The inevitable has finally happened: I’ve started getting rejections.

And lots of them.

Some editors have the time/consideration to tell me why they’re rejecting my work, which is really helpful, and others don’t bother. But so far I’ve noted a few things that are proving helpful (and preventing me from crying about it).

• Some editors will hate what another loved. This lesson I learned from a podcast editor, who hated the things that made “Shadows of the Darkest Jade” a Lovecraftian story worthy of being included in a Lovecraft anthology in the first place. This might seem like an obvious lesson, but it made me laugh (in a bitterly ironic kind of way), so it’s worth mentioning.
• Every high comes with a low. This is, again, a fairly obvious lesson …but everyone experiences an ebb in their popularity/success and this is (one of) mine. I just have to roll with it.
• The more work you produce, the more criticism/rejection you’ll receive. This is just statistics. I’m not sure whether the quality of my work is suffering with quantity, though, so I think I’m going to dial back how many submissions I’m writing just so I can focus on writing better quality submissions.  If I churn out 20 crummy stories, they will all be rejected; it’s better to focus and produce 2 really excellent stories that actually have a chance of being published.
• The more risks you take the more you’ll be rejected. My stories lately have been less linear and traditional. They’re a little harder to sell because they’re in unusual formats or have unusual points of view. It may be that these stories are simply impossible (or really difficult) to sell, and I’ll have to compromise and return to linear storytelling if I want to sell stories. I like challenging myself, so this is frustrating, but I understand that readers like linear, third-person storytelling. And maybe I’m just not that good at writing in unusual formats and POVs and I should wait until I’m a more skilled writer to try this challenge again.
• Sometimes it’s good to focus on non-writing parts of the business. Yes, being a better writer is the most important goal I have, but I also do other things to promote myself (like write blog posts!) that are important. It may be that this time of year, while the sun is shining, is a better time for me to focus on the self-promotion aspects of the business than the writing part. I think my writing is better in the winter. I am, at least, more focused…summer is full of distractions!
• Not every event/publication is appropriate for a particular author’s work. As an example, I had a frustrating time at Ba-Con this weekend, even though the convention itself was a blast, because my panels were not well-attended. It just wasn’t the right crowd for what I was presenting–and that’s okay. It was the con’s first year, so there was no way to know what the response would be like! The steampunk presentations I did with other members of the Airship Archon were much more popular, which was awesome, so I’m content with that.

So, while I’m frustrated with the rejections I’ve been receiving lately, I think I have ferreted out the causes, and my attitude remains positive and hopeful. I also take comfort from the fact that many other, far more accomplished and talented authors than I have received far more rejections. I’m in good company.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a really excellent short story workshop courtesy of Marcon 46 and Tim Waggoner, author of twenty novels and hundreds of short stories. He’s also a creative writing and composition professor at a university, so he has the experience with both writing and teaching that is ideal for this sort of workshop. Tim gave a number of really excellent bits of advice, and I thought I’d share a few with you in the interest of helping everyone improve.

1. If you find yourself writing stories with the “good part” (the climax) at the end, change it up. With a short story, you want the good part to be at the beginning, to draw the reader in–there’s no reason to have any boring bits, that’s the beauty of working with short fiction. So take your climax at the end of the story and make it the beginning of a new story (I went home after this lecture and wrote a new story based on this premise, and I think it’s much better than the first). Leave out as much of the exposition as possible.

2. Speaking of exposition, it should be avoided as much as possible in short stories, but it’s inevitable that you, as the author, will want to talk about the interesting setting and fascinating back stories you’ve created. Your story needs to have these elements even though they aren’t visible to the reader. Create a separate word file for this narrative stuff so that you can keep track of everything but keep it out of the story. I tend to write the exposition in the story and then yank it out and put it in a separate file that I save for later (sometimes the exposition goes back in, but often it doesn’t) but Tim mentioned that you can also just keep a separate word file and write all the exposition in that, without letting it get anywhere near your story, allowing  you to flip back and forth between documents.

3. Writing from the monster’s point of view is rarely scary. This makes the monster sympathetic and removes the horror element. I found this statement fascinating because I know of at least one publisher that is specifically asking for horror stories from the point of view of the monster, and I found it to be particularly difficult to oblige, perhaps because of this problem. There are also some excellent novels told from the POV of the serial killer (like “The Minus Man” or “The Cold One”), but I think those works have more of a chance to build up suspense and horror because they’re novels, rather than short stories, which need to pack a  wallop in a much shorter space.

4. Adverbs are bad. This is something everyone will tell you over and over and over again, but it’s worth repeating for the n00bs out there. I use adverbs more than I probably should, but I do try to avoid them, and so should you. As Tim says, “they’re lazy.”

