2011 My Writing Year in Review

Submissions: 17
Rejections: 12
Pending Response: 4 (1 carried over from 2010)
Acceptances: 2
Published: 3

It's a little late in coming, but here is a quick review of the ups and downs of my writing life in 2011.

In January there was a lot of backwards and forwards with the editing on short stories that had already been accepted, but I wasn't writing anything new.

In February I still wasn't writing. I hadn't written anything since finishing NaNoWriMo in November 2010.

March was a terrible month in Japan. The earthquake, tsunami, and the start of nuclear meltdown. The country was in total chaos and I almost didn't notice my short story Whaling the Multiverse published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

Inspired by some positive feedback and reviews from Whaling the Multiverse, and a need to get back on my feet after the earthquake April was the month I started writing again. I wrote Montagfire's Sword for the Machine of Death anthology. Writing for MoD gave me the kickstart I badly needed. I was also asked to write an open letter about the March 11th earthquake on the Space and Time Magazine website.


May saw the publication of Tales of Blackleg Osai by Snarke P. Amor in Tales of Piratical Skullduggery at Wicked East Press.


In June I wrote The Ainu Woman of Kushiro for the Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations anthology. I workshopped it on Zoetrope, rewrote it taking into account some great suggestions, and changed the title to To Run a Stick Through a Fish.

I didn't write anything in July. I determined to work on rewriting my novel Whaling the Multiverse. I finished one editing pass.

I spent August writing and editing my novella The Tide Jewels for Wicked East Press. Also in August The Little Contractor Tool Kit appeared in Nightmares and Dreamscapes at Nightfall Publications.

In September I completed a short story called Suikawari. I workshopped it at Zoetrope and got some great feedback. I also did another editing pass on the novel.

In October I completed a short story called Transmission.  I workshopped it on Zoetrope and I had a lot of positive reviews. Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations accepted To Run a Stick Through a Fish. I also wrote a series of blogposts to get me in the frame of mind for NaNoWriMo.

In November I managed to complete NaNoWriMo with two days to spare. I wrote an autobiographical novel on my first six months in Japan working for an Eikaiwa. It is provisionally entitled Novacation for the Soul.


I spent December writing another 15,000 words to finish the first draft of that novel.

All in all I completed 4 new short stories and 1 novella. I did two editing passes on a novel in progress and wrote the first draft of a new novel. Not a particularly productive year, all things considered. But at least I can see some progress.

Next time I will write a post detailing my goals for 2012.

年越し本

I make no secret of the fact that I live in Japan. And while it is also no secret that the culture of Japan is a mishmash of other cultures fused onto its own in its own unique way--think of the influence of Western literature on Japanese literature in the Meiji era and see what magnificent works of art emerged from the cauldron-- it is without doubt an equally interesting pursuit of gaijin living in Japan to create our own fusions. Here is mine, for the record.


You've heard of 年越しそば (toshikoshi soba) noodles that are eaten on new years eve whilst waiting for the new year to be rung in. 




Now let me introduce to you the 年越し本 (toshikoshi hon), A book you begin reading on the 31st December and finish on the 1st January. 


What's yours?


This was mine:

And a very enjoyable read it was too.


5 STARS☆☆☆☆☆

How Zoetrope Virtual Studio Worked for Me

How Zoetrope Virtual Studio Worked for Me

Do you know Zoetrope Virtual Studio? It’s an online writers’ workshop launched in June 2000 by Francis Ford Coppola where writers and artists can review and discuss one another’s work.

Out on a limb?

I live in Japan, so it is very difficult for me to meet other writers. There is only one writers’ conference a year, and it is more often than not held far away from where I live. So when a colleague introduced Zoetrope to me I realized that a writing community like this was just what I was looking for.

Become a member of a group

I joined the site in February 2007. Once I had reviewed five short stories I was able to submit my own short story for review. I uploaded into the system in the evening, Japan time, and by the time I got up the next morning it had been reviewed by a number of writers in the United States.

Exchange Reviews

The story remained on the review board for one month, during which time six other members read and reviewed my story. I got some good feedback, and I was able to improve my writing thanks to other members’ suggestions and advice.

Encouragement

At the time I had never submitted a story for publication. I had entered a few writing competitions, but apart from winning a book on a radio poetry competition I had not had any luck. So, when one member suggested that I send my story off to a publisher I was a little hesitant. However, she insisted my work was as good as, if not better than a lot of stories she had come across. She directed me to Duotrope and pestered me until I sent that story out.

The First Story

The story was called One Little Bird. It was about a family with a budgie that lived a very long life. It didn’t get picked up by any of the magazines I sent it out to, but the act of sending it out did give me the confidence to try again. So, I began writing and workshopping regularly.

