I post some numbers to keep myself accountable. These numbers, which will be posted below, are my stats on submissions of short stories for the month. Last month when I posted them, Donna Weaver left a comment with a great suggestion. She suggested doing something fun to reward yourself for every ten rejections, mentioning that James Dashner (author of The Maze Runner) took his wife out to dinner every tenth rejection he received, and that she was doing this, as well.

Here's the thing. I already reward myself for pieces that get accepted. Say hello to my little friends:

I get a new Funko Pop villain for each piece I get published. Some day I'll have shelves of these!

But it's true that many of us have ways of rewarding ourselves when we get a pat on the back from someone else, so to speak. We're rewarding ourselves for the end result. Some people buy themselves a special t-shirt, some get a pedicure or massage, others take themselves out for a treat. Shouldn't we be rewarding ourselves for putting in the work, pounding the literary pavement, submitting?

I haven't decided what my Ten Reward will be, but there will be one. Thank you, Donna!

Now, my monthly stats, and then I'll jump into links. These are for short stories. I am not submitting a novel at this time; I'm having far too much fun with short stories.

In February, I:

-Received 4 rejections

-2 publications I'd submitted to went defunct; one of these emailed me directly last night, the other was reported by Duotrope

-Submitted 3 stories

-Received 1 email stating a first reader felt my story deserved a second look, and that it had been moved to the next level of consideration

-Have 8 projects currently on submission

-Have 3 pieces I need to edit to begin submitting

-Had 1 publication come out with one of my flash fiction pieces in it. (Of Mist and Magic)

This month I also got my official headshots (Monday's post was about headshot tips) and set up my Amazon Author Page. In addition, I got back to my novel and am two chapters away from writing The End (then editing). 

While I wanted to do better this month, I think it was a good writing month, all told. 

LINKS

For those visiting my blog for the first time, I post links each Wednesday for places accepting submissions, writing contests, and things generally of interest to writers. I am not personally recommending any of these sites, just passing along markets I have come across.

Accepting Submissions:

Horrified Press and Thirteen O'Clock Press are open for submissions to various anthologies, including Idle Hands, seeking stories of horror born of boredom. Pays in royalties and exposure. 2000-4000 words. Deadline April 10. Also, Stories From the Graveyard, same deadline and pay, but can be up to 5000 words. 

Splickety Prime is looking for Wild West stories. All genres. Up to 1000 words. Pays $.02/word, plus a print contributor copy. Deadline April 10.

Jamais Vu - Journal of Strange Among the Familiar is accepting short fiction, book and film reviews, poetry, and non-fiction. Short fiction should be between 2000 and 4000 words. Other types have different restrictions. Pays $.05/word. Current deadline April 15. 

Lamplight Magazine is open for submissions of horror short stories. Flash fiction 1000 words or less, or short fiction 2000-7000 words. Pays $50 for flash, $150 for short. Current deadline April 15.

Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly is looking for short stories and poetry for their anthology Love Sucks. They want "amusing tales of 'love gone wrong.'" Must have paranormal elements. 2000-10,000 words. Pay unknown. Deadline April 15. 

Mulberry Fork Review is seeking fiction and non-fiction, any genre, any type, including short fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, personal essay, and poetry. Short stories up to 6000 words. Check website for other categories. Pay unknown. Open submissions.

Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things is looking for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction for all ages, including 10-18 year olds. Short stories up to 12,000 words. Pays $.01/word or $20, whichever is more. Open submissions.

New Haven Review wants your essays, fiction, and non-fiction of whatever length. They don't have a specific genre, but are looking for strong writing. Pays $500 for prose and non-fiction, $25 per poem. Open submissions.

Jitter Press is open for horror fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Poetry up to 100 lines, short fiction up to 1500 words. Typically pays $1.50 token payment, but editor's choice gets $10. Open submissions.

Dark Futures Fiction accepts prose and poetry with a dark futuristic theme. 500-2000 words. Pays $2-$5, depending upon medium. Open submissions.

What are your insecurities? Do you reward yourself for various writing goals and achievements? How? Have you been submitting? Any publishing news? Any of these links helpful for you? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.