Obviously this doesn’t cover all the advice Tim gave, just the bits that really influenced me.  I highly recommend attending a workshop or panel with him if you get the chance.

I need some advice.

Back in November of 2010, I submitted a story to an anthology being edited by someone with lots of credentials and experience. I’m not quite ready to say which anthology or which editor because I don’t want to burn any bridges, but I never received a receipt for my submission.  This is fairly common, however, so I didn’t worry.

When I still hadn’t heard anything in February, I sent a follow-up email, like I’m supposed to, asking for an update on the status of the anthology.

When I received no reply to that email, in March I commented on the blog post advertising the anthology.

Still without any update, today I used the contact form on the editor’s website to send him a note asking that he please respond with some information about the anthology.

If I don’t receive a response to this final missive, should I withdraw my story from the anthology? I am loathe to do that, but clearly he’s not interested in it, and there are other places that might be interested in publishing it (even though I wrote it specifically for this anthology).

I guess that’s one of the drawbacks to writing stories specifically for particular anthologies. If a story is rejected, it’s harder to find a new home for it, though I suspect that this one can find a home elsewhere. Hopefully I’ll hear from that editor in the next few days and I can make a decision.

Anyway, what would you do?

Writing for the benefit of others not only comes with the warm-fuzzy feeling that lets you know that you’re helping humanity with your art, but also allows you to get your name and work out to a new audience who might otherwise never have seen it. Here are a few places accepting donations of the written word:

Autism Benefit Issue – Flying Island Press is looking for original stories featuring characters on the autism spectrum; all proceeds will go to Autism Speaks. Deadline: April 30, 2011

Genre For Japan – Seeking donations of genre items (science fiction, fantasy, horror) for charity auctions to benefit The British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. They’re accepting anything from books to clothing to services like editing and digital conversion.

Authors for Japan – Seeking donations of any literary items (not limited to a particular genre) for the same charity as above.

Anyone know of other places accepting donations of the literary sort, or have other auctions/raffles I can publicize here?

As a writer, inspiration can strike at any time, but it helps to constantly read varied and interesting sources, especially if you’re writing science fiction or horror. After all, the most horrific ideas often come from the most mundane speculation about what the world will be like in just a few years, or observations made about the natural world. Here are a few sources of inspiration for me that cropped up recently.

Six important things you didn’t know you were running out of – Cracked.com is a hilarious place to learn fascinating facts. This list provides some great inspiration for speculative writers–what will happen when we run out of fresh water? Phosphorus? Helium? Entire novels have been written speculating on what society will be like without these essentials!

Fungus can turn animals into zombies – Who needs rampaging viruses or radiation from space when there are fungi that can control your mind? See also Captain Higgins the liver fluke! Horrifying!

Twenty-legged cactus once walked China – Need inspiration for your latest space creature or horror monster? This strange animal (or walking plant?) has no discernible beginning or end, way too many legs, and spikes on its back. This is the stuff of nightmares and Half Life!

So what has inspired YOU recently? Please share with the class!

I’ve encountered several good sources for writerly advice lately, many of them originally posted by Steven Saus. Here are a few of my favorite bits of advice:

1. Play well with others. Seek out criticism and use it to make your writing better. Assimilate suggestions from readers, editors and authors. Don’t be condescending (“you just don’t get it”) or think you’re the exception to a rule.

2. Don’t be a brand. Be a person, be accessible, be honest, and be yourself. The moment you become a commodity you lose authenticity…and readers. I think you also start to become condescending, so see #1.

3. Avoid tropes and stereotypes. Editors and anthologists have seen these stories before, hundreds of times, and they won’t be interested in your story either, even if you think you have An Awesome New Take on the beautiful princess being molested by her fat alien king father. You’re not that special; see #1.

4. Hard work is the only way to success. There is no shortcut. Self-published authors who want to be professional writers work just as hard, if not harder, than those who write for major publishers.

5. Always remember the basics. It’s never too late to improve your prose and change your writing style for the better. It’s amazing how many writers haven’t taken a class or read a book about the simple elements that will make their work readable. It’s also amazing how many writers think their work is good enough that they can ignore these beginner rules!

This list is not comprehensive by any means. If you’re a writer, what’s some great advice that was given to you? Please share with the class!

Innsmouth Free Press needs donations. If you enjoy horror, especially the Lovecraftian sort, please consider donating. If you do so by February 28th, you will even be entered to win one of several fabulous horror-related prizes.

I don’t ordinarily solicit my readers for fundraisers, but the people at IFP have been very good to me! One of my stories is appearing in their anthology Historical Lovecraft. They actually pay their authors, working with them has been a delight, and they publish genre fiction that can be very hard to find, giving a voice to authors who might otherwise have no outlet.

Please consider sending them $5 – that’s about the cost of a venti latte, and will make a huge difference to their operating costs!