One, Two, Three...Write!

It's that time again -- Halloween has come and gone, Christmas is still around the corner, and in between? National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.

November is officially a time for writing, even if you never have done so before in your life. Thirty days, fifty thousand words. It comes out to 1667 a day. They don't even have to be good words. The point of the exercise is to get yourself used to the idea of everyday commitment to writing something on paper.

I have been participating since 2000 or so. No, I don't always manage to finish, but when I do, it is a feeling of amazing accomplishment. And it can also lead to something actually publishable. One of my NaNo projects was published several years ago. Another took two years of trying, but is now in edits.A third led to the start of a series--and this year's project is Book Two.

So, even though the month has started, it isn't too late to sign up and join us! It is easy to catch up this early in the game; just a few extra words every day will easily bring you back to the necessary total.

And don't forget--we are still accepting submissions for the Avast Ye, Airships anthology through the end of the year.

Putting Yourself Into A Story

E. A. Black writes horror, dark fiction, and fantasy. She writes erotica and erotic romance under the pen name Elizabeth Black. Ms. Black lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband and four cats. You may find her on Facebook or on her web site.

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I'm in the middle of a work in progress called "Longing" that is taking a lot out of me. I think it's one of the best things I've ever written. I'm a very private, almost secluded person so writing from the gut like this isn't easy for me. I doubt it's easy for anyone, though. I usually go for much more light-hearted fare, although my story "Alicia" is far from light-hearted. It's horror romance, after all.

I wondered what it would feel like to lose someone who is failing right in front of me and there is nothing I can do about it. Watching someone I love die before my eyes would be too much for me to bear. My husband has already told me if he ever came down with dementia and got to the point where he needed help cleaning himself and could no longer think properly, he wouldn't want to live. I have no idea what I would do if I were in that situation. If I had the ability to upload our memories, desires, and our very being into an A. I. would I do it? What would I really upload? Would it be him or what I wished he would be?

Here is an excerpt:

Longing overwhelmed me as my mind drifted. I needed Eric in my life but it hadn't been easy. He'd lost so much over the past four years. I did what I could to make him more comfortable but each day brought new worries. To see him on this beach, our favorite hangout when he was able to walk, was the only solace I could get amid long stretches of despondency watching him draw farther and farther away from me; not willingly of course, but we both expected that. It didn't make his regression any easier to deal with, though. Knowing how little time we had left, we uploaded our cloned minds into the Cloud so we could be together as we once had been - alive and vibrant.

As he jogged towards me from up ahead, arm waved in greeting, my heart soared at our new day in the sun. Forget about the i.v.s, his emaciated body, and the fading memories. Here in our special place he is vibrant and gloriously alive with energy and love for me. On this beach I'm his Sunshine, and I always will be.

"Sunshine! I've missed you so much," He said as he wrapped me in his strong arms. He nibbled on my ear and kissed my throat. I craved the feel of his arms around me, but with a flash of insight I realized he never nibbled on my ears or kissed my throat. I had always wanted him to do both but he never did. How much of the A. I. was Eric as he really was versus what I wished he would be? I wondered if I missed the real Eric or if I missed what we never had?

I can only write about 800 words at a time before I'm overwhelmed. Getting to my soul as I write hasn't been easy but I'm able to do it.

You Gotta Have Goals

So, with the year three-fourths gone, I thought I should update the 300 Rejection Challenge. I have slacked off submitting a bit, so I probably won't make "Achievement Unlocked." On the other hand, I have 107 rejections -- and more importantly, from my perspective, if not my challenger's -- 34 acceptances of various sorts this year. Rejections no longer cause me more than a moment's "Ah, well. What's next?" That was the immersion therapy goal in the first place. So, in that sense, rousing victory. I highly recommend a year with a goal of this sort. If for no other reason than you have a large body of work to submit again if it is rejected.

However, now that I have gotten to the point where rejections no longer phase me, I need a new goal. And, as with all goals, it is good to stretch yourself. I was wondering what that new goal would be, until I attended the Hugos last weekend. The Hugos, for anyone who doesn't know, are the Science Fiction and Fantasy world's version of the Oscars -- as the Stokers are for Horror, or the RITAs or Golden Hearts are for Romance. Seeing the winners take the stage, many of whom I have met at conventions, ignited a fire in my soul to join them. Striving for the pinnacle of your genre is always a good thing. So my goal for next year is to submit to the markets that might get noticed and nominated.

This year, I went for quantity; next year, I aim for quality. :)

What do you want to accomplish as a writer or reader? Write five short stories a month? Finish a novel? Read one hundred books in the year? Anything is possible, but only if you try. Set your sights on that goal and never look back!

RieWrites -- Taking the Fifth

Hi, there!

My name is Rie Sheridan Rose, and I am proud to be an author with Mocha Memoirs as both myself and my alter-ego Tysche Dwai.

I have been given the privilege of being the blog writer for the 5th day of the month. For at least the next six, you will get my thoughts and advice on being a writer.

It's a tough road to travel, but I wouldn't want to be on any other. Ten years ago, I had just gotten my first books published with a small press, and I was taking my first tentative steps on the road while trying to hold a full time job. I was about to be married, starting a new household, and trying to keep writing whenever I had a spare moment. And then I was laid off, about three weeks before the wedding. My husband-to-be (who has been my rock and support for the last decade) made me a proposition. I could be a stay home writer if I wanted to be. He is a computer programmer, and makes enough in his career to support me in this endeavor. I know that most people don't get this luxury, but it isn't all moonbeams and roses either.

I have not been a very regular writer, even with the gift he gave me, but this year, I made a New Year's Resolution to write at least something every day. Most days, I have managed to do this. But at the beginning of February, my husband upped the game in a way I never would have thought would work. He gave me a challenge. It probably is an unachievable challenge, but it has spurred me to a great deal of productivity over the last month.

What was the challenge?

The challenge is to get 300 rejections this year.

Huh? Rejections? Why would anyone want those? Isn't the whole point to get acceptances? Well, yeah, everybody loves acceptances. But what I have found out is that having the freedom to get rejections has helped me have the courage to submit to markets that I never would have approached otherwise. Sure, I may get rejected--but that's no problem, because it just adds to my tally (which currently stands at 4 acceptances to 10 rejections. Not really a bad ratio) And if I get 30 rejections in one month I get a steak dinner from my vegetarian husband. :) The more important number is that I have submitted 49 pieces this year so far.

So, I make a challenge to you--if you write, shoot for a goal of 100 rejections this year (that is much more reasonable -- as someone pointed out to me, to get 300 rejections in a year, you must average 6 a week, and I didn't start until the beginning of February.) Submit to markets you otherwise wouldn't have tried. Give yourself permission to fail, but shoot for success. Send out your best work, as always, but send it to bigger markets. :)

If you are a reader, shoot for a goal of reading in new genres this year. Experiment with reading outside your comfort zone. You might find new loves.

I'll see you next month with advice and inspiration that will hopefully help you reach that goal. :)