The W1S1 Check-in and Chill Lounge and Bar

MattJ

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Yes, she survives. She's hardy.

My estimates stated she'd have about 15 seconds on consciousness, and maybe a minute or two before permanent damage.

Oooo! Oooo! I know this one!

I had to research this one a bit when someone tossed one of my characters out an airlock of my moonbase. In his socks, poor guy.

Do you need the person to survive? (It's possible, but only for a very short time, and it's still gonna suck to be them.)

-Suzanne
 

ShadowFox

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But I thought the space suit was pressurized for a reason. Apart from frying and not being able to breathe, wouldn't the human lung go splat in a rather disgusting way?
 

zanzjan

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I haven't done the research, but considering that in shadow on the moon the cold is beyond what we can imagine (isn't it something like -250F?) and when not in shadow, since the sun isn't blocked by any atmosphere, the heat is unimaginable (something like 250F+), that even without considering the lack of breathable air, the temperature alone would kill almost instantly. Wouldn't it? I can't see how any living creature could withstand either extreme more than seconds. Cells would start to freeze or cook instantly, wouldn't they?

As best as I could figure someone in really good physical shape had about 20 seconds. Temperature would be a serious problem, but I don't know that it'd actually kill you in that window --frostbite/burns would be pretty severe. You'd likely burst your eardrums too.

I could be wrong on all that (and if I am, let me know before I finish this draft!) but that's what I gleaned from a few hours' online research.

-Suzanne
 

zanzjan

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But I thought the space suit was pressurized for a reason. Apart from frying and not being able to breathe, wouldn't the human lung go splat in a rather disgusting way?

Yeah, you have to be smart enough to NOT try to hold your breath.

-Suzanne
 

Nathaniel Katz

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Sure, more readers is always a good thing. I even had an unofficial reader do a few paragraphs - by which I mean that the person on the plane next to me leaned over, read a paragraph or two, and then told me that it was offensive and that she didn't like it. I had no idea to respond to this and eventually settled on something with four letter words and a schoolyard No, THAT's offensive retort.

But, er, anyway. I'm messing with the opening one more time, then I'll send it to you. And I'd be glad to beta something in return.
 

alexshvartsman

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Heh sadly I haven't written anything new since early May. Work has kept me insanely busy this month and I'm crazy behind on the whole W1S1 thing. Things are SORT OF beginning to let up, so we'll see what happens. When I do write something new, I'll be sure to spam you :)

As to the "helpful" person on the plane, if they didn't like what they read too bad; serves them right for reading stuff off your screen. I hate it when people do that.

I just emailed my comments over, hopefully you'll find them helpful.
 

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Knowing nothing about what happens when you take off a space suit is one of the reasons I don't write SF *g* Sounds like a great story.

I've done nothing whatsoever since I managed to lose more than a months work. I'm stuck in the inbetweens as I dunno whether I'm going to have to rewrite or not. Oh well, a break won't hurt me, I don't think.
 

Izz

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Time off is often good. Recharging and all that.

I'm now 1,500 words into my new story. It's turning into an ambitious thing. Omniscient (but only as far as the inhabitants of the town it's set in), a potentially large cast of characters. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
 

MattJ

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I've been reading Paul Brunton lately. He was a journalist and spiritual adventurer.

This is how journalists used to write for the lay public:

"In this spiritual element lie all the fragrant hopes of man, waiting, like so many unplucked flowers, for the soft hands which shall garner them for a sightless people. These visitations of a loftier mood provide one with jewels for one's writings. In such sacred moments, one touches the infinite. Sentences form themselves from the ether, one hardly knows how; phrases disengage themselves from the skies and descend upon this sublunary world to feed one's pen. One must yield to these mysterious moods, and not resist them. Thus does one render oneself worthy to become a mediator between the immortal gods and frail forgetful man."
 

Lillie

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That's great, especially if he was being paid by the word. :D
 

Aggy B.

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Still languishing with crickets today. My guess is everyone in the US is taking a four day weekend.

I've had a bit of a revelation about the middle of my sci-fi western that I think will turn things out nicely. Unfortunately, been busy since Tuesday and gotten nary a word written. Maybe that will change this weekend. (I think I said that on Monday.)

But it's nice to know that my creative spark hasn't died completely. I was beginning to think I'd never solve my middle-act conundrums.
 

MattJ

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*Excuse me while I put on my top hat and find my cane*

Suffering from the hum drums? The doo dums? The middle act conundrums?

Well, my friends, never fear. You too can end your dums, drums, and doldrums with a healthy dose of Dr. Wonderful's latest and most magical of tonics:

The Lester Dent Magic Formula

Fresh from the mystics of the Far East!

It puts the pow into prose, the whiz into words, the edge into editing. It will put a spring into your step and a smile on your face. It can't do the wash and the dishes, but give it time, give it time.

Why hey, if it's good enough for Doc Savage and the Shadow, it's good enough for YOU!

The magic formula is free, but only for a limited time. Act now, thank me later!

*End of sales pitch*

I was beginning to think I'd never solve my middle-act conundrums.
 

Aggy B.

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That's pretty awesome.

On a different note: has anyone tried the Grantville Gazette: Universe Annex? I looked at that and thought it was... different. By which I mean it seemed sketchy to me, but then, I'm a suspicious sort. I don't expect editors to steal my stories, but I've known a few unscrupulous sorts who stole ideas from other writers.

Anyway. It's not like I've exhausted my market list yet. Just curious if any of y'all have experience with the crit-circle approach to story submission.

[My conundrum, btw, was not a lack of drama or pain for my MC but the fact that she was just a bit too much of a vengeance seeking bitch to make it worth while reading to the end. But I figured out how to remedy that without resorting to giving her feeeeeeeelings.]
 

zanzjan

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I was beginning to think I'd never solve my middle-act conundrums.