Keep Writing

I continued to submit stories for review at the Virtual Studio, and to review other writers’ work, and in the process I found that I was writing more. I was also improving my craft. It was not only the encouragement from other writers that spurred me on, but also the fact that I was looking at other writer’s stories in a critical way. I saw the mistakes others made and began to pinpoint those mistakes in my own writing. I saw how others overcame certain problems and how they dealt with certain writing issues in different ways. It was thanks to this work-shopping experience that I was able to learn so much from that.

Community

Within the larger community I found a small community of reviewers who understood what I was trying to achieve with my writing. (And of course, some who were rude and impossible, but I generally took the rough with the smooth.) I joined a few offices, The Horror Library, Lolly’s Café, and The Flash Factory, on the site and began making friends. It was difficult though, since the conversations on the discussion boards were usually finishing by the time I was getting up in the morning, and starting just as I was going to bed. But it didn’t matter. A community with a time delay was better than no community at all.

Be Open to Suggestions

It was not until I had submitted my fifth story for review that I really began to see the benefit of workshopping. I submitted a 6,000 word short story The Infinite Piggy Bank for review. The story is about a little girl who finds a black hole in her piggy bank. Reviewers said it was a great idea spoiled by being too long and confusing in its tone. It had elements of dark fantasy and light children’s science fiction, and ultimately confused. With the help and advice of other Zoetrope workshop members I was able to see that. I pared down the word-count, chopped out the dark fantasy elements, and got my first sale. The Infinite Piggy Bank appeared in Issue 20 of Beyond Centauri.

Finding a Voice

It was this experience that helped me to discover my voice. The Infinite Piggy bank has its flaws. I am not saying it is a perfect story. What I am saying is that before workshopping that story, my writing lacked a consistency of tone, focus, and narrative voice. Zoetrope writers helped me to discover this. And for that I am extremely grateful. Since finding the black hole in that piggy bank I have been lucky to sell most of the stories I have finished.

The Future?

I continue to submit my stories for review at Zoetrope and I continue to review others stories, though not as regularly as I used to. Many people come and go from the site, and in recent years the numbers of users have dwindled. Some say that Zoetrope is coming to an end. Some lobby the SYSOPS for change. Some continue on with a positive spirit in spite of all the hot air. There have been trolls discovered on the boards, incidents involving writers abusing the system, and even the odd flame war. But there have been some high points too. The most notable was when the Zoetrope founder Francis Ford Coppola himself turned up in a discussion in the screenplays section the year before last. And best of all, there is still a hardcore group of writers who hang out there and take the craft of writing seriously.

Join us!

There are writers from all corners of the earth writing in various genres using the Virtual Studio today. They are waiting to share their community with you. Sign up today and participate in the revival of the Zoetrope Virtual Studio.

Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations Anthology

ACCEPTANCE

I am thrilled to announce that my story "To Run a Stick Through a Fish" has been accepted into the DARK TALES OF LOST CIVILIZATIONS anthology.

The anthology is scheduled to be published next year by Dark Moon Books, in time for the World Horror Convention 2012.

My story, which is about the last days of the Ainu people of Japan, will appear alongside a bunch of established authors including the prolific genre fiction writerJoe R. Lansdale.

When I saw the call for submissions for this anthology I knew exactly the story I wanted to write. I had read numerous accounts of the plight of the Ainu people and how they were literally erased from existence by the Japanese government during my graduate studies in Japanese.

Inspired by Eric J. Guignard's vision for a collection of "dark tales of Horror, Speculative Fiction, and ... Science Fiction, relating to civilizations that are lost, or have been forgotten, or have been rediscovered, or perhaps merely spoken about in great and fearful whispers," I hit the library and spent a few days reading the ancient texts.

I was enthralled by the stories of the people of this lost civilization and the story that transpired featured a character that hopefully not only reflected the beauty and truth of the past, but adopted the misrepresentations of the present, and an uncompromising vision of the future.

Machine of Death

Machine of Death

I have been into the idea of this anthology project since I came across it in 2007. The website sells it as a collection of stories about people who know how they are going to die, and that is just what it is; character driven stories in a world where a machine that can predict your death exists. There are some great stories and some fantastic artwork between the covers of the book, and I have to say it is one of the best collections I have ever read. Personal favorites are Camille Alexa's Flaming Marshmallow, John Chernega's Almond, and M. Bennardo's Starvation, but there is not a single story that I didn't enjoy. If you haven't already purchased it, get on over there and buy it now!

