The W1S1 Check-in and Chill Lounge and Bar

gettingby

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I think I should have more stories on submission than I do. I have about a dozen submissions out right now. I used to have several times that out. But I just don't feel like many of my older stories stand much of a chance without me doing some major editing and rewriting. At some point, there are a few I might go back to, but I think the majority of them were practice stories. I had to write the bad ones to be able to write the good ones. Do you guys ever feel that way? Still, at one point I was regularly getting responses back because I kept so many stories out and would keep sending them out. But they were always rejections. Just curious, but how many submissions do you guys have out? I image some of you must have quite a lot.
 

JJ Litke

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I set a goal of getting two out a month starting at the beginning of this year, and I currently have six out (I need to devote some good time to catching up on finishing this month's). I've gotten some encouraging rejections, but no sales yet.

I had to write the bad ones to be able to write the good ones. Do you guys ever feel that way?

Sure. That's a standard tenant of brainstorming—get down ALL the ideas without judgment. I've got a couple written that I'm just not sending out because they aren't that good. Sometimes you don't know if it'll work until you write it down. But I got those ideas out of the way, and maybe I can do something with them later, either rewrites or take pieces of them into another work.
 

Gnome

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I think I should have more stories on submission than I do. I have about a dozen submissions out right now. I used to have several times that out. But I just don't feel like many of my older stories stand much of a chance without me doing some major editing and rewriting. At some point, there are a few I might go back to, but I think the majority of them were practice stories. I had to write the bad ones to be able to write the good ones. Do you guys ever feel that way? Still, at one point I was regularly getting responses back because I kept so many stories out and would keep sending them out. But they were always rejections. Just curious, but how many submissions do you guys have out? I image some of you must have quite a lot.

I have seven or eight out right now.
 

Tamlyn

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I got my first pass on to editor with a pro market today. It makes me happy (especially given I saw the email and figured it was my rejection). Maybe I am pointed in the right direction with my stories instead of just churning out dreck :p

I'm still failing at the sub part of write/sub, but I'm heading into smoother territory with editing my UF WIP, so hopefully I'll be able to focus on shorts some more.

Hope everyone else is going well.
 

_Sian_

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I've progressed past the slush pile to an editors desk again. At the same place too - the first readers must like me, because I'd had no luck with this second story before now.

Given that it was a rejection last time, even if it was a nice one, I think this will be easier because I won't be expecting acceptance. Things are always easier when you expect the worst but hope for the best :p
 

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Novel draft is done at 79,000 words. Woohoo!

Figure I'll take a few days to chill from serious fiction writing and tweak my submission materials (query letter, synopsis, outline, etc.) Then send out a wave of submissions before drafting another short for the month. Gonna shoot for subbing to the Deep Dark Woods anthology. Have the perfect idea, now I just gotta do some writing.
 

JJ Litke

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Oh no, submission grinder is down! It is down, right, it's not just me? I'm not sure which to hope for.
 

Ty Schalter

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Had a lovely Memorial Day weekend camping. Caught up on some LONG overdue reading, and feeling very, very inspired this week. Sure, it's been over a year since I started posting here and I haven't sold a dang thing, but the day gig is going very well and my days are opening up again. I may not be doing true W1S1 this summer, but I WILL be writing and subbing!

Peace
Ty
 

Tamlyn

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Hello, quiet forum.

I am, alas, still stacking up the rejections, still all form, etc. I'm making very good process on my novels though, and since they've never been rejected I can still pretend they're Awesome! I am easily appeased :p

Still subbing away despite the rejections. Still (hopefully!) improving.
 

StormChild

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I've been quiet recently too. I changed jobs last summer, and the varying routine (work til midnight one week, start at 6am the next) has killed my writing routine. I fight for every word these days.

I'm still writing, though a lot more slowly, and still sending out what I've got.
 

ACFantasy

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Finished my first novel, sent out 6 query letters to agents last weekend. Got one rejection so far. Haven't heard back yet on other five, and I'm not expecting to hear back for a few weeks for most of them.
But hey, I finished a novel to the point where I feel comfortable querying it. I feel proud of myself.

In the last few days of the month, I'm going to try to finish one more short--I only did one so far, but I'd like to make at least 2 a month.
 

Brandon M Johnson

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What happened to the site? I leave this forum for like a month and they change the design on me!

I've been on a pretty fulfilling reading binge lately, a lot of classic mysteries and even some graphic novels (gasp!) but the writing's been a little slow. Haven't checked AW as much as Twitter has really become my jam lately.

