Journal Entry #9: Actual Proof that I’m Actually Doing Work

So, we’re supposed to post images that somehow prove we’re Actually Doing Our Personal Project. (Actually, we were supposed to do that first back in October and again recently, but I kind of didn’t do that. Woops.) But the thing is, it’s a bit hard to take pictures of a story, particularly an unpublished story that currently resides in my computer while awaiting its final stages of completion. It’s not a painting I can take snapshots of while in every stage. However, I came up with something, and this is what I came up with:

(note: I’ll only make one journal entry for this, since I’m making one so late. I didn’t exactly follow the journal entry order in the way things were supposed to be and added some extras. So I hope this is okay.)

Very, very brief list of places where I can submit it.

Basically, a website with a very detailed list of places to submit.

Another website with a list of places to submit that’s more detailed than mine.

I used some extra paper lying around to organise my story.

My own plot roller-coaster for the story in progress. Each number corresponds to something that happens in the story.

The organiser complete, I can now go finish the story.

A screenshot of how it’s going so far. Not the best thing ever, I know, but I’ll try to make it better.

I don’t have much, but this is a picture rather than a screenshot of what I have so far. I hope to work hard on it today.

The websites I used for my lists of literary magazines and places to publish are this and this.

Journal Entry #8: INTERVIEWS WITH ACTUAL PUBLISHED WRITERS

Basically, I got to interview via email two Actual Published Writers (Jo Knowles and Todd Strasser). Granted, my questions weren’t the best ever; but they still managed to give me valuable advice.

Mr Strasser’s answers (bolded):

1- What was the first work of yours that ever got published? (what was it about, what kind of work was it…) —  A short story called Clap Trap was published in a small literary journal.

2- Do you write in a very tight schedule (“I will write from 10 am to 11 am and I will write 4000 words”) or do you write whenever you get an idea? — Most days I get going in the morning. Take a break in the early afternoon and then see if I can write later as well. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. (The differences in response of my two interviewees for this question and question #6 show me that everybody has a different writing schedule, and I should try finding my own in order to actually get things done, and it doesn’t have to be the same as everybody else’s.)

3- In your opinion, what is the most important thing an aspiring fiction writer should know?  Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. (I do agree. I did–and finished–NaNoWriMo this year, and it was a lot of work. The idea I had was only one part of it; I had to work at developing it.)

4- Why do you write about the subjects you write about? — They interest me.

5- (this one sort of ties in with 4) Why did you decide to write fiction? I wasn’t any good at anything else.

6- Do you edit your work as you write it, or do you write it all first and then edit it? Why? Constantly editing as I write. Just the way I do it, I guess.

7- What is your favourite piece of your own work and why? The one I’m working on. It’s a challenge. (Note: This is my favourite answer out of the ones he gave me. It inspires me to think of whatever’s my newest creation as my BEST creation yet.)

8- What is the main thing that every story should have in order to be captivating? — An engaging main character?

9- Who are your main influences when it comes to writing and why? — Writers who I consider really good.

10- What is a valuable piece of advice or something that happened to you when it comes to working with publishers? — Never forget that you’re just one of many hundreds, if not thousands, of writers. (This one is also very good.)

Ms Knowles’ interview (her responses bolded):

1- What was the first work of yours that ever got published? (what was it about, what kind of work was it…)

I published a short story called “Living Room Music” in my college literary magazine, SIDELINES. It was about my parents.

2- Do you write in a very tight schedule (“I will write from 10 am to 11 am and I will write 4000 words”) or do you write whenever you get an idea?

I write whenever I have time. My life is too crazy to have a schedule but I do try to write every day Monday-Friday. (See note at #2 in the previous interview.)

3- In your opinion, what is the most important thing an aspiring fiction writer should know?

You have your own unique voice and your own road to travel. It’s up to you to make the most of it. (This is a very inspiring response, and very true too.)

4- Why do you write about the subjects you write about?

They are important to me. (So basically, I shouldn’t write about something I don’t want to write about just because people might like it better.)

5- (this one sort of ties in with 4) Why did you decide to write fiction?

My favorite classes in college were always ones that involved writing. The more I wrote, the more I loved it.

6- Do you edit your work as you write it, or do you write it all first and then edit it? Why?

A little bit of both. I really just follow my heart, not rules.

7- What is your favourite piece of your own work and why?

I could never choose.

8- What is the main thing that every story should have in order to be captivating?

Heart. (A very abstract response, but to me it means I must write about subjects that are important to me, so I can write with passion.)

9- Who are your main influences when it comes to writing and why?

I’m currently a huge fan of Marcus Zusak. My son once described his work as making the ugly beautiful and I think that’s the perfect reason why.

10- What is a valuable piece of advice or something that happened to you when it comes to working with publishers?

Listen. (Probably the most valuable piece of advice anyone has given me on this topic.)

Journal Entry #6: ONLINE PERIODIC SOURCE

Stein, Lorin, with Stein, Sadie. “The State of The Short Story.” Publishers Weekly. (PublishersWeekly.com) Oct. 26, 2012.

