The W1S1 Short Fiction Check-in Lounge and Bar

[AndreaGS]

Just got my rejection from Clarkesworld too! Onto the next publication!

[gettingby]

After starting and stopping a handful of attempts, just finished another story which means I have completed my first month of write1/sub1 weekly. It is interesting because I do feel my writing getting better. Not sure where to send this one. It is literary/mainstream with a slight touch of SF/supernatural.

[ohthatmomagain]

Congratulations, getting by. So far I've done my write1/sub1 for the month too

[MeretSeger]

Originally Posted by alexshvartsman

I alternate between them, Lightspeed and F&SF if I feel the story is strong enough. Of course, they haven;t felt that the story is strong enough yet Just got my rejection for the Clakesworld story after about 24 hours, a few minutes back.

Ack, sorry! You'll crack 'em, though. I haven't been blessed with my R yet, but maybe the internets are slow tonight. Does a story automatically go to "under review" with Clarkesworld when it's submitted, or does that mean it's actually being poked with a stick somewhere?

[alexshvartsman]

Originally Posted by MeretSeger

Ack, sorry! You'll crack 'em, though. I haven't been blessed with my R yet, but maybe the internets are slow tonight. Does a story automatically go to "under review" with Clarkesworld when it's submitted, or does that mean it's actually being poked with a stick somewhere?

It will show as Pending or Received or what-not. Under Review means a slush reader has already downloaded it. Of course, someone might download a story and then have to go deal with other stuff and not get to read it for another day... so our Rejectomancy games are for entertainment purposes only

[MeretSeger]

Originally Posted by alexshvartsman

It will show as Pending or Received or what-not. Under Review means a slush reader has already downloaded it. Of course, someone might download a story and then have to go deal with other stuff and not get to read it for another day... so our Rejectomancy games are for entertainment purposes only

It is psychologically disturbing. Or perhaps I am just disturbed and that's why I do it.

[Sea Witch]

I was sniffing around Duotrope today looking at markets, and I came across Punchnel's. They take fiction and poetry, but they also take NF. I'm mentioning it here because I never even explored the fiction guidelines.

Anyway, if there are any NF writers among us, they are actively looking for some short NF pieces for some of their regular features. I was seduced by this, alas, and sent them a NF essay....so I'm still trying to place my W1S1...

[Literateparakeet]

Thanks for sharing Sea Witch. I looked at the website, and I am now sidetracked as well, LOL!

[goldmund]

Ack, stupid, stupid!
I edited and re-edited one story and finally late at night unable to take it anymore I sent it to several top markets only to discover today that I cut out a passage and inserted it 4 pages later in the story... only I didn't cut it, just copied, so the passage appears twice. It's just 3 sentences of characterization, but still, so sloppy!

[Taylor V]

Anyone gotten their Dark Faith responses yet? Duotrope says some have been sent out.

[defcon6000]

Originally Posted by Taylor V

Anyone gotten their Dark Faith responses yet? Duotrope says some have been sent out.

Nadda on this end. But then again, I did submit on the last day, so I don't expect to hear anything for awhile.

[akaSylvia]

I subbed in the first week of Jan, not heard back yet. I noticed the Duotrope response received was two days older than my sub, so if they are working through them in order, mine's due in three ... two... one...

[J.W. Alden]

Just got my February W1S1 submission out in the nick of time. Off to Clarkesworld you go, little bird. Please don't fly back in 2 days. :P

[gettingby]

I think it's pretty cool how everyone checks in here. Wishing all of you the best as we wait... and wait... and wait...

[OtterFactory]

So, according to duotrope's stats, I'm about ten days beyond the "average acceptance wait time" stat (where it shows the average wait time for acceptances) for a rather challenging market. Would it be really dumb of me to assume a rejection and begin to submit the story elsewhere?

[Sea Witch]

Sometimes I read an "editor's statement" on Duotrope, and I don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about. NEXT. Does anyone ever feel that way?

And once I was looking at the guidelines for a market, and they listed at least 25 things they *don't* want. I didn't even get to the bottom of the list. Tough to write a story and then go down the list, did I mention this? did I mention that? what's my ending? NEXT.

[mhaynes]

Originally Posted by OtterFactory

So, according to duotrope's stats, I'm about ten days beyond the "average acceptance wait time" stat (where it shows the average wait time for acceptances) for a rather challenging market. Would it be really dumb of me to assume a rejection and begin to submit the story elsewhere?

Unless the market explicitly states that they only reply for acceptances (and very few short fiction markets I've seen have that policy), then I wouldn't proceed in that manner.

A polite query to ensure that your story was received and is still under consideration would probably be your best bet, in my opinion.

[MeretSeger]

Originally Posted by Sea Witch

Sometimes I read an "editor's statement" on Duotrope, and I don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about. NEXT. Does anyone ever feel that way?

And once I was looking at the guidelines for a market, and they listed at least 25 things they *don't* want. I didn't even get to the bottom of the list. Tough to write a story and then go down the list, did I mention this? did I mention that? what's my ending? NEXT.

There is one on there that might as well read the wolf howls in its icewater mansion...Seriously. I subbed to it to see if I accidentally wrote what they were looking for. Nope. I was kind of relieved.

[MeretSeger]

Originally Posted by OtterFactory

So, according to duotrope's stats, I'm about ten days beyond the "average acceptance wait time" stat (where it shows the average wait time for acceptances) for a rather challenging market. Would it be really dumb of me to assume a rejection and begin to submit the story elsewhere?

Don't assume! I've gotten rejections way later than average acceptance, which must mean I could have been an acceptance, so don't assume you're out.

[Sea Witch]

Re: not hearing anything past the usual time frame

Don't assume anything. Send them a polite email. For my first submission and first acceptance, and I didn't receive anything at all, yea or nay. Two weeks past when I thought I would have heard, I got an email from the Editor-in-Chief, saying "we loved your story, and BTW can you also do a NF essay for us for the same issue?" I emailed her back and said yeah, I'd love to, but I didn't even know the story was accepted. She said, "i'll look into that. it's not supposed to happen like that."

[OtterFactory]

Thanks, all! Query sent.

[mhaynes]

Totally unrelated to writing, but I was tickled to see that a hockey-related tweet of mine was featured in a National Post (Canada) article. (Mine is at the very end of the article.)

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...-more-bearable

[SmallThing]

I'm having an argh moment.

There's something about writing that makes me feel like a toddler. That frustrating sense of sense of knowing what I want to do and not being capable of doing it yet. (I say yet because it's nice to be optimistic.)

[MeretSeger]

Originally Posted by mhaynes

Totally unrelated to writing, but I was tickled to see that a hockey-related tweet of mine was featured in a National Post (Canada) article. (Mine is at the very end of the article.)

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...-more-bearable

That was a great exchange. nice to see not all sports corps are humorless monoliths.

[Izz]

Originally Posted by SmallThing

I'm having an argh moment.

There's something about writing that makes me feel like a toddler. That frustrating sense of sense of knowing what I want to do and not being capable of doing it yet. (I say yet because it's nice to be optimistic.)

I get that all the time. Sooo frustrating. "Story, why can't i write you like you are in my head?"


I got reviewed! I had a story come out last year in a NZ lit zine, Takahe. And this morning i got an email from the review review telling me they'd reviewed issue #73 of Takahe on their site, and that i got a mention. It was a nice mention (almost a double-mention), too The full review is here.