So it seems this year may have finally got started for me.
I've come to the conclusion much of my earlier work contains either cliched characters or a cliched plot, or worse - both.
In particular:
Too Late the Rain - has cliche characters
Dark Rose - Plot and characters
System Failure - characters
Wamphyri - tropes
Mobile - Not so much
Idolatry - characters
My more recent work (Swirls in Obsidian, Dreaming, Digging Up the Past, Newland) not so much.
Now cliched characters aren't such a big deal, I think, if they're placed in a unique situation - a different way of using them, and it seems that may be the case because:
NVF Magazine has accepted Idolatry for the April Issue!
I sent it out last night and then went to bed. I woke up this morning with an acceptance email in my inbox - very cool.
Idolatry started out as an assignment during my first semester in the Advanced Diploma of Arts for Professional Writing. My lecturer at the time said he found the piece interesting, but not sure if I could make it work. I took up the challenge and turned it into a one act play for a later assignment. He again thought it interesting, but didn't think I carried it off enough to be a salable piece. So I worked on it some more and turned it back into a story.
It didn't place in the Salisbury Writing Competition for 2008. It has been rejected four other times from pro and semi-pro markets. I was just about ready to send it to TLODS when I figured I'd give it a once over and then send to a non-paying market as a last resort. I now have another credit for the bio. Perseverance pays off once more.
Today, life is good once more.
The Time Machine Australia Bound
2 weeks ago
Congratulations on the acceptance! And you're right, cliches are fine as long as you make it work for the story.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the acceptance. Now I have something to look forward to reading in April.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! TLODS is glad that "Idolatry" found a home!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. I'm considering threatening all my rejected stories with TLODS if they return again. Maybe it'll work...
ReplyDeleteWell done! Am looking forward to reading them.
ReplyDeleteNot them, it. I'm looking forward to reading it. Don't worry about me, its Friday.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the April issue of NVF Mag! I am also published in that issue. My story is titled "Small Science." Of my 15 published stories, that was #13. I also have a story, "I, Alone" appearing in the June 09 Double Issue of NVF, as well as a story, "Fear Itself" set to be published in the NVH Anthology, "HorrorMania" very soon. I look forward to reading your story! Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteHey, dude... um...the April issue of NVF is actually issue #5, not #4. Did you know that this issue was plugged at the Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors convention? Yep, thousands of people saw our work. Hopefully, some of the right people saw it! Anyway, just saw the date error and wanted to correct that so the people you want to read your work will know the right issue to get. Good luck! And by the way, since you're an Aussie, what does the word "Klowhacka" mean? I heard Robin Williams say that word when he was doing an aussie impression. Funny word! Is it real or made up?
ReplyDeleteThanks guys - did I say Issue 4? I can't find where...
ReplyDeleteAs for the word - it's a bastardization of cloaca - as in fish genitals, except we mean it to be the poop-shoot.
Poop-shoot? Whoa! I had no idea it meant butt-hole. Sorry about that. Didn't realize it was a bad word.
ReplyDeleteHave you gotten your contributor's issue yet? (April issue). I haven't, but expect it in the next couple of days. Best of luck to you!!
We don't consider the butt to be bad - as in we don't censor the word over here - exclaim about the asshole as much as you like ;c)
ReplyDeleteWe get a contributors copy?? Either I've missed something , it's taking a lot longer to get here, or I've been a little led astray. - I'm hoping it's a combination of the first two - I'll wait and see.
Hey, BT! Still writing? I have some new places to submit your work if you're interested? Drop me a line at junfanman69@gmail.com and I'll give you the info. Also, I think it's great that Australia provides grants for selected writers. America doesn't give two shits about their writers, and so there is no grants to be had.
ReplyDelete