The article is from an editor who believed short stories were “dead” when he worked publishing books, and then learned better when he began working for a magazine that included short fiction.

Here are the five most important things I took from this article:

1. “Suddenly it was my job to think about short stories, a lot. And to question my own reading habits — because that’s all we editors really have to go on, what we like to read in our free time. For the first time I found myself wondering why short stories weren’t a bigger part of my life.” What I take from this is: editors will enjoy the stories that appeal to their personal taste. Of course, I have no way of knowing an editor’s personal taste–but when I am sending my story out to editors, I must a) send it to several different editors and b) read through the stories that have been put through in past issues of the magazine, to see if mine could be a good pick.
2. “But popular entertainments are vulnerable to technological change. Along came the radio serial, the movies, and TV. As readership softened, the big magazines saw that it was easier to attract advertisers by publishing fashion tips — in general, by featuring products — than by giving up pages to fiction.” This is one of the reasons the author gives for the decline in readership of short stories–and I agree with it.
3. “On the one hand, stories demand the focus of bedtime. They’re meant to be read straight through from beginning to end. You can’t read a story and multitask.” Here, the author talks about some of the reasons why he personally stopped reading short stories–but this is useful to me because it explains I need to keep the reader’s focus from beginning to end when I write my short story. No unnecessary information must be included.
4. “They demand a wakeful attention; a good one keeps you thinking when it’s over.” This one speaks for itself.
5. “There is a time for multi-tasking and a time for losing yourself. The short story offers something else: a chance to pay close attention — and have that attention rewarded because, for once, every little plot twist, every sentence, counts.” This one also speaks for itself–while he wasn’t intentionally attempting to give possible short story authors good advice, he did.

Journal Entry #5: A Website Source!

“How to Get a Short Story Published | How to Publish a Short Story.” WritersDigest.com. Writer’s Digest, 31 Jan 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.

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So, I have found what is possibly the best website resource I could have possibly found. These are the most important parts of what I got from it (all bolding mine):

“Getting your short story published in a reputable literary journal or magazine is a great way to get noticed as a fiction writer.” This is good, considering one of my possible future career choices is fiction writing. Having a story out would be beneficial to me in the future.

“There are tons of literary journals out there, from small one-person operations that pay in contributor’s copies to big glossy magazines that will pay cash for your story. It’s important to do your research when setting out to submit your story to them. You want to make sure the magazine or journal has a good reputation—even better if it’s won some awards. And remember, getting paid is great, but sometimes the exposure you receive is the best payment—so don’t limit yourself to only paying markets.” This encourages me to investigate the market. Of course, I am already doing some research on it–that is the point of this journal entry–but when I choose publications to send my story to, I don’t have to limit myself to big ones that most people have heard of. I could try something smaller, and get some recognition for it, which for me–at least at this point in my life, when I’m in high school and live with my parents–is more important than money.

“First and foremost, read the submission guidelines. Sending your bodice ripper romance story to a literary journal for hard core science fiction readers will land your submission in the trash. Bottom line: make sure you’re targeting the right kind of publication.” Of course, I already knew this one–but it is a good reminder and a good rule of thumb to follow.

“By reading the magazine first you can get a feel for the tone of the publication and you can decide whether or not your story is a good fit—or tailor it to be.” This is good advice, indicating me to read the publications I am submitting my story to. Another one that should seem logical, but isn’t always obvious.

“Include a cover letter for your story that briefly describes what the story is about. This is a short pitch of approximately 25 words that explains who the main character (or characters) is and what the conflict of the story is about. Keep it short. This isn’t a synopsis.” This is great–I had no idea it would be helpful to send something like this along with the submission itself.

“Address your cover letter to the editor by name. Do your research and make sure you spell their name correctly.” Another one I did not know I was supposed to do.

“List the word count of your story.” This is also really helpful. One thing I liked about this web resource is that it wasn’t some blurry, dubious post about writing about what you love and some less-than-helpful advice on keeping it short; this is actually a set of clear guidelines that I can follow.

“Avoid using any sort of fancy fonts or typefaces.” I’m guilty of doing this on the stories that I will keep for myself, although I do understand this isn’t acceptable when it comes to actually submitting something for real people to actually read.

“Avoid clichés, such as beginning with your character waking up from a dream.” Now, we’re getting into the actual writing territory. This one’s pretty obvious, but still a valuable reminder.

“Use simple dialogue tags. “He said” and “she said” are best. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re boring. Tags like “he orated” draw attention away from the dialogue itself.” I have it drilled into my head that using “he said” and “she said” too much are perverse, horrible mistakes that should NEVER be committed. Therefore, this one’s very useful and, in something as short as a short story, I can see how it would draw attention away from the actual dialogue.

“Be careful with modifiers. When it comes to adjectives a little goes a long way. For adverbs—remember that rule even more so. Your short story should be exactly that—short. Don’t crowd it with unnecessary words.” I do understand that since this is a short story, I should be concise and straight to the point–although I do tend to be a very descriptive sort of person, so this rule is something I need to keep in mind at all times.