Hello, quiet forum.

I am, alas, still stacking up the rejections, still all form, etc. I'm making very good process on my novels though, and since they've never been rejected I can still pretend they're Awesome! I am easily appeased :p

Still subbing away despite the rejections. Still (hopefully!) improving.

I find form rejections oddly comforting, like a hug from a robot. Keep subbing.

I've been quiet recently too. I changed jobs last summer, and the varying routine (work til midnight one week, start at 6am the next) has killed my writing routine. I fight for every word these days.

I'm still writing, though a lot more slowly, and still sending out what I've got.

Good luck. Keep sending it out.

Finished my first novel, sent out 6 query letters to agents last weekend. Got one rejection so far. Haven't heard back yet on other five, and I'm not expecting to hear back for a few weeks for most of them.
But hey, I finished a novel to the point where I feel comfortable querying it. I feel proud of myself.

In the last few days of the month, I'm going to try to finish one more short--I only did one so far, but I'd like to make at least 2 a month.

That's great! You finished a novel! :partyguy: Haven't been in QLH in a while or I would've helped with the query. (If you posted there, that is. If you didn't and keep get rejections, consider checking it out.) The fact that you even got this far is a big accomplishment.

Keep writing, everyone. And stop changing the site and messing with my mind.
 

JJ Litke

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I need to finish another story by the end of the week to meet my goal of two per month. I should try to finish this half-done one, but the middle is being all fiddly (I know the end, it's getting there that's tricky). So now I'm posting here while trying to come up with a new idea. A new GOOD idea, that is.
 

ACFantasy

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Thanks, Brandon. I'm kinda amazed I got this far, to be honest. :) But it's done, and I'm subbing, and I feel good.
I'll look at QLH. I didn't actually know it existed before, but now that I do, I'll definitely check it out.
 

eyeblink

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A 1000-word horror short-short called "A Night Out" accepted by Hellfire Crossroads. It had been written for and accepted by an anthology three years ago which never appeared, so glad it has found a home.

I now have just two unsold stories plus a draft of another, which aren't crappy ones from the twentieth century, so I guess I should write some more!
 

NatGSharpe

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Hello! I'm new and wasn't sure whether to sign up here or somewhere else? I already signed up for the novel WISI, but I also have another goal... I promised myself I'd submit a short story in the next 90 days. (I guess 75 days now?) I don't think my writing will be good enough by that point, but I recently went to a writing workshop where they said to familiarize myself with rejection XD. And I think I can get something polished in 75 days.
 

vintager

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What happened to Asim0v's? For a while there, they were as swift with the sword as N3il Clark3's minions... Almost... What now, a relapse?
 

JJ Litke

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Hello! I'm new and wasn't sure whether to sign up here or somewhere else? I already signed up for the novel WISI, but I also have another goal... I promised myself I'd submit a short story in the next 90 days. (I guess 75 days now?) I don't think my writing will be good enough by that point, but I recently went to a writing workshop where they said to familiarize myself with rejection XD. And I think I can get something polished in 75 days.

Hi Nat! That should be plenty of time. I recommend hanging around the SYW area, you'll learn a lot that way (don't forget to contribute some posts as well as reading them). Once you hit 50 posts, you can post your own work for critique. Good luck!

And vintager, I thought I saw some low-number Rs for A's recently. But it's entirely possible I'm not remembering that correctly, or that was longer ago than it seems.
 

NatGSharpe

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@JJ Litke: Yeah I'm over in SYW critiquing stories to get those 50 posts. I learn a lot through critiquing and someone else mentioned that critiquing a lot is a good way to get lots of feedback on your own work, so :D.
 

Ty Schalter

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So, Lightspeed finally re-opened to general subs on June 1, and seem to still be wading through the initial flood. The Grinder's consistently been showing 1-day Rs on June 2, 2-day Rs on June 3, all the way up to a 7-day R today (June 8). That first day must have been a doozy.

Though they're using Moksha, they aren't showing queue numbers so I have little idea how far back I am (I subbed on June 3). Was hoping for a really quick maybe-or-no—but for now, I shall persevere.

Anyone else have one out there, or had one been responded to already?

Peace
Ty
 

JJ Litke

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I'm at seven days out with LS (got in a sub first thing when they opened). I'm having lovely fantasies today that someone there is hanging on to my story and considering it. Though I pretty much expect those fantasies to be squashed flat by the end of today. But it really is a good story and they should take it.