The Idea

The idea of death prediction has been around for a long time. In the story of Oedipus the oracle predicted he would kill his father and marry his mother. In Heinlein's short story "Life-lines" Dr Hugo Pinero invents a machine that can predict when you are going to die. But what North, Bennardo and Malki! have done is to take that idea one step further, build on the myth, and make it their own by putting their own twist on the idea. And in the process it has become so much more than just an anthology. If you take a look at the website and click on the project status list on the navigation bar you will see how the idea has taken on a life of its own. There is a game, a talent show, prediction-by-mail programs, and even a photo contest. The Machine of Death idea has become a movement.

Karoshi

In 2007 I wrote a story called Karoshi. It was a story about how institutions deal with inappropriate death predictions. Karoshi is a Japanese word, which means Death from Overwork. My protagonist was a young, healthy Japanese woman called Yumi who enjoyed her job working in a government Baby Hatch, which was a place parents put their newborn babies if they had an 'inappropriate death prediction". The problem was that her employer found out her means of death and fired her. Their reason was that they did not want to be held responsible for her death. Tenacious to the end, Yumi took the local government to court and...well, you'll have to read the story yourself to find out the end. Even though it was rejected by genius editors Malki!, Bennardo, and North, it went on to find a home and win story of the year award at Strange Weird and Wonderful magazine. You'll find it under the new title A TEST OF FATE in the Fall 2008 edition.

Montagfire's Sword

In April this year I found out they were opening submissions for a second anthology. I was still reading the first anthology, and very impressed with it. Inspired, I decided that I wanted to be a part of the movement again. Even if my story was not accepted I wanted to participate in this event and broke myself out of a five month creative slump to write a story called "Montagfire's Sword" and I have to say that it was so much fun that it kickstarted my writing habit again. It's a story about a man who...no, I am not ready to share that with you. I still might have a chance in 1,958...


Here is a selection of the 1,958 titles that were submitted to the anthology. Look on the left hand side about halfway up for "The End". My story title, "Montagfire's Sword", is four lines up from that.

http://machineofdeath.net/v2cloud

Wicked Bag of Fantasy Tales

I Just had my contract sent for the story I wrote for The Wicked Bag of Fantasy Tales edited by Jessica A. Weiss and M.S.Gardner from Wicked East Press. Here is a teaser of the stories that my novella will appear alongside:

A Last Hope.....Darren Gallagher



The Beast Within.....Suzanne Robb


The Tide Jewels.....Mark Lee Pearson


Other Things To Do.....Dev Jarrett


The Wizard Host.....Rachel Chipp


For The Love Of Pete.....Jen Steffen


The Times of Marlon.....Richard Jay Goldstein


In Dreams.....Hazel O'Shea


Pain's Long and Traveled Path.....Patricia Puckett


Music For The Enchanted End.....Keith Gorney



It's a bumper sized book of ten novellas weighing in with a word count of: 126,631!

My story is a modern day reimagining of the ancient Japanese creation myth found in the Kojiki and Nihongi. It features a colorful cast of characters including dragons, turtles, and a talking cat. 

Don't forget to place your order...

NaNoWriMo: How Foolish Are You?

Old Japanese Proverb

He who attempts NaNoWriMo once is a wise man.

He who attempts it twice is a fool.

How foolish are you?

This is a problem that can easily be solved with a little pseudo-mathmatical formula.

DISTANCE x TIME = NUMERICAL FOOLISHNESS VALUE

Let's start with DISTANCE:

Mount Fuji is 3,776 (meters high)

To climb it twice would take it to 3,776 x 2 = 7,552

A NaNoWriMo novel is 50,000 (words long)

To attempt it twice would take it to 100,000

100,000 ÷ 7,552 = 13.24

This means it is 13.24 times more foolish to attempt NaNoWriMo than it is to climb Mount Fuji.

But how about you? It is important to include the number of additional attempts YOU have made into the equation. For example is you have 2 additional attempts (including the present one) multiply 13.24 by the power of two.

13.24² = 175.337995

It does not end there. We have to bring TIME into the equation. It takes about 8 hours to climb Mount Fuji as opposed to 24 (hours a day--yes, ask any writer, it does occupy that amount of time!) multiplied by 30 (days in November)

Let's put a numerical value on the TIME you have to put into your writing.

24 (hours in a day) x (30 days x 4 attempts) (actual writing time) = 2,880

2,880 - 16 (actual climbing time) = 2,864

DISTANCE x TIME = NUMERICAL FOOLISHNESS VALUE

175.337995 x 2,864 = 502,168.003

SO THERE IT IS. THE PROOF THAT I AM 502,168.003 TIMES THE FOOL FOR ATTEMPTING NANOWRIMO FOR THE FOURTH TIME!

What is your Numerical Foolishness Value???

Note: I make no claims to being a mathematician. This is just a bit of fun. If you can come up with a better one, I challenge you!