I think we've all been there. I wrote a poem about it once:
http://www.zanzjan.net/writing/readfree/middlerub.html

I'm wavering between needing to get back to novel revisions, having a new short story demanding my attention, and wanting to go out and enjoy the sun and play in my garden. Tonight, the garden won (at least until the mosquitoes got me.)

-Suzanne
 

Izz

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On a different note: has anyone tried the Grantville Gazette: Universe Annex?
Do you remember Baen's Universe? The zine arm of Baen's Publishing, paid 20c(ish) a word. Died about two years ago.

One of the ways to sell them a story was through the crit area. If the story stayed at the top of the forum for a few weeks an editor would take a look.

Universe Annex is basically a resurrection of that. I only ever tried it once, decided i didn't like that route and went for the straight submission process to them (which i don't think GG:UA has). I never heard of any bad experiences from BU and, seeing as the editors of GG:UA are closely affiliated with Baen's Publishing, i doubt they'd do anything dodgy. Other writers using the crit circle might, i guess.
 

Aggy B.

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Do you remember Baen's Universe? The zine arm of Baen's Publishing, paid 20c(ish) a word. Died about two years ago.

One of the ways to sell them a story was through the crit area. If the story stayed at the top of the forum for a few weeks an editor would take a look.

Universe Annex is basically a resurrection of that. I only ever tried it once, decided i didn't like that route and went for the straight submission process to them (which i don't think GG:UA has). I never heard of any bad experiences from BU and, seeing as the editors of GG:UA are closely affiliated with Baen's Publishing, i doubt they'd do anything dodgy. Other writers using the crit circle might, i guess.

I don't remember BU, but that's kind of moot.

I guess I just figure any forum has lurkers. While I do post stuff in the AW SYW I rarely post anything like finished stuff there (but don't tell anyone or I'll start getting flack for posting rough drafts ;)) in part because I don't want someone swiping my material and subbing it themselves. (I know, that's pretty unlikely, but whatever. I try to protect myself.)

And it seems that some place like GG:UA must have lurkers who might be tempted to steal something. Dunno. I just wondered if anyone had participated/subbed there. :)
 

Lillie

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I iz in UR forums steeling UR storiez...
 

zanzjan

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I subbed one thing through Baen's Universe that way, and the feedback was generally useful, but I was uncomfortable enough with the process that I never did again. It wasn't really worry about theft so much as it felt very public, and I don't like the idea of my stuff being public until it's done (and sometimes not even then.)

-Suzanne
 

Nathaniel Katz

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The workshop style of submissions just isn't something I think I'd feel comfortable with. I understand that the odds are probably about the same, but the idea of people discussing the story in a quasi-open forum while its in submission just doesn't sit well with me.
 

jgold

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Checking in!

I barely made my two story goal for May. One was the spider flash for the Shock Totem contest (I can't wait to see who wrote what!). The other's a 1,400 fantasy called "Street Magic." I'll probably post that mess in SYW soon.

Five rejections this month. (2 nice ones from Chizine, 2 from One Buck Horror and 1 from DSF). Four new subs. Three stories shortlisted from old submissions in previous months.

I've never submitted to UA either. It just seemed like a pain in the ass to me.:Shrug:
 

Sagana

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Isn't Grantville Gazette the shared universe one? All around the world where a small modern town got dumped back in time (medievalish or something - excuse errors, I only looked at it briefly). If it is, it makes total sense to me to do it that way. The original author is trying to maintain integrity of the world and characters. It seemed like a great idea to me. And a way to show that fan-fic can be something wonderful. He's basically just giving his world away and asking other people to play in his sandbox, which I think is pretty awesome of him. It started because there was so much fan-fic interest, I think. And if you were going to use a modern character, you have to choose one that already exists even (no more folks who just happened to get drug along making his little town into a group of thousands *lol*). Anyway, I think I'd find it difficult to be unhappy about the open nature of it for that sort of thing. Not for me though. I want to write my own worlds and I'm not near that good at collaboration.

Uh, if it's some other magazine, just ignore me totally. :)
 

Aggy B.

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Isn't Grantville Gazette the shared universe one? All around the world where a small modern town got dumped back in time (medievalish or something - excuse errors, I only looked at it briefly). If it is, it makes total sense to me to do it that way. The original author is trying to maintain integrity of the world and characters. It seemed like a great idea to me. And a way to show that fan-fic can be something wonderful. He's basically just giving his world away and asking other people to play in his sandbox, which I think is pretty awesome of him. It started because there was so much fan-fic interest, I think. And if you were going to use a modern character, you have to choose one that already exists even (no more folks who just happened to get drug along making his little town into a group of thousands *lol*). Anyway, I think I'd find it difficult to be unhappy about the open nature of it for that sort of thing. Not for me though. I want to write my own worlds and I'm not near that good at collaboration.

Uh, if it's some other magazine, just ignore me totally. :)

Hmm. I didn't see anything about that in the submission guidelines.

But I think, whatever the case, that's probably not a good place for me. Like I said, it made me kind of twitch when I read through the whole "public" submission thing.

Now. I must get ready for an early Memorial Day celebration with my in-laws. >_<
 

shelleyo

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Isn't Grantville Gazette the shared universe one? All around the world where a small modern town got dumped back in time (medievalish or something - excuse errors, I only looked at it briefly). If it is, it makes total sense to me to do it that way. The original author is trying to maintain integrity of the world and characters.

Yup. I don't know the story, but something about 1632 is mentioned a lot. I agree; I can see the usefulness of submissions that way for them, given the shared universe.

I'd probably never submit anywhere that required that process, though. It's not that I'd worry about anyone stealing from me. It just sounds like a pain in the ass.


Shelley