So here's this year in writing:
Novels
I tidied up one WIP (TPA), added a chapter, cleaned up the last few chapters and made other revisions, then sent it to 3 beta readers. Within a few months, 5 beta readers had finished it and I'd gotten glowing reviews. I also started aggressively sending out the work to agents and to date, it's been sent to about 100 agents.
I've gotten 48 responses, including 4 full requests, and 5 partial requests. The agents who've requested the full have read it, and had positive things to say--outside of form--but don't feel they can sell it. I also got 3/5 responses (passes) on the requested partials.
I'm leaving this work alone in terms of sending it out again, until I go back in and fix an inconsistency I realized, and probably make a few more minor changes. Then I'll start sending it out again next year.
Short Stories
1. I sent out one short story last fall/winter--an extract from a larger work (CS)--to eight markets with as many passes. I sent this story out again this past September to six markets and I'm awaiting six responses. This particular story might be a little tougher to place because it's very specific in a couple different ways.
2. I sent out another story--"The Representative"--to seven markets. My first response was an editor's interest in publishing with a request for edits. Since then I've received 2 passes from 2 other markets, but I have not yet sent in the edited work to the interested market. I need to do that asap because it's exciting to think I could be published sooner than later and would be very motivating. The only reason I haven't edited the work yet is because for the past year or so since 'finishing' it, I've known something was wrong and needed adjustment and hadn't been able to figure out what or how to do it. I finally just sent the piece out, kind of with my arms thrown up in surrender. And now the editor's edit requests pretty much get at the same thing that's stumped me since writing the piece. Anyway, I've got to work on it and send it back in before the editor's forgotten/changed his mind! Hopefully I can sell it to this market and move on, my faith in the process renewed.
3. I sent out a short short/flash for round 5 of NPR's 3 minute fiction contest. 600 words or less, given first and last line. Once NPR's first printing rights expire 12/31, I'll send it out to other markets. Yes I am, perhaps lamentably, assuming I won't win because I didn't dedicate enough editing time to it; I could've cleaned it up better.
Anyway, it's amazing what a contest deadline can do! Suddenly in a short period of time, I had a new story. I hadn't written a new story for about 2 years! And there's no real reason why I can't write a minimum of 1 or 2 short stories per month--all I need is a jump-start and some sort of kick in the butt (deadline) to do it. That's the problem--I'm addicted to contest-type motivations; I have trouble just doing the work I should--and used to--be able to do easily and with glee.
My next plan is to enter the Writers of the Future contest and I'm currently cooking up a story suitable for that market. And of course--NaNoWriMo! I finally have a new idea to work on too--I had exhausted all my ideas/execution of ideas within 3 NNWM years (by the end of November 2008). In November 2009 I had worked on one of the two stories I'd worked on in November 2007. Anyway, this year's idea is very commercial and most likely will sell faster than any of the other novel-length works I currently have going!
In conclusion, this month is a matter of planning for this year's NNWM story and carrying out my reading goals (which I'll put in another post), plus working on my Writers of the Future idea. Oh--and editing "The Representative" and sending it back in to that interested Editor.
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